Hey yall. I recently switched my EDC to a Hellcat earlier this year from a M&P9 2.0 subcompact and have never looked back. The Hellcat handles and shoot great....I shoot it much more accurately and it seems easier for me to shoot well. I absolutely love the sights and the fit/finish/machining is some of the best I have seen on any modern handgun, this goes for the XDM Elite as well.
After carrying the Hellcat, I fell completely into the XD/XDM rabbit hole. I can not believe I waited so long to try one of these handguns. At this point, I have owned and carried at one time or another the following:
Glock 19/19X
M&P9 Gen 1, M&P9 2.0 standard and 5"
Sig P320 Carry
The Glocks were Glocks, they worked. The M&Ps all handled better for me and that was also the case for the P320. I ditched my P320 as it would not reliably run steel case ammo. The M&Ps, although nice, still left me wanting more. I then stumbled upon the Hellcat, bought one and LOVED it. I can't say enough nice things about this; the machining and fit/finish is as good or better than anything domestically produced.
I then purchased a XDM Elite 3.8 9mm, and again immediately fell in love. The flat trigger is awesome both in feel, reset, and overtravel. It shoots flat and is extremely accurate, not to mention it points naturally for me when I press out to the target from the draw. Both the Hellcat and XDM have been ultra reliable with anything I run through it. Also, I found the sights very easy to change on my XDM with a sight pusher, and the factory notches both the front and rear dovetails, giving you a visible guide to center the sights without having to "eyeball" it.
As a result, I just ordered an XDM Elite 4.5 9mm, as I wanted more of a long slide variant, but decided against the 5.25 model due to the lightening cut on top of the slide (potential ingress point for contaminants. I will do a a full work up range session when it arrives. I am stoked! Anyone else loving the Elite series?
After carrying the Hellcat, I fell completely into the XD/XDM rabbit hole. I can not believe I waited so long to try one of these handguns. At this point, I have owned and carried at one time or another the following:
Glock 19/19X
M&P9 Gen 1, M&P9 2.0 standard and 5"
Sig P320 Carry
The Glocks were Glocks, they worked. The M&Ps all handled better for me and that was also the case for the P320. I ditched my P320 as it would not reliably run steel case ammo. The M&Ps, although nice, still left me wanting more. I then stumbled upon the Hellcat, bought one and LOVED it. I can't say enough nice things about this; the machining and fit/finish is as good or better than anything domestically produced.
I then purchased a XDM Elite 3.8 9mm, and again immediately fell in love. The flat trigger is awesome both in feel, reset, and overtravel. It shoots flat and is extremely accurate, not to mention it points naturally for me when I press out to the target from the draw. Both the Hellcat and XDM have been ultra reliable with anything I run through it. Also, I found the sights very easy to change on my XDM with a sight pusher, and the factory notches both the front and rear dovetails, giving you a visible guide to center the sights without having to "eyeball" it.
As a result, I just ordered an XDM Elite 4.5 9mm, as I wanted more of a long slide variant, but decided against the 5.25 model due to the lightening cut on top of the slide (potential ingress point for contaminants. I will do a a full work up range session when it arrives. I am stoked! Anyone else loving the Elite series?
Last edited: