Hellion

Hike and shoot featuring a Trijicon ACOG equipped BCM AR and the Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-5 topped Springfield Armory Hellion. Despite sub-freezing temperatures, Baerskin Tactical Hoodies kept us warm.

Pairing the Springfield Armory Hellion with the Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-4x20 Pig-Plex Reticle Optic. AmbGun on the Springfield Armory Hellion https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/hellion Leupold VX-Freedom 1.5-4x20 Pig Plex https://www.leupold.com/vx-freedom-15-4x20-pig-plex-riflescope Hornady Ballistics Calculator Inputs Hornady Frontier 68gr HPBT 5.56 Ballistic Coefficient .355 Velocity 2830 (16" barrel) Sight Height 3.65" Altitude 5,000' https://www.hornady.com/team-hornady/ballistic-calculators Chapters 0:00 Pig-Plex 1:06 Holds 2:21 Ballistics 3:22 Trajectory 3:56 MPBR 4:35 Beyond 600 5:06 25 Yard Range 6:57 Mounted Low 7:34 Tippy 8:20 Eye Punch 8:40 Parallax 9:10 50 Yards 9:42 100 Yards 10:29 200 Yards 11:34 Goal

Solutions and Problems Ambidextrous Sling Setup BCM Gunfighter Mod 3 KD “shorty” Grip Weight Optic to Barrel Connection AQT Field Accuracy Updated Spreadsheet Analysis AmbGun Hellion Page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/hellion Chapters 0:00 Last Year 0:17 Sling 0:54 KD Grip 1:56 Weight 2:19 Optic to Rail 2:44 Leupold 3:38 AQT Shootout 4:55 Ergos 5:58 Malfs 7:06 Cleaning 7:42 Gas Adjustment 8:31 Warm Weather AQT 8:49 Bench vs Field Accuracy 9:05 Spreadsheet 11:06 Trigger

Full ambi for optimal use of cover Mag release AK like paddle press and strip Bolt release is a fast b1tch slap…not t1tty pinch Safety ambi but awkward Charging handle is ambi, out of the way, has embedded forward assist, and supports muzzle up operation. Trigger? Master the fundamentals and you can make it work. Normal vs Suppressed Gas system options are too crude Side ejection, but it clears ambi shooter’s face Pop-up irons are excellent Length of pull is…long Overweight, but the weight is close to the body while shooting, but felt while carrying. Height over grip makes it tippy Manageable one handed operation Pistol grip is an AR compatible BCM Gunfighter. Recommend Kyle Defoor shorty version. Oozes durability But More malfs than the American ambi alternatives Optic is separated from barrel with structural polymer and dovetail latch See AmbGun’s full featured review of the Springfield Armory Hellion for the details. https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/hellion

In this episode, I’ll be giving value or weight to each feature to ultimately determine at what price I’d prefer the Hellion over the KelTec RDB, which we’ll use as the lowest, that is, the base price for the ambi bullpup rifles. In each category, how much better in dollars is one rifle over another. Or another way to look at it, how much would I be willing to pay to get the weakest rifle to equal the best. AmbGun Hellion Page https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/hellion Feature Valuation Spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ddfdehwvVEAf-pxsRER9bQICSokgkFIqTCsULlbruy8/edit?usp=sharing Chapters 0:00 Recap 0:19 Methodology 1:18 Mag Release 2:14 Bolt Release 2:44 Safety 3:10 Charging Handle 3:30 Trigger 4:21 Gas Adjustment 4:36 Weight 4:53 Ejection 5:14 Durability 6:01 Reliability 6:25 Malf Handling 7:00 Forward Assist 7:20 Barrel to Pic 7:52 Iron Sights 8:09 Barrel 8:31 Price 9:49 Hellion Fixes

Leupold VX Freedom 1.4-4 Reticle Options 9.6 ounces keeps weight off of the top of the Springfield Armory Hellion 1.56" diameter eyepiece means mounts low and co-witnesses with Hellion iron sights. Pig-Plex ring as a intermediate hold under Quality Glass Lighted vs Non-lighted reticle Canted point shooting for dark and close range Indistinct dial clicks at first movement vs Weaver V3 Second Focal Plane vs First Mounting Rings Live fire Return to Zero test Chapters 0:00 Reticle Options 0:36 Hellion and Weight 0:53 Low Mounting 1:09 Pig-Plex 1:48 Glass 2:16 Lighted Reticle 2:46 Bindon Aiming Concept 3:04 Negatives 3:45 Weaver V3 4:03 Binocular 5:08 Focal Plane 5:42 Mounting Rings 7:27 Value 7:51 Return to Zero Intro 11:09 Return to Zero Fire 12:22 Return to Zero Results

The Hellion needs a lightweight LPVO that mounts low. Leupold VX Freedom 1.5-4 power is light at 9.6 ounces With a 1.56” eye piece, low rings 8/10th inch above the rail will co-witness with the Hellion’s iron sights. Good enough glass for my discernment Pig-Plex reticle fast target acquisition at close ranges, hold under for intermediate ranges, and hold over stadia out to 800 yards. And a Hellion Maximum Point Blank Range of 425 yards. Elevation and Windage dials are finger adjustable…tool less and coinless $299 retail is an insane value for the American made Leupold optic Negatives First few clicks of dials are indistinct. Should start at 1x magnification for binocular, both eyes open Prefer First Focal Plane so reticle MOA would remain intact. Leupold’s 8 ounce Mark IV Steel rings are too heavy Aluminum Mark IV are light but large nuts obstruct charging handle Remove thumb nuts and expose a quarter inch - 32tpi stud. Find that nut. Didn’t use Leupold rings, but the VX-Freedom Pig-Plex is an excellent value. Minimal weight, mounted low it elevates the Springfield Armory Hellion. AmbGun Link https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/hellion

Springfield Armory Hellion - a high quality, fully and perfectly mirrored ambidextrous, 5.56 bullpup carbine with a 16” barrel in a package with overall length of only 28.25”. Why the obsession with a long barrel in a short package and perfectly mirrored controls? For the ambidextrous “optimal use of cover” perfectly mirrored controls means the Ambidextral Gunfighter can trust bilateral transfer of skill from one hand to the other. That is dynamic, “unconscious” ambi operation is not stymied and one isn’t taken out of “the zone” because the controls behave differently left and right handed. And short overall length means you can get up close to cover and move from one side to the other with the muzzle up. All while still maintaining the ballistic advantage of a longer barrel. AmbGun Hellion page at https://www.ambgun.com/ambidextral-rifle/hellion Chapters 0:00 VHS2 0:31 Why Ambi Bullpup 1:16 American Bullpups 1:31 Mag Release 2:22 Bolt Release 3:20 Safety 4:11 Charging Handle 4:50 Forward Assist 5:43 Trigger 6:13 Gas System 6:49 Weight 7:21 Tippy 7:51 One Handed 8:33 Ambi Transitions 9:00 Pistol Grip 9:29 Kyle Defoor Grip 10:25 Ejection 10:59 Durability 11:22 Reliability 12:37 Malf Handling 13:09 Chamber Check 13:23 Optic to Barrel 14:26 Pic Rail to Bore 15:51 Iron Sights 16:56 Sling Attachment 17:37 Barrel 18:35 Field Strip 18:54 Length of Pull 19:29 vs Tavor X95 20:20 Price