[Review] Compact Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C: Better Than Glock?

Springfield Armory’s Echelon was a highly praised full-size handgun, so it’s no surprise the company dove into the compact game with a brand new, smaller pistol.

The Springfield Armory Echelon Compact is a lighter, compact, 15-round version with similar features and ergonomics as its older, bigger brother.

But does it have the same appeal? And, more importantly, can it keep up with you on the range or in a holster? We did some extensive testing on the Echelon Compact to find out.

So follow along as we walk you through its notable features and take it to the range or watch the video review on the Springfield Echelon 4.0C below!

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C Specs & Features

Specs

• Caliber: 9mm
• Barrel Length: 4"
• Overall Length: 7.25"
• Height: 5.125"
• Grip Width: 1.2"
• Weight: 24 oz

Features

• Tritium/Luminescent Front, Tactical Rack U-Dot Rear Sights
• Comes with one 15-round and one 18-round magazine

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C

$599

at Sportsman's Warehouse

Prices accurate at time of writing

$599 at Sportsman's Warehouse

Brownells (see price)

GrabAGun (see price)

How We Tested the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact

To test the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact, we shot 500 rounds of both practice ammo and defensive ammo to see how it would feed and shoot.

Ammo included:

• AAC 115g
• Monarch 115g
• Federal HST 115g
• Remington HTP 115g

We shot 5-round groups starting at 5 yards and eventually backing up to 45 yards to assess accuracy. A Vortex ST Defender red dot was used to help with those longer shots. We also used a Ransom Rest while shooting to remove shooter error and get an accurate gauge of how well shots landed on target.

A Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge was also employed to assess the actual trigger pull, using the average of three trigger pulls.

A Little Backstory

Springfield’s Hellcat line of handguns has become extremely popular, proving to be exceptionally reliable. Immediately following the success of the Hellcat line, Springfield took another stab into the full-size, striker-fired market with the Echelon.

As saturated as the handgun market is at this point, the designers at Springfield knew they had to bring non-standard features to the table to make any sort of splash. The Echelon certainly delivered on this necessity, sporting a patent pending optics mounting system that allowed for the direct mount of over 30 different optics without the use of a plate.

Adding to the customization features of the pistol, the Central Operating Group found in the Echelon is remarkably similar to the easily swappable FCUs found in the Sig Sauer P320 and P365 lineup of guns.

Having an easily moveable, serialized FCU allows the manufacturer and aftermarket to flourish in new customization options for a handgun family. Springfield has evolved the Echelon series now with a full-size option and a compact option.

Who Is the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact For?

The Echelon Compact will be an answered prayer for those who love the original Echelon but want a smaller, lighter version for concealed carry.

Sporting the same features as the original Echelon but in a smaller, compact format, those with smaller hands will welcome the new 15-round grip frame. With the interchangeability of the Central Operating Group, the market will be able to develop endless customization options for the Echelon handgun family.

For shooters who do not own an Echelon and are searching for an optics-ready compact handgun that does not require optic plates for mounting an RDS, the Echelon Compact is an excellent choice.

Ergonomics: Fit & Feel

Creating ergonomics that work well with most people is a tough task. Shooters have many different hand sizes, shapes, and preferences, making it almost impossible to please everyone.

That said, the ergonomics on the Echelon Compact’s grip are some of the best I have experienced in the striker-fired, polymer handgun world. The grip feels less like a 2x4, as many striker-fired handguns do, and more like a mold to your hand.

It gets ever so slightly thinner as you move up toward the slide, and the bell bottoms a bit wider toward the bottom. In my shooting experience with the gun, this is a good design. Narrowing the grip towards the top allowed me to reach the magazine release with minimal hand movement, which makes a big difference in speed and consistency during reloads.

Aside from the performance benefit, shooters with smaller hands will benefit from a safety perspective, not having to shift their hand around too far to drop the magazine when clearing the handgun safe. Adjustable back straps included with the Echelon Compact also allow a shorter or deeper front-to-back grip to accommodate different hand sizes.

Springfield Armory has released multiple grip sizes for the full-size Echelon, catering to different hand sizes. I’m sure they will follow suit with the Echelon Compact.

One of my favorite ergo features with the Echelon Compact is the placement of the slide catch.

On the surface, it wouldn’t seem to matter where the slide catch rests in the frame. However, when you push performance with slide-lock reloads, the Echelon’s slide-lock placement means shooters with smaller hands can drop the slide on a slide-lock reload without shifting the hand, using the support thumb, or racking the slide with the support hand.

This design also improves safety when locking the gun to the rear, as the shooter doesn’t have to shift their hand into a compromised position.

The Echelon Compact includes a defined thumb ledge for the firing hand thumb during single-handed shooting, which I don’t use with my single-handed firing technique. I personally wish manufacturers would stop adding this and just replace it with a full grip texture, but many of the grip egos with this gun are certainly a step in the right direction.

Grip Texture

The Echelon Compact's grip texture is excellent. Springfield calls it the “adaptive grip texture,” which is smooth to the skin for carry but bites down when pressure is applied to lock in the grip.

I can confirm from the hundreds of rounds placed through the gun the grip texture works as advertised. I didn’t experience any shifting of the grip in my hands during long strings of fire.

One of my favorite features of the grip texture is that Springfield extended it to the top of the frame. I have beaten a dead horse at this point with how many manufacturers end the grip texture too low on the frame. I am excited to see Springfield carry the torch for improving the placement of grip texture on their handguns.

In practice, the entire texturing contacts my support hand with a proper shooting grip, which improves traction and aids in recoil control.

Slide Ergonomics

The Echelon Compact's slide ergonomics are top-tier. Serrations on the top of the slide allow for slide manipulation, and Springfield added a few small details that make a big difference.

Toward the front of the gun, multiple deep serrations sit in a subdued portion of the slide. This design allows for easy press checks, and the shelf moving toward the rear on the front serrations gives your finger a physical stop so it cannot slip off.

The rear serrations include a flared slide, which is extremely useful for shooters who prefer to use the slingshot method when loading the gun or clearing a malfunction. These design features tell a lot about the research and input from actual shooters used to design the Echelon and Echelon Compact.

Optics & Sights

One of my favorite features included in the Echelon Lineup is the optics mounting system.

Over the past five or so years, the popularity of red dot optics on handguns has exploded into the mainstream. I remember attending shooting courses early in my training journey where not a single student was running an RDS on their handgun.

Now, the tables have certainly turned, and you would be hard-pressed to show up to any class or match where the majority of people aren’t running red dots on their handguns. Springfield has done an excellent job of not only keeping up with the times but pushing the industry forward to where we should be going.

In my opinion, the variable optics mounting system is the perfect OEM/factory optic mounting solution. Combining various screw hole positions with post holes allows the user to direct mount an extremely wide variety of optics to the handgun. I personally have always been a fan of direct mounting optics when possible to eliminate an added failure point by having a plate mounted to the slide between the optic.

Another added benefit to the optics mounting system on the Echelon Compact is just how low the optic sits on the slide. Some users may not care, but I certainly can tell the difference when presenting the handgun off the draw, the ease of acquiring my dot when the optic sits deeper into the slide.

Our Echelon Compact came with the Vortex Defender ST installed, which is the big brother to the Defender CCW I carry on my own EDC Gun.

Vortex Defender-ST

$299

at Amazon

Prices accurate at time of writing

$299 at Amazon

Battlehawk Armory (see price)

Brownells (see price)

MidwayUSA (see price)

For those not interested in running an RDS, the iron sights included on the Echelon Compact are among the best factory sights. The U-Notch rear with the Bright Green front post is extremely fast to acquire, allowing for quick target acquisition up close, but not so thick that taking shots at a farther distance will be too difficult.

Trigger

Surprisingly enough, the trigger on the Echelon Compact is pretty good for a striker-fired gun! One of my biggest complaints with the Hellcat line from Springfield is the trigger. Extremely heavy and gritty, shooting the Hellcat models at a distance and for precision is more difficult than shooting other guns in its class. Luckily, the Echelon and Echelon Compact did not follow suit.

Using a Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge, we were averaging mid- to low-4-pound trigger pulls. For most users, this is going to be a sweet spot for a trigger weight. I personally like light, crisp triggers, but not everyone will feel comfortable with that.

In terms of trigger “feel,” the trigger is definitely on the better side for a striker-fired gun. Your trigger press will begin with some pre-travel to a defined wall, some added pressure will reveal a very small amount of creep, and then the gun will go off.

The best way I could describe this trigger press is predictable. With every shot, I knew exactly at what point past the wall the gun was going to fire. This allows for high shot accountability and, in the right hands, the ability to exploit accuracy at a distance.

How Does the Echelon 4.0C Shoot?

Shooting experience is somewhat vague and difficult to convey over text without actually handling a gun yourself. That said, I shot the Echelon Compact side by side with a Glock 19 for direct comparison.

In terms of recoil impulse, shooting the Echelon Compact felt extremely similar to shooting the G19. I shot them back to back multiple times, and not surprisingly, the two guns tracked almost exactly the same.

They are basically the same gun dimensionally; however, I noticed the Echelon Compact's somewhat thicker and more pronounced beaver tail protected my thumb from slide bite much better than the Glock 19's.

While the Glock is a great gun, the trigger and grip ergonomics are certainly better on the Echelon Compact, in my opinion. If you have spent any amount of time shooting a compact-sized handgun such as the Glock 19, Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0, CZ P10-C, etc, you will feel right at home shooting the Echelon Compact.

I shot most of my drills on USPSA targets, which were around 5 to 10 yards, and steel targets out to about 45 yards. While the recoil impulse wasn’t anything to write home about compared to other compact guns, I immediately noticed the ergonomic enhancements on the Echelon Compact.

My reloads were much easier with the placement of the magazine release and slide catch, and racking the slide inspired much more confidence with the deep serrations and wing on the back of the slide.

Accuracy & Reliabilty

To test the accuracy of the Echelon Compact, we used a tripod rest at 7 yards, firing 5 round groups. To gauge reliability and accuracy, we used AAC 115g, Monarch 115g, Federal HST 115g, and Remington HTP 115g.

Using a tripod certainly removes a lot of shooter error from the equation but does not eliminate human input altogether. That said, we had good accuracy results from the Echelon Compact.

All groups were less than 1.5 inches, while two different ammo types grouped less than 1 inch. Having an optic on the gun certainly helped, and the predictability of the trigger allowed me to squeeze as tight a group as I possibly could.

Like with most guns, the practical accuracy of the gun is going to be highly dependent on the skill of the shooter. The Echelon Compact will be as accurate as you can make it.

During the more than 500 rounds we fired through the Echelon Compact, we experienced zero malfunctions of any kind. The full-size Echelon has been out for over a year and has proven to be a reliable platform, and the Echelon Compact follows suit.

What Sets the Echelon Compact Apart?

In today’s heavily saturated handgun market, it’s difficult to introduce features and changes that haven’t already been done.

While nothing on the Echelon Compact is “new,” this handgun continues the feature set introduced with the original Echelon. Users will find the direct optic mounting system easier and more user-friendly for a wider variety of optics than systems offered by other manufacturers.

The aftermarket has already begun introducing non-OEM grip modules that can be swapped easily with the serialized operating group. I’m sure that with time, we will see a wider variety of OEM and non-OEM frames and other parts for the Echelon Compact and Echelon family.

By the Numbers

Ergonomics: 5/5

The ergonomics of the Echelon Compact are solid and fit a variety of hand sizes. The controls are easy to access without having to slide your hands around.

Accuracy: 4/5

During testing, we saw 1-1.5 inch groupings, which were decent for a compact gun.

Reliability: 5/5

We had zero malfunctions over the course of 500 rounds.

Customization: 4/5

The Echelon aftermarket is growing, and with the ability to throw on a red dot, you have some options.

Value: 4/5

The Echelon Compact is on par with most of its colleagues in the compact arena. Though not as budget-friendly as, say, a PSA Dagger, it is competitive with the M&P 2.0 and Glock 19.

Overall: 4.5/5

Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C

$599

at Sportsman's Warehouse

Prices accurate at time of writing

$599 at Sportsman's Warehouse

Brownells (see price)

GrabAGun (see price)

Upgrades for the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact

Good practice ammo is a must for training! We recommend AAC 115-grain 9mm for your range needs.

AAC 9mm 115 Grain FMJ 100 Round Box

$25

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$25 at Palmetto State Armory

Also, grab a pair of ears and eyes if you don’t have any already...or if you do, but you want some more comfort. We might be biased (since it's our brand), but our favorites are the ShellShock Protection Combo.

ShellShock Premium Eyes & Ears Combo (Electronic)

$135

at ShellShock Protection

Prices accurate at time of writing

$135 at ShellShock Protection

The Echelon Compact pairs well with a red dot. For this review, we used a Vortex Defender ST.

Vortex Defender-ST

$299

at Amazon

Prices accurate at time of writing

$299 at Amazon

Battlehawk Armory (see price)

Brownells (see price)

MidwayUSA (see price)

Why Trust Pew Pew Tactical

Behind the Echelon Compact in this review is Preston Hughes, a former emergency room and trauma RN with plenty of shooting experience. He attended the North Texas Police Academy before having to leave due to a shoulder injury. Preston is a competition shooter and owner of the Citizen Response channel on YouTube. His expertise lies in pistols, concealed carry, and competition shooting. Preston led the research, testing, and evaluation of the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact using his extensive experience as a competition shooter and concealed carrier.

Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers and edited this review. She is an NRA-certified Basic Pistol Instructor as well as a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. With 2,000+ articles to her name, she uses her professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards for Pew Pew Tactical. Jacki personally a few Springfield Armory handguns, including the original Springfield Armory XD and XD Mod.2 as well as a 1911.

Final Verdict

Springfield Armory’s Echelon Compact brings an excellent feature set to a heavily saturated Compact handgun market. While nothing is “new,” it definitely works and feels good in the hand while shooting.

The Echelon Compact targets the concealed carry market but shouldn’t be ignored as a “do it all” handgun.

What do you think of the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. For more concealed carry handguns, check out our guide to the Best Concealed Carry Handguns.