Weird Question Regarding Hellcat Pro 9mm

[RRomig]

Newp that literally was my 1st time shooting one. I had decided the night earlier I wanted to buy one after handling one from the range's "For Sale" case. I was shocked at how small & slender the gun is & that they managed to get so much capacity out of it. I was also realising my 1980s-1990s era pistols are all probably a tad too big & bulky for CC.

However, I am going to rent one this weekend (probably the same one if I can find it), & try to figure out what was causing the malfunction. I also need to decide if I really want a Hellcat Pro or maybe I need to explore other micro subcompacts. I just have yet to even hear a single person hating on that gun so I'm 99% onboard with buying one.

I have a few carry guns and everyone that shoots my lineup and I do not like my hellcat. No reason for you to rent a gun and waist time and money to see why that gun malfunctioned. You’d be better trying other carry guns or even a hellcat that didn’t screw you over. GL

 

[DanseMacabre]

I'm saying read his description of the guns he already owns.

"I've always handled my semi-autos like this so my 1st shot is single action"

.....later in same post...

"This time it chambered a round & the gun was instantly in battery, but then all my SA/DA pistols do the same ~ the only difference being my 1st shot will be DA on my regular guns vs SA".

Nothing in that engenders much trust from me that he knows what he's doing.

If the mag is really bad, why didn't the round go flying when he dropped the slide on the loaded mag versus him racking the slide?

Well Hogarth. Congratulations. I obviously typoed in one sentence putting SA & DA backwards & accidentally swapping them. Your keen powers of observation are noted. And your conclusion is that I don't know anything about guns & we should all be worried because I'm getting a CC license? I used to wear a badge & uniform while working in the criminal justice field in the 90s & had routine firearms training as part of my job. Plus I shoot regularly to make sure I don't get rusty. I currently work a job where my life is in constant jeopardy from robberies & carjackings. Is it okay with you if I exercise my 2nd Amendment right to protect myself? Oh wait, I'm not a world-class expert on striker-fired guns after my 1st time shooting them. If you say so.

Like I said multiple times - all my semi-autos are SA/DA (I'm intentionally going to keep it backwards since you're anal retentive on the proper order) are hammer-fired guns. It's my 1st time ever shooting striker-fired. I expected it to operate identical to older semi-autos & apparently I was correct in that expectation although that didn't happen. You can insist it was user error all you want but the malfunction occured exactly as I described it. 3 times in a row. In fact, the 3rd time, I had the range officer watching & he witnessed it with his own 2 eyes. He didn't recognize it as a malfunction which was why I came here asking questions & searching for answers. In fact, he concluded it was because I was tilting the gun sideways when racking it & encouraged me to hold it upright at the high-ready position.

If I had racked it a 4th time as he suggested, I'd have surely lost a 4th round & been penalized another miss on my qualifications. I opted to just leave the slide back before inserting my mag & chamber one by releasing the slidelock.

Someone else suggested they'd have raised hell about having a malfunctioning range gun & taking losses on my score from it. I would have too except I wasn't sure if it was a malfunction or if I just didn't understand how that gun was supposed to work. If the range officer didn't catch an obvious malfunction of the weapon & it's my 1st time ever firing one like it (striker-fired), my confusion seems pretty reasonable.

 

[Occam]

I think the main point people are making is that one wouldn’t normally - at a range like this - be picking up a pistol from the table (which would have the slide locked back under ANY circumstances and regardless of action type), drop the slide, and THEN insert a mag, and the run the action again. It’s not needed or helpful at all.

Regardless of what was happening when you ran the slide over that mag, you shouldn’t have needed to anyway. The slide should stay back, mag goes in, slingshot the slide. You’re ready to go. Adding your extra step is odd - and introduces unnecessary variables - whether or not it’s a hammer or striker fired gun.

 

[Art3]

Newp that literally was my 1st time shooting one. I had decided the night earlier I wanted to buy one after handling one from the range's "For Sale" case. I was shocked at how small & slender the gun is & that they managed to get so much capacity out of it. I was also realising my 1980s-1990s era pistols are all probably a tad too big & bulky for CC.

However, I am going to rent one this weekend (probably the same one if I can find it), & try to figure out what was causing the malfunction. I also need to decide if I really want a Hellcat Pro or maybe I need to explore other micro subcompacts. I just have yet to even hear a single person hating on that gun so I'm 99% onboard with buying one.

I'm a little disappointed to hear that your HGP training did not involve any shooting other than the qualification. I get it...that's all that is required, and it checks the box. Most of the instructors I associate with give more live fire training...sometimes a lot. In addition to firearm familiarization and just the fact that practice (particularly in front of an instructor) is always a good thing, this also takes up some of the required 16hours. I can't imagine 15.5 hours of cold training and .5 (at most) hot.

That would be great to try to rent the exact same gun. See what happens if you ride the slide very slowly. If permissible, try to get video. If you can replicate the malfunction, that would be great to record. Even if you can't, another set (or hundreds) of eyes watching your technique, without being under pressure, might see something.

I would also strongly suggest, regardless of how much you like the Hellcat, if this is the first compact striker fired polymer pistol you have shot, try out a few others before you buy. You never know which you might like even better (that maybe won't malfunction). There are more choices than ever these days...more than I even know. I would definitely recommend at a minimum putting rounds through a Sig P365, a P365XL, S&W Shield Plus and a Glock 43x...minimum.

 

[DanseMacabre]

I think the main point people are making is that one wouldn’t normally - at a range like this - be picking up a pistol from the table (which would have the slide locked back under ANY circumstances and regardless of action type), drop the slide, and THEN insert a mag, and the run the action again. It’s not needed or helpful at all.

Regardless of what was happening when you ran the slide over that mag, you shouldn’t have needed to anyway. The slide should stay back, mag goes in, slingshot the slide. You’re ready to go. Adding your extra step is odd - and introduces unnecessary variables - whether or not it’s a hammer or striker fired gun.

It's like I said, I do that so I can tilt the gun a bit & make sure the gun went fully into battery after racking. From there I can shoot or just decock it & have it ready to go. I had bought a crate of assorted 9mm ammo some time back during the ammo scarcity crisis of recent years & there were some duds in the mix. The lip of the casings may not have been seated properly or maybe they were out of round, but they were keeping the slide from going all the way forward. Knowing the defect is guesswork on my end but it was definately the ammo. Maybe under normal circumstances it's a rare type of malfunction but it became a part of my routine.

 

[hogarth]

Well Hogarth. Congratulations. I obviously typoed in one sentence putting SA & DA backwards & accidentally swapping them. Your keen powers of observation are noted. And your conclusion is that I don't know anything about guns & we should all be worried because I'm getting a CC license? I used to wear a badge & uniform while working in the criminal justice field in the 90s & had routine firearms training as part of my job. Plus I shoot regularly to make sure I don't get rusty. I currently work a job where my life is in constant jeopardy from robberies & carjackings. Is it okay with you if I exercise my 2nd Amendment right to protect myself? Oh wait, I'm not a world-class expert on striker-fired guns after my 1st time shooting them. If you say so.

Like I said multiple times - all my semi-autos are SA/DA (I'm intentionally going to keep it backwards since you're anal retentive on the proper order) are hammer-fired guns. It's my 1st time ever shooting striker-fired. I expected it to operate identical to older semi-autos & apparently I was correct in that expectation although that didn't happen. You can insist it was user error all you want but the malfunction occured exactly as I described it. 3 times in a row. In fact, the 3rd time, I had the range officer watching & he witnessed it with his own 2 eyes. He didn't recognize it as a malfunction which was why I came here asking questions & searching for answers. In fact, he concluded it was because I was tilting the gun sideways when racking it & encouraged me to hold it upright at the high-ready position.

If I had racked it a 4th time as he suggested, I'd have surely lost a 4th round & been penalized another miss on my qualifications. I opted to just leave the slide back before inserting my mag & chamber one by releasing the slidelock.

Someone else suggested they'd have raised hell about having a malfunctioning range gun & taking losses on my score from it. I would have too except I wasn't sure if it was a malfunction or if I just didn't understand how that gun was supposed to work. If the range officer didn't catch an obvious malfunction of the weapon & it's my 1st time ever firing one like it (striker-fired), my confusion seems pretty reasonable.

If you wore a badge and had training, you should be exempt from the training requirement for your permit, per Maryland law. Though, in your case, it sounds like more training is a good idea.

SA/DA, DA/SA, clip, magazine, whatever. I just think that when trying to describe mechanical problems that are causing you issues, using the proper nomenclature is important. Like going to an auto mechanic and not being able to tell him if you have a standard or automatic transmission.

The range officer probably didn't recognize it as a malfunction because it wasn't one. The firearm was functioning as intended.

 

[DanseMacabre]

I'm a little disappointed to hear that your HGP training did not involve any shooting other than the qualification. I get it...that's all that is required, and it checks the box. Most of the instructors I associate with give more live fire training...sometimes a lot. In addition to firearm familiarization and just the fact that practice (particularly in front of an instructor) is always a good thing, this also takes up some of the required 16hours. I can't imagine 15.5 hours of cold training and .5 (at most) hot.

That would be great to try to rent the exact same gun. See what happens if you ride the slide very slowly. If permissible, try to get video. If you can replicate the malfunction, that would be great to record. Even if you can't, another set (or hundreds) of eyes watching your technique, without being under pressure, might see something.

I would also strongly suggest, regardless of how much you like the Hellcat, if this is the first compact striker fired polymer pistol you have shot, try out a few others before you buy. You never know which you might like even better (that maybe won't malfunction). There are more choices than ever these days...more than I even know. I would definitely recommend at a minimum putting rounds through a Sig P365, a P365XL, S&W Shield Plus and a Glock 43x...minimum.

Yeah I'm definately going to expand my horizons on polymer frame guns. In my heart of hearts I still hate the thought of plastic in a gun, but at this point they're so widespread & time-tested that I need to get over my hangups.

And there is one thing about the Hellcat Pro I used. A couple people replied it could've been an issue with the magazine. After I 1st put the magazine in, I noticed it looked a bit off. The base plate on the mag just didn't seem aestethically correct. My brain didn't dare go there & once things started going sideways with ejecting rounds, I never gave it another thought. I'm wondering if maybe they didn't accidentally give me a mag from a different gun. The question becomes are there other micro subcompacts where the mags are nearly identical but not perfectly fitted to be interchangeable? If so, I imagine some could be semi-functional if put in the wrong gun but still cause problems. They had a sizeable assortment of guns in their rental case, & it seems possible they could've grabbed a wrong mag by accident. They probably have to disassemble, clean, & lube them between every rental so a mixup may have happened.

I don't know, just wargaming out scenarios. I still do have my sights set on buying a Hellcat Pro but I'll probably rent a few others & see which I like the best. If I'm trusting my life to a gun I really ought to vet them all thoroughly.

 

[Tungsten]

Have you tried replicating everything at home with snapcaps? I tried duplicating what you described on a couple of my pistols and the only time a round is flung out is when it is extracted from the chamber/barrel. I didn't see it ever extract from the magazine.

edit- oops, I misread your post and thought you had already bought one.

 

[Art3]

Yeah I'm definately going to expand my horizons on polymer frame guns. In my heart of hearts I still hate the thought of plastic in a gun, but at this point they're so widespread & time-tested that I need to get over my hangups.

And there is one thing about the Hellcat Pro I used. A couple people replied it could've been an issue with the magazine. After I 1st put the magazine in, I noticed it looked a bit off. The base plate on the mag just didn't seem aestethically correct. My brain didn't dare go there & once things started going sideways with ejecting rounds, I never gave it another thought. I'm wondering if maybe they didn't accidentally give me a mag from a different gun. The question becomes are there other micro subcompacts where the mags are nearly identical but not perfectly fitted to be interchangeable? If so, I imagine some could be semi-functional if put in the wrong gun but still cause problems. They had a sizeable assortment of guns in their rental case, & it seems possible they could've grabbed a wrong mag by accident. They probably have to disassemble, clean, & lube them between every rental so a mixup may have happened.

I don't know, just wargaming out scenarios. I still do have my sights set on buying a Hellcat Pro but I'll probably rent a few others & see which I like the best. If I'm trusting my life to a gun I really ought to vet them all thoroughly.

The odds of a mismatched mag that fit, locked in, and fed reliably EXCEPT upon initial charge seem very unlikely. Only kicking one round out (and not emptying itself), then functioning perfectly until empty seems peculiar, too. Have you searched for "springfield hellcat pro magazine problems" I looked briefly, and did not find what you described. Mostly it was slow or lack of feeding...not excessive feeding.

You're not going to like what I've been typing out...but here goes:

When our higher (assessing and decision making) brain functions are occupied and potentially overwhelmed by important things like trigger finger discipline, not breaking the 180, listening for instructions, wondering about how a miss will cost us, admiring the physique of this awesome little gun we’ve never shot before…etc, our body does what it is used to, what it is familiar with…what it has been trained to do.

Most of us train to insert a mag and rack the slide, right? That’s part of the go to malfunction drill that we do in our sleep: “Tap, Rack, ______.” Does anyone really spent much time practicing just inserting the mag and not touching the slide? ( tactical reloads should be practiced...but they just aren't as exciting and I bet they aren't part of many folks' daily training routine).

I’m not going to try to brag or compare my credentials, but ROing at least one action shooting per month, as well as a few at other locations for the past few years has let me watch a lot of shooters…a lot of otherwise competent shooters who can probably blow out X-rings in slow fire better than I could dream of…now shooting for the first time under a clock.

I can’t count how many times I’ve seen one of these shooters change mags in between strings and kick out a live round from the chamber. Very often, after the first time, I’ll mention, “When we know there’s a round in the chamber, you don’t have to charge it when you change the mag.” Time and time again, the response will be, “Oh, right…of course!” Then, after the next string, they change mags…and rack one out of the chamber. Sometimes, especially if I don’t say anything, they keep doing it as though they don’t even realize that they are doing it and wonder why there are four live rounds on the table in front of them that I insist are theirs.

Why? Because their higher brain (that knows this, or should, under normal circumstances, be able to determine in a split second if the gun is charged or not) is overwhelmed with adrenaline, the post-nut excitement of hearing the steel ring (or maybe even fall down) and the undeniable urge: “More!” It’s too busy with all that to accurately assess the condition and needs of their gun, so, when the friendly RO suggests that they may want to change their mag, their hands do what they have been trained to: “Tap, Rack…”

Maybe the OP has tons of experience shooting high adrenaline on the clock…but given that he admits to being flustered by a miss and still running 80’s and 90’s gear, my hunch is not. And that is A-OK. We all start somewhere. My father has been safely and effectively shooting for longer than I’ve been alive…way longer. He taught me how to shoot and I would trust my life to his shooting ability in a heartbeat. The first time I took him shooting steel challenge, he was all thumbs…left hand thumbs at that. I think he even hurt himself (thankfully, on a sharp edge, not a projectile).

Given that this malfunction only happened when the OP was not deliberately inserting the mag into a locked open chamber then releasing the slide, I am also leaning towards a slightly overloaded higher brain and hands that inserted the mag, dropped the slide, and racked…or maybe racked twice. I am sorry if that hurts any feelings, and would not mind one bit being proven wrong…but that’s my conclusion based on the info presented.

But…why wouldn’t the RO see this and correct it? Because it seems like the RO was not there to teach, but to get shooters through without causing or receiving injury. Personally, I don’t like that…but I also don’t agree with a lot of how it appears the class was run. If it was any of the instructors that I’ve worked with, OP would have had a minimum of 100 rounds through that gun before shooting the qual was even considered…minimum. In addition to being training (as opposed to just testing), that would have revealed any hiccups in the hardware or the software, and given ample time to correct it before the shots that “matter.”

The fix is pretty easy and fun: Shoot more . (With people watching ).

Here's an opportunity for that: https://www.mdshooters.com/threads/fun-steel-match-at-delta-pa-every-month.266343/
(except that registration is full for this next one )

 

[Biggfoot44]

We don't know your existing selection of pistols, but there's no inherent reason you couldn't carry at least one of them . That said , in the interim there is now a whole new category guns , subcompact polymer 9mm's , and they are extremely popular as a class .

You should handle , and preferably shoot , at least one variant each of the other pistols that are the remainder of the " big 4 " of the category : S&W Shield , Sig 365 , and Glock 43 .

**************************

That's certainly a * unique * administrative sequence .

It's not Supposed to do that , and I am also stumped to imagine a plausible way it could .

*****************************

There is too a family of Pistols that Are actual SA/ DA , and so designated by their mfg . The Taurus Millennium family . Think of it as usually striker fired , but with restrike capability for round that didn't fire first time .

 

[DanseMacabre]

Well you fellas are free to believe it's user error but once again, I'll state with absolute 100% certainty the sequence I did things. There is not even a 1 in a trillion chance that I'm misremembering this.

I loaded 5 rounds in the mag. I picked up the gun & released the slide. I inserted the mag & tapped it. I pulled the slide back & released it & out flew a round from the ejector port. 3 times in a row I did this & all 3 times the same exact thing happened. The 3rd time I literally did it with the range officer watching. He never called me out on the sequence being wrong. He told me it was probably due to my partly tilting the gun sideways when I worked the slide.

If it happened once, I'd be willing to concede that maybe I goofed on the sequence. Hell, maybe even twice I could allow for that possibility, but I usually have the gravity of mind to start analyzing things forwards & backwards on the 2nd go-around when a problem pops up. Especially if it's high stakes. It's near impossible to forget or misremember any part of the sequence when I'm chewing it over mentally with that intensity.

And then the 3rd time I'm showing the malfunction to the range officer & describing what will happen before it happens hoping for an explanation or guidance of any sort. Maybe the guy wasn't an expert on Hellcat Pros but he certainly knew enough to spot a blatantly obvious error in sequence. At least that's my presumption. I've replayed that 3rd time in my head over & over trying to figure out what went wrong. I'd swear on a stack of Bibles the sequence was exactly as described that 3rd time & a round ejected. Zero doubt.

 

[DanseMacabre]

We don't know your existing selection of pistols, but there's no inherent reason you couldn't carry at least one of them . That said , in the interim there is now a whole new category guns , subcompact polymer 9mm's , and they are extremely popular as a class .

You should handle , and preferably shoot , at least one variant each of the other pistols that are the remainder of the " big 4 " of the category : S&W Shield , Sig 365 , and Glock 43 .

**************************

That's certainly a * unique * administrative sequence .

It's not Supposed to do that , and I am also stumped to imagine a plausible way it could .

*****************************

There is too a family of Pistols that Are actual SA/ DA , and so designated by their mfg . The Taurus Millennium family . Think of it as usually striker fired , but with restrike capability for round that didn't fire first time .

Well there is another issue that complicates carrying a big bulky gun for me. My job has me working a lot in high heat environments for varying lengths of time in the summer. That kind of limits my clothing options, & I really want to have as low a print as possible on my clothing.

I've seen compacts for years but had little interest in them till I set the CC permit process in motion. Never even bothered to pick up one & examine it at gun shows or while visiting gun shops. I knew they had slimmer profiles to my preferred types of pistols but it wasn't until I finally held one in hand that I realised just how much better they were as an EDC gun. I've got to keep my gun concealed under a reflective vest 12+ hours a day & the compacts are a no-brainer now that I held one.

 

[Art3]

Well you fellas are free to believe it's user error but once again, I'll state with absolute 100% certainty the sequence I did things. There is not even a 1 in a trillion chance that I'm misremembering this.

I loaded 5 rounds in the mag. I picked up the gun & released the slide. I inserted the mag & tapped it. I pulled the slide back & released it & out flew a round from the ejector port. 3 times in a row I did this & all 3 times the same exact thing happened. The 3rd time I literally did it with the range officer watching. He never called me out on the sequence being wrong. He told me it was probably due to my partly tilting the gun sideways when I worked the slide.

If it happened once, I'd be willing to concede that maybe I goofed on the sequence. Hell, maybe even twice I could allow for that possibility, but I usually have the gravity of mind to start analyzing things forwards & backwards on the 2nd go-around when a problem pops up. Especially if it's high stakes. It's near impossible to forget or misremember any part of the sequence when I'm chewing it over mentally with that intensity.

And then the 3rd time I'm showing the malfunction to the range officer & describing what will happen before it happens hoping for an explanation or guidance of any sort. Maybe the guy wasn't an expert on Hellcat Pros but he certainly knew enough to spot a blatantly obvious error in sequence. At least that's my presumption. I've replayed that 3rd time in my head over & over trying to figure out what went wrong. I'd swear on a stack of Bibles the sequence was exactly as described that 3rd time & a round ejected. Zero doubt.

Fair enough. The gun must be defective. Did you report that to the range? They would probably want to know so they can fix it ASAP. I know that if I ever rented a gun that was defective, it would definitely sour any notions I had of purchasing that model. Also, can you imagine someone else who used it for qualification and it crapped out enough that they couldn't pass?

Maybe the range would give you a discount on range time for bringing it to their attention. What range was it anyway?

 

[Occam]

For what it’s worth, I just spent 20 minutes with a Hellcat, a well used mag, and half a dozen flavors of snap caps and real ammo. Could get any odd behavior when emulating the described use/sequence.

I will say I still don’t get dropping the slide on an empty gun, then inserting the mag, then racking the slide. Just put in the mag, then slingshot the slide. True for any and every pistol.

 

[DanseMacabre]

If you wore a badge and had training, you should be exempt from the training requirement for your permit, per Maryland law. Though, in your case, it sounds like more training is a good idea.

SA/DA, DA/SA, clip, magazine, whatever. I just think that when trying to describe mechanical problems that are causing you issues, using the proper nomenclature is important. Like going to an auto mechanic and not being able to tell him if you have a standard or automatic transmission.

The range officer probably didn't recognize it as a malfunction because it wasn't one. The firearm was functioning as intended.

I had no idea there were exemptions available. Even if there were, I'd have taken the training course regardless. My biggest fear, a thing I fear even more than the horror of having to use a gun in self-defense, is the legal aftermath. This is Maryland, a "duty to retreat" state, with a very anti-gun anti-defense group of prosecutors. Even if 16 hours wasn't required by MD, I'd have enrolled in any course I found that schooled me on all the legalities of conceal/carry here. It was well worth the money, though I must admit my mind isn't any more at ease because of it. If you're forced to fire your gun to save your life, you're still likely to get dragged through the courts it seems.

I also do intend to take additional training. I'd like my reaction in a "life or death" situation to be trained for to the point of becoming muscle memory. I know firsthand how shock, disbelief, & adrenaline can throw you for a loop in a sudden crisis. Training for it saves lives.

 

[rbird7282]

This is a distinct possibility. The adrenaline fog of shooting (or preparing to) in a timed/observed setting can make even the most experienced of us screw up stuff that we've done thousands of times. I know I have. And I did it a lot more often early in the scheme of things with pistols. Not while at the range learning and enjoying, but when first being on the line under a timer ... it's like some moronic monkey took over my brain at first. So it's very easy to let something like mag/slide release/rack happen if you don't have thousands of reps in place for more reliable under-pressure muscle memory.

The timer hates everyone lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mark75H]

The fear of the timer is the newbie's biggest fear. I give my students plenty of practice with the timer before shooting the qual. My students KNOW they can pass the qual before they do it.

 

[DanseMacabre]

Fair enough. The gun must be defective. Did you report that to the range? They would probably want to know so they can fix it ASAP. I know that if I ever rented a gun that was defective, it would definitely sour any notions I had of purchasing that model. Also, can you imagine someone else who used it for qualification and it crapped out enough that they couldn't pass?

Maybe the range would give you a discount on range time for bringing it to their attention. What range was it anyway?

I didn't bring it up because afterwards I was totally dumbfounded. The range officer's reaction had me thinking this was normal for the gun despite my preconceived notions of how I expected it to work.

After the 3rd round being ejected, I started putting the mag in first & releasing the slidelock. If that would've sent another round flying, I'd,have immediately demanded I be allowed to swap out the loaner for the pistol I brought in case I couldn't borrow a Hellcat.

In retrospect, NOT using my own gun was an idiot move. I figured the odds that anything could go wrong were astronomically high. I'd watched a half dozen Hellcat Pro vids on YouTube the night prior & saw nothing that led me to believe the gun was functionally different from my other guns.

I actually had planned to go put the money down & buy one at the conclusion of the course & would have already had none of this happened. That's why I want to rent one again & put a couple hundred rounds through it. Despite the fluke, I'll probably buy one regardless. Can't help myself, I'm all kinds of hot & bothered over that damned gun now LOL.

I also don't want to say which range. I'm very fond of those folks & can't praise their company enough. I don't want anyone thinking ill of them on account of me & this weird fluke that I encountered. There is zero fault on them, & if I had known with any authority it was an issue with the gun, I have zero doubt they'd have set things right.

 

[outrider58]

I didn't bring it up because afterwards I was totally dumbfounded. The range officer's reaction had me thinking this was normal for the gun despite my preconceived notions of how I expected it to work.

After the 3rd round being ejected, I started putting the mag in first & releasing the slidelock. If that would've sent another round flying, I'd,have immediately demanded I be allowed to swap out the loaner for the pistol I brought in case I couldn't borrow a Hellcat.

In retrospect, NOT using my own gun was an idiot move. I figured the odds that anything could go wrong were astronomically high. I'd watched a half dozen Hellcat Pro vids on YouTube the night prior & saw nothing that led me to believe the gun was functionally different from my other guns.

I actually had planned to go put the money down & buy one at the conclusion of the course & would have already had none of this happened. That's why I want to rent one again & put a couple hundred rounds through it. Despite the fluke, I'll probably buy one regardless. Can't help myself, I'm all kinds of hot & bothered over that damned gun now LOL.

I also don't want to say which range. I'm very fond of those folks & can't praise their company enough. I don't want anyone thinking ill of them on account of me & this weird fluke that I encountered. There is zero fault on them, & if I had known with any authority it was an issue with the gun, I have zero doubt they'd have set things right.

In the end, you were able to pass your qual and learn a valuable lesson. Never go to war with an unknown weapon. Chalk it up as a win. Continue your search for a good carry weapon and even give the Hellcat another go. Learn the characteristics peculiar to strikerfire guns as, many compacts these days are.

 

[Mark75H]

yes, always remember 72% is just as good as 100% and usually only you and your instructor know. MD is not going to retroactively change the passing qual score.