Springfield Armory Hellion
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.63 kg
- Introduced
- 2022
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Springfield Armory Hellion is a 5.56x45mm NATO bullpup rifle introduced for 2022 as the U.S.-market civilian, semi-automatic adaptation of the combat-proven HS Produkt VHS-2, the bullpup adopted by the Croatian Armed Forces. Manufactured under Springfield Armory's long-running partnership with Croatian firm HS Produkt (which also produces the XD and Hellcat pistols), the Hellion packs a 16-inch hammer-forged chrome-moly-vanadium barrel into an overall length of just 28.25 inches (about 718mm) thanks to its bullpup layout, where the action and magazine sit behind the trigger group. It employs a two-position adjustable short-stroke gas piston operating system with normal (N) and suppressed (S) settings. The rifle is fully ambidextrous: the case ejection can be reversed between right- and left-hand configurations, and the forward, top-mounted charging handle and controls accommodate either hand. Standard equipment includes flip-up adjustable iron sights integrated into the full-length Picatinny top rail, M-LOK handguard, and a five-position adjustable stock with adjustable cheek riser. The Hellion accepts standard STANAG/AR-15 magazines and ships with the 1:7-inch twist barrel weighing approximately 8 pounds. Barrel-length variants of 16, 18, and 20 inches are offered.
The Hellion descends from the Croatian HS Produkt VHS-2, a bullpup developed through the 1990s and 2000s and adopted by the Croatian Armed Forces. Springfield Armory leveraged its existing HS Produkt partnership, the same one behind the XD and Hellcat pistols, to bring a fully ambidextrous, suppressor-tunable bullpup to the American sporting market.
MSRP at launch was approximately $1,999. The Hellion is the semi-automatic civilian version of the HS Produkt VHS-2 (Visehnamjenska Hrvatska Streljacka, 'multi-purpose Croatian rifle'), in service with the Croatian Armed Forces. It is manufactured by HS Produkt in Croatia and imported/marketed by Springfield Armory. The two-position gas regulator marked N (normal) and S (suppressed) tunes the short-stroke piston for different conditions. Case ejection is user-reversible for left- or right-handed shooters by swapping the bolt and ejection-port cover. Overall length varies by barrel: roughly 28.25 inches for the 16-inch model. STANAG magazine compatibility means it runs standard AR-15 magazines.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Springfield Armory, Inc.
- Category
- Assault Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2022
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Overall length
- 718 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.63 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke piston
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Polymer
- Barrel
- Chrome moly vanadium steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Melonite
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 905 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1640 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 3600 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Bullpup configuration
2 position adjustable gas regulator
Short stroke piston
Ambidextrous controls
Reversible case ejection
Forward charging handle
Integrated flip up sights
M lok handguard
5 position adjustable stock
Adjustable cheek riser
Stanag magazine compatible
Hammer forged barrel
Picatinny top rail
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 3.63 kg | 3.60 kg | Heavier than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 156 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 718 mm | 920 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 157 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 406 mm | 449 mm | Shorter than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 158 5.56x45mm NATO assault rifles | 30 | 30 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Springfield Armory Hellion
How much does the Springfield Armory Hellion weigh?
The Springfield Armory Hellion weighs 3.63 kg (8.00 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Springfield Armory Hellion?
The Springfield Armory Hellion is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Springfield Armory Hellion hold?
The Springfield Armory Hellion holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Springfield Armory Hellion?
The Springfield Armory Hellion is 718 mm (28.3 in) long overall, with a 406 mm (16.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Springfield Armory Hellion?
The Springfield Armory Hellion is made by Springfield Armory, Inc. (United States).
When was the Springfield Armory Hellion introduced?
The Springfield Armory Hellion was introduced in 2022.
How does the Springfield Armory Hellion operate?
The Springfield Armory Hellion uses a gas operated short stroke piston action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- U.S. Civilian Sport Shooters
- 2022
Provenance
Confidence in this record
88%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/springfield-hellion' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "springfield-hellion", "name": "Springfield Armory Hellion", "manufacturer": { "id": "springfield-armory", "name": "Springfield Armory, Inc.", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1974, "website": "https://www.springfield-armory.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "25f76dc992edbd0bbf9fcae464532e0cdea93a1bb7636f2858e213931d45a359" }, "category": { "id": "assault-rifle", "name": "Assault Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 2022, "barrel_length_mm": 406, "weight_empty_g": 3629, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke_piston"}