Sharp,
No, there's no hit, no GG XC *snap*. I'd always heard they were more aggressive. The '04's didn't have any hit - more like a GG EC model. It was a strong "electric" powerband. Really nice for woods riding. Apparently the 03's had a diff powerband w/ a hit, but I never rode one myself. I thought it was a nice bike overall though. But it just felt very weird - ergos & handling. Too weird for me. You just have to try it yourself. FYI, I can jump on a jap bike & feel right at home.
I assume you've got that snappy mid on your bike as well then? Have you tried a torque spacer? Doma pipe? Maybe you could try porting or a big bore? My hands wear out first from all the clutching & braking when I doing the big hills. The only thing I can think of to help that is the 300. That'll help out the clutch hand big time as it can just torque on up a gnarly hill.
My riding buddy has the 300. IMO it's the best do-all 2 stroke, but, I like the 250 better until I get to the hills. After I came back from the test spins I told him I didn't like either KTM as much as his or my GasGas. Just my opinion, not trying to create static here.