A few months ago, I began working on a few easy projects to assess products. One was to re-sight an elderly GLOCK 20 Gen3 that existed all its days with plastic sights. The other job was to install a micro-RDS to the Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro.
Both jobs were straightforward and were reported on here. What was missed was reporting on a range assessment for each. While I was about it, a small supply of Magtech Steel Case 115gr. FMJ arrived. I’d been using it in other evaluations and ran it through the not-that-micro-compact Hellcat Pro alongside the same company’s Echelon service pistol. I didn’t expect much difference in horsepower, but there was some. While I was about it, I checked some old stock Remington UMC 180 grain FMJ 10mm ammo through the old GLOCK 20 with its new sighting equipment.
The XSsights made a new gun out of that old GLOCK 20. The current-issue F8 sights are easily installed and quite visible. I’d complain about how high they seem, but that’s not a valid complaint from someone who complains about short pistol sights all the time.
While I remembered to take the Garmin Xero C1 chronograph, the ammo, targets, staples, etc., I failed to check the FastFire C to determine what tools I’d need to zero it.
A jeweler’s screwdriver. The one thing not in the range bag. On the second trip, the set of small drivers made the trip.
As to speed checking ammo – the new and the old – here’s what I found out:
Magtech Steel Case 115gr. FMJ
Hellcat Pro (3.7” barrel) 1165fps
Echelon (4.5” barrel) 1222fps
With the G20 and the elderly Remington UMC 180gr. FMJ 10mm ammo, the average velocity was 1124 fps.
I found the G20 with the “40-class” 10mm ball round to hit just under the sights at ten yards. With the optics-mounted Hellcat Pro, it was a different story.
The Burris Optics FastFire C, meant to fit tiny pistols, is at home on the not-so-small Hellcat Pro. It was an easy job to fit the optic to the slide and I found the low-profile glass to allow the co-witness of the superb Springfield Armory sights.
The optic runs on a CR2032 battery which is fitted underneath. It’s “always on,” with an estimated 25,000 hour run time.
On a B-8 repair center, I shot various loads from ten yards, standing, two-handed without support. With Magtech Steel Case 115 FMJ, I printed 5 in the ‘X,’ with 1 high breaking the line. With some old Rem-UMC 147 gr. MC, the hits went high into the 10 and 9 ring, 1.5” above my aiming point at 10 yards.
The difference between the light bullet quicker load and the slower-moving heavy bullet was an inch-and-a-half, still inside the ca-3 ¼” 9-ring. With Black Hills 115gr. FMJ, I shot high right, cutting the 10 ring, with 4/5 hits nearly touching.
I had a little Hornady Critical Defense 115 gr. FTX, four rounds, which I shot on a business envelope. The round hit to the sights from fifteen yards.
In summary, the Hellcat Pro continues to impress. It shoots better than the size implies it should. The Burris optic makes short work of precision shooting. It seems I should get closer to the target and do some quicker work to see about that “finding the dot” issue I keep reading about.
The Magtech Steel Case 9mm pistol ammunition has exceeded expectations. The only thing preventing a blanket recommendation of this ammo for training purposes is the small sample size. It’s done nothing to indicate any feeding, extraction or dirt issues.
In fact, it’s thus far quite clean shooting ammo. I expect it’ll go far if this is the quality of the line as a whole. The accuracy in all guns tried thus far is good.
-- Rich Grassi
