Springfield won plenty of praise in 2020 for the Hellcat, and the Rapid Defense Package is the upgraded version. It is a striker-fired 9mm with a 3.8-inch barrel, black finish, tritium sights and a compensator, and it weighs about 1.2 pounds. The barrel is threaded 1/2x28.

The compensator is self-indexing, so it goes on and comes off easily, and it helps calm the muzzle flip that small pistols are known for. The slide is cut for the RMSc footprint, which accepts many aftermarket red dots with a matching pattern. You can run the factory tritium sights first and add the dot later.

Two magazines come with the pistol, one 11-round and one 13-round. The short one gives a flush fit for easier concealment, and the long one gives you more rounds and a fuller grip. That mix is handy for carry around the Carolinas, especially in warm months when you wear less cover.

Pick a holster made for the compensated RDP, since the barrel is longer than on the plain Hellcat. Run a few hundred rounds before you carry it. This pistol is new. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer for the background check and transfer.