Taurus G3 vs. Hellcat Pro: How Do They Stack Up?

We’re living in a golden age of everyday carry. Some of us can remember when the Glock 26 was held up as the epitome of a 9mm concealed carry gun. Now, though, guns like the Taurus G3 and the Hellcat Pro from Springfield Armory have reached a functional middle ground where guns are easily concealed yet have outstanding capacity, all while maintaining the ergonomics needed to be effective when needed most.

Taurus G3 vs. Hellcat Pro: Concealed Carry in Context

These are both the bigger brothers of smaller versions. The Hellcat and the G3C have shorter grips, barrels, and slides. While both are stand-out options for concealed carry, especially for those who are smaller (or anyone, really, who has trouble keeping a gun from printing because of its size), the larger versions offer more control surfaces—and that’s reason enough to go for the larger variants.

As for size, the Hellcat Pro and the G3 are very close. And both are available with slides milled for red dots. Both companies, now, even make their own red dot sights. — The Hellcat Pro and the G3 are very similar in size. Both are available with slides milled for red dots, and both companies now even make their own red dot sights.

These two guns are part of a larger pantheon of similarly sized guns: the G48, the P365 Macro, and others. All have devoted followings. The Taurus stands alone, though, as the go-to for many first-time gun buyers and those who want more than one of the same gun (as in one for EDC, one for the bedside safe, one for the lockbox in the truck).

The Hellcat Pro vs. the Taurus G3

There’s so much about both of these guns that’s just about equal. The size of the two is just about equal, and the width is, too. While companies like to brag about being the thinnest or smallest, neither applies to these, and I’m sure those claims mean little when what we’re talking about, practically, has to be measured in hundredths of an inch.

Both guns offer optic cuts for attaching a red dot. Any of the micro-compact dots can be adapted to these slides, or you can go with the factory option on the Hellcat (Hex from Springfield Armory). But Taurus’s Taurus Optics Ready Option (T.O.R.O.) is available on all of the G3 variants.

As for magazines, both guns offer solid capacity. 15 rounds is the norm, but extended mags are available for both platforms. I've run both platforms extensively and never had a mag-related failure in either. — As for magazines, both guns offer solid capacity. Fifteen rounds is the norm, but extended mags are available for both platforms. I’ve run both platforms extensively and never had a mag-related failure in either.

The mags are about the same dimensions, making the grips about the same diameter. Both have slide serrations on the rear and front of the slide, too. Factory mags come in 15 and 17-round variants for both the Hellcat Pro and the G3:

Where Are They Different?

The Hellcat line has a grip texture up above where your thumb rides with a shooting grip. There’s a path that’s left slick so you can run down to the mag release without hindrance, but the path is narrow. The G3 has a divot that is molded into the frame for the thumb. This replaces the grip texture. It looks as if the grip has melted slightly and slumped in. As an anchor, it is functional, though I prefer an aggressive texture. Likewise, on the frame, where your support hand’s thumb would go, there’s another indentation. The Hellcat has texture there to anchor the thumb.

The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro has more grip texture than the G3, but both guns are easy to hold. The main difference is the area where you thumb falls on the left side of the grip. — The Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro has more grip texture than the Taurus G3, but both guns are easy to hold. The main difference is the area where your thumb falls on the left side of the grip.

When Springfield launched the Hellcat line, the sights got a lot of attention. The front bead is large and bright. The rear notch is a white U that this dot sits in when the sights are aligned. This fast system is easy to master after a short learning curve.

On the G3, the rear sight is a flat-black panel. The white front dot is visible in the notch and easy to find, though not as bright as that on the Hellcat. This sight picture is very traditional, and, as such, doesn’t require much in the way of training to master.

Taurus G3 vs. Hellcat Pro: Shooting Comparison

These guns are so much easier to hold onto than the generation of chopped-down 9mms that preceded them. The extra length of the grip, slide, and barrel provides enough mass and substance for exceptional control. I am still faster and more consistently accurate with a full-sized gun, but the difference is negligible now.

Put head-to-head (with irons only, no red dots), my groups are tighter with the Hellcat Pro. While that’s a talking point for competition, it isn’t a priority for me for EDC. It implies I’m more accurate at speed with the Hellcat Pro, and I am. I attribute this to the sights.

Sights matter. And here, the Hellcat Pro comes out on top. The G3’s sight profile of a white dot in the flat-black rear sight still works well.

I’m sufficiently fast with the G3, too. Running defensive drills at logical distances, I don’t miss the critical points on the target. While I’ve yet to carry this G3 for any length of time, I wouldn’t hesitate.

Aftermarket Parts

There’s another element to look at here when comparing the two. The Hellcat family has aftermarket parts—maybe not as many variants as would be available for a P365 or a G19, but more than the Taurus G3. Why? The Hellcat is one of Springfield’s first polymer-framed pistols to go hipster. The better the gun, the more likely dedicated fanboys are to replace the original parts. Seems paradoxical, but I’m one of these fanboys, so I can’t throw too much shade.

taurus g3 squared trigger guard — Trigger guard shape is a matter of personal preference. Taurus gives the G3 a slight concave front angle, while Springfield has a more rounded profile. I don’t anchor a support there, so this one is a toss-up for me.

You’ll find more aftermarket mags for the Hellcat Pro. There are also drum mags, too. If you want to shoot suppressed, there are threaded barrels, and there are trigger upgrades, too.And the G3 is a solid gun at a solid price. This one set me back right at $300. That’s just about half of what a Hellcat Pro would cost. When you consider that you can buy (roughly) two G3s for every Hellcat Pro, the question of value comes into play.

Is Price Reflective of Value?

This is a complicated metric that makes manufacturers’ skin crawl. Whenever gun writers begin making judgments about guns based on price points or relative value, they risk the relationships they rely on to keep these reviews coming. The G3 is a fantastic gun. At $300 +/-, it is perfectly functional for EDC. I don’t know anyone who has wild expectations for high round counts, but I don’t see why you couldn’t train with one.

magazine well of the taurus g3 and hellcat pro — Mag wells on these polymer guns tend to be functional and no-frills. To keep grip profiles thin, the mag well may have a slight bevel, but a flare is unlikely.

Hellcat Pro has put Springfield in a new class of EDC guns. I have a high-round-count Hellcat and have put more than 1,000 rounds through this HC Pro. I’ve not had any reliability issues with either Hellcat. And I’m confident that both are worth their relative price tags.

This last point here, the cost of the two guns, maybe the widest point of differentiation. This is reflected in the number of units sold. The Taurus G2c, G3c, and G3 continually top the handgun sales lists in the US—those based on volume alone. This is clearly driven by two factors: Taurus has built a family of guns that work and priced them low enough that they can’t be ignored.