Springfield Armory Echelon: New Modular 9mm

We often see manufacturers throw one or two upgrades into an existing product line and market it as the “next big thing.” I’m happy to report that the Springfield Armory Echelon does not follow that trend.

With multiple patent-pending features, the Echelon offers a new level of modularity and versatility that we have not seen from Springfield. It may give off some vibes of another popular modular handgun on the market, but I’m here to tell you, it brings much more to the table than meets the eye.

Table of Contents

Origin Story
First Impressions Matter
Features Galore
Specs
Reliability
Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Final Thoughts

Origin Story

Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm semi auto handgun — The gun at the end of the tunnel looks like a winner. (Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

Springfield threw a lot of people off with a recent social media post featuring a sword and the letter “N.” I’ll be honest, even I’m still a bit confused about what exactly it meant. I can, however, help clear up where the name “the Echelon” came from.

Echelon refers to a military formation that dates back thousands of years. Instead of troops assembling in straight lines, echelon formations employ staggered diagonal lines of troops. It was employed as a tactic by some of the greatest generals of ancient times and is still employed in modern militaries today. This formation wound up turning battles when first employed against more traditional straight lines. So, in the spirit of innovation, Springfield chose to call this new modular pistol the Echelon.

I’ve been hitting the range with the Echelon over the last couple of weeks and have managed to get a few hundred rounds through it. I wish I could have put more, but don’t you worry, there will be plenty more rounds going through it soon.

Now that I’ve spent some quality time with the gun, I can give you my honest opinion about where the Echelon shines or falls short. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t fall short in many places.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS MATTER

Picking the Echelon up out of the box instantly reminded me of my Hellcat Pro, due to the adaptive grip texture and U-notch/tritium sight combination. In hand, it feels somewhat like a beefier version of the Hellcat Pro, which is not a bad thing.

That’s about where the close similarities start and stop, though. The star of the show is the central operating group (COG) at the heart of the Echelon. There is a patent-pending optic mounting system that allows for the direct mounting of over 30 optics, and it comes with 17- and 20-round magazines.

Then you have what I call a “tactically aggressive” slide packed with features, an improved trigger, and ambidextrous controls, to name a few of the other goodies.

Oh, and I almost forgot, it shipped with a pre-mounted Trijicon RMR Type 2! Not sure about the specifics or if there will be a variant offering the RMR Type 2 in a bundle, but I’m not complaining.

FEATURES GALORE

That’s an impressive list of optics that can be mounted directly on the Echelon, as shown with the RMR at right. (Chart from Springfield Armory; Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

Arguably the most welcomed feature of the Echelon, the COG allows you to move between different grip modules quickly and easily, with no tools required. The Echelon comes with a medium grip module, but a small and large module will be available to purchase separately.

See how the RMR is directly mounted to the slide? It’s just one of over 30 optics that can do that. The new variable interface system (VIS) uses self-locking pins to allow the user to configure the necessary optic footprint, without needing to use any plates. That’s a huge plus for me, since I’m always having the hardest time tracking down the right plates when I switch optics between guns.

The slide has features I didn’t even know I wanted, such as the trench cut in the front, while ambidextrous controls and tons of texturing finish off the Echelon nicely. (Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

The slide also got some serious attention. It has aggressive front and rear serrations, a forward trench cut, and a flare in the rear. All of this means a handgun that’s super easy to rack and press check.

Springfield went with completely ambidextrous controls (not just reversible), an oversized and undercut trigger guard, and even added some textured indexing points for added control. Within that trigger guard is a light and consistent trigger with a crisp break and a quick reset.

There really isn’t much else to ask for, except maybe some taller sights and a larger slide stop lever (it’s a bit on the small side).

SPECS

Not only is the Echelon well-balanced, it balances well. (Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 20+1, 17+1
Barrel Length: 4.5 inches
Overall Length: 8 inches
Width: 1.2 inches
Height (flush mag): 5.5 inches
Height (extended mag): 6.5 inches
Weight (flush mag): 1.49 pounds
Weight (extended mag): 1.52 pounds
Sights: Tactical rack U-notch rear with a tritium/luminescent front

RELIABILITY

As I usually do with new guns, I made sure to run several different loads through it to ensure it wasn’t picky. With the variety of below ammo, I have managed to squeeze 400 rounds through the Echelon in the short amount of time I’ve had it. Out of those 400 rounds, I had no malfunctions.

115-grain Fiocchi Range Dynamics FMJ
115-grain Blazer Brass FMJ
115-grain Hornady Critical Defense Flex Tip
115-grain Hornady Zombie Max
135-grain Hornady Critical Duty Flex Lock

Just some of the ammo that fed the Echelon during my testing period. (Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

From taking my time dialing in the RMR, to dumping “a few” magazines, to running drills such as the "Failure to Stop" and "3-2-1," the Echelon performed wonderfully. Even with alternating loads within the same magazine, the Echelon didn’t skip a beat.

ACCURACY

Shooting fast at 10 yards on the left, while slowing it down but setting the target to 15 yards on the right. There were six shots on the right target. (Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

Let’s be honest, when your pistol comes with an optic as nice as the RMR Type 2, you kind of skip the “accuracy curve” of the pistol itself. I did, however, make sure to use the iron sights for at least a third or so of my shooting, as well.

A 17-round and 20-round magazine come standard with the Echelon. (Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

Since I just got the Echelon only a couple of weeks ago, I haven’t been able to hit the outdoor range with it, but I was able to go to my local indoor range three times. I had no issues out to the 25-yard mark where the range ended. I mostly focused my shooting between 7 and 15 yards while running various drills, and my groupings were tight and consistent after only a few magazines.

It's safe to say that this gun can out-shoot my abilities – and I’m okay saying that! I’d rather have a gun that can outperform my skills than the opposite.

PROS & CONS

Pros:

Direct optic mounting via the Variable Interface System
High modularity thanks to the Central Operating Group
Tritium front sight
Adaptive grip texture is great
Easy-to-use and functional slide
Clean trigger and large trigger guard
Ambidextrous controls
Reliable and accurate

Cons:

It would have been nice to have some taller sights.
The slide stop lever is disproportionately small.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Springfield Armory Echelon handgun — One last look at the Echelon at home opposite its 20-round magazine. (Photo: Ryan Domke/Guns.com)

To say this is a well-rounded handgun would be an understatement. I always recommend testing a gun out for yourself before buying one, but if you did decide to impulse-buy the Echelon, I don’t think you’d be disappointed. I can easily see the Echelon filling a duty gun role, competition gun role, home defense role, or a combination of them all.

I’m looking forward to hearing what you guys and gals think of the Echelon, so drop your thoughts in the comments below! If you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. Stay safe!