Yes, good things do come in small packages, and with the Springfield Armory Hellcat OSP (Optical Sight Pistol), you get a seriously capable, versatile, and kickass semi-auto micro-compact 9mm. That’s not hyperbole or marketing fluff — that’s our real-world experience with Springfield’s newest and super popular mini 9.
After shooting this gun for two years, carrying it in a variety of holsters, and using it with (and without) a weapon-mounted light and red dot sight — our verdict has remained unchanged since first impressions. This gun is one of the best concealed carry 9mms on the market. Period.
The Hellcat is a great blend of size and performance. It packs a TON of firepower in a small package that can serve as either a large-ish pocket gun, or a 15-round concealed carry gem. This masterpiece of pistolcraft is extremely versatile, powerful, concealable, and affordable. It does have one shortcoming, but it can be overcome with practice.
So, what makes this little nine-millimeter-heater such a winner? Let’s take a closer look.
Springfield in Brief
Springfield Armory began as a government entity in the late 1700s, with a long record of cranking out all manner of guns used by the military. It all started with muskets back in 1794 in Springfield, Massachusetts. The group made small arms at that location until the government shut it down in the late 1960s. However, the Reese family revived the name in the 1970s and began making rifles and handguns under the moniker Springfield Armory in Geneseo, Illinois.
Since then, the firm has produced scads of innovative firearms including the M1A, various 1911s, and the XD series of pistols. Not to mention the subject of our review today: The Hellcat lineup.
(Source: Springfield Armory)
Springfield Hellcat Specs
| Caliber | Capacity | Height | Overall Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9mm Luger | 11+1, 13+1, 15+1 | 6″ | 6″ |
| Width | Weight | Barrel Length | MSRP |
| 1″ | 17.9 oz. | 3″ | $633 (Real world: $500-$550) |
The specs on this thing are pretty stout. Springfield calls it “the world’s highest capacity micro-compact,” and they ain’t wrong. An 11-round mag is standard, but you can get 15-rounders that still conceal better than many other carry-minded guns on the market today.
Hellcat with a 13-round magazine and optional red dot sight. The shooter wears an XL glove. Note the pinkie overhangs the pistol ever so slightly. With the 11-round flush-fit magazine, there’s only room for two fingers on the grip (depending on your hand size).
Hellcat with a 15-round magazine, same shooter. Note the pistol can be gripped fully.
Nowhere are the dimensions of a gun more important than in a concealed carry piece — and the tradeoffs are sobering. The most concealable pistol ever will be extremely small and therefore difficult to shoot, with minimal capacity. Plus, the barrel will be so short it kneecaps your bullets. Speed kills, and the shorter the barrel, the slower the bullets will travel. It’s just physics, man.
On the other end of the spectrum is a full-size duty or service gun that carries oodles of bullets and shoots well, but is too big to hide under normal clothes. The happy medium is, of course, somewhere in the middle.
Hellcat OSP Concealed Carry Assessment
The Hellcat OSP (Optical Sight Pistol) uses a 3” barrel, which is about as short as you can go while retaining effectiveness from the 9mm round. The 6” overall length is easy for shooters of any body type to conceal around their waist, and to hide in the appendix position (next to your belt buckle). However, this isn’t the friendliest position for our bulkier friends. At the same time, the Hellcat is crazy lightweight at less than 18 ounces unloaded. Even with a full mag, it doesn’t pull your pants down (assuming you’re wearing a decent belt).
The biggest factor for comfortably carrying a gun is the width. Yes, the length and height are what prints, but the width is what makes or breaks a gun’s comfort in concealment. If you’ve got a 2” thick chonker stuffed in your waistband, you’re gonna need new pants and a new belt to make it work. 1 -1.5” is what’s generally considered comfortable, and the Hellcat is a slender 1”. In our experience, it can be used with your entire existing wardrobe. You’ll want a dedicated “gun belt” with micro adjustments, but if you’re using a regular belt, just let it out in one position.
The beauty of the Hellcat is that it’s perfectly short for carry work, and the height is adjustable based on the magazine. The shortest, and what gives you the 4” height, is the 11-rounder. But even with the 15-rounder, the gun is easy to hide. We’ve carried the Hellcat with the 11-, 13-, and 15-round magazines. There are 11-rounders with and without pinkie extensions. The 11-rounder without the extension fits flush with the end of the grip and is ridiculously easy to hide, but the 15-rounder is really and truly a cinch to hide, too. In any trim, it’s way easier to conceal than one of the most popular carry guns ( the Glock 19).
Springfield Hellcat Features
The “OSP” in Hellcat OSP stands for Optical Sight Pistol, which means it’s exactly the same as the original Hellcat, but with a rear slide that’s specifically machined to accept an optic without much trouble. For a handgun like the Hellcat OSP, the only real sight option is a mini red dot sight (MRDS). These tiny optics work like larger dots found on rifles and shotguns, but they’ve been made smaller and more ruggedized to take the fierce G forces that a pistol slide dishes out.
When you grab the Hellcat, it’s got a decent grip texture, but when shooting +P and full power 9mm loads in a gun this small, it wants to jump around a lot.
Springfield calls the texture their Adaptive Grip Texture and that’s all well and good, but why not just make it rougher and easier to hold onto? We added Talon grip tape to the Hellcat, which made it easier to handle when firing.
The sights are great for their intended purpose (which is getting on target FAST in less-than-ideal situations). You won’t win a bullseye competition with them, but the tritium front sight stands out exceedingly well and meshes nicely with the rear semi-circle sight. The tritium is surrounded by bright yellow paint that’s easy to pick up in low light.
The Hellcat’s large, blatantly obvious system works well for fast target acquisition. Note the red dot from the Holosun optic.
The rail is a standard mini-picatinny affair that’s good for mounting a light (or a laser, if that’s your thing). To keep the Hellcat as concealable as possible, we opted not to use a light. Doing so adds bulk to the front of the gun, which gives the whole package a larger profile — which takes away from the whole point of this pistol.
The slide features very large and effective serrations for easy cocking, even with sweaty or wet hands.
The trigger on the Hellcat is a dandy. It’s not the best in the category (it’s not far off, and yes, it’s better than the Glock’s), but it can easily be made into the best. We added an Apex trigger with associated springs to lighten up the pull just a hair. You don’t want too light of a trigger on a defensive gun (especially one that’s hanging around your crotch), but there’s usually room for improvement. This one breaks just shy of 5 pounds as-is.
Springfield Hellcat Range Report
| Bullet Weight (grains) | 115 | 115 +P | 124 gr. | 147 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity (fps) | 1,075 | 1,281 | 1,071 | 933 |
| Energy (ft.-lbs.) | 400 | 568 | 428 | 385 |
Ballistics of different bullet weights from a 3” barrel
Rubber, meet road. At the range, the Hellcat sings. It just flat-out runs and runs.
Don’t believe us? Springfield actually commissioned a ridiculous endurance test that’s currently at 20,000 rounds and counting. In one session alone, a handful of guys put 10,000 rounds through this gun. That's more than what 99.9% of shooters shoot in their lifetime — and the Hellcat could handle it all.
But there is a tradeoff — the smaller the gun, the more practice it takes to shoot well. The Hellcat trends toward the “easy to carry, harder to shoot” end of the spectrum, but this can be remedied with trigger time. Not that you needed another reason to go to the range.
Recoil with ordinary 115-grain 9mm ball ammo is very manageable, but step up to 124 +P or 147-grains, and the gun’s size is definitely more noticeable. If you’re not squeezing it pretty tight, it’ll move around, forcing you to regrip after a couple shots.
When aiming the Hellcat, we found that it points very naturally. Some guns (likeGlocks) have a grip that’s raked at a less-steep angle, which most shooters find a bit difficult to get used to. In other words, when most people raise up a Glock, it’s pointing high, so you must compensate for the angle. The Hellcat points as naturally as your index finger, which is paramount for a gun that might be called upon in a defensive situation.
We’ve shot several hundred bullets from 90 grains up to 150 through the Hellcat, and the gun has never choked. It just chugs along, chewing up and spitting out lead as fast as you please.
It’s really a remarkable feat of engineering that a gun this size runs so well. It wasn’t too long ago that tiny guns were expected to regularly gag since they were just downsized versions of bigger guns.
Springfield Hellcat as an EDC
The Hellcat’s versatility and reliability make it a standout in the micro-compact segment. If a gun doesn’t run, it ain’t gonna sell. But the Hellcat runs. It’s been around for roughly four years and its popularity has created a swelling aftermarket. Holsters, triggers, and sights are the most obvious accessories for any handgun, and there are plenty for the Hellcat.
Method or location of carry is a personal preference, and we’ve carried it inside the waistband (IWB), outside the waistband (OWB) and even in a belly band contraption to be used when jogging. The Hellcat’s size and weight make it a great choice for any carry location and just about any body size and type.
The Hellcat in an OWB Vedder holster.
Hellcat in a CYA gear IWB holster.
Carrying the Hellcat in AIWB position.
Hellcat OSP in a Crossbreed “belly band” style holster. Note that an IWB holster is needed for this style belly band to work.
Mini red dots aren’t going anywhere. Get over it. If a manufacturer wants to sell a handgun these days, they’ll make a provision for a red dot. Hell, there are even revolvers that are red-dot ready.
Our Hellcat wears a Holosun 407K X2. It’s got a tiny profile to match the Hellcat’s narrow slide. The “hangover” of the optic beyond the width of the slide is barely perceptible and definitely not an issue for carry. The Hellcat OSP has a RMS footprint, and red dots with that footprint will fit directly onto the slide. If you want an optic that does not have that footprint (like our Holosun), you’ll need an adapter plate.
Holosun Hs407K-X2 Reflex Sight 6 Moa Dot
$198.88
Holosun
Prices accurate at time of writing
Best Ammo for the Hellcat OSP
The 9mm Luger is the most popular handgun cartridge in the history of the universe. Its versatility, affordability, performance, and capacity make it the go-to for just about everyone. Because of this, there’s no shortage of 9mm ammo. You’ll want some good range/practice ammo in addition to premium defensive hollow point ammo for your Hellcat when you strap it on for carry.
Most 9mm ammo is 115, 124, or 147 grains. As a rule, full metal jacket (FMJ) or ball ammo feeds more reliably than hollow point ammo, but this rule has largely fallen by the wayside as manufacturers have begun accounting for the gaping maw that some hollow point ammo features. A smooth, round “ball” feeds better into a hole than a cylinder.
Hornady Critical Duty 9Mm Luger +P 135 Grain Flexlock
$25.00
Hornady
Prices accurate at time of writing
For range ammo, regular FMJ should do the trick, but choose the same weight as your defensive load. This way the recoil and handling characteristics will be similar. It’s also imperative that you get more than one box of defensive ammo; you need one or two to load your mags for carry and at least 100 rounds to shoot through the gun to make sure it feeds and ejects properly.
Spoiler Alert: We’ve put five different defensive rounds through this Hellcat, and it ate everything flawlessly. Yours will likely do the same, but don’t be that guy who just loads up and carries a gun without ever shooting it. Put in some training time.
Final Thoughts
The Hellcat OSP micro compact was released to much fanfare. It was (and still is) a ground-breaking, envelope-pushing handgun that gave the micro compact segment greater viability for concealed carry. Springfield also designed it with a world of expandability. With the change of a magazine, the little 11-shot pocket gun can be a 15-round heavyweight on your hip — all in a size that gives up nothing to the competition.
Want to make the most of your Hellcat OSP? Then slap a good optic on that sucker and be sure to keep it fed and happy with quality training and defensive ammo.
At Pro Armory, we know the importance of getting quality gear without breaking the bank. That’s why our mission is to provide the great American shooter with quality ammo and accessories that are also affordable.
Check out our selection of optics and 9mm ammo today — and save more when you buy in bulk!
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