AO Review: Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm – 500 Round Burn Down Test

Now, that the Echelon from Springfield Armory is here people will want to know what it is all about. This is a handgun that I, personally, did not foresee coming from Springfield. On paper, this is an utter home run. From a Central Operating Group (COG) that allows you to remove the chassis and deploy it in different sized frames to the Variable Interface System (VIS) allowing for the direct mounting of innumerable optics and more. This is a modern handgun that allows for modern accoutrements for the modern age. I will share all of my initial impressions of this surprise pistol as well as the 1st 500 rounds that I put through it. This will establish a good benchmark for what the Springfield Armory Echelon is all about. In the future, I will be competing with this pistol at the Tactical Games in Iowa in 3 days. After that competition I will share my additional thoughts as well. Let’s dive in!

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Specifications – Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm

The Springfield Armory Echelon lends a lot of qualities from prior pistol offerings from Springfield’s portfolio of arms, but also introduces quite a bit of new technology. For example, the same Adaptive Grip Texturing that is present on Hellcat pistols is also on display of the new Echelons because it has been so well received. Also, we see a reappearance of Tactical Rack U-Dot sight patterns that are on some of Springfields 1911s and the iconic Hellcat. The full breakdown of the specifications can be read below as presented by Springfield Armory:

Cartridge: 9mm
Barrel: 4.5″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish, 1:10
Slide: Billet Machined, Melonite® Finish, Optics Ready
Frame: Black Polymer
Sights: Tritium / Luminescent Front, Tactical Rack U-Dot™ Rear
Recoil System: Captive
Grip Width: 1.2″
Magazines: (1) 17-Round, (1) 20-Round
Weight: 23.9 oz w/ Flush Mag, 24.3 oz w/ Extended Mag
Length: 8″
Height: 5.5″ w/ Flush Mag, 6.5″ w/ Extended Mag

This pistol is of a similar “full size” footprint as some of its immediate, direct competitors already on the market today with a 4.5″ barrel and a 17-round standard capacity magazine. You do receive one extended 20-round magazine with every handgun, and since this is a chassis gun, smaller and larger frames sizes are on the way as well.

The Echelon™ from Springfield Armory sets a new standard for modern, striker-fired duty pistols. With a host of patent pending features, this modular and highly adaptable handgun is designed around a robust stainless steel chassis and revolutionary optics mounting system.
Engineered with superior ergonomics and built to withstand the harshest conditions, the Echelon takes its rightful place at the front of the pack. The Echelon from Springfield Armory – Unparalleled.

From the outset, shooters will have their choice of 4 different variants of the Echelon to choose from. Whether you live in a less fortunate, restrictive state that requires you to own 10-round magazines or you want a threaded barrel to shoot suppressed, Springfield Armory will have you covered. With MSRPs fluttering from $679 to $739, all of the current options are relatively affordable.

Echelon | EC9459B-U | MSRP $679
Echelon, Low Capacity | EC9459BLC-U | MSRP $679
Echelon, 3-Dot Tritium | EC9459B-3D | MSRP $719
Echelon Threaded, 3-Dot Tritium | ECT9459B-3D | MSRP $739

Initial Impressions – Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm

When I first was presented with this pistol I had a lot of thoughts. First and foremost, this looks like a very custom slide which is not only striking to the eye, but also has a lot of utility. The deep trench cut slide serrations front and rear of the ejection port are perfect for press checks to see if you have a round chambered. The flared slide on the rear of the pistol also assists in racking the slide as well.

There are also more nuanced things like the Adaptive Grip Texturing present on the frame that also is featured on specific indexing points like the takedown lever, front of the trigger guard, and forward areas of the frame. You also have ambidextrous controls like the magazine release and slide lock.

The potentially most exciting new technology built into this pistol is what Springfield Armory has dubbed a visionary optics integration – and while some might call that marketing hyperbole – it honestly is not. With the new Variable Interface System (VIS) that utilizes a “post-and-peg” system (my words; not Springfield’s), it completely does away with the idea of dreaded adapter plates. You can directly mount over 30 optics to the slide for a lower and more natural sight picture.

We would be remisced if we did not discuss the Central Operating Group (COG) that gives this pistol interchangeable chassis capabilities. In this pistol’s current configuration of a full-size frame mated with a 4.5″ barrel, I am completely content. I have no personal desire to switch out this chassis to different frame sizes, but I understand this is the future of pistol engineering. This is what a lot of people want their firearms to be capable of. So, for that reason, I am glad to see that Springfield Armory is doing it.

Range Use – Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm

Now, let’s get into the meat and potatoes of this review; the live-fire portion! We are not known for doing “endurance tests” or “burn down” reviews here on AllOutdoor, but we made an exception for the Echelon for a couple reasons. For one, I believe this is going to be one of the most exciting announcements that we see come out in 2023 as far as firearms go. So, we want to give potential buyers the best frame of mind if they are entertaining buying this handgun. Additionally, I will be personally competing with this pistol at a Tactical Games event in Iowa in 3 days. So, I wanted to also prove to myself – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that this pistol is rugged, accurate, and can endure.

To hopefully prove the salt of the Echelon, we fired 500 rounds of Remington UMC 9mm 115 Grain FMJ (Full-Metal Jacket). This was generously provided to us for this review from Remington Ammunition which we are greatly appreciative of.

All of the Remington Ammunition used in the testing of the Springfield Armory Echelon worked flawlessly. This is not a comment on the firearm we are reviewing here today; rather, the standards that Remington Ammunition meticulously keeps for the ammo they manufacture. We are extremely grateful for their generosity in making this review happen.

When you begin to fire the Echelon the first element you will notice is the trigger. The pull weight of the Echelon’s trigger is normal in that it registers around the industry standard of 4 1/2 – 5 Lb, but it is silky smooth the whole way through. This may have something to do with the double sear inside this pistol. The Echelon’s Central Operating Group features a unique second sear design to help prevent unintentional discharge should the firearm be dropped. My best guess is this also has an inadvertent yet positive side effect of making the trigger feel amazing.

Throughout the 500 rounds we deposited into the berm for this review, we also appreciated the low bore axis on this pistol. It had a fast cycle rate for follow-up shots and you could quickly get back on target. The Adaptive Grip Texturing continually afforded us a positive grip and command of the pistol throughout shooting as well.

The deep trench cut slide serrations were another trait that I really liked. Whether it was for doing press checks, locking the slide open while loading magazines, to field-strip the firearm, or for whatever reason, you have a great grip with that style of slide serrations.

Finally, the accuracy was great on this pistol. I was stunned to see that the first 2 magazines I ran through this pistol essentially created one large, ragged hole. Between the trigger and the tight fitment between the rest of the components on this pistol, it shot wonderfully at the range.

Final Thoughts – Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm

So, what are my final thoughts on the Springfield Armory Echelon?… After running 500 rounds through this pistol in a condensed period of time, I believe this pistol is an absolute success. It is optics ready is a unique way, it is a chassis pistol, you have good stippling, a low bore axis, nice slide serrations, it is accurate, has good ergonomics, and the firearm never had a single failure during our testing. I came away thoroughly impressed with everything that this pistol is about. The only negative I could come up with is the Central Operating Group (COG) is a bit difficult to remove from the firearm and took a couple tools (for me) to do so. Other than that, at a starting MSRP of $679 this pistol is absolutely worth it.

In closing, I want to say thank you to Springfield Armory for allowing AllOutdoor and myself the opportunity to try out their Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm is something worth spending your money on for competition, recreation, or concealed carry? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.

Adam Scepaniak