First Shots: Springfield Armory Echelon Compact

It just got easier to carry the Echelon.

by
posted on December 3, 2024
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Springfield Armory is releasing the new Echelon 4.0C 9mm, a duty-grade compact pistol engineered for everyday carry. Developed from the award-winning full-size Echelon 4.5F, the Echelon 4.0C continues that tradition of performance, but with a shorter 4-inch barrel and a more-compact frame for enhanced concealability.

Inside the fully ambidextrous Echelon 4.0C is the patent-pending Central Operating Group. Using cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, the stainless-steel chassis is entirely self-contained and is the serialized part of the firearm. The result is a system that is easily moved between available grip modules in seconds. The pistol comes standard with the small grip module and three interchangeable backstraps, while medium and large grip modules can be purchased separately.

Adding to the Echelon 4.0C adaptability is the Variable Interface System, which uses patent-pending self-locking pins to mount a red-dot optic, ensuring a consistent and reliable match between point of aim and point of impact. The pins can be positioned to fit the footprints of a wide range of popular optics to allow for a wide range of optics to be directly mounted to the slide of the Echelon 4.0C

The Echelon 4.0C comes standard with two magazines: A flush-fit, 15-round magazine and an extended 18-round magazine. Both magazines feature a scratch- and wear-resistant blacked-out coating for rugged durability and hard use.

The Echelon 4.0C is offered in numerous variants, featuring a choice of a U-notch rear sight and a tritium/luminescent front dot or three-dot tritium night sights. Additionally, the pistol is offered in reduced-capacity models with U-Dot sights in 15- and 10-round capacities for restricted locales. Lastly, the Echelon 4.0C is also offered in an extended threaded barrel variant with tritium three-dot sights.

“The full-size Echelon 4.5F was engineered from the ground up to be today’s most advanced striker-fired pistol,” said Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s Vice President of Marketing. “The new Echelon 4.0C takes everything that made the original so popular, and sizes it down to offer users an exceptional and concealable duty-grade EDC pistol.”

MSRP for the Echelon 5.0C varies from $679 to $739, depending on the model, and more information on this new pistol and other products from Springfield Armory is available at springfield-armory.com.

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