On The Range: Springfield Armory Hellion

Watch our American Rifleman range video above to see the new Springfield Armory Hellion in action.

Springfield Armory capitalized on its long, fruitful relationship with Croatian company HS Produkt to bring a commercial variant of the VHS-2 bullpup rifle to U.S. shores in 2022. Stateside, Springfield markets this highly successful and adaptable bullpup rifle as the Hellion, and it retains many of the benefits of the original Croatian design while incorporating a few enhancements to make it friendlier to U.S. shooters.

One of the standout features of the Springfield Armory Hellion is its reversible case-ejection system, which allows the shooter to swap between right- and left-hand ejection with only a simple fieldstrip required for implementation. For left-handed shooters particularly, this feature is welcome, as lefties have long had issue with bullpup-style platforms, due to the rearward nature of the ejection system on most traditionally right-handed designs.

Welcome changes that Springfield made to the original VHS-2 design include compatibility with STANAG AR-15 magazines and the ability to add AR-15-style pistol grips to the gun. Uniquely among bullpup rifles, the Hellion includes an adjustable length-of-pull with five possible  stock positions. At the top of the gun, you'll find a full-length Picatinny rail for optics mounting, as well as integrated flip-up sights that provide a readily available backup option without impeding other mounted optics.

Each Springfield Armory Hellion is outfitted with a 16" cold-hammer-forged barrel, and thanks to the gun's bullpup configuration, this full-length barrel sits inside a package that measures just over 28" overall. In keeping with the gun's reversible ejection system, the rifle is completely ambidextrous, featuring a bilateral charging handle, safety selector, magazine release and bolt release. An adjustable gas system is also included on the Hellion, providing two positions for "Suppressed" and "Normal" use. The gun also includes M-Lok attachment slots at the front for lights, lasers and other accessories.

Suggested retail pricing on the Springfield Armory Hellion is $1,999. For more information, visit springfield-armory.com.