Springfield Hellcat, tricking it out for fun

[melensdad]

Picked up a Springfield Armory Hellcat OSP.

Got the stainless slide variant. 4 15 round mags. 1 13 round mag. 1 11 round mag.

Arthritis in my hands so I added a NDZ extended magazine release to make it easier to drop a magazine. They offer 3 sizes. Standard, Medium and Large. I got the medium size, in anodized red color. Easy to install. Took maybe 5 minutes? JUST A NOTE OF CAUTION, if you carry a gun with an extended magazine release make sure your holster doesn't press against the magazine release.

I added HandleItGrip rubberized "edge" grip tape to the gun. They are precut for various guns. Various color inserts available, I chose red. The precut grip covers over one of the take down pins so I cut it back a bit to allow access to the pin which is needed if any internal work is done to the gun.

Added a Viridian E series Green Laser. Easy install. Designed specifically to fit the Hellcat so it looks pretty much stock. Green laser is way better than my old red lasers. Hard to describe how much more visible the dot is but damn, you can see it against most everything and it is very visible. As this is a self defense gun, I adjusted it so the laser sits right on top of the front sight at 12 feet. At 40' feet it sits maybe 3/4" above the front sight.

Picked up a CrossBreed Reckoning holster designed specifically for the Hellcat with a Viridian Green Laser. The holster is good, but I'm used to carrying in CrossBreed Super Tuck holsters so there is a bit of a difference. Photo shows the Crossbreed with black belt clips but I swapped those out with brown clips today because all 3 of my gun belts are various shades of brown and tan. The brown clips blend in while the black clips stand out against the brown belts.

Just got an Apex trigger but have not installed that yet.

I'm looking at optics. Unsure about those. Looks like the HEX Wasp, which was specifically designed for this gun, has been discontinued? RMSc and SMSc both look interesting. Swamfox Sentinal looks good too. Holosun's 507K requires a mounting plate, which I would prefer not to use but is awesome.

 

[melensdad]

Anyone got a 10 round factory Hellcat mag they want to part with?

I’d like to trade one of my new/unused 15 round magazine for one of the 10 round magazines (used but in good shape).

Straight up trade my new 15 for your good/used 10 round Hellcat magazine. I am NOT LOOKING FOR THE 11 ROUND factory magazine. I want a 10 round magazine.

 

[melensdad]

Who has experience with the micro optics? What are your feelings carrying with a tiny dot scope? Any issues?

Anyone running the HELLCAT with the miniature Holosun on a baseplate? Can you post close up photos?

How about the Swampfox Sentinal? Or Shield’s RMSc or SMSc? HEX Wasp? Others on a Hellcat? Same questions about getting some close up photos and carry experiences.

 

[Elcardo]

Pretty nice looking rig!! Absolutely love my



hellcat , I carried a 19 forever and never thought I'd like one of these micro 9's but I can shoot the crap out of this thing accurately and much easier to carry while I work (have a landscape buisness)



I have the shield rmsc ...I recommend against it because of the autobright ...full garbage when shooting dark to light , refresh sucks at lower brightness levels

I'm looking at the holosun eps carry as a replacement

 

[melensdad]

hellcat , I carried a 19 forever and never thought I'd like one of these micro 9's but I can shoot the crap out of this thing accurately and much easier to carry while I work (have a landscape buisness) . . .

I'm looking for the perfect holster.

I like, but do not love, the Crossbreed Reckoning. I have carried various guns in Crossbreed SuperTuck and Galco KingTuck (a knockoff of the Crossbreed design) for the past 30 years. The Reckoning is fine. But if I tell my wife she looks "fine" then I quickly find out that is the wrong answer.

I can live with the Reckoning but I'm thinking the SuperTuck will be better a better answer.

I have an old Galco KingTuck for a CZ. Might take it apart, the Reckoning should come apart. Maybe fit the Kydex of the Reckoning onto the leather of the KingTuck?

Should make for a thinner and more body shaped holster to increase comfort.

 

[WebSnyper]

I'm looking for the perfect holster.

I like, but do not love, the Crossbreed Reckoning. I have carried various guns in Crossbreed SuperTuck and Galco KingTuck (a knockoff of the Crossbreed design) for the past 30 years. The Reckoning is fine. But if I tell my wife she looks "fine" then I quickly find out that is the wrong answer.

I can live with the Reckoning but I'm thinking the SuperTuck will be better a better answer.

I have an old Galco KingTuck for a CZ. Might take it apart, the Reckoning should come apart. Maybe fit the Kydex of the Reckoning onto the leather of the KingTuck?

Should make for a thinner and more body shaped holster to increase comfort.

23242 CrossBreed® SuperTuck for SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Terrain Grey Pocket

23242 CrossBreed® SuperTuck for SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Terrain Grey Pocket

www.crossbreed-seconds.com

22080 CrossBreed® SuperTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E SEREIS LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

22080 CrossBreed® SuperTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E SEREIS LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

www.crossbreed-seconds.com

22038 CrossBreed® MiniTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT WITH VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

22038 CrossBreed® MiniTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT WITH VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

www.crossbreed-seconds.com

I'd probably go with the mini. $35 & easier than jacking with doing the Frankenstein holster.

Love that style holster myself, and have carried several Galco King Tuks as well as currently carry a 365 in a crossbreed mini tuck in founders leather.

 

[gassprint1]

23242 CrossBreed® SuperTuck for SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Terrain Grey Pocket

23242 CrossBreed® SuperTuck for SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Terrain Grey Pocket

www.crossbreed-seconds.com

22080 CrossBreed® SuperTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E SEREIS LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

22080 CrossBreed® SuperTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT with VIRIDIAN E SEREIS LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

www.crossbreed-seconds.com

22038 CrossBreed® MiniTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT WITH VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

22038 CrossBreed® MiniTuck . SPRINGFIELD HELLCAT WITH VIRIDIAN E-SERIES LASER . Right Hand . Black Cow . Optic Cut

www.crossbreed-seconds.com

I'd probably go with the mini. $35 & easier than jacking with doing the Frankenstein holster.

Love that style holster myself, and have carried several Galco King Tuks as well as currently carry a 365 in a mini founders leather.

I was looking at that brand for a px4 storm being they were very nicely priced, but the more i looked, the more awkward they looked.

 

[WebSnyper]

I was looking at that brand for a px4 storm being they were very nicely priced, but the more i looked, the more awkward they looked.

Have you ever carried using a hybrid holster? They are very comfortable. I prefer the combat cut (easier to grip the gun to draw) and for smaller guns the mini tuck has just the right amount of backing, IMO.

 

[gassprint1]

Have you ever carried using a hybrid holster? They are very comfortable. I prefer the combat cut (easier to grip the gun to draw) and for smaller guns the mini tuck has just the right amount of backing, IMO.

I have not. I just recently started the iwb using a cya kydex. I had used a outer belt holster made of nylon type material but it felt very okward last time i did. I prefer iwb now.

 

[melensdad]

I was looking at that brand for a px4 storm being they were very nicely priced, but the more i looked, the more awkward they looked.

The hybrid holsters are amazingly comfortable. I've got them for several guns, including a model I no longer own. There is nothing quite like them. They make look strange but they work so very very well.

 

[gassprint1]

The hybrid holsters are amazingly comfortable. I've got them for several guns, including a model I no longer own. There is nothing quite like them. They make look strange but they work so very very well.

Ok, I'll try to overlook the weirdness i guess i would say and look into them more. Might even find 1 for my ruger sr1911.

 

[melensdad]

I'd probably go with the mini. $35 & easier than jacking with doing the Frankenstein holster.

I may go that route if my Frankenholster doesn't work.

But I can (already did it) disassemble and reassemble the Reckoning.

And I have an obsolete KingTuck that will remain unused because I have no plans of buying a gun that will fit it since I sold off the gun that used to reside in that holster.

So, for free, I can drill out the rivets in the KingTuck (I also have a drill press) and rebuilt it as Cross-Gal-Super-King?

 

[melensdad]

Ok, I'll try to overlook the weirdness i guess i would say and look into them more. Might even find 1 for my ruger sr1911.

I literally carried various 1911 pistols in a Crossbreed SuperTuck for 2 DECADES. The holster is broken in and 100% useable for another decade.

 

[melensdad]

And the Crossbreed-Galco 'Frankenholster' is complete and comfortable. I noticed a total difference in increase comfort from the Crossbreed Reckoning to this new "almost" Crossbreed SuperTuck mount.

The wider spacing and larger leather of the SuperTuck style, which Galco so properly copied, makes for a far more comfortable carry by spreading the pressure across wide area, eliminating pressure points.

I switched the black Galco belt clips to brown Crossbreed belt clips because most of my belts (actually all 3 of my gun belts) are tan, brown and/or FDE. So the clips blend into the color of the belt rather than standing out in contrast when a shirt is tucked in. And that is another beauty of these holsters, they have drop clips and allow for the gun to be carried under a tucked in dress shirt or with a casual shirt draped over the waist.

You will notice there is a LOT of excess leather below the muzzle. I'll be trimming that down a bit.

I positioned the Reckoning's Kydex so the leather covers the slide/skin contact point and the 'combat cut' style leather lines up nicely. I was actually able to re-use one of the original holes to mount the kydex portion, the remainder were simple drilled into position on the Galco leather using the Reckoning's leather as a template.

 

[WebSnyper]

Looks good. I've carried both brands (Galco King Tuk & Crossbreed) for years. I did notice a few years back that Galco went to 2 levels of the King Tuk, I believe (different backings) and that they went to plastic clips. I haven't had occasion to buy a new King Tuk since they did that change, as I picked up Crossbreeds from the seconds site for my 365's, and more recent purchases.

Now you really do have a crossbreed, Crossbreed ;-)

 

[melensdad]

One little detail I may change is the shape of the kydex at the muzzle. It extends straight past the muzzle almost a 1/2”. I may use a heat gun to soften the kydex and gently fold that edge down just a little bit so there is no hard edge that ‘prints’ thru my jeans just below the belt line. But I’m not certain that is needed. I’ll give that a bit more time.

 

[EvilElmo]

Who has experience with the micro optics? What are your feelings carrying with a tiny dot scope? Any issues?

Anyone running the HELLCAT with the miniature Holosun on a baseplate? Can you post close up photos?

How about the Swampfox Sentinal? Or Shield’s RMSc or SMSc? HEX Wasp? Others on a Hellcat? Same questions about getting some close up photos and carry experiences.

I run a Shield RMSc on mine. Prior to that I tried a Swampfox Sentinel but ultimately returned it. The Sentinel will obscure approximately 60-70% of the irons because the rear of the sight is fairly high and has no channel cut in in to allow for a clear view. The Shield sights are both lower and have a channel that allows for a full sight picture with the irons.

IMHO the RMSc is the better choice over the SMSc for two reasons - it has a metal housing instead of the SMSc's polymer, and it is available with a glass lens instead of (again) polymer. It costs more, but I have to believe the different materials means it's also more durable. The biggest downsides are it isn't truly waterproof and you have to remove it from the slide to change the battery. But it'll go for a couple years on one battery so that isn't a big problem.

I never tried one of the Holosuns because of the mounting footprint variation. You need to either use a mounting plate or have the front two mounting lugs on the slide ground flat and have the rear two lugs shortened. With the lugs changed the Holosun will mount directly to the slide with no plate.

The size of the optic is a bit of a downside, but I find with some practice I'm still quicker on target than I am with just the irons. It just means it's a little less forgiving when bringing the pistol up to your eye than a bigger optic would be, so just spend a little more time building that muscle memory.

 

[melensdad]

I run a Shield RMSc on mine. Prior to that I tried a Swampfox Sentinel but ultimately returned it. The Sentinel will obscure approximately 60-70% of the irons because the rear of the sight is fairly high and has no channel cut in in to allow for a clear view. The Shield sights are both lower and have a channel that allows for a full sight picture with the irons.

IMHO the RMSc is the better choice over the SMSc for two reasons - it has a metal housing instead of the SMSc's polymer, and it is available with a glass lens instead of (again) polymer. It costs more, but I have to believe the different materials means it's also more durable. The biggest downsides are it isn't truly waterproof and you have to remove it from the slide to change the battery. But it'll go for a couple years on one battery so that isn't a big problem.

I never tried one of the Holosuns because of the mounting footprint variation. You need to either use a mounting plate or have the front two mounting lugs on the slide ground flat and have the rear two lugs shortened. With the lugs changed the Holosun will mount directly to the slide with no plate.

The size of the optic is a bit of a downside, but I find with some practice I'm still quicker on target than I am with just the irons. It just means it's a little less forgiving when bringing the pistol up to your eye than a bigger optic would be, so just spend a little more time building that muscle memory.

To me the Holosun is attractive for being the most durable but unattractive for bulk and mounting.

RMSc and SMSc both seem reasonable. I’m not sure that the polymer lens is a big problem on an optic that would, if used in self defense, realistically be used inside of 30-40’ and statistically inside of 15’. Certainly for long distance, glass is the only option. But self defense shootings are almost exclusively very close range.

I’m trying to wrap my mind around the issue of ultra quality versus utility. Bushnell makes a couple sub-$200 micro dots with street prices at $149 and specs just as good as optics in the $300 price range, but maybe a bit more bare bones, and maybe the glass is not quite as clear on the edges. Still, on a self defense pistol that should (legally) and will (statistically) be used inside of 30’ and more likely inside of 15’, does it really matter if edge to edge clarity is perfect?

But your insight on the Sentinal, which covers the sights, and has no sight channel, seems to make perfect sense to me.

Like I said, trying to figure all this out. Not even sure it’s worth the effort but I’m very intrigued by the optics.

 

[gassprint1]

And the Crossbreed-Galco 'Frankenholster' is complete and comfortable. I noticed a total difference in increase comfort from the Crossbreed Reckoning to this new "almost" Crossbreed SuperTuck mount.

The wider spacing and larger leather of the SuperTuck style, which Galco so properly copied, makes for a far more comfortable carry by spreading the pressure across wide area, eliminating pressure points.

I switched the black Galco belt clips to brown Crossbreed belt clips because most of my belts (actually all 3 of my gun belts) are tan, brown and/or FDE. So the clips blend into the color of the belt rather than standing out in contrast when a shirt is tucked in. And that is another beauty of these holsters, they have drop clips and allow for the gun to be carried under a tucked in dress shirt or with a casual shirt draped over the waist.

You will notice there is a LOT of excess leather below the muzzle. I'll be trimming that down a bit.

I positioned the Reckoning's Kydex so the leather covers the slide/skin contact point and the 'combat cut' style leather lines up nicely. I was actually able to re-use one of the original holes to mount the kydex portion, the remainder were simple drilled into position on the Galco leather using the Reckoning's leather as a template.

View attachment 257742 View attachment 257743 View attachment 257744 View attachment 257745

Still looks weird, but i said I'll keep an open mind on looks. Gota get oil changed on new car tomorrow at Gurley Leap in Mishawaka. Guna stop at Midwest and see if they carry the crossbreed brand.

 

[EvilElmo]

To me the Holosun is attractive for being the most durable but unattractive for bulk and mounting.

RMSc and SMSc both seem reasonable. I’m not sure that the polymer lens is a big problem on an optic that would, if used in self defense, realistically be used inside of 30-40’ and statistically inside of 15’. Certainly for long distance, glass is the only option. But self defense shootings are almost exclusively very close range.

I’m trying to wrap my mind around the issue of ultra quality versus utility. Bushnell makes a couple sub-$200 micro dots with street prices at $149 and specs just as good as optics in the $300 price range, but maybe a bit more bare bones, and maybe the glass is not quite as clear on the edges. Still, on a self defense pistol that should (legally) and will (statistically) be used inside of 30’ and more likely inside of 15’, does it really matter if edge to edge clarity is perfect?

But your insight on the Sentinal, which covers the sights, and has no sight channel, seems to make perfect sense to me.

Like I said, trying to figure all this out. Not even sure it’s worth the effort but I’m very intrigued by the optics.

I wasn't worried about the polymer lens for clarity, it was for durability. Maybe I'm wrong but I believe the glass will be more scratch resistant than polymer.