The Springfield Armory Hellcat Now Being Offered with 10-Round Mags
Now there’s a Springfield Armory Hellcat for the rest of us. Springfield Armory has announced it will be offering 10-Round Hellcat and Hellcat OSP pistols. These new offerings will provide those in locales requiring restricted capacities an opportunity to own this micro-compact concealed carry pistol.
More Can Opt For Springfield Armory Hellcat
I tested the Springfield Armory Hellcat when it was first introduced in 2019 and I was very impressed. Here was a 9mm Luger pistol with an 11+1 capacity with a flush-fitting magazine and a 13+1 capacity with the included extended magazine. Yet this micro-compact was the size of most single-stack 9mm or 380 Auto pistols with six or seven-round mags. It one-upped the popular SIG Sauer P365 and it was billed as the world’s highest capacity micro-compact 9mm.
The problem for me at the time was that I had to go to the Springfield Armory headquarters in Geneseo, Illinois to test the gun. They couldn’t ship it with those high-capacity magazines to my home state, which has unreasonable restrictions on magazine capacity. Now, with the introduction of this “low capacity” model – and 10+1 is hardly low capacity – more shooters across the country will be able to consider the Hellcat as their choice for a concealed carry pistol. And with the new regime in power, we can expect a move to limit magazine capacities on pistols nationwide. So, 10-round magazines might become the norm for all of us.
Springfield Armory Hellcat A Top Performer
Of course, there’s much more to consider than capacity when choosing a defensive handgun. And the Springfield Armory Hellcat delivers on several important points. It feels good in the hand, the controls are well-positioned and it points naturally. It features the company’s Adaptive Grip Texture, a pattern of thousands of pressure-activated tiny pyramids that lock your hand into the grip when you take hold.
The gun comes with a front tritium night sight surrounded by a luminescent right and a tactical rack U-notch rear sight.
The version I tested, however, was the OSP (Optical Sight Pistol) with a micro red dot sight mounted.
The pistol’s slide cut is designed so you can mount the sight directly to the pistol’s slide. It’s stronger and more low profile than using adaptor plates.
That does limit the sights you can mount, however, to those having the footprint of the JP Enterprises JPoint and Shield RMSc.
Very Accurate For Such A Small Pistol
In my time with the Springfield Armory Hellcat, I found it to be very accurate. Five-shot groups at 15 yards averaged around 1.5 inches if that’s important to you. More impressive for me was how the pistol handled when I put it to the test against banks of steel plates. This pistol gets on target quickly. I’m happy to see Springfield Armory has finally come around to making 10-round magazines. With the Hellcat now available to more of us, maybe we won’t feel so unfortunate about where we chose to live.
For more information on the Springfield Armory Hellcat, go to Springfield-Armory.com.
Key Features: Springfield Armory Hellcat
Type: Striker-fired semi-automatic pistol
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 11+1 and 13+1 (10-round mags now available)
Barrel: 3 inches, hammer-forged steel with black Melonite finish
Overall Length: 6 inches
Height: 4 inches w/flush mag; 4.5 inches with extended mag
Width: 1 inch
Weight: 18.3 ounces, empty with flush mag; 18.6 ounces, empty with extended mag; OSP model 17.9 ounces w/flush mag; 18.3 ounces with extended mag
Slide: Machined billet steel slide with black Melonite finish
Frame: Black polymer with Adaptive Grip Texture
Sights: Tritium night sight front surrounded by a luminescent ring; tactical rack U-notch rear
Other: dual captured recoil spring with full-length guide rod; accessory rail; available with optics-ready slide (OSP model)
MSRP: $569 standard model; $599 for OSP (Optical Sight Pistol)
Steven Paul Barlow is a retired sergeant/station commander and former firearms instructor with the New York State Police. He is an avid hunter, fisherman, and enthusiast with all things related to firearms, knives, and survival. He has been writing on outdoor topics for more than 35 years. His collections of outdoor humor stories are available at BriarHill Books.
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