The customized Hellcat Pro by Langdon Tactical Technology has literally all the bells and whistles. Starting with the superlative Hellcat Pro concealed-carry pistol from Springfield Armory, LTT guts the machine and then improves upon absolutely everything.
The end result is as refined and efficient a personal defense handgun as might be contrived by mankind.
The particulars are legit perfect, and the gun is accessorized magnificently. The trigger pull is to die for, and the gun drops into your hand like it was born there.
Additionally, though I really shouldn’t care about such stuff, the LTT Hellcat Pro also looks freaking awesome. The dichromatic dissonance between the black frame and the stainless steel pins and switches strikes a viscerally appealing vibe.
Base Gun: Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro
Introduced in 2019, the Springfield Armory Hellcat stood at the vanguard of modern micro-compact concealed-carry guns. Somehow, someway, Springfield Armory crammed a service pistol-sized 9mm magazine capacity into a pocket handgun chassis. I have no idea how they did that; magic, I suppose.
Since that time, Springfield Armory has tweaked the Hellcat most vigorously. Sundry muzzle attachments, optic solutions, barrel lengths, and grip sizes now round out the catalog. Their latest addition is the Hellcat Pro.
The Hellcat Pro is the arithmetic mean between the micro-compact Hellcat and a full-size service gun like the Springfield Armory Echelon.
Featuring a slightly elongated frame to accommodate either a 15 or 17-round magazine along with a lengthened, ported barrel and corresponding slide, the Hellcat Pro offers full-size-pistol controllability in a package that will still carry comfortably beneath shorts and a t-shirt. The concealed carry game will never be the same.
The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro is a superb firearm right out of the box. However, the mad geniuses at Langton Tactical Technology have taken the basic Hellcat Pro and transformed it into something altogether better.
The synergistic combination of Springfield Armory’s superlative raw material and LTT’s bountiful real-world gunfighting cred equals a rarefied tactical handgun that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Langdon Tactical Technology Brain Trust
Langton Tactical Technology doesn’t make guns; they make good guns awesome. Their tagline is Precision Built Confidence, and that drives everything they do.
Their holistic approach to self-defense includes education, training, physical fitness, and lifestyle resources. The end result is a self-reliant survivor equipped and trained to face the multifaceted threats implicit in our weird modern world.
Ernest Langdon is the CEO at LTT. He has more than 35 years’ worth of experience in the industry as a firearms instructor and professional gunsmith. This gives him a unique perspective on fighting handguns. All that started with 12 years serving in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Don’t hold that against him. I was a soldier myself, but I have lots of Jarhead pals. Keep your crayons under lock and key, and they make superb mates.
While in uniform, Langdon deployed to Panama, Cuba, the Persian Gulf, and the Philippines. A graduate of 40 formal shooting schools and four counter-terrorism courses, Ernest holds instructor certifications from the NRA, the FBI, the U.S. Army, and the USMC.
He has been a competitive shooter for more than a quarter century and has a Grand Master rating from the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA). Ernest is a Distinguished Master in International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) having shot in 10 National Championships as well as earning two World Speed Shooting titles.
The president of the company is Ernest’s wife Aimee. If their relationship is anything like mine, she’s actually the boss. In addition to extensive experience in business development and marketing, Aimee is a competitive athlete and energetic mom. They both live and breathe tactical firearms.
Raw Materials
LTT does custom gun work on a variety of platforms. Each of these projects is unique and is developed in consultation with the end user. The details are on their website. LTT offers extensive upgrade services for a variety of respected firearms.
Custom off-the-shelf conversions are available for Beretta 92 and PX4 handguns as well as several Beretta fighting shotguns. They do similar work for Beretta 80-series pistols. HK, Tikka, and Springfield Armory also provide raw material for LTT’s remarkable tactical transformations.
Refined triggers, optimized frame treatments, optics mounting solutions, custom grips, and barrel porting are all on the menu. Their work is reliably flawless, and their upgrades all driven by real-world experience.
The gun you get back is more accurate, more shootable, more controllable, and prettier than the already-superlative hosts.
LTT Hellcat Pro Details
The LTT Hellcat Pro we reviewed for this project was very nicely turned out. The gun comes with both 15- and 22-round magazines, which is just sick. The short box rides flush, while the 22-round sort sticks out a bit but not much.
The 3.7-inch barrel is hammer-forged and integrally-compensated, while the fitted Apex trigger kit offers a trigger pull that is crisper and a full pound lighter than factory. It also offers reduced over-travel and a nice predictable reset for those among us who like running our concealed-carry guns fast.
Optics
The slide is cut for a variety of optics. Ours came with a Holosun 407C red dot to complement the standard tritium front sight and U-notch irons. These Springfield Armory sights look like a grinning cyclops. Nothing is faster.
Once mounted, LTT seals the deal with bright thread locker over the correct 4mm screws. The slide is custom beveled, treated to a Black Nitride refinish, and tastefully adorned with the LTT logo.
The oversize control kit from Apex optimizes the magazine release, disassembly lever, and slide stop. Like Goldilocks, these appendages are just big enough for rapid manipulation without being obtrusive.
They are also chromed. Not only does this look just super cool, it reliably resists corrosion. This is a gun designed to be stuffed into your sweaty pants all day. The chromed controls ensure long life in this unforgiving space.
The magwell/extension kit from Floyd’s Custom includes a removeable flared magazine well extension, a standard base pad, and a +5 pad. This custom magwell does not readily accommodate standard factory magazine bottoms, but it runs like a beast with this kit.
The end result is faster, more positive magazine changes even in the dark.
I struggle adequately to describe how awesome this slim Hogue rubber grip sleeve feels. This thing occludes the finger grooves on the frame and rounds the rear profile of the grip to better match standard human anatomy.
The stuff they make this from is soft without being delicate. It also mitigates felt recoil and enhances the overall shooting experience.
The cumulative end result is indeed a great gun made even greater. The chassis strikes that elusive perfect compromise between size and shootability, while the enhanced particulars make the Hellcat faster and more comfortable. The LTT Hellcat Pro carries like a micro-compact and runs like a tricked-out service pistol.
LTT Hellcat Pro at the Range and In the Holster
Despite all the custom bits, the LTT Hellcat Pro still rides comfortably in my standard Hellcat carry gear. I carried this gun underneath my surgical scrubs without difficulty. Packing heat while wearing what are essentially flimsy pajamas is always my standard of concealed carry effectiveness.
On the range, this rascal just sings. The general grip configuration fits me like a second skin, and the trigger improves upon what was already a mighty nice striker-fired action.
All striker-fired triggers will have a little springiness; that’s a class effect when compared to the single-action sort on a tuned 1911. However, this version from Apex is fast, predictable, smooth, and accurate. I honestly don’t see how it could be improved upon.
The optic offers optimal situational awareness and engagement speed. I could consistently keep my rounds inside a juice can lid at typical 12-meter engagement ranges without trying too hard.
The ported barrel and elongated slide help minimize muzzle flip. Unlike truly tiny concealed carry guns, this tricked-out Hellcat Pro from Langdon Tactical Technology lends itself to comfortable double taps and rapid follow-up shots.
The gun naturally ate everything we fed it from lightweight 100-grain machined HoneyBadger solids from Black Hills Ammunition all the way up to heavy 147-grain Winchester Defender bonded hollowpoints.
The day a custom Springfield Armory handgun suffers reliability problems is the day I start voting for gun control. I also just can’t get over how cool this gun looks. If you aspire to induce envy in the other burly, hairy members of your favorite knitting circle, this piece will get you there.
A concealed carry gun isn’t a pair of sneakers or a toothbrush. If ever you need this thing for real, it will become the most important physical possession in your universe. The custom Hellcat Pro from Langdon Tactical Technology is indeed good enough to bet your life on.
Offering sexy cool lines, exceptional accuracy, unflinching reliability, and optimized everything, the LTT Hellcat Pro really is the apex predator among packable defensive guns. I’m smitten with this one.
LTT Hellcat Pro Performance
| Ammo | Group Size (inches) | Velocity (fps) |
|---|---|---|
| Remington 124gr FMJ | 1.6 | 1,061 |
| Winchester Defender 147gr JHP | 1.3 | 990 |
| Black Hills 100gr HoneyBadger | 1.1 | 1,225 |
| Hornady Critical Defense 115gr Flex-Tip | 0.7 | 1,104 |
Group Size is best four of five shots fired off of a sandbag rest at 12 meters. Velocity is the average of five rounds measured by a Garmin Xero C1 chronograph.
Hook & Barrel Bottom Line: LTT Hellcat Pro Pistol
The H&B Bottom Line is a rating system based on seven criteria. Each category is worth five points (or ampersands) for a total maximum score of 35.
ERGOS and HANDLING: &&&&&
This gun is designed and customized by professional shooters, and it shows. Everything about the LTT Hellcat Pro is perfectly configured to complement the human form.
RECOIL: &&&&&
The magnificent Hogue grip sleeve feels delightfully rubbery, while the extended, ported barrel redirects the chaos upward where it can do some good—a delightful shooter.
ACTION and RELOADING: &&&&&
The flared magwell and custom magazine bases mean operator skill is the limiting reagent. This is as good as mankind can make it.
SIGHT MOUNTING EASE: &&&&&
The optics come mounted from LTT. However, if you possess the manual dexterity required to open a can of Spaghetti-O’s you could successfully do it yourself.
INTENDED PURPOSE: &&&&&
There are literally hundreds of concealed carry solutions available these days ranging from awesome to rubbish with everything in between. The LTT Hellcat Pro starts with some magnificent raw material and makes literally everything just a little bit better.
OVERALL VERSATILITY: &&&&&
Carries great and shoots even greater. The LTT Hellcat Pro strikes that perfect balance between portability and tactical effectiveness.
VALUE-PRICE POINT: &&&&&
This gun is concealed carry perfection. Once you account for all of the custom widgets and ditzels, that adds up. However, if true quality was cheap it wouldn’t be true quality.
FINAL SCORE: 35/35
LTT Hellcat Pro Specs:
Caliber: 9mm Para
Action: Short Recoil Semiautomatic
Barrel: 3.7 inches
OA Length: 6.6 inches
Weight: 23 ounces
Grips: Hogue Grip Sleeve
Sights: Tritium Front/U-Dot Rear/Holosun Red Dot
Finish: Black Nitride
Capacity: 15+1 and 22+1
MSRP: $1,316
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