In the 4th quarter of 2019, Springfield Armory introduced the 9mm Hellcat to the world, and it became an overnight hit for many, including myself. For the last 2 1/2 years I’ve been carrying my Hellcat, it’s been through a lot, and has remained my main carry firearm.
Heck, we even did a 10,000 round +P torture test with one of them, and it passed with flying colors, eating up the powerful Underwood Ammo that we were feeding it for days.
Now, new for 2022 is the Hellcat Pro, which has all of the same goodness as the original Hellcat but with a longer grip and longer barrel, all accommodating a flush 15-round magazine.
Combining the performance of a larger handgun with class-leading concealability and capacity, the new Hellcat® Pro is a compact pistol chambered in 9mm that offers 15+1 capacity in a smaller footprint than any other gun in its class. Optics ready and equipped with a versatile accessory rail and hammer forged barrel, this exceptional everyday carry pistol delivers the perfect balance.
The extended accessory rail will have many people excited, as it can accommodate many systems that are a little too large for the OG Hellcat.
The flush 15-round magazine is also great, and while not confirmed, I’d expect an extended magazine of 17 rounds in the Hellcat Pro’s future.
Hellcat Pro Specifications
- CALIBER: 9mm
- COLOR: Black
- BARREL: 3.7″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish, 1:10
- SLIDE: Billet Machined, Melonite® Finish, Optics Ready
- FRAME: Black Polymer w/ Adaptive Grip Texture
- SIGHTS: Tritium/Luminescent Front, Tactical Rack U-Notch Rear
- RECOIL SYSTEM: Dual Captive Recoil Spring w/ Full Length Guide Rod
- GRIP WIDTH: 1″
- MAGAZINES: (2) 15-Round
- WEIGHT: 21 oz
- LENGTH: 6.6″
- HEIGHT: 4.8″
- MSRP: $634
When comparing the Hellcat Pro to the Glock 19, it’s pretty impressive what Springfield was able to do with an overall smaller package. You have the same round capacity, a handgun that’s slightly smaller than the Glock 19, and a slimmer width that just can’t be beat. That 1″ width of the Hellcat Pro allows for better concealment while not sacrificing capacity, and that’s pretty outstanding.
The Hellcat Pro sports a longer grip and longer slide and barrel, seen below in comparison with it’s little brother. Note that the little brother, the original Hellcat in the bottom of the photo, is shown with the 13-round magazine extension.
The longer slide and barrel allow for a longer accessory rail underneath, accommodating larger lights and lasers that wouldn’t fit on the OG Hellcat.
The Hellcat Pro that was sent my way came with Springfield’s own Hex red dot sight, one that I’ve become familiar with since they launched the line last year. It’s an amazing little red dot that, so far, has performed extremely well.
The Hellcat Pro should be available at a gun shop near you very soon, so be sure to check out this engineering marvel. It’s no secret that I love the original Hellcat, and this new Pro may become my new daily carry, or possibly rotated with my OG HC.
Full review coming, as soon as I can get to the range.
