In case you somehow missed it, Springfield Armory has a new pistol available, the Echelon 4.0C. There is a lot of hype about it—a bombardment, in fact. Springfield has become masterful at releasing new products, as a successful firearms company should be able to do.
The Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C
I’m a YouTube Premium subscriber. And while I don’t watch 97 percent of the gun content on the platform, my feed was riddled with thumbnails. As I used my remote to toggle through them on my television, many of the intros were wrought with praise for the pistol. But is it real or just hype?
I only had brief interaction with the full-size Echelon, using it for content on the Eotech EFLX. I liked the big Echelon, having been a fan of big and heavy 9mm’s all my shooting life. But I don’t recall being amazed by any of its handling characteristics, looks, or anything else for that matter.
But something is different with the more diminutive Echelon 4.0C, and Springfield knows it. And if you have the full size or have had any interaction with it, you will, too. Heck, if you’ve never fired an Echelon, I believe this new compact version will stand out to you in the best of ways.
That is, unless you’re just a hater of any gun brand that doesn’t start with a G.
Down to the Details
Where do I begin? Well, typically, we’d start with some stats, right?
Polymer framed, 4-inch hammer forged barrel, 7.25 inches long, 24 oz weight—billet machined slide with Melonite finish, and optics ready. There’s more. Lots more.
But I’d be doing you a disservice by repeating this generic information that everyone has. Not to mention the website, which does it better than anyone. Springfield pays people well to do so, and that’s where I got the info anyway.
Instead, I should try to convey the user experience with the pistol—from dry firing and room clearing at home (you do it, too) to practice at the range and daily EDC. It’s in these spaces that the Echelon 4.0C is revealed to be a true powerhouse, revealing the intention of the Springfield design team and signaling how much work they had to have put into it.
I’ve had the pistol for a couple of months now. And from day one, opening the box, I’ve been somewhat smitten by the 4.0C. I’ll assume it was simply how the pistol looked when I first opened the box. It’s intriguing in its compact form.
The slide is muscular, while the grip descends into something more refined, civilized, and truly ergonomic. It’s like it was built to fit in your hand instead of designed for your hand to simply grasp it. Because of this, your hand truly wraps around the grip. It isn’t just “on” it. Even smaller hands will easily navigate the Echelon’s real estate.
The Echelon 4.0C Maximizes Space
Which brings me to that. There is no wasted space on the Echelon 4.0C. Every millimeter is utilized to your advantage. The frame is contoured for your hand parts—high on the frame just below the slide release, your finger will better reach the trigger thanks to these cuts.
The mag release is ambidextrous, meaning buttons on both sides. I’ve heard complaints about this but have not encountered any issues after a couple of months of carry and training. The slide release is somewhat protected, and while appearing a bit small, it performs at a larger level, positively and assuredly, thanks to its design. And by the way, it’s on both sides of the pistol, too. Well done.
The take-down lever doesn’t just take the gun down. It leads your thumb (right-handed shooters) to the ample thumb rest. It’s not quite a throttle, and maybe it is only due to some compromise between opinions in the design process.
It could be more aggressive in shape and texture. But at what cost to the shooter and the manufacturing process?
Operating the Echelon 4.0C
The trigger guard is undercut in two places, while the undercut toward the front of the trigger guard gets texturing. It gives you that +.05% increase in performance and feel. At this level, everything matters.
While we’re here, let’s address the trigger. The feel is mechanical and precise for a stock striker-fired pistol. Initial take-up is light, rapidly getting to the wall. After that, a slow press reveals what some might call creep. I think it’s just actuation.
It’s not gritty or grindy and doesn’t wander from press to press. It’s always the same with a pronounced break and proper reset. Remember, it’s a carry gun, and the functional movements are as such.
This is not a competition gun. I dare say this trigger is very much like one of my all-time favorite Springfield pistols—the original XD Tactical. That pistol moved me out of the Glock arena and into a world filled with other options. I pulled it out of the safe to compare the feel between them. Yes, they are very similar.
The slide allows the operator to charge the pistol from at least four different places—five if you include the Vortex Defender-ST optic. These include the front and rear cocking serrations, which is an understatement. They should, at the least, be called manipulation cuts.
There is a bump-out in front of the ejection port and another at the very rear of the pistol. It’s as if someone was committed to the pistol being operable by the mass of the masses. No shooter left behind, if you will.
The Compact Blaster on the Range
On the range, the Echelon 4.0C is capable of great feats. Maybe no greater than other pistols—it could just be that confidence thing rearing its beautiful head.
We all know that pistol shooting is a massive mind game. And if you don’t have to fight the processes, your mind and body are free to execute the instinctual movements and skills of upper-level shooters. Comfortable ergos, and excellent pointability add to this.
I took the Echelon 4.0C to a training session with a mentor and now friend who shoots a pistol better than anyone I’ve ever witnessed. I don’t say that lightly. In fact, because of the implication, I say it with a modicum of fear.
At any rate, there was one particular drill that he decided to hoist upon my shoulders. One that immediately called out the voices of doubt and negativity that many shooters can feel within training environments.
He took his knife, cut a slit in each of our targets. In those slits, he placed business cards so that all you could see was the edge of said card. I felt my confidence drain to my feet, and my inner voice erupted at the notion of what he was about to challenge me to do. “Don’t do it,” I thought to myself.
Well, I Did It
“Ok, here’s the drill: we will shoot at the card at three different distances, three, five, and seven yards. You have to split the card to move to the next distance. You have a total of 15 rounds to do so. If you fail to split the card or run out of ammo, you’re out. The one with the most rounds at the end wins.”
“Maybe I can do this,” I thought. Three yards ain’t so bad. Then he said, “Support hand only at three yards.”
“Ugh! there it is. I’m out.” I said to myself.
I finished the entire drill, out to seven yards, with one round left over. Three business cards split—from a precision rifle shooter. I lost to my mentor, but I’d expect to. He had four rounds left over. Not bad for my first time ever attempting such a feat.
I must note that the Vortex Defender-ST is an excellent companion to the 4.0C. The optic has an ample window, and I like the side controls. It sits low in the well-designed optics cut of the Echelon, which needs its own feature. It looks good on the pistol, too.
Believe the Hype
I can’t guarantee your experience with the Echelon 4.0C will be the same as mine. Heck, you may not even like the pistol. All I can say is I know it works. And I know it works well. I know it shoots, and I know it shoots well with less effort than other pistols.
I have “smaller” pistols that I can carry concealed. However, when I open the safe, it’s more and more the Echelon 4.0C that I’m stuffing into my pants, along with the excellent Safariland INCOG-X holster, which is rather amazing in its own right. It’s super comfortable and functional and allows me to carry the Echelon well hidden, even in t-shirts. Well done Safariland.
In the end, it’s a compact version of the full-size Echelon. And well done at that. Time will tell how the 4.0C pans out in long-term, high-round count testing. It’s impossible to know that right now. That aside, there’s a lot of hype about this new pistol. Believe it.
For more information, please visit SpringfieldArmory.com.
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C Specs
Type | Semi-auto striker fired |
Frame | Polymer |
Length | 7.25 inches |
Weight | 24 ounces |
Caliber | 9mm |
Capacity | 15+1/18+1 |
Barrel | 4 in, hammer forged |
Sights | Tritium/Luminescent front, Tactical Rack U-Dot rear |
Finish | Black Melonite |
MSRP | $679 |
Performance
Fiocchi Range Dynamics 115 gr. | |
Velocity | 1108 fps |
Standard Deviation | 25.9 fps |
Group Size | .94 inches |
Hornady Critical Duty +P 135 gr. | |
Velocity | 1115 fps |
Standard Deviation | 9 fps |
Group Size | 1.94 inches |
Winchester Defender Bonded JHP 147 gr. | |
Velocity | 1015 fps |
Standard Deviation | 13.5 fps |
Group Size | 1.66 inches |
Federal Syntec Defense SJHP 138 gr. | |
Velocity | 1094 fps |
Standard Deviation | 4.5 fps |
Group Size | 1.89 inches |
Winchester USA Ready 115 gr. | |
Velocity | 1216 fps |
Standard Deviation | 10.4 fps |
Group Size | 3 inches |