After I began fascinated by how you can open this evaluation, I thought-about saying one thing witty, like “We now have a brand new Hellcat, however in 380… so it’s a HellKitty?”, because the unique got here out in 9mm. Nonetheless, discretion overtook me, so I solely talked about it…
I puzzled how lengthy Springfield Armory (SA) would take to deliberate earlier than issuing the Hellcat in .380. Stepping again in time a bit… once I first obtained the Hellcat 9mm micro for a evaluation, I keep in mind pondering ‘this may even be nice in .380’. The gun is a real micro-9, and due to its small measurement, it might be a great candidate for the stubby 9, or so I believed.
The brand new launch in .380 means they had been pondering that, as effectively. I doubt if I’m the one author or shooter who puzzled about this.
Benefits Of The HellKitty
The Hellcat was all the time a really small pistol. Some 9mm masses are a bit a lot in that small gun, with exaggerated recoil. Physics can’t be denied. Nonetheless, in .380, the gun turns into a bit extra tame. Recoil remains to be current (particularly with masses like Black Hills’ HoneyBadger protection rounds), however it’s extra manageable.
The Hellcat’s measurement could be very small, extra consistent with the .380. I perceive that many corporations make micro 9s… I owned one of many smallest, the Kahr CW9, as soon as upon a time… and they’re nice to hold, however not so nice to shoot. The .380 is a superb compromise between the full-bore 9mm and smaller calibers. (Talking of smaller calibers, there appears to be a hue & cry for SA to situation the Hellcat in .32… We’ll see.) With fashionable, protection masses, the .380 turns into a viable caliber for carry. I do know loads of of us who don’t go away house with out their .380. I personal two of them, a Bersa Thunder Plus and an S&W Bodyguard 2.0. Each are nice weapons, with lots to advocate them (particularly the Bersa’s 15+1 capability).
The Hellcat .380 provides lots, as effectively. Right here is an effective place to listing its specs…
Colour Black
Barrel 3″ Hammer Solid Metal, Melonite® End, 1:10
Slide Billet Machined, Melonite® End, Optics Prepared
Body Black Polymer w/ Adaptive Grip Texture
Sights Tritium/Luminescent Entrance, Tactical Rack U-Notch Rear
Recoil System Twin Captive Recoil Spring w/ Full Size Information Rod
Grip Width 1″
Magazines (1) 11-Spherical, (1) 13-Spherical Prolonged
Weight 16.1 oz w/ Flush Magazine, 16.5 oz w/ Prolonged Magazine
Size 6″
Top 4″ w/ Flush Magazine, 4.5″ w/ Prolonged Magazine
MSRP $653
Observations
Sights. After I first picked the gun up, I used to be reminded of my Hellcat’s sights. Up entrance, you might have a Tritium publish that glows brightly when ambient lighting is low. Couple that with a U-notch, white-lined rear, and you’ve got a cosy setup. The sights simply pop… that’s one of the best ways I can describe it.
Optics-Prepared. However what if the sights should not your cup of tea? Stick a crimson dot on it. The footprint is made for an RMSc sight.
Grip Texture. I keep in mind once I first unboxed the 9mm Hellcat, how impressed I used to be with the grip texturing. I’m a shooter who likes very tough grip texturing… I do know, possibly I’m a throwback – possible! Nonetheless, I like a gun to remain put. I as soon as purchased a roll of stair tread tape at Rural King to placed on a Ruger LC9’s grip – it was too slick. I’ve additionally gotten good with a soldering iron. I’ve stippled my share of polymer grips, for positive.
The Hellcat doesn’t want both of these fixes. What impresses me concerning the Hellcat’s grip is what SA calls Adaptive Grip Texture. This method of “roughing up” the grip consists of each brief and longer rods molded into the grip. That manner, the tighter you grip it, the extra it locks itself into your hand. It really works. Plus, it doesn’t eat your clothes… it isn’t tough, like that stair tread tape was. It simply works.
Measurement & Weight. The gun is barely one inch vast, and weighs all of 16 ounces (16.5, with the prolonged journal). Relying in your state of affairs, it’s potential to hold it in a pocket. Even with the prolonged, 13-round journal, it doesn’t take up a lot room and could be very concealable.
End. The Melonite (ferritic nitrocarburizing) end is utilized to present the gun’s steel higher safety from issues or actions that might hurt a lesser end. It’s deposited not solely on the floor of the steel, nevertheless it additionally penetrates the floor of the steel. This supplies safety towards corrosion/rust and is tough sufficient to shrug off minor scratches. It goes by different names, similar to Black Nitride, Tenifer, Tufftride, and Ferritic Nitrocarburizing (FNC). This isn’t an inexpensive solution to end a gun, however it’s going to final.
The feed ramp is extremely polished, which helps feed all sorts of ammo
Variations
These variations are minimal, however I can see three…
Lighter. The .380 Hellcat weighs 20.35 ounces with an empty 11-round journal; the 9mm weighs 23 ounces.
Narrower. The .380’s slide is barely an inch throughout the highest strap, whereas the 9mm’s slide is just a few hundredths extra.
Recoil. The 9mm Hellcat has snappier (technical time period) recoil than its .380 cousin.
Once more, no huge deal, however some shooters pay shut consideration to the smallest particulars, which is why I discussed these.
Cleansing The Hellcat .380
It’s fairly easy, really. Right here’s the drill…
Take away the journal and empty the chamber.
Lock the slide again with the slide cease.
Rotate the takedown counterclockwise upwards 90 levels.
Launch the slide, then pull the set off.
Take away the slide from the body; separate the barrel and spring, and clear.
Placing it again collectively is simple:
Put the barrel and spring again within the slide.
Set up the slide on the body, lining up the body rails.
Lock the slide again with the slide cease.
Rotate the takedown lever again down into place.
Launch the slide; verify for operate.
Vary Time
I grabbed a few 380 masses I had available and headed to my yard vary. I set targets at 10 yards and proceeded to ventilate them. The gun shot to the fitting a bit… that might be one thing I’d handle if I had been going to maintain it.
I had some S&B 95-grain FMJ left from earlier opinions… generally I like to make use of that to get what I name baseline targets. That is about as plain-jane as any ammo might be, so it makes a good start line.
I additionally shot Black Hills .380 HoneyBadger (no typo, there isn’t a house) ammo, as talked about above. They provide ammo for my opinions, for which I’m grateful. A fast plug… they promote lots of ammo to the federal government and to regulation enforcement businesses, so I really feel it’s a number of the finest, most constant ammo on the market. Should you’ve by no means tried Black Hills ammo, choose up a field. I believe you gained’t be disenchanted. You should purchase HoneyBadger masses in lots of calibers, nevertheless it actually makes the previous .380 sit up and bark, to make use of a phrase. It is available in .380, .38 Particular, .357 Magnum, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45ACP, plus .45-70. It’s value a glance.
Listed below are a few consultant targets…
Summing Up
The .380 has been given a brand new lease on life, with fashionable bullet know-how and cargo growth popularizing this previous caliber in an enormous manner. Many corporations have launched, or are releasing, new .380 pistols… they wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t an efficient self-defense caliber. Though not the 9mm, the .380 has sufficient going for it that many shooters are carrying it as their major hid weapon. Hundreds such because the HoneyBadger have helped transfer it into the mainstream of hid carry.
With the success of S&W’s Bodyguard 2.0 and similar-sized .380s, corporations are seeing that micro-sized pistols are going to promote. SA clearly believes that, as effectively. The Hellcat .380 is a gun constructed on one of the vital in style micro-9s going, the unique Hellcat. I believe it’s attention-grabbing they didn’t rename it, as it’s a clone of its 9mm cousin… at first look, you might need a tough time telling them aside. Therefore, the identical identify as I see it.
In case you are in search of a pocket-carry pistol that’s constructed very effectively, is dependable, and has as much as a 13-round capability, you would possibly need to give the Hellcat .380 a glance. SA’s pistol line has confirmed itself, and this one isn’t any exception.
Hyperlinks To Gadgets Used In This Assessment
Black Hills Ammunition
MTM Case-Gard Excessive-Low Capturing Desk, $160
Caldwell E-Max Low-Profile Listening to Protectors, $33
Birchwood Casey Capturing Baggage Stuffed, $40
Birchwood Casey Eze-Scorer 8 Inch Bull’s-Eye Goal, 26 Targets, $9
Caldwell Final Goal Stand, $33
