Do you carry a back up gun? If not you should. There are many documented cases of an officer's primary duty gun going down and the LEO needed to address a threat with his or her back up pistol.
Assuming we are all on board with the merits of a backup gun (BUG), my primary question becomes - what do you carry? For me - it is the Springfield Armory Hellcat.
Why Carry the Hellcat?
The Springfield Armory Hellcat is a micro-compact 9mm pistol that can easily carry in an ankle holder or hang on a vest. In its smallest size, the Hellcat packs 11+1 rounds of felon-stopping power. You can also run magazines that hold 13 and 15 rounds depending on how much room you have to carry them.
Sighting on the Hellcat is awesome. First, the standard sights are great. The front sight has a large tritium dot that glows in low-light and darkness. Surrounding the tritium is a photoluminescent ring that is very bright during the day. It also absorbs light that allows it to glow in lower light conditions. The result is a front sight that is big and bright during all times of day and in all lighting conditions.
The rear sight is a wide U-shape that allows you to find that front sight quickly. Also, the sight has a hard front edge that allows you to use it for a one-handed reload.
But, that's just the start of the sighting options.
Running a Red Dot
The use of red dot sights is a major influencer in law enforcement firearms training today. Red dot sights have the possibility of improving officer accuracy and speed - two things that often seem to be opposed to one another.
The Springfield Armory Hellcat allows you to directly mount a red dot sight to the slide. Selecting the right red dots for Hellcat is a pretty easy thing since they all offer good accuracy and easy installation.
I've tried both the Swampfox Sentinel and the Shield RMSc sights on my Hellcat. Both run great. I've kept the Swampfox on there because it has an aluminum body and real glass optic. The Shield uses plastic. In fairness, it seems rugged, but I hate to rely on a plastic optic.
I tried the Trijicon RMRc, but it requires an adapter plate since the optic uses a non-standard footprint. This made the RDS sight far to tall on the gun for my comfort. I definitely could not co-witness with the Trijicon while I can with the Swampfox and Shield sights.
Is Springfield GTG?
One of the questions I sometimes hear relates to the reliability of the Springfield Armory pistols. People sometimes wonder if the guns are good-to-go in a duty situation.
From my experience - yes. Springfield guns, especially the Hellcat, are just as durable and reliable as any other on the market. I carry a Glock duty pistol (issued) and previously carried a SIG SAUER. Both guns are great, but neither is perfect. My Hellcat is the same. Although I've yet to have a malfunction, the gun is just a machine, and all machines can fail.
My bottom line is that the Springfield Hellcat is a solid gun for both off-duty and on-duty carry. It packs a lot of firepower for its size and offers some awesome sighting options. Out of the box, the gun has the best iron sights on any current factory handgun. The ability to add a red dot sight is a substantial improvement that sets this gun at the top of the pack in my opinion.
