One-on-One With 'The Great One,' Rob Leatham & the Echelon

Few names are as recognizable in the firearms world as Rob Leatham. Many know him as one of the most successful competitors in competition shooting history. But Rob also stays heavily involved in gun design. This was the case with Springfield’s new Echelon pistol. The development process took more than three years, with Leatham involved every step of the way.

Rob Leatham & the Springfield Armory Echelon

I was fortunate to spend a day on the range with Rob and have a behind-the-scenes conversation about the gun’s design and development. “I was involved from day one when we sat in a room with a whiteboard and was asked what I would want in a new striker-fired gun,” Rob said. The Echelon is truly a completely new handgun from Springfield. So different, Rob believes, “the only thing that carries over from any of their previous guns is the rear sight dovetail cut.”

Shooting the Echelon with Rob was a treat. Watching him ring steel at pace with the new pistol was impressive obviously, but when I was able to replicate the same results (at a much slower pace), I realized Springfield had a winner on their hands. As stated in our complete coverage (see links below), the Central Operating Group (COG) really shines in the modularity department. Rob quickly broke down one of the pistols and showed us just how easy it was.

It was at this point that we dove into the trigger. According to Rob, Springfield’s aim was “to design the trigger to have a very clear wall with no extra travel or mush.” They succeeded in spades. We talked about the gun for hours, and Rob shared that he sees this gun as almost like one of his children because of the time and energy put into it. After seeing everything that went into this new design, I can certainly appreciate that. The gun is a winner on multiple fronts and is certain to do well as both a duty and civilian handgun.