Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Springfield Armory just announced two new barrel lengths to its existing Hellion lineup, both an 18″ and 20″ variant. Presenting a design based upon the internationally proven VHS-2 bullpup with the action positioned behind the trigger, the Hellion 20″ boasts a compact configuration for easy handling, along with a bayonet lug. The 18″ version omits the bayonet lug, but gives another choice between the original 16″ design, and the new 20″ variant. As standard with the Hellion lineup, these two new options feature ambidextrous controls, a reversible case ejection system, and a two-position adjustable gas block.
Table of contents
Springfield 20″ Hellion Specifications
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 REM)
Gas System: 2-Position Adjustable, Short Stroke Piston
Weight: 8 lbs 6 oz
Barrel: 20″ CMV w/ Bayonet Lug, Melonite®, 1:7
BCG: Proprietary, Melonite®
Magazines: (1) 30-Round Magpul® PMAG® Gen M3™
Stock: 5-Position Adjustable w/ Cheek Riser
Grip: BCMGUNFIGHTER™ Mod 3
Muzzle Device: 4-Prong Flash Hider
Length: 32.25″ – 33.75″
Out of the Box
From the factory, each Hellion comes packaged in a padded rifle case. Springfield also includes a single standard capacity 30-round Gen M3 Magpul PMAG, user manual, and gun lock. The rifle comes equipped with a SA 4-prong flash hider, adjustable metal pop-up iron sights, and a BCM Mod 3 pistol grip.
Barrel
Although the Hellion is inherently distinctive, what truly sets apart the fresh 20″ barrel variant from the other choices, including the new 18″ and the previous 16″ options, is the incorporation of a bayonet lug and barrel ribs. The ribs contribute to improved barrel cooling by increasing the surface area. They also give the barrel a very distinct and cool look, so I give Springfield +15 style points on this new variant. All Hellion hammer-forged CMV barrels are Melonite® coating for corrosion resistance. These are all chambered in 5.56 utilizing a 1/7 twist rate.
Hellion Design
As an AR guy with little experience with bullpups, the entirety of the Hellion is quite unique. While I will try to stay out of the AR vs. bullpup debate, the Hellion utilizes a few familiar features and maintains a small overall profile. The 20″ variant which I had for this review maintains an overall length of 32.35″ which is still shorter than a 16″ AR15. Bullpups exemplify a space-efficient design by positioning the action behind the trigger, resulting in a compact firearm profile. This layout enhances maneuverability and portability. One feature I appreciate is Springfield’s addition of steel inserts for all the QD locations. This gets rid of the potential for these locations to wear out like they can in aluminum handguards common to ARs.
Controls
Continuing the layout of the original Hellion, this new variant utilizes an ambidextrous charging handle, safety, and ejection port. The magazine release and bolt release are also ambidextrous as they are located on the bottom middle of the receiver. While I find the magazine and bolt release harder to use quickly than a standard AR15, they worked without issue. However, ARs don’t feature a reversible ejection system that requires no additional parts or tools. This makes the Hellion a truly fully ambidextrous platform.
Grip
Utilizing a BCM Mod 3 grip, the Hellion features at least one familiar component albeit angled slightly from standard ARs. The grip is kicked forward at about a 15-degree angle, but this feels just fine when shooting with this platform. All standard AR15 grips will work with the Hellion.
Stock
The Springfield Armory Hellion features a spring-loaded five-position adjustable buttstock with an integrated cheek riser. The rear utilizes a thin rubber plate with a sort of non-slip beaded pattern. Since recoil is minimal from 5.56, this is more than adequate for recoil absorption even though I would have preferred a more “grippy” rubber. While there is a built-in cheek riser, it doesn’t provide much adjustment but it does provide good surface area for a comfortable cheek weld. The stock features sling QD mounts on either side of the stock to accommodate both left and right-handed shooters.
Hellion Handguard
The polymer handguard is unique yet feels quite familiar. It features nine M-Lok slots for mounting weapon lights or other accessories, three each at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. Above this handguard and molded into the upper is a rounded top that fits my thumb quite nicely. This helps keep users from pushing their hands out past the end of the handguard and keeps their support hand resting just in front of the non-reciprocating charging handle.
Iron sights
Springfield Armory utilizes its very own spring-loaded flip-up iron sights for all of the Hellion rifles. These are adjustable, and the rear sight has a 5-position aperture to allow users to adjust elevation. These are labeled from 0-1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 which are 100-meter increments. While I didn’t use the iron sights for shooting during this review, it is nice to have a solid set of low-profile metal ones included from the factory that can be easily dialed in for shooting out to 500 meters.
Trigger
As common with most bullpups, the trigger for the Hellion is not impressive. I measured the pull weight to be between 6.5-8.0 lbs which is quite heavy. Also, while the takeup is smooth, once pulling past the wall, there is a lot of creep before the trigger breaks. After the shot, the reset is long but ends up right back on the wall. While this didn’t really hinder any of my up-close running and gunning, this trigger made precise shooting quite difficult.
Precision
So now we move on to precision. As mentioned in the paragraph above, I believe the platform is capable of more than I was able to showcase solely due to the heavy trigger. However, I did my best and shot 5-round groups from 100 yards with Hornady, Norma, and PMC ammunition. Trying to eliminate as many variables as possible, I used the Vortex Razor 6-36 riflescope which just looks ridiculous on a bullpup but fits just right and really allowed me to squeeze out as much performance as possible from the Hellions 20″ barrel.
While I wouldn’t call this rifle a sub-MOA platform, I think it is capable of shooting close to 1 MOA with a better trigger. In its current configuration, I was able to consistently achieve between 1.80-1.96 5-round groups which seemed surprisingly similar across so many different ammo weights and types. The groups I got are listed in the table below:
| Ammo Type | 5-Round Group Size in MOA |
| Norma Golden Target Match 69gr BTHP | 1.80 |
| Frontier Match 75gr BTHP | 1.84 |
| Hornady Black 62 gr FMJ | 1.85 |
| Hornady Match 75gr BTHP | 1.95 |
| PMC Bronze 55gr FMJ | 1.96 |
Springfield Hellion Reliability
Throughout this review, I was only able to put a couple hundred rounds through the Hellion, but it handled everything I threw at it with ease. Most of the ammunition used was 55gr PMC supplied by Ammuntiontogo.com. They are the official ammo sponsor for this Springfield Armory Hellion review and offer a wide selection of competitively priced ammunition. For this review, I ordered a case of 55gr PMC ammo. Although I live in the same state, I placed the order and was surprised to receive it on my doorstep 3 days later. Easy to use online website, quick shipping, and competitive prices. Go check them out!
READ MORE: Springfield Armory Hellion – Rifle of the Year?
Performance
Now back to performance. Throughout this review and the hundreds of rounds my buddies and I were able to put through the Hellion, I had zero failures or malfunctions. I just took this bullpup out of the box and started shooting it without even adding a drop of oil. While I only used various brass ammunition, nothing gave any issue whatsoever. The short-stroke piston system kept the rifle running clean and the gas out of my face. While I felt like the recoil impulse was slightly longer and a little more “bouncy” than that of AR15s, it was not hard to run the Hellion. It shot flat and had minimal felt recoil.
The one feature I dislike the most is the height over bore I get when mounting optics to the top of the integrated Picatinny rail system. Whether using a scope or a red dot, the optic sits about 1.5 inches higher above the barrel than that of an AR15. This creates a distance of around 4.5″ from the centerline of the barrel to the middle of the EOTech EXPS3-0 I used for the majority of the review. This creates pretty different holdovers at a distance than what I am used to, and a lot to account for with close shots, or shooting around objects or barricades. I ran multiple drills using a VTAC board and had more difficulty shooting through small ports than I do with an AR.
Shown below is a short video I made shooting the Springfield Armory Hellion:
Summary of The Springfield Hellion
For those looking for a bullpup platform, the 20″ Springfield Armory Hellion provides a lot of good features and ran without a single issue. Due to the nature of bullpups, the Hellion provides better ballistics than an AR of the same length due to packing a longer barrel in a smaller platform. This rifle is also completely ambidextrous to include all controls and even the side shells are ejected from. The addition of a rear sight that can adjust for elevation out to 500 meters is another great touch in my book. Springfield also includes a bayonet lug and a 2-position adjustable gas block easily changed for suppressed/unsuppressed usage. The MSRP for the 20″ Springfield Hellion is listed at $2,031. For those who enjoy bullpups, this is a solid option.
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Now build a .308 version.
Being a “truly ambidextrous” shooter – switching hand on the fly in real time – that term, applied to most guns, is a gross misnomer. Having to reconfigure the gun as you switch from one hand to the other in shooting stance, as you move down a hallway and clear rooms to the right and left in 5-6 minutes, is poor – but extremely common – engineering. A rifle that gives you the flexibility to reduce the angle and shooter exposure by being “truly ambidextrous” is a rarity that should be the standard.
The same can be said about the lack of truly ambidextrous paddle releases in most handguns (some H&K and Walthers being noted exceptions). Having the controls on one side of the gun is fine, as long as every doorway and hallway is on the same side of the defense path. I tried a 9mm handgun recently and when switching hands real time, the left hand grip ejected the magazine. Useless.
Shooters are taught to be able to shoot effectively with either hand, for the above reasons, as well as if one arm gets incapacitated. Too bad firearm engineers never took that training.