New: Springfield Armory Hellion Bullpups with 18, 20-inch Barrel Options

Springfield Armory on Tuesday announced it is now offering stretched variants of its Hellion 5.56 NATO bullpup carbine.

Introduced in early 2022, the Hellion is a semi-auto export version of the Croatian military's VHS-2 platform used by armed forces in environments ranging from Iraq to Africa. Whereas the original Hellion runs a short 16-inch barrel designed to offer the most compact package possible – translating to an overall length of just 28.25 to 29.78 inches long due to the five-position adjustable stock – the newly released variants feature extended 18-inch and 20-inch barrels, promising enhanced velocity and downrange performance while still remaining very short due to its bullpup design.

Springfield armory Hellion bullpup, 16 inch barrel — Despite its short length, the standard Hellion carbine has a 16-inch CMV barrel with a 1:7 twist and a Melonite coating. Its overall length makes it a dream for CQB-style shooting and the adjustable stock-- you just don't see that on bullpups-- makes the gun modular for a wide range of shooters. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The result is an 18-inch format that runs 30.25 to 31.75 inches and a 20-inch rifle that clocks in at 32.25 to 33.75 inches. Likewise, while the Hellion carbine has an 8-pound weight, the 18-inch and 20-inch Hellions grow to 8.19 and 8.44 pounds, respectively.

Springfield armory Hellion bullpup, 18 and 20 inch barrel — The 18-inch-barreled Hellion, top, compared to the 20-inch Hellion, bottom. The 20-inch Hellion is outfitted with a distinctive ribbed forward section of barrel for enhanced cooling as well as an integrated bayonet lug. Of note, other variants do not have a bayo lug. (Photo: Springfield Armory)

All else remains the same as the legacy Hellion model, which feeds from AR-pattern magazines, uses replaceable AR-pattern pistol grips, has M-LOK accessory slots in the handguard, a full-length top Picatinny rail, and six QD sling mounts. Plus, the action is swappable from right to left-hand eject by the user and has a two-position adjustable gas block for use with suppressors and across a wide variety of ammo loads.

"The Hellion built upon the solid foundation of the VHS-2, adapting it to the needs of American shooters," says Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s VP of Marketing. "With these two new longer-barreled variants in 18-inch and 20-inch, shooters have the option of increased downrange performance as well as features true to the original design."

All Hellions come with a 30-round Magpul PMAG and ship with Bravo Company USA BCM Gunfighter grips. The MSRP of the legacy 16-inch carbine is $1,999, while the 18-inch version is $2,016, and the 20-inch version has an MSRP of $2,031.

Read More On:

Loading