testtest

A Forced Compromise - Optics for Hellcat Pro

My club has no restrictions on distance with steel targets but they advise you use frangible ammo especially for shorter distances.

Yeah…I’ve run FMJ on steel at 10 yards or so, and ended up picking jacket out of my arms & face…

But, straight lead is no big deal at that distance.

Run frangible on steel at point blank range with no issues besides a little bit of “sandblast” effect.
 
Yeah…I’ve run FMJ on steel at 10 yards or so, and ended up picking jacket out of my arms & face…

But, straight lead is no big deal at that distance.

Run frangible on steel at point blank range with no issues besides a little bit of “sandblast” effect.
I typically shoot the steel that is at my club out to range. My wife bought me a free standing silhouette target with the hostage flipper plate for Christmas. I can't wait until I can get it out.
 
Not quite right. Maybe not the best red dot, but the CT Rad Micro and Micro Pro come in green and fit the Hellcat. I only have the red versions, but they co-witness fine. On my Hellcat I have to put the front sight directly on the target, and this works well for me.

Brownells CT RAD Micro non pro
Brownells CT Rad Micro Pro

They are a little cheaper than on Amazon, and for now you can find some 10% coupons for Brownells.
 

Attachments

  • Hellcat Co-Witness.PNG
    Hellcat Co-Witness.PNG
    371.2 KB · Views: 106
Last edited:
Not quite right. Maybe not the best red dot, but the CT Rad Micro and Micro Pro come in green and fit the Hellcat. I only have the red versions, but they co-witness fine. On my Hellcat I have to put the front sight directly on the target, and this works well for me.

Brownells CT RAD Micro non pro
Brownells CT Rad Micro Pro

They are a little cheaper than on Amazon, and for now you can find some 10% coupons for Brownells.
I’m happy this works out for you however for me if caught in a defensive situation the last thing I’m going to worry about is aligning the red dot with my iron sights to ensure POA and POI

I want to put dot on bad person and pull the trigger and that’s what I train for.
That being said you do you.
 
Not quite right. Maybe not the best red dot, but the CT Rad Micro and Micro Pro come in green and fit the Hellcat. I only have the red versions, but they co-witness fine. On my Hellcat I have to put the front sight directly on the target, and this works well for me.

Brownells CT RAD Micro non pro
Brownells CT Rad Micro Pro

They are a little cheaper than on Amazon, and for now you can find some 10% coupons for Brownells.
The RAD Pro Micro is what I use on my Shield Plus and Hellcat. It's just as good as the Holosun and better than the other micro dots with maybe the exception of the Trijicon version. If S&W and CT would pay someone YouTube influencers, "tatical operators," and firearm magazines to review their product and tell everyone to buy one, maybe the RAD Pro Micro would stop being snubbed.
 
The CT Rad Pro Micro doesn't require any plates to be able to be mounted on the M&P Shields and the Springfield Hellcats. It mounts directly to the slide, and it co-witness which are two feature I want. The Holosun and Trijicon micro dots require the purchase of a plate, site higher up, and render your irons useless unless you also buy suppressor height sights.

If we look at IDPA, USPSA, and other shooting competitions where speed and accuracy plays a role, the proof and overall consensus is that optics are faster than irons. They also make accurate distance shots easier and faster. As far as point shooting goes, I believe it's a sure bet that anyone competing without an optic or irons and is only point shooting will be far behind the pack.

Just because I have a feature doesn't mean I have to utilize it for every occasion. If someone is within a few feet of me and is charging me with a knife, I am going to point and shoot while creating space. If the target is further away, I'll put the dot on the threat, and then will pull the trigger. On the off chance my red dot breaks or malfunctions for whatever reason and I have the opportunity to, I can utilize my irons. I have the best of all worlds. It's a no lose situation IMHO.
 
for Keystone19250

The picture was just showing that there is a green dot model that co-witnesses (although I don't have a green model). I would only use the iron sights if the red dot was not working. In normal use, POI is within an inch or two as long as you can see the red dot anywhere on the glass that is not in the center. POI can be dead on if shooting slowly.
 
It seems we have to compromise on choosing an optic for the Hellcat Pro. There is no green dot optic available to fit the slot on the Hellcat Pro, and using an adapter plate to mount something like a Holosun raises the optic to block the original sites. Springfield doesn't make suppressor height sites for the Hellcat Pro.
So, Holosun is the #1 rated optic, and the literature says GREEN is more clear to those of use with an astigmatism (33%), and is quicker to find for everyone. Green fades later in low light.
Meanwhile, optics are reliable, but having the back-up sites are always good to have.
So, what do I pick? The "next best" site with the lesser color or the better sight in green that better not fail?
I've seen two green dots that should fit the Hellcat Pro without an adapter plate:

1. Swampfox Sentinel Micro Green Dot (available in both manual and auto brightness models)
Amazon Swampfox Sentinel Micro

2. Crimson Trace RAD Micro Green Dot (auto brightness only)
Amazon CT RAD Micro Green

Of the two I'd personally go with the Swampfox manual since I don't really trust auto brightness sensors

That being said, I have an S&W Shield Plus with a Holosun 507K mounted with a C&H Precision adapter plate which as you said cannot co-witness because of the plate height (I'm considering getting suppressor height sights haven't decided yet), works great but the plate cost me an extra $50 or so.

In a pinch you can always use the "top of the viewing window at the neck line" trick, place the top of the viewing window at the neck line of the target and you're going to hit center mass at 3-7 yards (results may vary beyond that distance).

Also have you checked for 3rd party suppressor height sights for your Hellcat? Looks like Night Fision might work:
Night Fision Optics Ready Stealth Series for Springfield
 
I don't even have a range that I know of near me where I can shoot a 9mm more than 25 yards. Indoor ranges max out at 25 yards, and the outdoor ranges only allow pistols at 50 yards if they have a 5" barrel and are "bigger" than 9mm. No pistols on 100 yard range at all. I'll just live vicariously through you guys.
 
I've seen two green dots that should fit the Hellcat Pro without an adapter plate:

1. Swampfox Sentinel Micro Green Dot (available in both manual and auto brightness models)
Amazon Swampfox Sentinel Micro

2. Crimson Trace RAD Micro Green Dot (auto brightness only)
Amazon CT RAD Micro Green

Of the two I'd personally go with the Swampfox manual since I don't really trust auto brightness sensors

That being said, I have an S&W Shield Plus with a Holosun 507K mounted with a C&H Precision adapter plate which as you said cannot co-witness because of the plate height (I'm considering getting suppressor height sights haven't decided yet), works great but the plate cost me an extra $50 or so.

In a pinch you can always use the "top of the viewing window at the neck line" trick, place the top of the viewing window at the neck line of the target and you're going to hit center mass at 3-7 yards (results may vary beyond that distance).

Also have you checked for 3rd party suppressor height sights for your Hellcat? Looks like Night Fision might work:
Night Fision Optics Ready Stealth Series for Springfield

Another greendot option is the Viridian RFX-15. Direct to slide mount on the Hellcat Pro


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I had received an email this week that C&H precision (the plate maker) was now in the optic business

 
It seems we have to compromise on choosing an optic for the Hellcat Pro. There is no green dot optic available to fit the slot on the Hellcat Pro, and using an adapter plate to mount something like a Holosun raises the optic to block the original sites. Springfield doesn't make suppressor height sites for the Hellcat Pro.
So, Holosun is the #1 rated optic, and the literature says GREEN is more clear to those of use with an astigmatism (33%), and is quicker to find for everyone. Green fades later in low light.
Meanwhile, optics are reliable, but having the back-up sites are always good to have.
So, what do I pick? The "next best" site with the lesser color or the better sight in green that better not fail?
Check out the new optics from Holosun that have released as Shotshow.
 
It seems we have to compromise on choosing an optic for the Hellcat Pro. There is no green dot optic available to fit the slot on the Hellcat Pro, and using an adapter plate to mount something like a Holosun raises the optic to block the original sites. Springfield doesn't make suppressor height sites for the Hellcat Pro.
So, Holosun is the #1 rated optic, and the literature says GREEN is more clear to those of use with an astigmatism (33%), and is quicker to find for everyone. Green fades later in low light.
Meanwhile, optics are reliable, but having the back-up sites are always good to have.
So, what do I pick? The "next best" site with the lesser color or the better sight in green that better not fail?

No answer, but concur about green. Much easier on my eyes than red.
 
Back
Top