That’s right. In this day and age where we have lights, lasers, and red dot optics, I will be foregoing all of that and keeping this pistol 100% stock.
The hellcat is known for a heavy trigger and controversial sights. I like both. I want a trigger on a gun riding in my pocket to be stiff. It’s kind of a safety feature not a bug. It will be in a holster, but still, I want the trigger pull to be intentional. This is especially important while re-holstering.
I like the u-notch sights, they feel natural to me. Some don’t like them, some prefer a red dot optic, but for this gun, I think the tritium night sight and the u-notch are absolutely perfect.
The Hellcat has a rail, that means it can mount a light. For a home defense gun, that’s a great idea. You can waive your gun around in your house and use a light on it to illuminate your path. On a carry gun? Uh nah.
The only time the gun should be out of your holster is if you are defending your life. If you have time to look around with a flashlight, I think you should use a separate flashlight. Cities have so much light pollution anyway that I rarely need the flashlight I have in my pocket, but if it is too dark to see if I’m about to be murdered – I will already have my flashlight out, and illuminating the space around me. I don’t need one on a gun, I’m confident of that. I try to avoid being out at night anyway.
The hellcat has an optic cut. This allows for a red dot to be mounted. Sure they’re cool and useful, but they get in the way of pocket carry. I’m not carrying this thing to be some sort of tacticool armed citizen, stopping mass shooters or anything. I’m not trained for that, and the stakes would be exceptionally high. My priority would be removing myself and family from danger immediately. While the gun can reach pretty far, especially with the red dot, if the problem is that far away, I’m hopefully able to walk away. I feel good at up to 50 yards with a sun compact handgun, and I practice at that range.. and while I’m not going to win a match with my performance, I feel confident that I would be able to return fire to my opponent at that distance.
Belt
I am usually in pants that don’t have belt loops. I used a Comfort Concealment belt for a while and it was super comfy, velcro, and kept the gun from printing. The only problem I had is that somehow I lost it.
I looked around to re-order and found some cheap $10 versions on AliExpress, they never arrived.
Today I started looking to order again but someone recommended Mastermind Tactics’ Covert Belt. I liked this because it’s $5 cheaper but looks to be built to last with metal fastener and actual webbing instead of Velcro and polyester. It seems like it will last a long time. The Comfort Concealment belt looked like it would wear over time and need to be replaced every year or two.
I also have two ratcheting belts I got from AliExpress that I learned about from R/CCW, and they’re really good quality. My only problem with these belts is that the holster clips are visible. The mastermind belt goes inside of your pants, just around the waist, you can wear it low or high, and your pants can cover the holster clips since it is clipped to a belt behind your pants, not on the outside of them.
Clothing
I have a long torso. So I ordered some shirts from Deluth that are extra long in my size. I also ordered a long crew neck sweater and an over shirt.
I also have ordered 3 pairs of pants from LA Police Gear. If these don’t work, I may order some CCW Breaksways. These pants are somewhat odd looking, so I think their khaki is probably the best chance, they are pleated though which is definitely out of style.
There are other pants for men that have large pockets, 5.11 tactical makes a few varieties and they do have a store nearby, so I could actually go on in and try them on.
So that’s the setup. I’m rocking it plain Jane. No trigger jobs, optics, flashlights, or other nonsense on this gun. A 100% stock micro 9 in a holster with a spare mag in my pocket or bag.