Last week NRA Women reported that the big trend in handguns is toward micro 9s, which makes sense since the defensive 9 mm cartridge paired with a smaller pistol is the ideal personal-defense combination, especially for concealed carry. But did we also mention that while the guns themselves are getting smaller, round capacity is getting larger, and a red-dot is becoming the go-to-choice of optic?
Today we have more proof of this as Springfield Armory has announced its popular Hellcat Pro 9 mm pistol—with its 15+1 capacity in a smaller footprint than any other gun in its class—is now being offered with the Shield 4 M.O.A. micro red-dot optic.
The Hellcat Pro already features an Optical Sight Pistol (OSP) configuration, with a slide that is milled with the Springfield Micro footprint and designed to direct-mount the smallest, low-mount micro red dots on the market. Coincidentally, this means a perfect fit for the included Shield SMSc 4 M.O.A. red dot on this model.
Part of the beauty of the Shield optic is its feather weight—just a tad over ½ ounce. Powered by a single included CR2032 battery, the optic automatically adjusts the brightness of the dot while co-witnessing with the Hellcat Pro’s U-Dot sights, which are made up of a high-visibility tritium and luminescent front sight paired with a Tactical Rack rear sight.
But if you prefer to mount a light or laser of your choosing, the pistol features a Picatinny rail on the dustcover portion of the frame, offering a generous section of rail for to accommodate a wide range of accessories.
“The Hellcat Pro with Shield SMSc delivers an EDC-ready pistol that provides both impressive performance as well as capacity on par with a full-size handgun, and all in a very compact package,” says Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s vice president of marketing. “This is a pistol that shoots like a much larger handgun while still being extremely easy to conceal, yet offering red-dot optics capability with the included Shield SMSc.”
MSRP for the complete package—Hellcat Pro with Shield SMsc and two 15-round magazines—is $840.
To learn more, visit spr-ar.com/5342.
