Hellcat owners, question

[Zaydok Allen]

I picked up a SA Hellcat. I was excited. However after handling and dry firing it a relatively small amount, I find the lower back corner of the grip is rubbing a blister in the palm of my hand. I haven’t even shot it.

Im used to shooting small guns, but if I’m getting a blister from dry firing I’m trying to picture how shooting it will be. I don’t have super soft hands either so I dunno, seems odd for me.

I think it’s going to get traded away. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[Riomouse911]

Is there a spot you can touch with 600 grit sandpaper to knock down high spots, or is the whole design incompatible with your hands and grip?

I ask this because every Glock I own needed the original edge of the trigger guard sanded a little bit to alter the radius because the trigger guard on every one rubbed a blister on the side of my tight middle finger. A Dremel with a sanding barrel and a tapered stone worked a little magic on these guns. Now I am blister free all day.

(Glock 43X below




Hopefully there is a simple fix like this one so you don’t have to go through the hassle of selling what many of my friends have said is a really good carry gun.

Stay safe.

 

[wbwanzer]

I had one for a short while. It's gone now. A Shield Plus is suiting me better.

 

[Gus Gustovshon]

I like mine, but I don’t care for the grip texture; I know that they tout it as a selling point, but I find it too abrasive. The Hogue grip sleeve makes a world of difference. It’s a little wider, of course, but still super concealable.

 

[CNobbe]

Talon grip tape was on mine from the start, solved the texture issue. I sold it off, like the 365 a lot more.

 

[TomJ]

Does it happen with both the 11 and 13 round magazines installed? I don't normally dry fire my guns with empty magazines installed, but maybe trying it with the magazines installed will change the way it's pressing against your palm.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Is there a spot you can touch with 600 grit sandpaper to knock down high spots, or is the whole design incompatible with your hands and grip?

Well I suppose that's the question. It seems like that particular corner, and I would call it a corner on the grip, seems to just dig in. Sanding it is of course an option but if I deceide to ditch it, then I want to leave it unmodified. I suppose the thing to do is put a bandage on that spot of my hand and try shooting it. Then maybe try the Hogue grip sleeve, or if I really like it, sand it.

I mean there is nothing about this gun that screams "beautiful" to me. I see SA guns as functional tools that can take the beating of regular carry. When they get dinged up, who cares. And I have no children to pass them to anyway. When I'm dead, their condition won't matter.

And I should keep in mind that if I shoot the gun well with a littel padding on that spot, then it's a good carry gun. In the heat of the moment of self defense, that bit of a rough spot won't matter at all. Having 6 more rounds on tap than my current carry gun may matter a lot. It isn't a range gun.

I guess it's just dissapointment. I regularly carry a Sig P938 Legion, and at times a SA XDs45 original, and a P30sk. The XDs has the old grenade pattern grip that so many complained about. I love that grip. The Legion grip panels on my 938 are pretty abrassive also. The P30 actually needs more aggressive texturing IMO.

But the one thing those guns have in common is that they all have less angular and more rounded backstraps. I guess that just works better for my very non-meaty hands.

Leson leardned.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Does it happen with both the 11 and 13 round magazines installed? I don't normally dry fire my guns with empty magazines installed, but maybe trying it with the magazines installed will change the way it's pressing against your palm.

Yes unfortunalety the magazine doesn't matter. I looked closely at my grip and it's actually the back corner of the grip frame doing it, not the magazine. So it's inherant to the gun design. Modification or grin and bear it seem the two options if I want to keep it.

Guess I'll try a bandage first and take it to the range to see how I shoot it. In a SD scenario, that won't matter. I need to remember that. It's meant to be a summer time beater carry for me, not a competition gun I put hundreds of rounds through during a range visit.

 

[JR24]

Yes unfortunalety the magazine doesn't matter. I looked closely at my grip and it's actually the back corner of the grip frame doing it, not the magazine. So it's inherant to the gun design. Modification or grin and bear it seem the two options if I want to keep it.

Guess I'll try a bandage first and take it to the range to see how I shoot it. In a SD scenario, that won't matter. I need to remember that. It's meant to be a summer time beater carry for me, not a competition gun I put hundreds of rounds through during a range visit.

Sounds about right. Other option is to just shoot it a lot, bear the pain, and get a sweet callus in that spot

Might not end up bugging you while shooting, unlikely, sure, but I had a DW Valkyrie that had a hot spot on my palm during dry fire that never bothered me at the range for whatever reason. First 3 range trips I topped the 1K round mark and never a problem under live fire.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Sounds about right. Other option is to just shoot it a lot, bear the pain, and get a sweet callus in that spot

Might not end up bugging you while shooting, unlikely, sure, but I had a DW Valkyrie that had a hot spot on my palm during dry fire that never bothered me at the range for whatever reason. First 3 range trips I topped the 1K round mark and never a problem under live fire.

Yeah that's possible. I mean I shoot a lot of 10mm and some bigger stuff. And I shoot 357 H110 loads from my SP101, so it's not like I'm a newbie or recoil averse. But with the speed this blister started deveolping, I'm picturing bleeding in short order. But as oyu said, it may not be an issue while shooting.

I'll say this much, I was going to trade my HKP30SK and XDs away for another gun, but I am not making that decission any time soon.

 

[MEHavey]

Plain ol' Scotch Tape in that area.
(Don't overthink it)

 

[unclenunzie]

The value of "LNIB unfired" is higher than "lightly used". It comes down to how much you like it, and your willingness to drive it off the lot, so to speak. I like the talon grip tape idea (rubberized of course). Mine fits my hand well and I personally have no issues with the grip as it comes, in fact I was favorably impressed with how it does not shift in my hand when fired. It is rougher than other grips, but I supposes that's why it holds firm.

Blister... That kind of says it doesn't fit you as is. Ammo is expensive....

 

[tarosean]

Sell it off before shooting.. it's an SD gun.. Are you going to call time out to put a band-aid on when the situation arises?

Bought lots of guns that didn't work out for one reason or another.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

I found that the mold seam on the trigger guard of my P365 was slightly irritating to my middle finger. I wet sanded it smooth and I doubt that many people could even tell that it wasn't stock. The web between my thumb and forefinger could catch on the squarish edges of the beavertail. So I wet sanded a very mild radius on the edges of the beavertail and now my hand glides over it during a draw. Again, not many people would notice if I didn't point it out. I consider this finish work versus actual modification.

 

[Terry G]

I found the Hellcat to be just the opposite. I have fired quite a few Compact and sub compact guns and I found the Hellcat to be the most comfortable. The LCPII, ,really a sub compact, is not comfortable at all, the Shield is a bit rough, but not bad, the Taurus G2C is actually pretty fair, and the P365 is snappier than the Hellcat. You can follow the suggestion here, but I find it odd the gun is giving you blisters without even firing it.

 

[MEHavey]

I'm confused.
The top of that HellCat grip is quite smooth... easing recoil impact


And the lower rear needs to be anchored/roughened, as recoil pulls it away from away
from palm on muzzle rotation upwards.

That is deliberate design difference between grip top and bottom.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I'm confused.
The top of that HellCat grip is quite smooth... easing recoil impact
View attachment 1058477

And the lower rear needs to be anchored/roughened, as recoil pulls it away from away
from palm on muzzle rotation upwards.

That is deliberate design difference between grip top and bottom.

What are you confused about?

 

[MEHavey]

I'm confused because the grip is smooth where
it ought to be, and stippled where it ought to be
-- on recoil -- which is where & when it matters.

 

[TomJ]

I'll second the idea of trying a Hogue grip. They're inexpensive and it won't change the gun, as sanding the grip would.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I'm confused because the grip is smooth where
it ought to be, and stippled where it ought to be
-- on recoil -- which is where & when it matters.

Hmm. It’s the bottom of the grip where it’s stippled that’s getting me. Bottom right corner of the back strap where the stippling begins.

 

[MEHavey]

I've ordered some Hogue grips, so we'll see if I can notice the difference.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

I see many people in many gun groups recommending Houge grips. But my P365X, with a bit of minor sanding, fits my hand like a glove. I haven't had any issues like blisters and I don't perceive any problems with my grip.

It makes me wonder if I am missing something and wonder if I should try one out.

 

[JR24]

I see many people in many gun groups recommending Houge grips. But my P365X, with a bit of minor sanding, fits my hand like a glove. I haven't had any issues like blisters and I don't perceive any problems with my grip.

It makes me wonder if I am missing something and wonder if I should try one out.

Depends some on hand size. I have XL hands with wide palms and shorter fingers and the 365 (and other micros except the hellcat) just don’t work for me. Too thin to lock in a good solid grip and properly control recoil.

In that case, a hogue grip to add a little more width would be helpful. Myself, I don’t care at all for grip sleeves after having a couple slide down a little and flub reloads at the range, so I wouldn’t use one.

I do hear the Wilson 365 grip is a bit wider in the right parts so I’d love to give that a shot some day.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

In that case, a hogue grip to add a little more width would be helpful. Myself, I don’t care at all for grip sleeves after having a couple slide down a little and flub reloads at the range, so I wouldn’t use one.

I've experienced that also, and the reson I really don't want to go there.

I handled the gun the other day again and it's possible I was just fondling it more than normal due to it being new. I looked at my grip several times and it's locked in pretty well. I think some very very light sanding will make this gun fine for me. I'm going to shoot it first before doing that. If it works, I'll gust knock the stippling down in that spot a little. Should be ok.

I looked at the 365, and shot it a bit. It's a fin little gun, but the trigger reach was a l;ittle short for me. The Hellcat, whether it's a measurable distance difference, or a simple difference in grip geometry, just fits my hand better.

I was prepared to say the hell with it and just keep my HK. But the bulk difference is substantial, and the increased capacity is to great to give up this quickly. But I think I'll hold on to the HK and see how I feel.

No ruch on trading. The SA XDm 10mm I want isn't exactly hard to find

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Well at long last, I was able to shoot my Hellcat. The issue I originally identified was a complete nonissue. The gun was comfortable to shoot and easy to control. I only put about 75 rounds through it due to time and ammo constraints.

Time to get back on the press. I’ve got 3000 bullets waiting to be loaded. Won’t last long. Better place an order.

I was shooting pretty low. New gun and new trigger, but I struggle with U notch sights in general. I’ve been shooting 3 dot too long. I may swap it out for a set of rear tritium 3 dots.

I had the same issue with a Wilson Combat/Beretta 92.