March 1st, 2023
10:34 runtime
Veteran firearms instructor Paul Carlson gives us this Springfield Hellion review.
But not all of those choices are good.
The Hellion is a semi-automatic bullpup chambered in 5.56 NATO.
In this Springfield Armory Hellion review, the author put the gun through its paces, including range time with a mounted suppressor.
Its built by the same folks that manufacture the impressive Hellcat family of handguns.
Both the Hellion and the Hellcat were developed with input from Springfield Armory engineers for the U.S. market.
Although the Hellion itself is new, its foundation isnt.
The Hellion is a thoroughly modern bullpup rifle. It is fully ambidextrous, designed for use with a sound suppressor and set up to mount an optic right out of the box.
The Hellion bullpup is based off of the reliable and proven VHS-2.
My research uncovered seven nations that have the VHS-2 in service.
Many of these are used in locations with adverse and demanding conditions.
Bullpup rifles are distinguished from typical ones by placing the action behind the trigger group. The author demonstrates the location of the action on the Hellion.
Springfield Armory, being who they are, didnt settle for importing the VHS-2 in its standard form.
Instead, they looked for enhancements that specifically benefited the American user.
Whats a Bullpup?
The most striking aspect of the Hellion 5.56 rifle is its form factor.
As I mentioned, the Hellion is a bullpup.
Simply explained, a bullpup is a rifle with the action located behind the pistol grip.
Springfield Armory designed the Hellion to work with AR-compatible pistol grips. Not that the safety selector is ambidextrous — accessible from both sides of the gun.
The result is a firearm with a standard length barrel, yet a very short overall length.
The Hellion features a hammer-forged 16 barrel with a rugged Melonite coating for durability.
The Hellion is a short-stroke, piston-driven rifle.
Springfield Armory provides integral pop-up sights on the Hellion. The rear sight, shown here, has five differently sized apertures that are adjustable on the fly.
The result is reliable function without the typical fouling that can be expected from a direct impingement gun.
A full-length Picatinny rail tops the gun.
At each end of the top rail is a clever pop-up sight set.
The pop-up front sight is easily deployed or stowed with the press of a button. It’s adjustable for elevation with a simple turn of the knob.
A simple press of the button allows you to raise or stow the sights.
The front is a fine-tipped cylinder that is adjustable for elevation.
The rail and sights were wonderfully compatible with my Trijicon MRO.
The Hellion is a feature-rich bullpup. Its balanced short length makes the rifle a perfect host for your favorite sound suppressor.
The gun can even beswapped over to left-side ejectionfor those that want to have a lefty-dedicated rifle.
There are ample QD sling mount points on the Hellion on both sides of the gun.
The Hellion is feature-rich, and it performs accordingly.
It doesn’t matter if you are running the Hellion loud or suppressed. The rifle is equipped with a two-position gas system. Simply push in and rotate the knob.
However, the Hellion proved to be the exception to that rule.
It was reliable, and both easy and enjoyable to operate and shoot.
It was easy to control and recover for follow-up shots.
The recoil impulse of the Hellion is a straight, gentle push. The author found follow-up shots were easy to make with either the flash hider or a suppressor attached.
The Hellion didnt leave me wanting much in these areas.
Lets talk about triggers first.
That isnt the case with the Springfield Hellion rifle.
Ambidextrous controls, including the selector lever, make the Hellion easy to operate. Its accuracy, gentle recoil and reliability make it a great defensive rifle.
Overtravel was minimal and the reset was reasonable in distance.
All in all, the trigger was just plain good.
This is no easy feat for a bullpup.
The trigger pull weight averaged out at 7 lbs., 5 oz.
While this might seem heavy for a carbine, that number was a surprise to me.
I thought it felt lighter in practice.
Running the rifle is the other beef folks like to point out when disparaging bullpup rifles.
This always makes me chuckle a bit.
Its like they are implying that the manual of arms of an AR-15 is simple.
Instead, we are simply used to it.
Spend a couple of weekends training with the Hellion, and you will spin up the gun efficiently.
The fully ambidextrous controls also help out significantly.
My only gripe about the Springfield Armory Hellion is the lack of a bolt catch lever.
Its a little thing, but it is a thing.
My favorite aspect of the Hellions performance is the balance of the rifle.
The Hellion 5.56 rifle is heavier than the typical AR, but you dont know it when youre shooting.
That balanced weight also does a great job of absorbing recoil.
Springfields Hellion is truly pleasant to shoot.
That sweet spot is for someone thats looking for a well-balanced, compact rifle.
Remember the overall length of the Hellion?
Thats right, 28.25 fully collapsed.
This is about 4 shorter than a typical AR at its shortest with a 16 barrel.
That difference means either more maneuverability, or the ability to add muzzle devices without significant overall length.
That makes the Hellion a perfect host for your favorite can.
I typically run a SAINT Victor SBR with a suppressor.
That extra weight out front can really become cumbersome after a few hours of work.
The length and balance of the Hellion would be a significant fatigue reducer.
In addition, there is no trade-off for the reduction in length.
Hellion Review Final Thoughts
The Springfield Armory Hellion is a very capable rifle in a small package.
This is especially true if youre looking to run a suppressor.
Considering the reliability and the feature set of the Hellion, thats a true value.
