9-Hole Reviews on the Springfield Hellion

Is the Springfield Hellion a FAMAS copy? 9‑Hole Reviews takes the 20 inch rifle to long‑range steel and brings in Jordan from Forgotten Weapons to sort out where it came from.

VHS‑2 / Springfield “Hellion” (Is it a FAMAS inspiration?) to 700yds: Practical Accuracy Watch on YouTube — 9‑Hole Reviews.

What they cover: the episode is supported by Slate Black Industries, a channel sponsor. It is not a Springfield paid review. The Hellion is the US import of HS Produkt’s VHS‑2 from Croatia, and they shot the 5.56 version with the 20 inch barrel. On their practical accuracy course, with a red dot, a magnifier, and 77 grain loads in gusty wind, they hit steel from 150 yards out past 300 with only two misses, and they say that puts it up with the best rifles on their scoreboard. They also say it is not a sub MOA rifle, and it did fine in the field. As a bullpup, it feels shorter than an M4 and well balanced to them. It is gassed like a military rifle, so it feels overgassed even on the suppressed setting, and they have heard the 16 inch runs less overgassed. They didn’t like the angle of the stock grip and swapped in a more vertical one. Jordan says the VHS borrowed ideas from the FAMAS but went its own way in the operating system, and the magwell takes STANAG magazines. He loves it as an infantry rifle and names two downsides from his own use. In a Finnish winter, with carbon built up and .223 instead of 5.56, it stopped running, which he blames partly on himself and thinks a cleaning would have fixed. After about 2,000 suppressed rounds without cleaning, the trigger stopped resetting until he cleaned it. His advice is to keep it clean. Specific claims in the video are theirs, not ours. It is one episode of about forty eight minutes, not a reliability test.

Here’s our take. Buy the Springfield Hellion if you want a short, balanced 5.56 bullpup built like an infantry rifle, with a military gas system and room for an optic and magnifier. Skip it if you want a tack‑driving precision rifle, or a gun you can run dirty for thousands of rounds without a cleaning. Keep it clean, like Jordan says, and it has a lot to offer.

We stock the Springfield Armory Hellion they are shooting. On the shelf: the Springfield Armory Hellion in 5.56, black, 20 inch, 10+1, the same 20 inch barrel they ran, with a 10 round magazine. Related: the Springfield Armory Hellion in 5.56, black, 16 inch, 30+1, the shorter barrel they say runs less overgassed. Also related: the Springfield Armory Hellion in 5.56, black, 16 inch, 10+1, the same 16 inch rifle with a 10 round magazine. Complete firearm. Indiana FFL transfer through Wulfy’s. Ask us for current fees.