By Mike Humphries<\/a><\/p>\n The Springfield Hellcat set new standards for sights on subcompact handguns. The U-Dot sights are truly remarkable and are superior to everything else offered from the factory from other gun manufacturers. Today\u2019s article written by Editor-in-Chief Mike Humphries explains the Hellcat\u2019s U-Dot sights and what makes them so special.<\/em><\/p>\n L<\/span>et\u2019s be frank. There are so many cool things about Springfield Armory\u2019s new 9mm Hellcat<\/a>, it\u2019s hard to decide where to focus. From its 11+1 capacity in a stunningly compact gun to its excellent grip texture to its streamlined design, there\u2019s a lot to talk about here.<\/p>\n But if there\u2019s one thing that seems to have really caught everyone\u2019s attention, it\u2019s the pistol\u2019s ability to accept micro-sized red dots on the OSP (Optical Sight Pistol) version. There\u2019s no getting around the fact that being able to cram a little red dot like the Shield RMSc<\/a> onto a gun this size is remarkable.<\/p>\n But what about those sights backing up that red dot, featured on both the OSP and standard versions of the Hellcat? In my opinion, these \u201cU-Dot\u201d sights are one of the coolest features of the new pistol.<\/p>\n The name of the sights should give you an idea of how they are designed: a front night sight surrounded by a photoluminescent ring matched to a U-notch rear sight.<\/p>\n To be honest, I\u2019ve only recently started getting into customizing my CCW guns. For years, I would stick with \u201cstock\u201d guns only. However, over the past few years I\u2019ve started adding\/changing things here and there, and slowly warmed up to more thoroughly customizing my guns. And one of the first things I would change out was the sights.<\/p>\n What I wanted was a good set of tritium night sights, preferably with a high-visibility ring (in a bright color) around the night sight dot. This would give me a sighting system that would offer high visibility in the bright sun, as well as night sighting in low-light.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll tell you from personal experience that getting a good set of Springfield Hellcat night sights like this would normally set you back something in the range of at least $100 \u2014 and often $150 or more.<\/p>\n Which brings us to the Hellcat\u2019s U-Dot sights. These things are exceptional, and rival many of the aftermarket sights I\u2019ve used over the years. Factoring in the $569 MSRP of the standard Hellcat (and $599 for the OSP version), these sights alone in my opinion make the gun a smart buy.<\/p>\n Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The U-Dot\u2019s front sight is a tritium night sight dot surrounded by a bright green luminescent ring. For me, this is ideal as it gives me the best of both worlds. <\/p>\n The green ring around the tritium dot gives me a large, easy-to-see aiming point in bright light for fast, instinctive shooting. And the tritium dot gives me a reliable aiming point for the pistol in diminished light. In low light conditions, a front night sight can be a literal life saver.<\/p>\n Speaking of fast, instinctive shooting, let\u2019s talk about the rear sight. The \u201cu\u201d of the U-Dot system is located here, and it\u2019s exactly what it sounds like. The white outline on the rear sight is a \u201cu\u201d shape following the semi-circle notch in the rear sight.<\/p>\n To use, you basically \u201cdrop\u201d the round front sight into the u-notch of the rear sight. These sights are not designed for bullseye shooting at 25 meters, but rather for quick and reactive shots at a threat. That being said, the Hellcat is proving to be an extremely accurate shooter that can hold its own at distance.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve run these Springfield Hellcat sights on my pistol for several months now, and I really like the u-notch rear sight. The visibility and speed are unmatched.<\/p>\n In addition, the rear sight also has a \u201cTactical Rack\u201d ledge on its front face. This feature is quite in vogue these days on defensive handguns, offering a shooter the ability to rack the slide with one hand against a hard surface should your support hand become incapacitated.<\/p>\n The fact these sights are high enough to co-witness through a micro red dot like the Shield RMSc on the OSP version might lead you to believe they are tall \u201csuppressor-height\u201d sights, or that they are different heights on the standard versus the OSP versions. No dice. The sights on both models are very low profile, with the only real difference between the two being the rear sight on the OSP model having a shorter front-to-back length to allow room for the optic mount. It is also mounted slightly farther back on the slide than on the standard model.<\/p>\n Like I said, I get why so much attention has been focused on the OSP model and its micro red dot capability<\/a>. But these Hellcat night sights on both the OSP and standard model are exceptional and show how much thought was put into the design of the Hellcat.<\/p>\n These sights are low-profile, high-visibility, capable in bright and low-light, and come standard on a very reasonably priced gun. Looks like I don\u2019t have to install anything new on this carry gun as, for me, they are the best sights for the Hellcat currently available!<\/p>\n Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSetting Your Sights<\/h2>\n
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U-Dot Gets Your Springfield Armory Hellcat On Target<\/h2>\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nJoin the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n
Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t9mm<\/sup><\/span><\/span>
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<\/p>\nHellcat\u00ae Series<\/span><\/h3>\n
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