Springfield’s widespread Hellcat pistol has change into one of the vital dominant micro-compact 9mm handguns in its peer crew. It’s pint sized, yet boasts up to now extraordinary capability and lovely shootability. The usual Hellcat was once handiest step one regardless that, and as we’ve noticed with different flagship micro-compacts, the engineers at Springfield have formed and massaged the platform into an much more splendid hid convey gun. I’ve shot a lot of Hellcats and Hellcat Professional pistols, and I didn’t be expecting the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp to be a lot other — I used to be useless mistaken.
Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp OSP Specifications
- Caliber: 9mm
- Capability: 15+1 or 17+1
- Mag Subject material: Metal
- Dimensions: 4.8 inches (H) x 6.6 inches (L) x 1 inch (W)
- Weight: 1 kilos, 4 oz. (weighed with empty 15-round mag and optic)
- Body: Polymer
- Slide: Metal, black Melonite end
- Grip: Tremendous stipple development
- Barrel: 3.7 inches, Melonite end, built-in compensator
- Points of interest: Tritium entrance dot, U-notch rear
- Optic able: Sure, RMSc footprint (Defend SMSc optic used)
- Cause: Unmarried-action, 6 kilos, 10 oz. (measured)
- Protection: Cause protection bar
- Value: $600
Key Options
- Integral slide/barrel compensator
- RMSc optic footprint
- Delicate-but-grippy stipple texture
- Low-profile controls and slide serrations
- Accuracy common: 1.809 inches (13 five-shot teams at 15 yards)
Evaluation Highlights
- Dramatically diminished flinch impulse
- Very good capability
- Keeps excellent concealability
- Simply co-witnessable iron points of interest
- Heavy cause
What’s the Hellcat, and What Makes the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp Other?
The micro-compact 9mm pistol marketplace was once simply starting to bloom when Springfield presented the 3-inch-barreled Hellcat in past due 2019. Thus far, essentially the most vital and identical competitor within the area is the Sig P365, which was once introduced the former 12 months. Just like the P365, the Hellcat is a polymer-framed, striker-fired 9mm pistol that crams 13 rounds of ammo in its tiny mag. This was once earth-shaking, as pistols of this measurement most often crowned out at 8 rounds of ammo.
This new pistol was once dependable, extremely concealable, and had a grip texture that equipped protected traction yet wasn’t too abrasive. Low-profile controls, entrance and rear cocking serrations, and excellent iron points of interest added to the application. The one problem of the design was once (and is) in how the flinch impulse is directed again into the shooter’s hand. The Hellcat pistols universally have sharper, snappier flinch than maximum in a similar fashion sized blasters — regardless that it’s nonetheless manageable.
Evolution of the Hellcat
Following the luck of the common Hellcat, Springfield introduced the Hellcat RDP in 2020, which was once provided with a Hex Wasp pink dot and a threaded muzzle crowned with a self-timing compensator. Although the unique Hellcats have been introduced with handiest iron points of interest, the OSP (optical sight pistol) fashions briefly stole the display — corresponding with a sweeping motion towards the usage of pink dots on EDC pistols.
In 2022, we were given our have a look at the Hellcat Professional OSP, a fairly up-sized style. Via the usage of a fairly longer 3.7-inch barrel and longer grip, they created an much more solid platform with upper capability whilst keeping up nice concealability. The Professional OSP an ultra-slim, subcompact pistol that may cling 15+1 or 17+1 rounds — the similar as vintage compact and full-sized pistols just like the Glock G19 and G17. Sig has carried out identical with the bigger P365 XL and P365 XMacro pistols.
The Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp
Newest within the Hellcat circle of relatives, the Hellcat Professional Comp’s defining function is an integral compensator. The pistol nonetheless sports activities the three.7-inch barrel — regardless that handiest about 3.2 inches of this is a practical rifled barrel — with a compensator constructed into the barrel itself. First of all I rolled my eyes at this building, pondering this could be both a easy barrel porting, or a shorter barrel and half-assed compensator within the entrance of the slide. A critique I’ve on probably the most integrally compensated Sig P365s is that the slide compensators don’t appear to do a lot paintings with 9mm. In truth, whilst capturing the P365 XMacro and XMacro Tacops (compensated and uncompensated) facet by way of facet, I couldn’t inform a lot distinction in flinch impulse or muzzle turn.
The compensator at the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp is other regardless that. It’s a compensator milled at once into the entrance 1/2 inch of the barrel itself. The slide and barrel each have an oblong port within the best, yet on shut exam, you’ll see that the rifling terminates on the porting, and a portion of the barrel metal is hogged out of the interior, making a blast chamber that directs gasses upward.
Taking pictures along the non-ported Springfield Hellcat Professional with a 4.7-inch threaded barrel, the adaptation in muzzle turn and relief of the characteristically sharp flinch impulse was once flabbergasting — specifically with 115- and 124-grain +P quite a bit. Whilst riding the pistol exhausting and rapid, I may stay the pink dot on track with out ever being blown out of my sight image by way of the flinch.
Usual Hellcat Professional OSP Options
In the event you’re aware of the Hellcat, lots of the options in this new gun are repetitious. Every style most often comprises one or two defining options that optimize it somehow — The Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp is not any other.
With the exception of the compensator, the optic mounting and compatibility is most important. I were given the style that features a Defend SMSc, however the RMSc footprint is suitable with plenty of optics. What’s great concerning the SMSc and occasional optic lower is that the usual low-profile manufacturing unit irons that Springfield suits the weapons with are simply co-witnessable during the optic — one thing that the bigger pistols just like the XD-M can’t declare.
All controls are low profile and gained’t snag on holsters or clothes, and they’re decidedly right-handed. Although the rotating takedown lever and slide forestall lever don’t protrude very some distance, they aren’t tricky to perform, and the one problem is that the slide forestall lever is just a little sharp at the thumb.
The unique Hellcat used 13-round magazines, the Hellcat Professional Comp comes with one each and every 15- and 17-round mag. The 15-round mag suits flush with the bottom of the grip, and the 17-rounder is capped with a textured extension that stands out slightly below the body. Even if packing a 17+1 loadout, the Hellcat remains to be much less glaring than a normal compact pistol like a Glock G19.
Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp OSP Accuracy
The Hellcat Professional Comp made fairly an impact with how effectively it shot in a realistic sense. The relief in flinch impulse and muzzle turn a great deal greater keep watch over, yet first of all, it didn’t wow me with accuracy. To check accuracy, the Outside Lifestyles usual protocol is to file 5-shot teams from 15 yards, fired from a status place with two-hands, braced on a bagged tripod.
When checking out ammo like Hornady’s 115-grain Crucial Protection and Remington’s 124-grain Golden Sabre, that have been superb from a practical point of view, I used to be seeing below-average accuracy. Maximum pistols of the way will print teams beneath 2.5 inches with 1.5 inches being fairly excellent. Every crew I fired had photographs that stretched it to a few or 4 inches — even with 125-grain Staccato Fit ammo.
A Funky Cause
I were firing at my commonplace cadence for the duty, yet determined to shoot as in moderation as I most likely may. I truly needed to battle the cause at the Hellcat, yet with nice care I controlled to cut back my common crew measurement to at least one.451 inches with the Staccato Fit ammo.
The best hurdle for accuracy with this pistol is its stiff cause, which has a moderately lengthy and asymmetric pull. When taking on the cause, it peaks at just about 7 kilos, then nonetheless has vital backward shuttle earlier than breaking. Cracking blank photographs calls for super focus to slowly press thru that further motion. At my common tempo, I used to be shanking photographs some distance to the left of the place they will have to had been. Whilst operating and gunning, the stiff cause isn’t isn’t too noticeable, yet should you’re looking to wreck cautious, actual photographs, the cause shoe itself is just a little painful.
I’d like to look a crisper wreck and a shorter, extra tactile reset.
Ultimate Ideas: The Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp OSP is A Nice Hid-Raise Gun
Line extensions incessantly aren’t too thrilling, however the easy built-in compensator in this new Springfield Hellcat is notable. Some of the vital attributes of a concealed-carry gun is its shootability. Are you able to shoot it appropriately beneath pressure and keep on track? That’s fairly just a little more straightforward with this iteration of the platform. At the side of that modern function, it brings nice concealability, capability, and ergonomics. Moreover, it’s a well-supported platform with a variety of choices for holsters that may suit your wishes. Is the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp essentially the most dramatic gun creation we’ve noticed not too long ago? No. However it’s taken a forged, a success platform and made it even higher. That’s value getting somewhat thinking about.