Overview
Springfield Armory and Croatian firearms maker HS Produkt have been working together in the polymer-framed striker-fired handgun space for a quarter century, first on the XD series, then the well-liked Hellcat, and since 2023, the modular Echelon. We've reviewed the full-sized 4.5F, the 4.0C Compact, and the 4.0C Comp since then and have found few issues to complain about. They run.
Going beyond that, Springfield has had some notable success with the Echelon on the LE market, as witnessed by the December 2024 adoption by the St. Louis County Police Department – with nearly 1,000 officers – as the agency's duty pistol in a $2.1 million contract, adding some fire to the company's smoke about the new pistol's reliability and performance. There have been other significant LE contract awards as well.
Now, the newest addition to Springfield's Echelon catalog is the 4.0FC. It is the same length and general specs as the Echelon 4.0C, save for the fact that the grip is more full-sized, which bumps the height up just 0.385 inches and provides better ergonomics and a higher magazine capacity (17+1 round flush-fit and 20+ extended fit vs. 15+1 and 18+1). It is also an ounce heavier.
For full disclosure, Springfield sent Guns.com this Echelon 4.0FC for review purposes. All testing was done on this one pistol, which has been under evaluation since November 2025.
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: 5.5 inches, 6.5 with extended mag (sans optics)
- Magazine capacity: 17+1 round flush-fit, and 20+1 extended (ships with both)
- Trigger pull: 4.9 pounds (10-pull average).
- Weight, with empty 17-round magazine: 24 ounces, no optics
- Weight, loaded and equipped: 40.1 ounces (with 20+1 rounds of 124-grain 9mm Speer Gold Dot JHP, Surefire X300T light, and Vortex Defender-ST micro red dot installed)
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MRD Optic Footprint: Variable Interface System, direct mount with pin system.
Features
The heart of the Echelon system is its internal fire control group, which Springfield calls its Central Operating 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 COG can be removed from the grip frame and swapped over to different-sized (or color, or aftermarket from the likes of Icarus Precision and others) grips in seconds, a user can better semi-customize their pistol. The Echelon 4.0FC comes standard with the modified full grip module installed along with three interchangeable backstraps.
Of note, Springfield has the Echelon 4.0FC grip modulelisted in its online store in three colors for $65. Simply remove the steel COG, which is the "guts" of the pistol, and insert it into a different Echelon 4.0FC module, reattach the slide assembly and barrel, and you are good to go.
Trigger
The trigger on the Echelon feels decent for a striker-fired pistol and has a short and light takeup to a wall before breaking at just under 5 pounds on average. The reset is short and is both tactile and audible.
In action, below.
Powder River Precision offers a complete trigger kit (runs $150-180) that drops pull weight to 4.5 pounds and sharpens the break. We haven't tested it, but user reports are positive. Apex Tactical also announced they're developing Echelon triggers, so there is that.
Reliability
We ran just over 500 rounds through the Echelon 4.0FC throughout four range sessions. This was on a pistol right from the box with no additional lube or treatments. The ammo used was primarily Remington's bulk pack 115-grain Range FMJ, along with several Federal loads (115-grain Syntech Range, 147-grain Syntech Training Match, and 150-grain Syntech Action Pistol), as well as Blazer 115-grain FMJs. Personal protection loads included Federal Punch 124 and Speer Gold Dot 124 JHPs.
We had zero malfunctions. The Echelon was almost boring to shoot.
Accuracy
The Vortex is a 3-MOA red dot, and the Echelon allowed it to keep that claim intact. We found it to have practical accuracy evaluated and confirmed out to 25 yards.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- G19X/G45-sized but far more modular.
- Excellent optics mounting system.
- Great sights.
- Reliable.
- Good ergos.
- Disassembles without pulling the trigger.
Cons
- The trigger isn't bad but could be better.
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Proprietary magazines that run $35.
Conclusion
The Echelon 4.0FC is a sort of Swiss Army knife of practical 9mm pistols. It is an excellent multi-purpose handgun for either home defense – especially with a good weapon-mounted light – or carry, and is still fun to shoot on the range. Its retail asking price of $710 still comes in cheaper than the new crop of Gen 6 Glocks, which includes a G45 model, while offering an interchangeable fire control unit, a takedown that doesn't require pulling the trigger, and arguably a much more versatile optic footprint.
