1. Guns.com
  2. News
  3. Reviews
  4. Review of the New Springfield Armory Compact Echelon 4.0C 9mm

Billed by Springfield Armory as "a duty-grade compact pistol engineered for carry," the company has cut down its popular full-size Echelon 4.5F to a more versatile compact format in the new  Echelon 4.0C.

Table of Contents
 
Overview
The Specs
Features
Trigger
Reliability
Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Conclusion

Overview

 

Introduced by Springfield Armory in July 2023, the Echelon 4.5F offered a new level of modularity and versatility not seen by the company to include a serialized chassis-based fire control group-- dubbed the Central Operating Group-- as well as a novel optic mounting system that allows for the direct mounting (with no plates) of over 30 optics. 

 

Related Review: The Springfield Armory Echelon 4.5F.

 

With that in mind, think shorter and a skosh more compact and you have the new Echelon 4.0C.

 

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The Echelon 4.0C has an overall length of 7.25 inches due to its 4-inch barrel. Shipping with both a flush-fit 15-round mag (shown) as well as an extended 18-round mag, height varies between 5-to-6 inches depending on which one is inserted. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
Weight is 24 ounces unloaded. The Vortex Defender-ST micro red dot is not standard. It ships standard with a U-notch rear sight and a tritium/luminescent front dot. 

 
At launch, the Echelon 4.0C will be available in five models including three with the standard U-Notch rear sight system but shipping with 18/15, 15 (2), and 10-round (2) magazines for state compliance models. The standard U-Notch guns run $679 when it comes to MSRP. A fourth model, complete with a Tritium 3-Dot night sight system has an ask of $719 while a fifth, with both night sights and an extended threaded barrel, runs $739. The only color available, at least for now, is matte black. 

 

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol vs Hellcat Pro
The Echelon 4.0C, developed and produced by Croatia-based HS Produkt, which also makes the XD, Hellion, and Hellcat series for Springfield feels very Hellcat Pro-ish and is only slightly larger. Note the same style of the U-Notch sight system and grip texture. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol vs Operator
Likewise, here it is compared to a Commander-sized Springfield Operator 1911, for reference. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol compared to Glock
And against the Glock 49, SIG P365 X-Carry Comp, and CZ P09. 

 

For full disclosure, Springfield Armory sent Guns.com a standard version of the Echelon 4.0C for review purposes. All further testing was done on this one gun, which has been under evaluation since November.

 

The Specs

 

  • Overall length: 7.25 inches
  • Barrel length: 4 inches 
  • Sight radius: 6.1 inches
  • Overall width: 1.2 inches at the widest point over grip, slide is 1 inch.
  • Overall height including standard mag: 5.125 ­inches, 6.125 with extended mag (sans optics)
  • Magazine capacity: 15+1 rounder flush fit, and 18+1 extended (ships with both)
  • Trigger pull: 4.9 pounds (10-pull average).
  • Weight, with empty 15-round magazine: 24 ounces, no optics
  • Weight, loaded: 33.8 ounces (with 18+1 rounds of 124-grain 9mm Speer Gold Dot JHP and Vortex Defender-ST micro red dot installed)
  • MRD Optic Footprint: Variable Interface System

 

Features

 

The heart of the Echelon system is its internal fire control group. This sets it apart from many other polymer-framed striker-fired guns such as the company's own XD and Hellcat series or Glocks. As the serialized Central Operating Group can be removed from the grip frame and swapped over to different sized (and or color at some point in the future) grips in seconds, a user can better semi-customize their pistol. The Echelon 4.0C comes standard with the small grip module installed along with three interchangeable backstraps, while medium and large grip modules can be purchased separately.

For reference, Springfield has these modules on pre-order for $65-- including options for FDE and OD colorways. Further, expect people like Icarus Precision-- who already plan a full 7075 billet grip module for the 4F, to get on the 4.0C bandwagon pretty quickly. 

 

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
Take-down is easy on an Echelon, sans ammo and magazine, via a left-side take-down lever that allows the slide and barrel assembly to slide off without pulling the trigger. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The basics of the Echelon 4.0C. Note the polymer guide rod with a captive recoil spring.
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The steel COG can be seen inside the polymer grip frame module. Simply remove the unit, which is the "guts" of the pistol, and insert it into a different Echelon 4.0C module, reattach the slide and barrel, and you are good to go. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The slide, which features a flared cut at the rear for easy manipulation, recalls the new slide geometry seen on Springfield's XD Mod.3.
 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The heavy trench cut on the front of the slide likewise gives users a natural index location for press checks (some folks just love them) and charging the pistol. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The 4.0C ships with a 15-round flush magazine and an 18-round extended magazine. The difference in height between the two is only an inch. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
Besides the mags, the 4.0C includes a branded zipper bag and interchangeable backstraps as well as a mag loader and a pinky extension for the flush-fit mag. For reference, the mags are made of stainless steel with a steel wire spring and polymer followers and floorplates.
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The texture is 360 degrees around the grip and is understated but feels great. If you have ever picked up a Hellcat, it wears the same "skin." Note the dimple around the magwell and corresponding stippling on the magazine floorplate to assist with stripping a stuck mag, if needed. We didn't experience such an issue in testing, but it is nice to have. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
Note the high undercut to the trigger guard to allow for a higher grip which translates to better control.
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
While the U-Notch rear/fiber-optic front is quick to catch the eye, all Echelon models are what Springfield lists as "Optical Sight Pistol" or OSP capable. When it comes to the footprint, the flush-fitting Variable Interface System, which uses self-locking pins, offers fits for something like 30 different red/green dots. Note how low the deck is on the Vortex. 
Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
Another interesting feature of the Echelon is the fact that it has fully ambidextrous slide catch levers and magazine releases. While the mag release is easy to operate, the slide lever is a bit small and awkward. However, for those who "slingshot" their slides into battery, the latter issue is moot. 

 

Trigger

 

The trigger on the Echelon feels decent for a striker-fired pistol and has a short and light take-up to a wall before breaking at just under 5 pounds on average. The reset is short and is both tactile and audible. The trigger includes an integral safety lever that must be depressed before the bow itself moves. 

In action, below.

 

 

Reliability

 

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
We ran just over 500 rounds through the Echelon 4.0C throughout four range sessions. This was on a pistol right from the box with no additional lube or treatments. The ammo used was primarily Federal's 115-grain Syntech Range, 147-grain Syntech Training Match, and 150-grain Syntech Action Pistol, along with Blazer 115-grain FMJs. Personal protection loads included Federal Punch 124 and Speer Gold Dot 124 JHPs.

 

When it came to malfunctions, we noted only one, a failure to feed jam that was more than likely a user error (short stroke on a fresh mag). 

 

Accuracy

 

This is a carry pistol, not a comp or target gun, but the Echelon 4.0C had no problems either poking holes in paper or ringing steel out to 25 yards. The factory sights are great, and the VIS optic mount system remained rock solid throughout testing. 

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • G19-sized but far more modular
  • Excellent optics mounting system
  • Great sights
  • Reliable
  • Good ergos

Cons

  • Trigger could be better.
  • Limited holster fits, at least for now
  • Proprietary magazines

 

Conclusion

 

For the neat 30-year span between 1988, when the Glock 19 was introduced, and 2018 when the SIG P365 appeared, the 7.36-inch long, 4-inch barreled, 15+1 shot, 24-ounce unloaded G19 was the magic box of dimensions that every pistol maker chased. Today, we have the Echelon 4.0C, which is 7.25 inches long with a 4-inch barrel, uses 15+1/18+1 magazines, and is 24 ounces, unloaded. Unlike Glock, the Echelon can be swapped around multiple grip modules of varying size and color, and has, what I feel, a better and more adaptable optics mounting system than Glock's MOS plates.

Plus, it has ambi controls and much better sights. 

 

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C 9mm pistol
The Echelon 4.0C could offer a good multi-purpose pistol for either home defense, especially with a good weapon-mounted light, or carry. 

 

The only complaint I have is that the magazine pattern for the Echelon series is proprietary and replacements run about $35. Plus, being a new gun, holster fits are likely to be uncertain although I would imagine some for the 4.5F would likely fit. 

In terms of being as transparent as possible, I've EDC'd a Hellcat Pro for more than two years after reviewing it and have put thousands of rounds through it without issue. I trust it and I shoot dozens of new handguns a year but keep going back to the Croatian Sensation. The Echelon 4.0C feels much like a gently larger Hellcat Pro and it works.

Read More On:
revolver barrel loading graphic

Loading