Springfield Armory Echelon Review [Tested]

Throughout my career in law enforcement, I repeatedly saw a few brands of pistols being carried by fellow officers.

The usual list of suspects was Glock, Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, and the occasional exotic carried by some Tackleberry.

I almost never saw Springfield Armory issued to cops — but I suspect that's about to change. Recently, the Illinois-based firearms giant released the Echelon, a pistol spec’d out for duty use.

We can agree officers need accurate and dependable firearms, but is the Echelon up to the task?

Springfield sent us one prior to the release, and we took it out to the range to find out for ourselves.

Keep reading as we talk about the pros/cons, specs, and features, and take it to the range!

Springfield Armory Echelon

How We Tested the Springfield Armory Echelon

For this review, Sean spent hours tinkering with the gun at home to evaluate its ergonomics, ease of takedown, and features.

He then took it to the range for an extensive 1,000-round test using 124-grain JHP from Nosler, 124-grain FMJ from AAC, 115-grain JHP from Remington as well as Sig Sauer duty ammo. Range tests were conducted at 7 yards and consisted of 5-shot groups. We also tested the Echelon alongside a Lyman Digital Trigger Gauge to assess the average trigger pull.

Springfield Armory Echelon Specs & Features

Specs

• Caliber: 9mm
• Action: Striker-fired, semi-automatic
• Weight: 1.49 lbs
• Barrel Length: 4.5 in
• Overall Length: 8 in
• Magazine Capacity: 17+1 flush, 20+1 extended

Features

• 17 or 20-round magazines
• Fully ambidextrous controls
• Variable Interface System (VIS) optics mouting
• Interchangeable backstraps
• Central Operating Group (COG) modular chassis system
• Ambidextrous Controls: Slide stop and magazine release for left- or right-handed use
• Tritium front sight and U-dot rear or complete tritium 3-dot sights

Springfield Armory Echelon Background

There is no direct predecessor for the Echelon, though it makes sense that the XD series and Hellcats contributed some of their better qualities.

Just based on looks, the Echelon is very different from anything Springfield has done before.

Who Is the Echelon For?

It’s pretty clear from the marketing Springfield is jumping into the law enforcement market in a big way.

But most importantly, the feature set of this pistol is exactly what police agencies are looking for.

It’s one thing to have an accurate and reliable pistol, but making it adaptable to a wide variety of officers is a huge bonus.

Left-handed, big, small, and everything in between won’t have to suffer.

Of course, all these qualities and features make the Echelon a great option for anyone else. Concealed carriers, home defenders, and others will be well-served by this handgun.

Ergonomics: Fit & Feel

Grip

Unlike previous pistols from Springfield, the Echelon has a textured area around the entire base of the grip. The texture is like a medium sandpaper, fairly aggressive without being obnoxious.

The grip angle is fairly steep and points naturally. A moderate-sized beavertail graces the back of the frame, but it was enough to keep my hand from getting bit by the slide.

Springfield placed texture in other places on the Echelon, such as another panel below the slide and above the magazine release, on the takedown lever, and also on the bottom and front of the trigger guard.

They also included the texture in places that might give visual cues for reassembly. The outer portions of the recoil spring and back plate are examples of this.

Frame & Slide

The trigger guard itself is a good size. During the last 500 rounds, we heated up the gun enough to need gloves and had no problems getting to the trigger or controls.

The magazine well is not overtly flared but features some beveled edges on the interior, which aid insertion. There is also a beveled edge on the bottom of the grip that allows shooters to get good purchase on a magazine should it refuse to leave.

The steel-bodied mags fed reliably plus inserted and dropped cleanly when called upon to do so. Our test model included two 17-round magazines.

One had a flat floor plate, and the other featured a +3 extender (though another extender was in the box). Carriers of the Echelon could use the 17-round mag for concealed carry for less printing.

Springfield clearly spent some time on the slide, which features highly functional serrations, front and rear. There is also a shouldered ramp in front of the ejection port press checkers will appreciate.

This shouldered ramp is also present at the very back of the slide. Sling-shotters, or those who manipulate the slide with the thumb and index finger pinch, will rejoice at the extra grip afforded.

Controls & Sights

Controls are all ambidextrous and fully present, so no swapping need to take place. The magazine release has an indexing ramp, and the slide stop has a slightly raised fence around it.

The optics mount, called VIS, is cleanly done, with a series of holes and pins that allow over thirty different optics to mount directly to the slide.

In addition, the deep set of the optic cut allows co-witness with the irons Springfield included.

Our test model included steel, U-notch rear, and night sights-- these worked well. It appears another set with a three-dot will be an option too.

Trigger

The trigger is a great example of what can be accomplished with a striker-fired pistol. There is a gentle curve in the bow and a wide, flat surface. Its trigger safety lies flat with the surface of the bow when depressed.

It pulls back to a well-defined wall, then breaks crisply at an average of 3 pounds 11 ounces on a Lyman Digital gauge.

Reset occurs about halfway back and is audible and tactile, though it is light.

How Does the Springfield Armory Echelon Shoot?

I found the Echelon to be a joy to shoot. After getting acquainted with the trigger, I sped up my shooting without accuracy suffering.

Between shots my trigger finger would rest on reset and I was able to break the next shot quickly. The combination of the grip texture and angle helped with mitigating recoil, and I was able to keep my dot in sight.

Trying out accuracy, we set up at our standard 7-yard line and shot three 5-shot groups. In my last group, I was able to put all five shots through a single hole that measured just over a half-inch — some of the best accuracy I’ve experienced in a while.

One issue I found was a failure to lock back on the last round. Despite the raised fence around the slide stop, my big-handed, high grip was able to cause this consistently.

We had another shooter use the gun, and I used a different grip that netted normal slide lock, proving that the issue is particular to shooters with big mitts.

Other than that, all functions were perfect, and we fed the Echelon a diet of varied ammo. We used 124-grain JHP from Nosler, 124-grain FMJ from AAC, 115-grain JHP from Remington as well as some duty ammo from Sig Sauer.

Our total count was just over 1,000 rounds, with the last 500 being almost burndown pace. Prior to testing, I lubricated the Echelon but did not clean it.

What Sets the Springfield Echelon Apart?

A duty weapon needs to be accurate and reliable; that’s a given. But there are other qualities the Echelon has that will be endearing to law enforcement agencies.

First off is the modularity that enables a good fit for a wide range of different-sized and different-handed shooters.

Department armorers will be able to personalize the best fit for each officer’s hand by using the most appropriately sized grip.

In addition, with the controls being truly ambidextrous (not just ambi-capable), left-handed shooters are accommodated right out of the gate.

Those same armorers will also appreciate the relative simplicity of direct mounting approved optics directly to the slide.

By the Numbers

Accuracy: 5/5

Five rounds in the same hole from seven yards is better than “tactical accuracy”.

Reliability 5/5

We pushed a little further for this review given the intended market and shot just over 1,000 rounds without failure or cleaning.

Customization: 4/5

I’m rating this score not based on an aftermarket but on the different grip modules, optics mounting system, and backstrap pieces.

Ergonomics: 4/5

The controls are all easy to reach on both sides and the grip on the model we tested fit a variety of hands.

Value: 4/5

The Echelon base model has an MSRP of $679 though there are more expensive models based on features.

Overall: 4.5/5

Springfield Armory Echelon

$583

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$583 at GrabAGun

Kygunco (see price)

MidwayUSA (see price)

Why Trust Pew Pew Tactical

Pew Pew Tactical Content Producer Sean Curtis tested, evaluated, and ultimately reviewed the Springfield Armory Echelon. Sean has been shooting since childhood but began to delve into guns more during his law enforcement career. He spent over two decades in law enforcement, where he became a POST-certified handgun instructor and NLEFIA Red Dot Instructor and received CLEFIA Advanced Firearms Instructor Training and AR-15 armorer training. He has since attended a variety of training, including Tactical Performance Center Handgun Mastery & Carbine Mastery, and earned USCCA rifle instructor certification. Aside from training and prior to joining the Pew Pew Tactical team full-time, Sean wrote for several gun publications evaluating and testing guns and gear and has written hundreds of articles.

Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers and edited, fact-checked, and proofed this article. She is a National Rifle Association 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.

Final Verdict

Springfield Armory has their work cut out for them. The law enforcement market is often resistant to change.

That said, the Echelon is an outstanding entry that is absolutely capable of serving in the challenging role of modern policing.

It’s reliable, extremely accurate, has good capacity, and it’s adaptable to a wide array of different shooters.

For all these reasons, it's a great option for the rest of us too.

Are you picking up an Echelon when they hit the stores? Let us know in the comments below! For more duty gun action, be sure to check out Best Duty Weapons: Pistols, Rifles, & Shotguns!