Sammy

That is a good question Bryant. I think that for the most part people think of a hound as all nose and very little grit, so they add a little pit in hopes of making a dog that is gritty like a good cur dog but has an above average nose. You also end up with the prey drive of the pit and the hound with physical characteristics of the hound that physically allow the dog to have a lot of wind and bottom. These are all my opinion and not proven facts.
I am like you, I really don't want a cur dog, especially a good strike dog to be overly gritty but I think that there are exceptions like Sammy who are gritty but not "pit like" on a hog. Really works like a good cur dog with a little more nose. Of all the hogs I have had him on he is very good about not opening till he sees the hog. He has not opened early yet, and if the hog breaks he stays open while he can see the hog but shuts up and keeps after the hog.
Matt