Recoil comparison

[markiver54]

My sister currently has a snubby 38 special revolver as her SD carry weapon. She wants to purchase a 9mm for easier concealment and more capacity. Just wondering, considering that both have similar barrel length, how does the recoil compare.
I have her considering the new Springfield Hellcat.
Any help is appreciated.

[GunnyGene]

My sister currently has a snubby 38 special revolver as her SD carry weapon. She wants to purchase a 9mm for easier concealment and more capacity. Just wondering, considering that both have similar barrel length, how does the recoil compare.
I have her considering the new Springfield Hellcat.
Any help is appreciated.

I gave up trying to find a Hellcat to try out about a weeks ago, and instead bought a Sig P365, which is comparable in size & weight (except for mag capacity - the Hellcat carries a couple more rounds, the Sig comes with (1) 12 rnd and (2) 10rnd mags, and will accept a 15 rnd mag). I've also shot my wifes S&W 60-10 with both .357 and .38spc. Recoil is somewhat snappier on the P365 due to it's lower weight, but not uncomfortable, and imho somewhat lower than the S&W with .38spc, although the ammo used has a lot to do with that, so she might want to try out some of the light weight copper rnds for SD. The stippling on the grips of the Sig are a little rough on the hand, but some light sanding takes care of that. It does conceal well even with the 12rnd mag. Racking the slide might be difficult for her with either the Sig or the Hellcat, as with all microcompacts. One other thing is that many of the semi's don't have a manual safety if that's a concern. Mine doesn't although it can be retrofitted for it with a kit.

Functionally, it performed very well thru approx 100rnds of cheap 124gr range ammo and Hornady 135 grn Critical Duty. No issues whatever. Trigger weight is about 6lbs, does not have excessive slack, and breaks pretty clean and smooth. It will be my new EDC to replace my Ruger 9e. I'll be doing a little polishing to tweak it & I plan on getting the flat face trigger (factory drop in replacement) for it at some point. Factory night sights are not great, but are acceptable. The included kydex holster is a piece of crap, so plan on buying a new holster also, if you consider the Sig.

Here's a pic of the Sig I picked up this past Sat. $529 plus tax, about the same price as the Hellcat.



ETA: As always, it's 99% about comparing tradeoffs when considering a new SD gun. Also, no matter what semi auto she gets, I'd strongly recommend buying a Uplula magazine loader for it.

[markiver54]

Thank you Gunny for your valuable input.
I did already mention a mag loader to her and we'll look into that. Called my favorite gun store yesterday, and they DO have a Hellcat in stock and are holding it for me until Saturday. They are about an hour away so gonna try to get older Sis up there before then.
I saw one on Cheaper Than Dirt for $539.00 but my GS quoted $509.00. It's considerably more for the desert color like yours.
The black is fine with her. I thought that was a pretty good price though. Have not paid a dime yet, even for them to hold it for me. She sure likes the 13 + 1 capacity over the six shooter. Hopefully racking the slide will not be an issue.
Once again, thanks Gunny!
BTW, that Sig is nice! ☺ congrats.

[GunnyGene]

Thank you Gunny for your valuable input.
I did already mention a mag loader to her and we'll look into that. Called my favorite gun store yesterday, and they DO have a Hellcat in stock and are holding it for me until Saturday. They are about an hour away so gonna try to get older Sis up there before then.
I saw one on Cheaper Than Dirt for $539.00 but my GS quoted $509.00. It's considerably more for the desert color like yours.
The black is fine with her. I thought that was a pretty good price though. Have not paid a dime yet, even for them to hold it for me. She sure likes the 13 + 1 capacity over the six shooter. Hopefully racking the slide will not be an issue.
Once again, thanks Gunny!
BTW, that Sig is nice! ☺ congrats.

Anytime. I don't much care about the color scheme on guns, as long as its not PINK or some other radical departure. FDE is fine, so is black, brown, etc. . Shiny stuff doesn't belong on working guns either, imho.

One other thing that is often ignored is ease of assembly/disassembly/maintenance. The Sig excels at this chore, and in fact you can remove the entire trigger/striker module by taking out a single pin, which is a major difference from the Hellcat which is far more complicated to remove the trigger, and other frame bits and pieces

Sig:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPj1lOOtOvs

Hellcat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfjDOsUPlE4

[BigAl52]

If she has trouble with the slides the new Smith M&P EZ slides work pretty well for someone who has issues like that. Be nice if you could find a range where she could try before she buys.

[markiver54]

If she has trouble with the slides the new Smith M&P EZ slides work pretty well for someone who has issues like that. Be nice if you could find a range where she could try before she buys.

Yeah, I thought about the EZ. Maybe they'll have one of those too. Then she can compare hands on.
Ahhh, I'll be darn. She just texted me that she got the cash!
She's a tough 'ol gal at 70, course she will grow up at some point,

[GunnyGene]

If she has trouble with the slides the new Smith M&P EZ slides work pretty well for someone who has issues like that. Be nice if you could find a range where she could try before she buys.

Yeah, I thought about the EZ. Maybe they'll have one of those too. Then she can compare hands on.
Ahhh, I'll be darn. She just texted me that she got the cash!
She's a tough 'ol gal at 70, course she will grow up at some point,

You know who's tougher than an old guy with a gun? An old gal with a gat.

[markiver54]

Gunny, I watched those videos and wow! Quite a bit different take down. Don't see my sister ever doing that herself though.
It will come down to which one she likes the best. Will also show her the P365 if they have one....and the EZ.

[GunnyGene]

Gunny, I watched those videos and wow! Quite a bit different take down. Don't see my sister ever doing that herself though.
It will come down to which one she likes the best. Will also show her the P365 if they have one....and the EZ.

Sig has 4 different models of the P365, one of them is the SAS model which would make a great snag free carry gun. It doesn't have protruding sights. Check it out.



https://www.sigsauer.com/products/firea ... tols/p365/

Or you could do something like this: Ported threaded barrel with skeletonized slide, etc. I bet she'd love this.

[markiver54]

Snag free is good, however I think Personally, I would opt for faster target acquisition. I DO like the sights on that Hellcat. If it were mine, I would probably go with the light as well.