Following up on its award-winning Echelon duty pistol, Springfield rolls out a compensated version of this full-size performer. Meet the Echelon 4.5F Comp.
by Rob Reaser
Last year, Springfield Armory created quite the buzz when the company released an all-new polymer-framed striker-fired 9mm pistol called the Echelon. This represented Springfield’s boldest push into the full-size polymer pistol category since the introduction of the duty-oriented XD series 9mms almost a quarter-century ago. (Hard to believe it has been that long!).
The Echelon broke onto the scene with much applause from the critic gallery, and our own fighting gun guru wasn’t immune to its charms.
As a fresh contender in an expansive pool of full-size polymer striker-fired handguns, the Echelon required a little something extra to stand out. And so it did, with a new modular fire control group, grip module interchangeability, and an innovative optic mounting system that dispelled much of the angst pistol owners often face when looking to fit a red dot onto their slide.
Oh…and it shoots really good.
Thus, while the Echelon faced a steep slope to gain attention in an already saturated marketplace, the pro-grade 9mm managed to do just that.
Now, just over a year later, Springfield keeps the Echelon momentum rolling with the just-released Echelon 4.5F Comp.
I’ve had this pistol in my hands for a few weeks and have enjoyed the range time. It’s a fast gun. Way faster than I can do it justice. If you like a fistful of firepower for personal defense or for banging steel in rapid succession, you may want to check this one out.
On its foundation, the Echelon 4.5F Comp is only a half-step from its progenitor. Since contributor Bob Campbell gave an expert rundown of the debut Echelon last year, here, we’ll take a quick tour of the commonalities and some of the features that I feel stand out on the positive side of the ledger with this new model.
As you can see — and can assume from the model name — the Echelon 4.5F Comp is an integrally compensated pistol. This design boasts a matching, rearward-angled cut through both the slide and the barrel.
The idea is to direct propellant gas to exit just behind the muzzle. This provides a slight downward and rearward push to counter muzzle rise on recoil. The barrel is 4.5 inches long and is made of hammer-forged steel with a 1:10 rifling twist. The black Melonite finish mirrors that of the original Echelon.
Does it work? Again, I’m no speed shooter, but my best objective conclusion is, “Yes.” With a proper grip and stance, the Echelon 4.5F Comp does seem to keep muzzle rise noticeably more in check than an uncompensated barrel and slide configuration. This, combined with the full-size grip configuration, makes for cupcake shooting across all 9mm loadings.
Shooting on both steel and silhouettes, the gun easily maintained its position in the target zone during rapid-fire strings, allowing for faster sight realignment than what I typically experience with standard pistol barrels. A practiced competition shooter would absolutely appreciate and fully maximize this kind of out-of-the-box factory performance.
The trigger…I’ll rate it “good +.” I really like the broad, flat face because it offers a solid, confident purchase for the finger pad. The initial take-up is clean back to the wall. There is a tad more sear travel than I care for, yet it is nothing problematic when you’re working speed drills. The sear break is also clean, with no hitches or roll-off. In sum, this is a good trigger that, thankfully, has none of the sloppy, springy feel that seems to plague too many of today’s striker-fired handguns.
Not that most folks who tend toward a full-size pistol have a problem with slide manipulation, but one of the standout features of the Echelon slide design is its incredible gripping surface. The front and rear serrations are cut deep and sharp and, forward of the ejection port, these serrations extend to the top of the slide. If that’s not enough for those of you who fancy press checks, the serrations sit in what Springfield calls a “forward trench.” Basically, this is a relief cut that terminates with a deep ledge on both side of the slide, giving your fingers slip-free surfaces to push against while keeping your hand clear of the muzzle.
At the rear of the slide, you find equally robust, highly tractable serrations trailed by what is a “mini-rear-trench” (although Springfield doesn’t call it that). It is actually a flaring at the back of the slide that promotes sure engagement of the thumb and index finger for those who prefer to pull instead of pushing the slide to the rear when chambering or ejecting a round.
As for the grip, there is nothing fancy going on here. There is a sufficient palm swell that naturally indexes your hand high against the beavertail. The pistol comes with three interchangeable backstraps, so you can get a close-to-custom fit. There are no finger grooves, nor are they needed. The 360-degree texturing offers ample traction without being painfully aggressive during long range sessions. This texturing extends to the rotating take-down lever (where my support hand thumb falls) and to the memory pads behind and in front of the trigger guard. There is even texturing at the front of the trigger guard if that is your grip style.
The Echelon 4.5F Comp debuts in three model variations (more on that in a moment), but all three come with Springfield’s optic-ready Variable Interface System. This is a nifty mount design that secures an optic low in the slide. It utilizes a pin system that allows for direct mounting (no adapter plates needed) to the slide and covers the three primary optic footprints on the market today: Trijicon RMR, Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, and Springfield Micro/Shield RMS/SMS.
Of course, the pistol comes with a cover plate if you prefer to stick with open sight aiming.
The open sights consist of Springfield’s Tactical Rack U-Dot rear and a tritium/luminescent dot front post. There is no dot on the rear sight, just a white outline of the U-notch. A flat ledge on the front of the rear sight provides the “tactical” component, meaning you can push against it on a solid surface to move the slide rearward with one hand.
Up front is the high-visibility front sight with a luminescent focus ring centered with a tritium vial for low-light use. The combination of the rear sight’s U-notch outline and the bright front ring offers quick sight alignment across a wide range of ambient light conditions. And because of the low mounting of any optic, you’ll find that the front and rear sights remain visible with most of today’s sleek pistol-mounted optics. This gives you that much-needed backup sighting option should your PMO fail you.
One of the cool things about the both the Echelon and the new Echelon 4.5F Comp is that they feature Springfield’s Central Operating Group (COG). This is a unitized trigger and striker module contained in a serialized stainless-steel chassis. It is similar in concept to Sig’s Fire Control Unit in the P320 and P365 or in the Savage Stance.
The COG easily lifts out of the grip module once you remove the take-down lever — a process that requires no tools. The advantage of this system is that you can purchase additional grip modules in small or medium sizes and in three different color options. When you want to swap a grip module for whatever reason, it is fast, easy, and really expands the gun’s performance and personality.
As mentioned, the Echelon 4.5F Comp debuts in three flavors, and they are all about capacity. Model EC9459B-U-COMP comes with a flush 17-round magazine and an extended 20-round mag; model EC9459B-U-COMP15 includes two 15-round mags; and model EC9459BLC-U-COMP comes with two 10-round mags. MSRP for all models is $749.
Given our collective focus on everyday carry guns for personal defense, it is understandable that the Echelon 4.5F Comp’s full-size platform may be a bit much for discrete, IWB carry fans. But if you are all about OWB carry and like a man-sized sidearm with a lot of rounds on-board, this one may fit your bill. Should your yearnings lean more toward high-volume target and steel shooting — especially doing so at speed — then this is one 9mm you’ll want to check out for yourself.
