The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro OSP is a compact striker-fired 9mm built for concealed carry. It has an MSRP of $670. Its 15-round magazine sits flush with the frame, so the grip stays 4.8 inches tall with full capacity loaded and nothing hangs below the floorplate to print through a shirt.

The slide is milled directly for the Springfield Micro optic footprint, so a micro dot bolts to the metal with no plate under it, and the irons are a tritium and luminescent front with a flat Tactical Rack rear that can be hooked on a belt to rack one-handed. An extended magazine holding two more rounds comes in the box next to the flush one, and a short accessory rail under the dust cover takes a compact light. The texture is aggressive enough to be felt through a thin shirt. There is no manual safety, and the Micro footprint narrows the dot choice compared with the wider cuts used on full-size slides.

If you are cross-shopping, the Sig Sauer P365 XL matches the 3.7-inch barrel, the 6.6-inch length and the 4.8-inch height exactly, but holds 12 rounds at 20.7 oz against the Hellcat Pro's 15 rounds at 21.0 oz. The Canik METE MC9L holds 17 at an MSRP of $510, with a taller 5.43-inch grip.