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Four decades ago, a pistol from Austria took the U.S. market by storm and forever changed the defensive handgun landscape. Since then, the market has evolved to optimize the striker-fired, polymer-frame handgun category of firearm. We now have textured grips, aftermarket triggers, night sights, replaceable backstraps, bilateral controls, and optic-ready slides.
The modular and configurable Echelon is a chassis gun, and was an early adopter of the serialized chassis pistol concept. Springfield Armory is now a leader of this category. With the December 2024 release of the Echelon 4.0C, Springfield Armory reduced the size of its award-winning striker, creating an everyday carry-size handgun that may represent the peak of this evolution.
2023 G&A Handgun of the Year
The Echelon is a successful collaboration between Geneseo, Illinois-based Springfield Armory and HS Produkt in Croatia. HS Produkt is an ISO 9001/14001 manufacturer with 30 years of experience producing every component of its firearms in-house. Springfield Armory has worked with HS Produkt on making firearms since 2000, producing the XD series, as well as the more recent Hellcat and Hellion carbine.
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To address the shortcomings of striker-fired polymer handguns, there were a few key areas to focus the attention of the engineers. The first was to reimagine the grip and create one that would adapt to a variety of endusers. The trigger was another area that received improvement. Then, it was designing a set of quality sights while incorporating an optic mount to the slide. The controls were ambidextrous from the start, and the grip shaped without sharp corners or bias toward right-handed shooters. Springfield Armory and HS Produkt addressed each of those design elements. At this point, I’m just going to come out and say it: The Echelon is what other polymer-framed, striker-fired pistols want to be.
It was a mistake for Glock designers to serialize the polymer frame. Not only does this prevent the grip from being changed for one that is more comfortable, it meant that an unsuccessful attempt to alter the grip could ruin the firearm.
The Echelon incorporates Springfield Armory’s Central Operating Group (COG). The COG is the serialized firearm, and it’s removeable from the grip module. The self-contained steel fire-control system allows relatively inexpensive polymer grip modules to be removed and replaced in seconds. Springfield Armory offers various grip module sizes, including small, medium and large, along with grips having different textures and colors. I have also seen aftermarket modules, including units machined from aluminum.
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Echelon 4.0C
The small-size grip module arrived on Guns & Ammo’s sample Echelon 4.0C. It fit my Large-glove hand perfectly. (For some reason, the smaller the grip, the better I shoot it.) The triggerguard was given an undercut for a high grip on the handgun, and the bottom of the triggerguard is contoured to allow the support-hand finger to sit securely. The grip is lightly textured in key areas on the grip and index positions on the frame where the thumbs are likely to rest. It is obvious that this was a grip designed with input from pro shooters such as Rob Leatham. The grip’s backstraps are interchangeable with three different profiles included. Changing them out takes seconds and requires no tools. With the smallest backstrap installed, the grip circumference at its narrowest position is just 5 inches, which is .625-inch smaller than a Glock 19. The magazine well is beveled slightly, and the dustcover has a molded-in mounting surface for lights or other accessories.
The slide is machined from a steel billet and is Melonite treated. The cuts made on the sides of the slide were well thought-out, too. Not only are there cocking serrations fore and aft, the slide cuts create positive ledge-like surfaces that ensure positive contact with the hand, and the rear of the slide actually flares out .075 inch. It would be nearly impossible to flub racking the slide, even with wet or injured hands.
For me, high-quality sights are non-negotiable on a carry gun. The Echelon 4.0C is equipped with a front sight that combines a tritium lamp with a florescent yellow ring that is visible in conditions ranging from pitch dark to bright sunlight. The rear sight is a drift-adjustable steel unit with a U-shaped notch outlined in white. The front edge of the rear sight is ledge-shaped, so it could be used to rack the slide one-handed if the situation called for it. The sights offer a good balance between speed and precision; I would not hesitate to use them for serious duty.
Of course, red-dot optics are incredibly common and the Echelon 4.0C is designed around that reality rather than retrofit to accommodate them. The patent-pending Variable Interface System (VIS) allows for direct-mounting of more than 30 different optics to the slide without needing adaptor plates or other hardware. All necessary hardware — including fastener screws and pins — are included. Tolerances can vary between sight manufacturers, which can lead to horizontal movement when a sight it mounted to the front pins. On sights such as the Trijicon RMR and Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, for example, where vertical bosses are an element of the mounting solution, VIS uses camming self-locking front pins that adjust to the individual sight and eliminate any slop caused by varying tolerances.
I mounted a Vortex Defender with a 3-MOA aiming dot for G&A’s testing. Count me among those who haven’t fully committed to red dots on a carry handgun. I recognize that they have tremendous value in terms of speed and precision, but I haven’t devoted the training time; I’m still faster with irons. Speed aside, there is no question that a red dot makes precision shooting easier, especially with middle-age eyes such as mine. When conducting the 25-yard accuracy test with the Echelon 4.0C, I was appreciative of the optic. Traditionally, defensive handguns were viewed as short-range tools, but given the tragic emergence of individuals committing random acts of violence in public places, the ability to take a long-distance shot could save lives.
I can be a bit of a trigger snob, which often puts me at odds with striker-fired handguns. I shoot them well and carry them often, but I can’t make myself love many of them. That trend is improving, and the Echelon 4.0C is an example that a striker-fired gun need not have an atrocious trigger pull. The Echelon 4.0C uses a flat-bladed trigger with a safety lever. The trigger fires when the blade is at a 90-degree angle from the frame. G&A’s test sample’s trigger was tested at a consistent 43/4 pounds after a tiny bit of creep. The trigger reset was short and comparable to other similar designs. I give it a B+.
Only 10 percent of the world’s population is left-handed, but anyone who carries a handgun for self-defense should be able to shoot, reload and address malfunctions reasonably well with both hands. Why? We know from examining real-world incidents that people get shot in the hands during gunfights. For these reasons, ambidextrous controls are important. On every Echelon, both the magazine catch and slide-stop are fully ambidextrous.
There is nothing inherently wrong with a polymer handgun magazine, but they do have shortcomings. In order to be sufficiently strong, the polymer walls must be relatively thick, which either limits internal capacity or extends external dimensions. All things being equal, steel magazines can be made with a smaller footprint with an identical capacity. This means that a smaller handgun grip can be engineered around that magazine. The magazine on the Echelon 4.0C uses a steel body with a polymer follower and basepad. The standard magazine holds 15 rounds. A second 18-round magazine with an extended basepad — along with a spare, extended basepad — is also included. (Ten-round magazines are available for restricted jurisdictions.)
The remainder of the design elements are similar to most striker-fired handguns. The Echelon 4.0C uses an external extractor, a fixed ejector mounted to the COG, and a polymer recoil spring guide with a captive flat-wire spring. With the slide locked to the rear on an unloaded handgun, the frame-mounted takedown lever is lowered, which allows the slide assembly to be removed; the trigger does not need to be pulled to disassemble the firearm.
The Echelon 4.0C fits perfectly in the small-enough-to-conceal but large-enough-to-shoot-well category. It is comparable in size to a G19, though fractionally shorter and narrower. I carried the Echelon 4.0C in a Safariland IncogX inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster. This setup held the handgun securely, but allowed a full-grip for a positive draw. Even with the red dot mounted, the Echelon 4.0C was easily concealed under a t-shirt.
The Best Value
Given that altering a factory handgun costs money, can compromise reliability, and could be used against an individual in court in the event of a self-defense shooting, a factory handgun offering the performance of a tricked-out custom is an easy recommendation. For roughly the same price as an optic-ready G19 or clone, the Echelon 4.0C comes with improved sights, a more shootable trigger, a simpler, and likely superior optic-mounting system and an interchangeable and configurable grip. The Echelon 4.0C is an entirely different story. This handgun is a serious improvement above what else is available on the market — not just an alternative. Products evolve and times change. With the Echelon 4.0C, Springfield Armory created an extremely capable and well-thought-out compact handgun that gives up nothing to the competition.
Springfield Echelon 4.0C
- Type: Recoil operated, striker fired, semiautomatic
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Capacity: 15+1 rds., 18+1 rds.
- Barrel: 4 in., steel alloy
- Length: 7.25 in.
- Width: 1.2 in.
- Height: 5.13 in.
- Weight: 1 lbs., 8 oz.
- Slide: Steel alloy, Melonite
- Frame: Chassis, stainless steel
- Grip: Polymer module, interchangeable backstraps
- Sights: Tritium/yellow (front), white-outline U-notch (rear), optic ready
- Trigger: 4 lbs., 12 oz. (tested)
- MSRP: $679
- Manufacturer: Springfield Armory, springfield-armory.com
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