Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro Osp 9mm Luger UPC: 706397962746

Back in March 2023, we reviewed the Hellcat Pro and gave it a solid A grade and a Best Buy rating. In this match up, we pit two Hellcat Pro pistols against each other. They are virtually the same except the recently introduced Hellcat Pro Comp OSP has a ported barrel, while the Hellcat Pro OSP has a standard barrel. We also changed it up by reviewing two Hellcats equipped with either a Shield RMSc or SMSc red dot. That refers to the OSP (Optical Sight Pistol) acronym in the model names. The Hellcat Pro Comp is about $70 more than the standard Hellcat Pro.

As you know the Hellcat Pro evolved from the Hellcat. Hellcat Pro pistols took a strategy usually reserved for fast-food companies and super-sized the Hellcat, making it longer, taller, and heavier. That might mean the Hellcat is less a micro nine and more of a macro nine. The bulk up, in our opinion, vastly improves usability. The fact is, micro nines are harder to manipulate and shoot. Plus, with short barrels and slides, micro nine pistols recoil with snappiness and muzzle flip. The larger Hellcat Pro helps mitigate that snappiness and adds more double-stack magazine capacity with a flush-fit magazine. The Hellcat Pro OSPs come from the factory with small red-dot optics.

What is unique about the Hellcat Pro platform is that it has a similar length barrel and magazine capacity as larger compact pistols, namely the Glock 19. The Hellcat has a 15-round magazine, the same as a Glock 19, and more than the closest competition, the SIG P365XL and S&W Performance Center M&P9 Shield Plus, which have a 12- or 13-round magazine. All have similar length barrels — the Glock 19 and S&W Shield Plus have 4-inchers and the SIG P365XL barrel is 3.7 inches — meaning all four pistols have virtually the same ballistic performance. Compare size and added capacity, and the Hellcat Pro is thinner and lighter than the Glock 19, S&W Shield Plus, or the SIG P365XL, making the Hellcat Pro easier to conceal carry. Sure the Hellcat Pro is only fractions of an ounce lighter than the SIG and S&W, but it is lighter. Great capacity and less bulk and weight, in theory, makes a great concealed-carry pistol.

The reason the Hellcat Pro is thinner is the magazine design. All of the Hellcat models deploy stainless-steel magazines inside a polymer frame, which enables the grip to be surprisingly thin, even with the 15-round magazine capacity. Both Hellcat Pro pistols tested here ship with two magazines, a flush-fit 15-round magazine and an extended 17-round magazine. The 17-round mag uses a deeper base pad to include the two extra rounds. For the most part, we like the magazines on the Hellcat Pro guns except when it comes to loading them. After the 10th round, you need to use the magazine loader to fully load either magazine.

The textures on both Hellcat Pros are pleasant to grasp and offer plenty of adhesion without being too raspy. There are textured areas for your palm and thumbs as well as index points on the side of the frame for your support-hand thumb. The beavertail protects your paw from slide bite, and there is a cut under the trigger guard for a high hold. The grip feels small in hand compared to a Glock 19 but larger than the original Hellcat. The slide serrations offer a good grasp for easy press checks and it takes about 17 pounds of effort to rack the slides on both.

The large front-sight dots are tritium. The rear sight is a U-shaped notch on both. Drop the dot in the bucket and you are good to go. In our opinion, these are excellent sights for personal defense. Our samples also came equipped with Shield red dots. These are open-emitter devices that project a red dot from the rear of the sight onto the lens. Remember to keep the red dot clean of lint if this is your daily carry. Lint and other debris can obstruct open-emitter red dots. What we liked about both of the Shield optics is that they were compact and the bases were thin, so the sight was close to bore’s center axis and there was nothing distracting to the shooter. You could just focus on the red dot. The dots also co-witnessed with the iron sights. The batteries are easy-to-find CR2032s, and they installed under the sights, so the sights need to be removed when replacing the battery.

The frame around the lens is thin so it does not distract when aiming with both eyes open. It also has a tiny footprint, so concealed-carrying it is not a hassle. 

We carried both pistols concealed using a CYA Supply Co. Base IWB index holster. This is a minimalist scabbard that allowed for comfortable appendix carry. The edges of the holster are smooth, and there is a sweat guard between the back of the slide and the body. The single belt clip is adjustable for 15 degrees of cant. Retention is also adjustable, and it is cut out for a red-dot optic. There was no chafing or gouging, even when seated in a vehicle or at our desks facing computer screens. Both Hellcat Pro OSP guns carried like a smaller gun.

Drawing the Hellcat Pro pistols from concealed carry was easy due to the larger grip. The downside of both Hellcat Pro pistols was the trigger. On the plus side, the Hellcat trigger has a relatively flat face, but the pull weight is heavy at 6 pounds. Also, it has a long pull and long reset, which is not conducive to shooting fast. The Hellcat Pro is a defensive gun, so the idea with the trigger is in consideration of such work, not action shooting.

Magazine reloads are slick and fast. The Hellcat Pro spits out empty mags, and the longer grip makes seating the magazine faster.

How We Tested

Naturally, we tested both guns for accuracy out to 15 yards, but the real test was fast shooting at 10 yards and closer. We used USPSA/IPSC targets for the close, fast-shooting segment where we fired both the Bill Drill and Mozambique Drill. Test ammo included a range of bullet weights and types: Armscor 115-grain FMJs, Streak Ammo 124-grain TMCs (Total Metal Case), and Remington HTP with 147-grain JHPs. These pistols were basically identical save for the porting, so we included their UPC codes for easier ordering if you like either one. In particular, we wondered if the added cost of the ported barrel enhanced the Hellcat Pro Comp enough to make the extra money worth it, or is Springfield blowing smoke in our face? Here’s what we found.

Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro OSP 9mm Luger,

$636

UPC: 706397962746

Gun Tests grade: A-

There was more snappy recoil with the non-compensated pistol. If you can live with that, then save yourself the extra $70.

*Flush-fit magazine

The Hellcat Pro OSP is easier to control than the original Hellcat. The Pro grip feels great in hand, and the gun cycles with less snap than the original devil feline. Accuracy was good and averaged 2.1 to 2.8 inches across all ammo. The Armscor 115-grain full metal jackets had a best five-shot group that measured 1.9 inches off the bench.

But the real deal for these pistols is in fast shooting and handling a defensive encounter. On the Bill Drill, we found we could keep hits within an 8-inch circle pretty easy, but our time was slow compared to the comped Hellcat Pro. This Hellcat Pro OSP was equipped with a Shield SMSc optic made of polymer. The reticle was a 4-MOA dot that automatically adjusts brightness. The sight is always on. Battery life is one to three years. The Shield is a nice small optic that offers a big sight picture and faster acquisition. Moving to the Mozambique Drill, the Hellcat Pro OSP was surgical. No jams or hiccups were encountered. The Hellcat Pro OSP ran well.

Our Team Said: The Hellcat Pro OSP is a very capable pistol for concealed carry. It is thin, smallish, and has a 15+1 capacity. It is snappy to shoot fast and takes more effort to control. We graded it down a half mark because we feel the Pro Comp model offers better control.

To collect accuracy data, we fired five-shot groups at 15 yards from a bench using a rest. We recorded velocities using a Garmin Zero C1 Pro chronograph.

Written and photographed by Robert Sadowski, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT