What kind of test would that be?
And why shouldnt we?
The Hellcat did the same with all the rules for what we should expect from a deep-cover carry pistol.
Despite its tiny size and light weight (around 18 oz.
So how about we apply full-size durability standards to it that we wouldnt normally to a gun this size?
How about 10K rounds through it over two days, with only basic maintenance and care?
Should we try it?
What were talking about here is not only reliability, but also durability.
Will an average shooter ever shoot a Hellcat this amount?
Now, we could wait months for real-world beta testing, getting some feedback from owners that adopted early.
But many times, designs that should have worked according to AutoCAD dont hold up to expectations.
And I knew just the guys to ask for help when it was time for mad scientist gun-testing hour.
Federal Ammunition, never a team to back down, donated 10,000 rounds of American Eagle 9mm.
The ammunition we used was 115 grain, with an advertised velocity of 1,180 feet per second.
That isnt quite +P, but it is certainly no powder puff.
Also, we hadAction Targetprovide us several excellent steel targets for the test.
They said no other parts should need replacement during the test.
Not only did I not have time for that, Im not a Nancy.
I decided to make it a much harsher test cycle.
We shot the first three cycles at 300 rounds, non-stop.
I have things to do besides shoot a pallet of ammo.
The quicker you cool in cycles like this, the harder it is on the metal.
We re-lubed every 500 rounds, and did a light cleaning every 1,000 rounds.
For a CCW gun, I would think thats a prudent and fair number.
Not many of us would ever go that hard on our life-saving gun without a wipe down.
The one recommendation from Springfield that we followed precisely was changing recoil springs every 2,500 rounds.
After-Action Report
Howd it do?
go for the video at top to watch the whole thing for yourself.
This gun can rock.
Over the course of the 10K rounds, there were only four failures to fire.
And during the test, we had a wide range of shooters try out the pistol.
Conclusion
Was I impressed?
We held the Hellcat to an unbelievable standard, and it beat it.
My impressions of the Hellcat after this?
Its nice to know it can do it, though, right?
Catch Mike Humphriesfull review of the Hellcatwhere he details all of the guns features.
Go to forum thread
HellcatSeries
FederalAmerican Eagle
Action TargetPT IPSCA-Zone
