Springfield Armory's biggest news for the year 2022 is out and off its leash: The company's long-anticipated Hellion bullpup rifle is here, and it's hotter than the hinges of Hell. Bullpup-style rifles are popular with shooters due to their compact size and modularity—because the rifle's action is located behind the trigger, the gun has a remarkably short and maneuverable profile. That gives bullpup-style rifles a unique balance and shootability that translates beautifully from the range to home defense. The Hellion has all of that and more, and that's why this particular Cerberus is so exciting.
Although the Hellion is a new release in America, we should clarify that this is not a brand-new innovation. Instead, it is a perfected and civilian-legal version of a rifle made by a Croatian outfit called HS Produkt, known as the HS-2. The HS-2 has been in use by military and law enforcement agencies internationally for years. Springfield Armory has a business relationship with HS Produkt, and so together the two companies created a semi-automatic, civilian-legal version of the HS-2 military-use rifle. In doing so, Springfield also introduced some real value adds for the finicky, demanding American market.
Some of the key additions for the U.S. shooter is the Hellion's ability to feed from AR-pattern magazines, the use of replaceable AR-pattern pistol grips, M-Lok slots in the handguard and the addition of six QD mounts. It also features a reversible ejection system that requires no additional parts or tools. Complementing this system is a set of fully ambidextrous controls, including the safety, charging handle, magazine and bolt release. The result is an ultra-compact 5.56 mm that can be easily fired from either shoulder.
“The new semi-automatic Hellion builds upon the solid foundation of the Croatian VHS-2, and adapts it to the needs of American shooters,” says Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s Vice President of Marketing. “With the changes applied to the design by Springfield Armory, the Hellion offers American shooters a truly unique and capable 5.56 mm bullpup.”
The Hellion is highly adaptable to the needs of shooters, through the use of a five-position collapsible buttstock as well as a two-position adjustable gas system. It is also ready to accept the optic of your choice on the top strip of Picatinny rail, which also integrates a set of flip-up iron sights. It comes with a 30-round Magpul PMAG and Bravo Company USA BCMGUNFIGHTER™ Mod 3 pistol grip. MSRP is $1,999; springfield-armory.com
