The Compact Fighting Pistol: Echelon 4.0C

Springfield Armory’s Echelon has caused a stir in the polymer-framed handgun market. While Glock, Smith & Wesson, and Sig Sauer have been stalwarts in the arena, Springfield challenged the status quo with an all-new pistol designed to be the best fighting pistol available. And honestly, I think they’ve done a very good job delivering that. The Echelon hails from HS Produkt of Croatia, like the XD and Hellcat series, but this gun is built for the American market. With this pistol, Springfield took in current market trends and adapted them. Things like a built-in gas pedal, double under-cut triggerguard, aggressive texturing on the frame and slide, and an optics mounting system that doesn’t require a plate are included. Springfield even made the Echelon modular with a removable “Central Operating Group” (because Sig trademarked “Fire Control Group”). This means frame modules can be swapped out for aftermarket ones (look up Icarus precision), giving the Echelon greater flexibility. So far, Springfield has released the Echelon in different colors, with a threaded barrel and different sights, and even added a comped slide. But they’ve all been full-size pistols. Some prefer the stature of a compact gun (as in the size of a Glock 19, which really isn’t compact, but that’s the word the industry chose to go with). Citizens use these all over for concealed carry or by professional end users. With such popularity in that size, Springfield released a compact as well.

The Echelon 4.0C is every bit of the standard Echelon but shrunk down, literally. The barrel is reduced from 4.5” to 4”, and the frame is downsized to accept 15-round magazines. However, an 18-round mag ships with the gun. Initial offerings will include the standard U-Notch sights, upgraded 3-Dot Tritium sights, and a model with a threaded barrel—a perfect host for a Herrington Arms compensator. I mentioned above that it’s optics-ready, but I want to dive into that again. Springfield calls their optic mounting system the “Visionary Optics Integration.” This system is compatible with thirty different optics that mount without adapter plates. To accomplish this, Springfield provides a variety of self-locking pins for your desired footprint. I’ve been shooting red dots on handguns for years, and the VIS system from Springfield is the cleanest and strongest I’ve seen yet. This mounting system keeps the optic low to the slide, and it doesn’t stack tolerances, limiting equipment failure. For people who require a handgun for duty or hard use, look at the Echelon.

Retail pricing for the Echelon 4.0C starts at $679 for the standard and $739 for the threaded-barreled model. I’d expect the prices to be much lower at the street level. Currently, the standard Echelon can be found for $619.99 and is on sale for $549.99 at many places. And like everything Springfield, I imagine their popular Gear Up promo will come to the Echelon 4.0C. I think this is an excellent extension to an already good lineup of pistols. And I don’t say that lightly. Springfield has done plenty to tarnish their reputation with gun owners. But with the release of the Hellcat and Echelon line of pistols, they are doing their best to amend relationships. The pistol should be shipping by the time you read this article.