I’ve gone tacticool - SA Hellcat RDP

Last September, I received my custom TT Gunleather IWB with black elephant. Instead of 50/50, like my older TT w/elephant, I asked for a 30/70 split biased to the outside. This holster was made for the SA Hellcat RDP I purchased prior and couldn’t find a good leather holster I liked.

My RDP came with the 4 MOA Shield SMSc.

I’m still pretty new to pistol optics. I put a DPP on a GLOCK, a couple of years ago and just shot it last summer. By the time I shot the first pistol optic I bought, I had acquired two more setups: a Sig AXG w/Holosun and this SA RDP. My son and I shot them all the same day. I was firmly strapped into the struggle bus. The DPP was just too darned high. I kept going straight to where the sights were. The AXG was much better - full-size firearm and a much lower optic. The RDP optic and sights cowitness - the best way.

This weekend, I decided I was going to see if I could get the RDP dialed in and if I could get good enough at picking up the dot to make it my primary carry.

Yesterday, we put the following through it, without any malfunctions:

50 Fiocchi 115gr
50 Blazer Brass 124gr
50 American Eagle 124gr
40 HST 124gr +P

I chased the zero around a bit before I figured out the different ammo hit in different places. The two FMJ 124gr types both hit in the same place. Interestingly, the 115gr Fiocchi (says 1,200 FPS on the box) and the HST 124gr +P hit in the same place.

Everyone liked it, but agreed the trigger sucks.

This morning, I got squirrelly and decided to put in the APEX trigger and striker spring kit in. It’s been on the shelf for many months. That went fine and I used the opportunity to clean out all the oil and grease and convert to FrogLube (I know some people just got triggered, lube is not the purpose of the thread).

Today’s shooting was to make sure the trigger worked and verify the optic was still on target, in addition to general practice.

Ammo was 100 rounds of the 115gr Fiocchi, a handful of partial boxes of different brand JHP, and 47 rounds of HST +P.

I started from 25 yards and shot the 12 rounds I of HST’s I had loaded to drive out. I was a couple of inches high, so I decided to dial it in. Naturally, I brain farted and moved the dot the wrong direction, so I got to shoot a few extra rounds to get it back on target.

The APEX trigger is a marked improvement and I found it worth the time and cost. Other shooters agreed.

Since I’m still new to pistol optics and this firearm/holster setup, I spent a fair bit of time at 11 yards drawing and shooting one shot. Boring, but it made a huge improvement in my ability to present and put the dot on target.

In the three occasions at the range, I’ve had zero malfunctions.

Here is a pic of the old setup by the new one:



G23 on left (I carried a G27 instead) and RDP on right.

Here is the APEX trigger:



Here is my son’s group, from 11 yards. Even with the comp, he finds it a little hard to handle, but still shoots as much as I’ll let him.



From the 11 yard line, I shot the center out of the target.

Here is my last 8-shot group of the day, 25 yards resting my arms on a golf cart seat back. No, it’s not very good. Since my head injury, I’m not a very good shot. Yes, it’s embarrassing, but I’m working on it. Ignore the flyer, on the right. My son was riding the four-wheeler, behind me, and he smashed into something right before I pulled the trigger (it sounded bad, but was nothing).



With around 500 trouble-free rounds, I’m ready to make this my new primary carry. It’s going to be weird. My previous carry pieces were a G27.3 (2008-2023) or a 442 (2012-2023).