FIRST TEST: Springfield Echelon 4.0C 9MM

Springfield Armory’s Echelon was a huge success, and the new Echelon 4.0C 9mm compact version may be an even more versatile pistol

by Brad Fitzpatrick

In 2023, Springfield Armory launched their Echelon pistol, and the pistol was met with immediate praise. The striker-fired polymer-frame pistol market is overflowing with options, but the Echelon got everything right. Almost immediately, shooters wanted a compact version with a four-inch barrel and reduced grip frame. Springfield heard those calls, and a compact variant of the Echelon — the Echelon 4.0C 9mm — is finally here.

First, let’s touch on dimensions and specifications. The frame size has been reduced for easier concealment, but this pistol still has a capacity of 15 rounds with a flush-fit magazine and 18 rounds with the extended magazine. The four-inch barrel is made from forged steel, treated with a Melonite nitrocarburized surface finish, and features a 1:10 twist rate. Overall length is 7.25 inches, and the width is just 1.2 inches. This means that the Echelon Compact competes against other guns in the segment like the Glock G19 and SIG P320, both of which are dimensionally close to the Springfield. The Echelon is slightly narrower (about .05 inches) than either of those pistols and at 24 ounces, the Echelon is slightly heavier than the Glock (21 ounces) and lighter than the P320 Compact (26.6 ounces). All three pistols come standard with flush-fit 15-round magazines.

As part of the Echelon family, the new compact version comes with a serialized Central Operating Group and the company’s Variable Interface System. The Variable Interface System, or VIS, simplifies optics mounting on this pistol. Unlike some other handguns that require you to match a plate with your optic, the VIS system uses configurable self-locking pins that allow the shooter to directly mount over 30 different optics. The mounting screws also exert lateral pressure on the optic to eliminate left-right movement. I test dozens of pistols each year and the VIS system is a standout because everything I need to mount a range of optics comes with the gun and the sight is locked firmly in place. It’s a very simple and secure system.

The Echelon looks and feels very much like a modern pistol. The micro-texturing on the grip (Springfield calls it Adaptive Grip texture) allows for excellent control over the gun yet it doesn’t bite into the hand too aggressively. The industrial-looking texturing found on some pistols can become annoying and even downright painful when shooting hundreds of rounds without gloves. The Echelon’s grip texture also covers the entire grip, maximizing control.

Other key features on the frame include three interchangeable backstraps and a substantial beavertail and trigger undercut. These combine to offer a secure hold on the gun that promotes a high hand hold and better recoil management. With its relatively low bore axis, recoil energy travels back into the hand and arm in a relatively straight line. This helps reduce muzzle rise, makes the gun more comfortable to shoot (especially for extended periods), and reduces split times. There’s also a textured index point on the right and left side of the frame.

Echelon pistols feature very aggressive slide cuts. There are angled slide cuts fore and aft that extend to the top of the slide and a trench on the front of slide that offers improved security for press checks. If you performed press checks with older pistol designs that offered ornamental front slide serrations or none at all, you’ll immediately appreciate the control offered by the Echelon. There are also “ears” at the rear of the slide that offer an additional anchor point. Go to any range in America and you’ll quickly realize how many shooters utilize the “pinch” method for releasing the slide after inserting a magazine, and while instructors hate this maneuver (most trainers teach overhand grab-retract-release operation because its doesn’t require fine motor skills) the ears at the rear of the slide do offer a better anchor point while pinching the slide. The machining on the Echelon’s slide is, indeed, modern looking, but it’s functional and beneficial because it offers more control when manipulating the pistol.

In an era where red dot sights rule, many companies don’t bother to add quality iron sights on their pistols. Springfield is an exception. The Echelon comes with tritium/luminescent front sights and a U-notch tactical rack rear sight. A generous front sight ledge means it’s very simple to operate the slide one-handed under duress.

Controls are well laid-out and simple to use on this gun. The slide stop is compact yet large enough to easily operate, and both the magazine release and slide stop are fully ambidextrous, so there’s no need to disassemble the gun. Speaking of disassembly, the Springfield Echelon pistols utilize a rotating lever like their XD predecessors, but the Echelon’s takedown lever doubles as a “dead pedal” and resting place for your forward thumb (if you’re shooting right-handed)

MSRP for the Echelon pistol is set at $679 for the standard model (tested). If you’d like three-dot tritium sights, that’ll cost an extra $40, and there’s a threaded barrel version available for $739. Real-world pricing will likely start around or even under $600, which is slightly higher than what you will pay for a Glock G19 or SIG P320, on average.

Range Testing

There’s no doubt the Echelon is well-built and checks all the boxes for a modern semi-auto striker-fired pistol, but reliability is key. Fortunately for Springfield fans, this gun runs with a wide range of ammo. With hot defensive loads, some might find it a bit snappy, but the well-engineered grip helps mitigate recoil and you can shoot this gun quickly. There’s a beefy exterior extractor, and it performed flawlessly during tests. There were no issues even when shooting mild 150-grain action pistol ammunition. I’ve tested three different Echelon pistols, including the new four-inch model, and not one of them has had a malfunction. That’s impressive.

The flat-face trigger is crisp for a striker-fired gun and breaks at 5 pounds, 2 ounces. Reset is short and positive, so you can shoot this gun quickly and accurately. Sometimes, safeties (particularly ambidextrous safeties) can get in the way, or you could accidentally drop a magazine, but I never had that issue with the Echelon even when I tried to prompt a mag drop. There’s a slight indention on the base plate that’s angled if you want to strip the magazine.

Springfield doesn’t currently offer this pistol with a manual safety option. They may choose to do so in the future, but this gun has the requisite passive safeties to make it safe to operate. I do wish it had something like Smith & Wesson’s ClearSight Cut that prevented gas from obscuring the front view of the optic but, otherwise, the gun performed exceptionally well. Accuracy was excellent and several five-shot groups at 25-yards measured less than two-inches center-to-center. That’s very good for a striker-fired 9mm pistol with a four-inch barrel. The test gun came equipped with a Vortex Defender-ST red dot optic and there were no signs of the sight loosening during over a hundred rounds of testing.

A good gun feels like an extension of the hand, and that’s certainly true of the Springfield Echelon. The grip design is comfortable and keeps the gun planted during drills. I shot a handful of multi-target defensive drills and this gun’s trigger, grip, and balance allow you to make clean, quick transitions from one target to the next. It would be a great IDPA pistol for someone who wants to sharpen their skills in competition.

Accuracy Results

Five-shot groups at 25 yards:

Federal 150-grain TSJ Action Pistol; 888 fps; 2.3 in.
Fiocchi Range Dynamics 115-grain FMJ; 1,155 fps; 2.4 in.
Hornady 115-grain Critical Defense; 1,051 fps; 1.9 in.

Does the Echelon 4.0C 9mm set a new standard for compact 9mms? I believe it does. This gun has everything most shooters want, and Springfield got almost everything right on this pistol. These pistols will likely be priced a bit higher than the Glock G19 Gen 5, but the Springfield is a well-built handgun that will hold its value and comes with extras such as a zippered case and two magazines. The new Echelon four-inch is diving into a crowded compact 9mm market, but it already has the goods and features to rise directly to the top.

Springfield Echelon 4” 9mm Specifications

Action: striker-fired semi-auto
Chambering: 9mm Luger
Capacity: 15 rounds, as tested
Weight: 24 ounces unloaded
Length: 7.3 in.
Width: 1.2 in.
Height: 5.1 in.
Barrel length: 4 in.
Finish: Melonite
Extras: zippered case, gun lock, 2x magazines, interchangeable backstraps (3)
MSRP: $679

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Brad Fitzpatrick

Brad Fitzpatrick is a freelance writer living in southern Ohio. He's a former collegiate trap and skeet shooter and 4-H Shooting Sports instructor and has authored several books on topics ranging from international hunting to concealed carry.

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