I.O. Inc Reintroduces the Hellcat Pistol

17. March 2012, 0:59 UhrGeneral Newsadmin1 comment

I’m not sure what I missed here based on the so-called “re-introduction” of this pistol, but it is certainly one I never new even existed nor do I have knowledge of the company and/or brand itself.  Perhaps it is simply a case of poor marketing.  Regardless of the fact, this pistol appears to be a possible choice for those that want to carry a very small and light pistol but on a very tight budget.  When looking at its design, I can’t help but notice just how similar it is to two known and popular pocket pistols on the market today.  It appears to be a blend between the design of the Kel-Tec P-3AT and the quality of the Ruger LCP.  It just looks too damn similar in comparison and this is the best way I can describe it.  The Hellcat is also a very inexpensive .380 pocket pistol and its price tag is as low as what you can get a Kel-Tec P-3AT for.  Upon further research, I found a few things that are a bit of a concern though.  One of them happens to be the fact that they clearly mention the type of ammo that they recommend and even go as far as the exact brand and bullet weight used when testing reliability.  I don’t know but personally, I find that itself a red flag.  However, I will not be quick to judge here, as I have never heard nor shot one of these.  With that said, does anyone own one of these?  If so, what is your experience with it so far?

Source:  AmmoLand

  • Guest

    I have one of the first generation IO Hellcats and they were not ready for issue. Mine was sent back to IO as the magazines did not drop, the extractor broke and the pistol fed poorly. Their CS sucks for lack of a better adjective. I got the pistol back and the magazine I sent worked but the spare that I was told not to send did not; I figured out the problem a fit the magazine floorplate to the gun when the mag was inserted… The feed ramp looked like it was machined with a dull axe, I stoned the toolmarks out of it and polished it. The extractors were metal injection molded pieces of junk. I went through three before they sent me the machined extractor. When I replaced the junk extractor for the last time I asked for a new extractor screw as the screw had become galled. They use a torx screw… trying to get a replacement was like pulling teeth. The fit and finish was not good the barrel locks up on the slide like a Sig or Glock, there were scratches where the burs on the slide scratched the blued barrel. The bluing was removed and the barrel and slide were deburred as well. Once all the bugs were worked out the pistol is fine, it feed and extracts and has decent accuracy for the intended purpose. The 2nd Generation has better sights and an improved magazine, the extractors are machined not cast…
    I’d never give IO another penny.