testtest

Hellcat Pro trigger slap

Marshal

Marshal

Alpha
So, a while back I was looking to make an upgrade to my 'micro 9' category carry pistol. I picked up a Hellcat Pro after test firing a Hellcat. Handling the Hellcat and Pro side by side kinda sealed the deal on the Pro.

Anyway, I felt a little bit of feedback through the Hellcat I had rented, which was odd but I could live with it. But when I got the Pro to the range for the first time, the trigger slap from the feedback was borderline painful. I don't mean a pinch from the safety dingus, or from the bottom of the trigger. It literally feels like the trigger flicks back against the trigger finger during recoil, and the pad of the trigger finger will be a bit sore for an hour after shooting more than 50 rounds or so.

I tried letting it break in, but after a few hundred rounds and copious amounts of dry firing there wasn't much relief. I tried polishing some bits along the trigger bar and where the striker rides over the sear. Again, no appreciable change.

I caved and sent it back to Springfield, and asked to have them call me before they shipped it back so I could pick their brain. What I was told, is the trigger is in spec and there's nothing they can do for it. The phone rep did say there were aftermarket triggers, but for obvious reasons he couldn't endorse a particular product. And that's all well and good because the purpose of getting the pistol was to have a carry gun I did not have the urge to modify.

Once it was back in hand, I tried a letting it break in some more hoping it would lighten up with use. Both live and dry fire, but still no real progress.

That leads me here. I wanted to check and see if anyone else has experienced this, and if so whether they've found a way to resolve it.

I want to like the gun. The trigger take up and break are adequate. It's fairly accurate. The gun's never given me any sort of malfunction. But if I can't resolve the trigger slap issue I can't see myself keeping it. At the same time, I'd feel kinda bad passing it onto someone else.
 
Marek71 said:
I've had a Pro for about a year and put tons of rounds through it and have never had this issue. I shoot Glocks often also and sometimes notice that my trigger finger can get a little irritated from the safety dingus but nothing at all from the Hellcat Pro.
Click to expand...
Marshal said:
So, a while back I was looking to make an upgrade to my 'micro 9' category carry pistol. I picked up a Hellcat Pro after test firing a Hellcat. Handling the Hellcat and Pro side by side kinda sealed the deal on the Pro.

Anyway, I felt a little bit of feedback through the Hellcat I had rented, which was odd but I could live with it. But when I got the Pro to the range for the first time, the trigger slap from the feedback was borderline painful. I don't mean a pinch from the safety dingus, or from the bottom of the trigger. It literally feels like the trigger flicks back against the trigger finger during recoil, and the pad of the trigger finger will be a bit sore for an hour after shooting more than 50 rounds or so.

I tried letting it break in, but after a few hundred rounds and copious amounts of dry firing there wasn't much relief. I tried polishing some bits along the trigger bar and where the striker rides over the sear. Again, no appreciable change.

I caved and sent it back to Springfield, and asked to have them call me before they shipped it back so I could pick their brain. What I was told, is the trigger is in spec and there's nothing they can do for it. The phone rep did say there were aftermarket triggers, but for obvious reasons he couldn't endorse a particular product. And that's all well and good because the purpose of getting the pistol was to have a carry gun I did not have the urge to modify.

Once it was back in hand, I tried a letting it break in some more hoping it would lighten up with use. Both live and dry fire, but still no real progress.

That leads me here. I wanted to check and see if anyone else has experienced this, and if so whether they've found a way to resolve it.

I want to like the gun. The trigger take up and break are adequate. It's fairly accurate. The gun's never given me any sort of malfunction. But if I can't resolve the trigger slap issue I can't see myself keeping it. At the same time, I'd feel kinda bad passing it onto someone else.
Click to expand...
Try M Carbo- they have trigger kits. Call them tell them your problem. I bought their trigger kit for my M&P, S&W .45, had it put in, works great- smooth 4# trigger
 
Marek71 said:
I've had a Pro for about a year and put tons of rounds through it and have never had this issue. I shoot Glocks often also and sometimes notice that my trigger finger can get a little irritated from the safety dingus but nothing at all from the Hellcat Pro.
Click to expand...

That's kinda the thing that confuses me about this. I don't think it's the trigger dingus. It's not a pinch, it's a thump that leaves the entire finger pad kinda sore. But obviously it happens quick so it's hard to tell aside from assessing aftermath.

And this is the only pistol that I've experienced it with. I own 3 others with a dingus, and have shot plenty of other guns over the years. It's weird.

Maybe I should try taping the dingus at the range to rule it out entirely. Or just shoot it with gloves on, even though I almost never wear gloves otherwise. I mean it's a carry gun, and if it were needed in a pinch the absolute last thing I would be concerned about is a little flick to the trigger finger if I had to use it in an emergency.

CAPMARINE276 said:
Try M Carbo- they have trigger kits. Call them tell them your problem. I bought their trigger kit for my M&P, S&W .45, had it put in, works great- smooth 4# trigger
Click to expand...

I seriously considered the M Carbo kit, because they have one that comes with everything if I remember right. Striker, sear, springs, trigger...sort of a scattergun solution that addresses all the potential problem areas. The only thing that gives me pause is that could be tossing a chunk of money into something that may not resolve the problem.

Might be worth it to give them a call next week and see what they say. It can't hurt to ask questions.
 
Not trying to offend but....

it could be that you are taking your finger completely off trigger and the reset is causing the trigger to "pop" forward into your finger.

Try this....
Pull the trigger and hold it all the way back. Release it but not disengage your finger from the shoe and see if it happens. If it does, re-trigger or sell. If it doesn't happen, you'll have to re-train your trigger finger into not disengaging the shoe from shot to shot.
 
Jester560 said:
Not trying to offend but....

it could be that you are taking your finger completely off trigger and the reset is causing the trigger to "pop" forward into your finger.

Try this....
Pull the trigger and hold it all the way back. Release it but not disengage your finger from the shoe and see if it happens. If it does, re-trigger or sell. If it doesn't happen, you'll have to re-train your trigger finger into not disengaging the shoe from shot to shot.
Click to expand...
I hadn't thought of that. All the training I have taken contained training on riding/resetting the sear. So it's just natural muscle memory for me.
 
Marshal said:
So, a while back I was looking to make an upgrade to my 'micro 9' category carry pistol. I picked up a Hellcat Pro after test firing a Hellcat. Handling the Hellcat and Pro side by side kinda sealed the deal on the Pro.
Click to expand...
i have a Hellcat, not the pro.

i had a MCarbo trigger kit, springs installed, and it is great.

check to see if they have to kit for yours.
 
Bassbob said:
Have someone else shoot it and see if they notice the same problem. Meanwhile rent another identical gun and shoot it side by side with your gun. If it is determined to be an issue exclusive to your specific gun, put an aftermarket trigger kit in it. Or sell it for a loss.
Click to expand...

That's a good thought. I'll have to check and see if the range has a Hellcat Pro that I can rent. Maybe catch up with my other coworker that shoots as often as I do and see if we can arrange a range trip to see if he feels what I do.

Jester560 said:
Not trying to offend but....

it could be that you are taking your finger completely off trigger and the reset is causing the trigger to "pop" forward into your finger.

Try this....
Pull the trigger and hold it all the way back. Release it but not disengage your finger from the shoe and see if it happens. If it does, re-trigger or sell. If it doesn't happen, you'll have to re-train your trigger finger into not disengaging the shoe from shot to shot.
Click to expand...

No offense taken. Wouldn't be the first time in my life simple shooter error caused problems that indicated a technique shift was necessary. Sometimes the problem is the loose nut behind the wheel and no the machine they're operating. Unfortunately in this case I had already had the same thought. Changing things up and shooting to reset as you described doesn't really change the feedback.
 
Marshal said:
That's kinda the thing that confuses me about this. I don't think it's the trigger dingus. It's not a pinch, it's a thump that leaves the entire finger pad kinda sore. But obviously it happens quick so it's hard to tell aside from assessing aftermath.

And this is the only pistol that I've experienced it with. I own 3 others with a dingus, and have shot plenty of other guns over the years. It's weird.

Maybe I should try taping the dingus at the range to rule it out entirely. Or just shoot it with gloves on, even though I almost never wear gloves otherwise. I mean it's a carry gun, and if it were needed in a pinch the absolute last thing I would be concerned about is a little flick to the trigger finger if I had to use it in an emergency.



I seriously considered the M Carbo kit, because they have one that comes with everything if I remember right. Striker, sear, springs, trigger...sort of a scattergun solution that addresses all the potential problem areas. The only thing that gives me pause is that could be tossing a chunk of money into something that may not resolve the problem.

Might be worth it to give them a call next week and see what they say. It can't hurt to ask questions.
Click to expand...
My .45 MP/ SW shoots great; i had those fancy sights put on- my brain is not working—red/green.
 
PAGunGuy said:
I have never thought of or heard of completely taking your finger off the trigger after a shot to let it reset. People do that?

I have always and we were trained to just let off the trigger enough to feel the reset.
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"could be" a possibility that some have been told by maybe an instructor or shooting partner to remove finger off the trigger to avoid an errant shot while getting used to the recoil, for a new shooter..??

God only knows the new shooters i have seen, shoot up the ceilings after each shot, until they controlled the recoil.
 
Put 150rds through my HC pro yesterday, no finger irritation. I do know what you are talking about though. I have a Glock 48 that does this to me after only a few mags. I don’t think the little metal trigger dingus will completely press in flush with the face of the trigger thus making a sharp edge that irritates the finger. None of my Hellcats do this. Have you looked to see if there is something obstructing the trigger safety not letting it press in all the way?
 
David N. said:
It is real, just watch videos of Rob Leatham and other old school shooters.
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Those guys are shooting hammer guns for one thing. Riding the sear on a very light, highly tuned 1911 trigger isn't a thing is it ? If it is it probably shouldn't be. It seems like a good way to have a ND to me.
 
835mag said:
Put 150rds through my HC pro yesterday, no finger irritation. I do know what you are talking about though. I have a Glock 48 that does this to me after only a few mags. I don’t think the little metal trigger dingus will completely press in flush with the face of the trigger thus making a sharp edge that irritates the finger. None of my Hellcats do this. Have you looked to see if there is something obstructing the trigger safety not letting it press in all the way?
Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain the trigger dingus is not the source of the irritation. Messing around with it, the dingus doesn't have any sharp corners, and it seems to seat flush enough while dry firing as to not cause a problem.

PAGunGuy said:
I have never thought of or heard of completely taking your finger off the trigger after a shot to let it reset. People do that?

I have always and we were trained to just let off the trigger enough to feel the reset.
Click to expand...

Yes, we'll see if it will let me link a video. But the basic premise is instead of keeping the trigger pinned back until the slide has ceased actuating, you start to release the trigger while the slide is under recoil and start to take the slack back up while the muzzle is falling so your next shot is ready to break as soon as the sights are back on target. You do not take your finger fully off the trigger and slap it mind you, it's a controlled release just far enough that you have a little slack to take up before your finger is back at the wall.

This class is taught by John Lovell. Army Ranger, very much not a method designed just for shooting at paper & steel.


Bassbob said:
Those guys are shooting hammer guns for one thing. Riding the sear on a very light, highly tuned 1911 trigger isn't a thing is it ? If it is it probably shouldn't be. It seems like a good way to have a ND to me.
Click to expand...

I think irrespective of which method you choose, you kinda need to be all in on it with a single action pistol with a light trigger. I've definitely had an accidental double tap with a 40 S&W 1911 that I built before I adjusted the sear spring to make the pull heavier. Could happen if you don't pin the trigger hard enough and your finger bounces forward under recoil, could happen if you try to take up the slack too early and recoil bounces the trigger into the trigger finger hard enough to trip the sear. I've adjusted a few down into the 2-3 lb range to see what the fuss was about, and decided that I don't care for a trigger that light. So they've all been brought back up around the 5 lb range.
 
Bassbob said:
Have someone else shoot it and see if they notice the same problem. Meanwhile rent another identical gun and shoot it side by side with your gun. If it is determined to be an issue exclusive to your specific gun, put an aftermarket trigger kit in it. Or sell it for a loss.
Click to expand...

Small update: I finally got around to the range and they had a Hellcat Pro for rent. So I took theirs and put 50 rounds through it. I think theirs hits harder than mine, but at least I know it isn't just my particular pistol.

I've also asked around a couple other forums, apparently it isn't just me that's felt this. Folks have reported that a new aftermarket trigger resolves it. So that's good news. Sort of. I'm still on the fence whether I want to replace the trigger, or trade it off for something else.
 
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