Editor’s Note: In today’s article, author Andy Grossman reviews the Hellion Trigger Pack customization offered by Black Talon Tactical. Offered in Stage I and Stage II configurations, this service is designed to enhance the performance of the stock trigger while maintaining reliability. The Stage II work was performed for the author without cost for the purposes of this review.
The Springfield Hellion brought an amazing wallet-friendly bullpup to the U.S. market when it was released. For those not familiar with the “bullpup” configuration, this is a design that places the action behind the trigger, making for a very short and compact — yet still ballistically capable — firearm. It is an ingenious design that works.
The first time I shot a Hellion, it was love at first shot. The bullpup layout felt great, and the trigger was better than expected — for a bullpup. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with bullpups knows their triggers rarely shine, thanks to the long trigger linkages the design demands.
That being said, Springfield did a great job on the Hellion trigger, easily making it one of the best bullpup triggers from the factory on the market. However, with any mechanical thing there’s room for adjustment. And, anyone who knows me knows that I love to try out custom work on my guns.
This is where the mad scientists of trigger technology, Black Talon Tactical, come into the mix.
The Source
Black Talon Tactical is known for their drop-in adjustable AR triggers, and let me tell you, they are incredible. Theirs is easily one of the best triggers I have ever used in an AR-15. Dave, the owner of Black Talon Tactical, spent most of his career in the extreme-precision manufacturing industry, which led him to start Black Talon Tactical to pursue building the best drop-in triggers on the market.
Dave’s passion for triggers came after spending eight years building trigger components for other customers and perfecting his patented Sniper Grade Calibrated Adjustable Drop-In Single Stage Trigger. Dave said, “I will gladly put my drop-in trigger up against any single-stage trigger out there.”
After success in the drop-in trigger market, Black Talon Tactical decided to explore other platforms to further apply its vast knowledge and expertise in trigger development to the firearms market. Dave said, “The Springfield Hellion is an awesome premium firearm at a reasonable price, and I thought a bullpup like this with its long-travel trigger would make a great foundation for our work.”
When I met up with Mason from Black Talon at the SHOT Show, and he put his sample Hellion in my hands to dry-fire and play with, I was immediately impressed. That sample had a few thousand rounds thrown at it after having the Black Talon makeover, which made it so buttery smooth I couldn’t stop messing with it.
I was assured that even if that trigger were just done and had no rounds through it, the trigger would still feel the same. I was intrigued and knew I wanted to get my Hellion out to these guys.
“But what about a drop-in unit?”, you might be asking. Due to the design of the Hellion, there’s no way to do a drop-in trigger pack, so you have two options. The Black Talon “Stage I” option has you disassemble your Hellion and send your trigger pack in. With it, they will lower the pull to about 4-4.5 lbs. At the same time, they remove 90% of trigger travel. Your total trigger travel, including take-up, will be around 7mm with a reset of about 2.25mm. The price for this package is $225, plus shipping and insurance.
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The other option I chose is their Stage II package. The Stage II package requires your rifle to be sent to Black Talon Tactical for the work to be completed. You will get everything from Stage I, but everything is taken to the next level. Total trigger travel will be about 4mm, and the trigger pull weight will be a bit lighter. The price for the Stage II package is $350, plus shipping and insurance.
After talking to the guys at Black Talon, it sounds like the trigger components are practically like the inside of a watch, which is why the gun or trigger pack needs to be in their hands to do the work. In addition, as noted, the design of the trigger prevents a drop-in cassette-type trigger like an AR.
If you don’t already have a rifle and want one, they will sell you an already modified, brand-new version, so you don’t even have to worry about sending a gun in. While it can be a hassle to send a gun in for work, I will tell you, these guys made the process very easy. Their prepaid shipping label makes shipping very easy, and the guys at Black Talon Tactical will help you along the way as needed. They stayed in constant communication with me and updated me the second my rifle was done and tested. I have had a lot of guns modified and worked on, and this was by far the easiest company I have worked with on a project like this.
Hands-On
Needless to say, I was thrilled to get my rifle back and see how it turned out — and how it compared to the sample I had handled at SHOT Show. While the original Hellion trigger is remarkably good, I have to say I was really impressed with the work done. They took something good and made it “gooder”.
After Black Talon finished working its magic, the pull weight dropped to an average of 3 lbs. 11 oz., with a total travel of only 3.86mm. Also, the trigger pull is super smooth and consistent. This trigger feels like butter, just like the sample at SHOT Show. The only suggestion I would make is that they consider making an aluminum flat or enhanced trigger shoe for the Hellion to really trick out the gun.
I headed to the range to put the trigger to work and was immediately impressed with how light the pull was and how smooth the entire trigger pull and reset felt. I was able to easily keep rounds on target at extreme speed thanks to the smooth, consistent pull of the Black Talon Trigger work.
I had already found my Hellion to be an excellent shooter, and now groupings ran even tighter. The break is so light but still safe, and you are on the wall so fast, it almost takes you by surprise.
Conclusion
This is maybe the ultimate option for your Hellion. The nature of the bullpup design minimizes recoil, so the addition of work like this from Black Talon Tactical helps refine an extremely fast and accurate rifle.
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