Bullpups are polarizing, people seem to either love them or hate them. Is the new Springfield Hellion capable of standing on its own within this limited market segment? Compared to the most popular alternatives for 5.56 bullpups currently on the market, the IWI X95 and the Steyr AUG, there are some things to consider.
As with most of Springfield’s polymer framed firearms of late, the “Hellion” isn’t an in-house design. Rather, just like the XD line of handguns they are imported from Croatia. Overseas, the Hellion is a service rifle which goes by the name VHS-2. I suspect Springfield changed the name for two reasons, the first being to better align with their “Hellcat” pistols and the other because at this point in our lives, who wants to spend money on anything labeled “VHS?” Such a name is capable of dating anything! Regardless, I was thrilled to hear the VHS-2 was making it into the American civilian market in some variety as it always seemed like a neat firearm.
From the initial feature set the Hellion is quite a forward thinker despite being a backward feeder. It is fully ambidextrous right out of the box with no fiddling about, it has an adjustable length of pull which makes it unique within the bullpup world, it has an integral Picatinny rail which doubles as a carry handle (which are just cool in my opinion,) it has robust and adjustable spring loaded iron sights which lock both folded and deployed, and it takes AR-15 grips so you can easily change how it feels in the hand. I can’t think of any other bullpup which allows for this.
Also like an AR it has hinged dust covers, although you’ll find one one on either side with the Hellion. While the adjustable cheek piece doubles as a shell deflector for off-handed use it is possible to pop this out of the way in order to “lock out” either ejection port to run the gun as either a right or left side ejection. To accommodate this change all one needs to do is rotate the bolt a half turn and it will kick the spent brass out in the opposite direction. Very cool.
The charging handle is familiar to any of you two dozen people who’ve had the opportunity to handle an HK G36 or clone. The handle itself is spring loaded and can be turned out to either side for charging. As soon as the handle travels rear-ward this hinge effectively locks into position, only free to return to its neutral position when fully forward.
Up front is one of my favorite features. In retrospect this may seem like a minor deal but with bullpups it isn’t at all common: A factory M-Lok handguard. Not only this, it’s made of polymer and not metal which is a huge win in my opinion. Aluminum handguards may be a bit more sturdy than polymer but they also retain much, much more heat than polymer. Poly ones also tend to have more traction than milled or extruded metal. Three M-Lok slots are available at the six o’clock position with three more at either side, angled a bit upward so not a true three and nine o’clock. Let’s say 2:55 and 9:05 o’clock.
A two position gas regulator can be found up front near the business end of the 16 inch Melonited barrel which rocks a 1:7 rate of twist. Standard is a four prong “tuning fork” style of flash hider. Total rifle length with the stock collapsed is 28.25 inches.
The polymer trigger is kind of flat faced with a small hook at the bottom. The pull isn’t heavy but it’s…not great. There’s a long initial travel prior to hitting some resistance followed by a bit more pull with a somewhat rolling break which isn’t so easy to predict, it’s sort of just “back there somewhere.” Reset isn’t the quickest either but it only needs to back up to this initial wall rather than all the way out.
My first few shots left something to be desired due to this weird trigger feedback on this rifle but this was also during much more controlled pulls while sighting in the irons. For more “active” shooting I find the trigger to honestly be quite good. It isn’t a heavy pull, in fact compared to the other bullpups it might be the lightest out of the bunch, but it is long and can be difficult to predict where that break is for precision use. Overall I would rate it high among the AUG and X95. The others feel more defined in their break but at the cost of heavier and less comfortable pulls. The Hellion is no match rifle but it will double tap with ease.
Here’s where the Hellion starts to fall behind in my opinion. The ambi safety is the single most awkward safety I’ve handled on a firearm. It’s a short throw between safe and fire but the tab you need to reach with your thumb is much further out from the grip, much higher than the grip, and built in a manner which seems to have completely abandoned any sense of user interface. Despite the size of this tab you’ll be spending most of your time on the very edge where you have to hook it into the joint of your thumb to get any real purchase. It’s awkward, it’s ugly, and it will hopefully be something easily replaced with far better aftermarket options which are sure to pop up before long.
Being able to adjust the length of pull is a cool feature for a bullpup. However, it is a bit less cool for the Hellion which already has a significant length of pull. Not too many people would want it to be even longer (though I did meet one person who extended it all the way out!) With bullpups you actually do want your primary grip to be further forward so your arm naturally clears the magazine. The Tavor, AUG, and Hellion all do this well. The X95 is much more cramped, I often have a red mark on the inside of my wrist from the corner of the magwell. No such concerns with the Hellion.
If you’re used to using a rifle with a short stock then transitioning to a bullpup can feel uncomfortable, it changes the weight and balance quite a lot. Fortunately the Hellion is balanced well, though as with every bullpup they do tend to weigh a bit more. Going by Springfield Armory’s website the Hellion clocks in at 8 pounds without extras. The weight is closer to the shooter’s core with a bullpup but even with this and good balance you’ll be feeling the extra heft.
Both the bolt and magazine release are inherently ambidextrous but, being honest, I’m not a fan of either. The mag release is a subtle slightly angled paddle which you’d press with a thumb while grabbing the mag for removal. Just behind this are two more tabs making up the bolt release. The way to close the bolt is to pinch these two tabs which causes one of them to slide toward the other a small amount. Granted this is a brand new firearm for me so training and muscle memory aren’t there yet but I often find myself struggling to find the right tabs for the job and I’m no stranger to bullpups. The Tavor series and AUG have the Hellion beat here by keeping some distance between the controls and making each stand out enough to find under stress.
Another mark against the Hellion: I simply cannot find a manual bolt hold open. It might exist somewhere but I wouldn’t know!
Shooting the Hellion feels exactly like other 5.56 bullpups in that they are fairly punchy for being small caliber guns. These fire and operate nothing like an AR-15 beyond having a rotating bolt lockup. Not exactly jarring, but also not exactly smooth. Where bullpups balance better than traditional layout rifles at rest this tends to work against them during operation so expect there to be more bounce than an AR. Still, it’s just a 5.56 so it’s not at all punishing.
Bottom line, I think the Hellion is a good rifle in addition to being a good bullpup. It earns high marks for features among the bullpup varieties and scores high for the shooting experience. If it was the only name in town then I would have stood in line for a chance to purchase one and its service heritage only increases such desirability for me.
However, we do have other options available. These rifles have a lot going for them but the user interface is what sets it back. The safety selector is terrible, the mag and bolt release are unusual, and as space in the vault is always a concern the Hellions are quite wide due to their ambi ejection and built in shell deflectors. For active use I would take the X95 first, the Hellion second, and the AUG third. The one “but” here is that the Hellion may well start to grow on me with time, but that safety selector has absolutely got to go.
