Springfield took the little Hellcat and added a compensator. The Hellcat Pro Comp is a striker-fired 9mm with a 3.7 inch barrel, a 15-round magazine, a black finish and tritium sights.

Seller notes mention that the Hellcat won multiple 2020 Handgun of the Year awards. It puts double-stack capacity and a Picatinny-style accessory rail into a subcompact package, and the U-Dot tritium sights are meant for fast target acquisition. The compensator is designed to reduce muzzle rise. Test your chosen ammunition before you trust it in the field or for carry, and stick with what runs well. A little practice every month beats a long session once a year.

At 1.3 pounds, it is light for a carry gun, and the grip is short enough to hide under a shirt. For a permit holder in Charlotte or Raleigh, that mix of capacity and size is the draw. A longer barrel helps accuracy, and the comp helps with follow-up shots.

Train with the sights and with the trigger. A small gun rewards steady practice. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer, where the background check is completed at pickup.