Springfield’s standard Hellcat pistol has develop into one of the crucial dominant micro-compact 9mm handguns in its peer group. It’s pint sized, however boasts beforehand unprecedented capability and fantastic shootability. The usual Hellcat was solely step one although, and as we’ve seen with different flagship micro-compacts, the engineers at Springfield have formed and massaged the platform into an much more preferrred hid carry gun. I’ve shot quite a few Hellcats and Hellcat Professional pistols, and I didn’t anticipate the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp to be a lot totally different — I used to be lifeless fallacious.
Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp OSP Specs
- Caliber: 9mm
- Capability: 15+1 or 17+1
- Journal Materials: Metal
- Dimensions: 4.8 inches (H) x 6.6 inches (L) x 1 inch (W)
- Weight: 1 kilos, 4 ounces (weighed with empty 15-round journal and optic)
- Body: Polymer
- Slide: Metal, black Melonite end
- Grip: Nice stipple sample
- Barrel: 3.7 inches, Melonite end, built-in compensator
- Sights: Tritium entrance dot, U-notch rear
- Optic prepared: Sure, RMSc footprint (Defend SMSc optic used)
- Set off: Single-action, 6 kilos, 10 ounces (measured)
- Security: Set off security bar
- Worth: $600
Key Options
- Integral slide/barrel compensator
- RMSc optic footprint
- Refined-but-grippy stipple texture
- Low-profile controls and slide serrations
- Accuracy common: 1.809 inches (13 five-shot teams at 15 yards)
Assessment Highlights
- Dramatically lowered recoil impulse
- Wonderful capability
- Retains good concealability
- Simply co-witnessable iron sights
- Heavy set off
What’s the Hellcat, and What Makes the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp Totally different?
The micro-compact 9mm pistol market was simply starting to bloom when Springfield launched the 3-inch-barreled Hellcat in late 2019. Up to now, probably the most important and comparable competitor within the area is the Sig P365, which was launched the earlier 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 journal. This was earth-shaking, as pistols of this dimension usually topped out at 8 rounds of ammo.
This new pistol was dependable, extremely concealable, and had a grip texture that offered safe traction however wasn’t too abrasive. Low-profile controls, entrance and rear cocking serrations, and good iron sights added to the utility. The one downside of the design was (and is) in how the recoil impulse is directed again into the shooter’s hand. The Hellcat pistols universally have sharper, snappier recoil than most equally sized blasters — although it’s nonetheless manageable.
Evolution of the Hellcat
Following the success of the common Hellcat, Springfield launched the Hellcat RDP in 2020, which was outfitted with a Hex Wasp purple dot and a threaded muzzle topped with a self-timing compensator. Although the unique Hellcats have been supplied with solely iron sights, the OSP (optical sight pistol) fashions rapidly stole the present — corresponding with a sweeping motion towards utilizing purple dots on EDC pistols.
In 2022, we bought our have a look at the Hellcat Professional OSP, a barely up-sized mannequin. Through the use of a barely longer 3.7-inch barrel and longer grip, they created an much more secure platform with increased capability whereas sustaining nice concealability. The Professional OSP an ultra-slim, subcompact pistol that may maintain 15+1 or 17+1 rounds — the identical as basic compact and full-sized pistols just like the Glock G19 and G17. Sig has carried out comparable with the bigger P365 XL and P365 XMacro pistols.
The Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp
Newest within the Hellcat household, the Hellcat Professional Comp’s defining function is an integral compensator. The pistol nonetheless sports activities the three.7-inch barrel — although solely about 3.2 inches of it’s a purposeful rifled barrel — with a compensator constructed into the barrel itself. Initially I rolled my eyes at this growth, 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 a number of the integrally compensated Sig P365s is that the slide compensators don’t appear to do a lot work with 9mm. In actual fact, whereas capturing the P365 XMacro and XMacro Tacops (compensated and uncompensated) facet by facet, I couldn’t inform a lot distinction in recoil impulse or muzzle flip.
The compensator on the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp is totally different although. It’s a compensator milled immediately into the entrance half inch of the barrel itself. The slide and barrel each have an oblong port within the high, however on shut examination, you’ll see that the rifling terminates on the porting, and a portion of the barrel metal is hogged out of the within, making a blast chamber that directs gasses upward.
Taking pictures alongside the non-ported Springfield Hellcat Professional with a 4.7-inch threaded barrel, the distinction in muzzle flip and discount of the characteristically sharp recoil impulse was flabbergasting — significantly with 115- and 124-grain +P masses. Whereas driving the pistol arduous and quick, I may maintain the purple dot on track with out ever being blown out of my sight image by the recoil.
Normal Hellcat Professional OSP Options
In case you’re acquainted with the Hellcat, a lot of the options on this new gun are repetitious. Every mannequin usually incorporates one or two defining options that optimize it ultimately — The Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp is not any totally different.
Except for the compensator, the optic mounting and compatibility is most vital. I bought the mannequin that features a Defend SMSc, however the RMSc footprint is suitable with quite a lot of optics. What’s good in regards to the SMSc and low optic reduce is that the usual low-profile manufacturing unit irons that Springfield suits the weapons with are simply co-witnessable by the optic — one thing that the bigger pistols just like the XD-M can’t declare.
All controls are low profile and received’t snag on holsters or clothes, and they’re decidedly right-handed. Although the rotating takedown lever and slide cease lever don’t protrude very far, they aren’t tough to function, and the one downside is that the slide cease lever is a bit sharp on the thumb.
The unique Hellcat used 13-round magazines, the Hellcat Professional Comp comes with one every 15- and 17-round journal. The 15-round journal 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 when packing a 17+1 loadout, the Hellcat continues to be much less obtrusive than an everyday compact pistol like a Glock G19.
Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp OSP Accuracy
The Hellcat Professional Comp made fairly an impression with how effectively it shot in a sensible sense. The discount in recoil impulse and muzzle flip enormously elevated management, however initially, it didn’t wow me with accuracy. To check accuracy, the Outside Life normal protocol is to document 5-shot teams from 15 yards, fired from a standing place with two-hands, braced on a bagged tripod.
When testing ammo like Hornady’s 115-grain Crucial Protection and Remington’s 124-grain Golden Sabre, which have been fantastic from a purposeful standpoint, I used to be seeing below-average accuracy. Most pistols of the type will print teams beneath 2.5 inches with 1.5 inches being fairly good. Every group I fired had pictures that stretched it to 3 or 4 inches — even with 125-grain Staccato Match ammo.
A Funky Set off
I had been firing at my regular cadence for the duty, however determined to shoot as fastidiously as I probably may. I actually needed to struggle the set off on the Hellcat, however with nice care I managed to cut back my common group dimension to 1.451 inches with the Staccato Match ammo.
The best hurdle for accuracy with this pistol is its stiff set off, which has a comparatively lengthy and uneven pull. When taking over the set off, it peaks at almost 7 kilos, then nonetheless has important backward journey earlier than breaking. Cracking clear pictures requires super focus to slowly press by that further motion. At my common tempo, I used to be shanking pictures far to the left of the place they need to have been. Whereas working and gunning, the stiff set off isn’t isn’t too noticeable, however should you’re attempting to interrupt cautious, exact pictures, the set off shoe itself is a bit painful.
I’d prefer to see a crisper break and a shorter, extra tactile reset.
Remaining Ideas: The Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp OSP is A Nice Hid-Carry Gun
Line extensions usually aren’t too thrilling, however the easy built-in compensator on this new Springfield Hellcat is notable. Some of the necessary attributes of a concealed-carry gun is its shootability. Are you able to shoot it precisely beneath stress and keep on track? That’s fairly a bit simpler with this iteration of the platform. Together with that modern function, it brings nice concealability, capability, and ergonomics. Moreover, it’s a well-supported platform with a lot of choices for holsters that may suit your wants. Is the Springfield Hellcat Professional Comp probably the most dramatic gun introduction we’ve seen lately? No. But it surely’s taken a strong, profitable platform and made it even higher. That’s price getting a bit of enthusiastic about.
