Hellcat or P365

I’m a smaller female (5’1”) and I’m looking for something a little more manageable to conceal (I do not carry a purse/bag). I have been back and forth between the Springfield Hellcat and the Sig P365. I have heard mixed reviews between these 2 handguns. Both seem to have very similar specs, however, I have not been able to test both side by side before purchasing. Thoughts?

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@HaleyP You should do just that, test both first. They are both fine pistols. It always comes down to personal choice. Find a range that rents firearms and try both out. Good luck!

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Welcome to the family and god bless you. I believe both are a good choice, both reliable and I believe capacity goes to the Hellcat. put them both in your hand see how they feel. Rent them both and shoot them at the range and see which one you are comfortable with.

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We can be only sorry, @HaleyP… this is one of the hardest decisions to make. :wink:

Check this thread:

As @TexasEskimo said - rent and decide.

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I agree with the experts here and sometimes when you only get only the “try out both firearms first before you buy”, makes it hard to make the mind up, that is not the case here. I love Springfield. But I would rather have the P365 line of 9mm. I carry three types of Sig Sauers P320, repaired and updated.

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The “Rent and Decide” advice is the best. I have shot both and in my case the choice is the Hellcat (which has been on order for 3 months :unamused: ). I think your hand size will be a factor in your choice. IMHO the P365 fits smaller hands better than the Hellcat… The Hellcat can be purchased milled for red dot sites which I believe only the P365 XL offers at this point? The early P365’s had some issues with firing pins and trigger springs that have been worked out in the newer guns, but if you buy an older P365 make sure it has been back to the factory for the updates before you trust your life to it.

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Haley, like most here I agree that the best would be to rent and feel for yourself which feels better in your hands, and how well you pick up the sights when you present the firearm. In addition, I ran across a video on YouTube posted by “good Patriot” and she and her female friend rate, review, and compare both of those pistols, from a female point of view. I believe they picked the SIG and they explain why. Hope it helps.

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Welcome to the family brother and god bless you.

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I have customers who have purchased both and have all traded thier hellcats. They say the Sig has better recoil control, trigger and is generally a better shooting firearm. As for the early issues with the P365, they are long fixed and no longer a concern. I would be more concerned with the trigger problems surfacing in tne reviews on YouTube with the hellcat. My wife carries the P365 and P238, both have been phenomenal carry options.

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I asked myself this question when it came time to upgrade my CC weapon to a newer model. Then I realized the Hellcat is illegal in MA and that makes me REALLY want it. Looks awesome.

I can only vouch for the P365. You really can’t go wrong. I am looking for the XL version for myself. I’m 6’3’’ 195 and my hands are pretty big (not enormous). Sounds like the Reg 365 is perfect for you. I would urge you to hit youtube for a more complete answer. I know lucky gunner did a vid on his channel.

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I’m wondering what’s the reason SA doesn’t make 10r mags… :thinking:

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I know. 11 is their smallest. Not sure if your reply is serious /sarcastic but i’m pretty sure they don’t want to deal with MA b.s. despite some of their guns being legal.

I recently spoke to the father of a Ruger gun salesman who was telling me that the company only makes MA guns 1 day a month and if they are being on orders for other states, they skip it altogether for a month.

I feel so alone here lol

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Not at all. I’ve never been thinking about 10r magazines, just started recently, driving to Cook County (IL). I was very surprised finding Hellcat with 11r mag.
There is nothing really hard to produce or supply limited capacity mag. If SA doesn’t want to change production why not to allow Mec-Gar making them?

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The most important part of this is, which weapon will be more comfortable for you and will you consistently carry. I have no experience with the Hellcat but, I own both a Sig P365XL and a Glock 43. My wife has a Ruger LCS9 Pro. The Sig and the Glock are more comfortable for me. The Ruger punishes my hand with felt recoil.

Just because you are small in stature doesn’t mean you have to carry a micro. You should try out as many handguns as possible before you purchase. Typically, the heavier the weapon, the less felt recoil. With the right holster, you can easily carry a mid sized handgun like a Glock 19 or S&W M&P 9C or any other comparable weapon. Have fun with the search, you’ll get to fire several hundred rounds while you’re making your choice.

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I am 6’ 3" and about 240# with very large hands. I carry the original 365 with a 12 rd magazine.
I find that this gives me just enough length so I can get a full 3 finger grip.
This makes recoil a little easier to control.

I also sometimes carry a SA XDS 45 with a 6 round mag. I wanted something longer than the standard 5 round but the 7 rounder was too long to easily conceal. As the story goes the 6 round magazine was “just right”.

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All good advice … go to a range, rent and try everything of interest … consider adding the Glock G26 with standard 10 round mags to your “maybe” list … I have carried one strong side for years, with a Gould & Goodrich combo spare mag and flashlight weak side …

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Welcome to the family brother and god bless you and glad to have you here.

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I’ve got the P365 and have also handled a Hellcat. The P365 is more ergonomic - feels better in the hand.

But possibly more important than that are two other reasons I wouldn’t buy a Hellcat. I wrote to Springfield and told them unless they change the name I’d never buy one. The reason being if I ever got into a self defense situation that ended up in court I’m sure a prosecuting attorney would make a big thing out of the name ‘Hellcat’ and why would any sane person own such a weapon.

Secondly the Hellcat apparently has an issue such that if you don’t pull the trigger straight back and have a little side pressure on the safety part of the trigger then it won’t allow you to pull the trigger enough to fire. A slight bit of side pressure on that part (similar to a Glock trigger but Glocks don’t have this problem) and in a panic situation you may find yourself with a gun that doesn’t shoot. Not everyone agrees on this but there are several youtubes showing this issue. Springfield needs to fix this before I’d consider one even barring the poor name choice.

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One other note in considering the choice if it just came down to number of rounds. The P365 has magazines giving you 10 + 1, 12 +1 , and 15 +1. So if you go with their largest magazine the P365 has 2 more rounds than the largest Hellcat magazine.

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At the range today and was performing some mag reloads, which I usually don’t practice (with my EDC). Seldom carry a spare on my person. But I’m glad I did because I discovered when I engage the release the mag doesn’t drop free. The heel of my hand drags on the magazine. I have small hands but can just get the release without changing grip. I love the P365 but this was a bit disconcerting. Something to check and consider. Anyone else or just me?

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