I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of Springfield’s polymer pistols. The XD and XDm series pistols never offered what I liked in a fighting pistol. While economical, they just weren’t a solid fit for me. Among others, one of my chief complaints was the long trigger press that lacked a positive and short reset. As a result, I found comfort in tried-and-true systems like Glock, Sig, and HK. I wrote Springfield polymer pistols off as a “nice to have”, not a “must have”, in my collection. While reviews of Springfield’s latest addition, the Echelon, are plentiful, I think it’s worthwhile to discuss this pistol from the perspective of someone who was cautiously averse to a new Springfield polymer entry into the market. With the Springfield Echelon, I admittedly will have to re-evaluate my original impressions of their polymer pistols.
Practical and Functional Modularity
The release of the Sig 320 was a huge advancement for the consumer by offering a modular pistol platform (I’m choosing to ignore the Sig 250 for a multitude of reasons we won’t get into here). While the 320 has not been without controversy since its release, the modular trigger pack was a novel and intelligent direction for the handgun industry to steer itself. Springfield has evidently agreed with this concept and introduced it to their lineup of polymer pistols.
I’ll openly admit that I’m preferential to Glock. However, Glock frames are still in the category of “one size fits all”, e.g. translation is that it isn’t comfortable for most folks. Nearly every Glock I own has had the finger grooves removed with a backstrap reduction and stippling added. I’ve added gas pedals to the frame and undercuts to the trigger guard to customize the frame and grip to my comfort and liking. It’s extra work I’m willing to put in to continue to run a setup that I know will perform under adverse conditions. The Springfield Echelon is the first semi-auto polymer pistol I’ve ever picked up that didn’t need this.
The Echelon I received came with their standard frame size and medium back strap. I have big hands and, as counterintuitive as it may seem, prefer a smaller grip size. I swapped the provided frame for their small backstrap and frame after a brief review of the manual of arms. The swap was relatively easy. It is somewhat different from the 320, but nothing crazy to accomplish. Once the small frame and backstrap were added, I was shocked at the feel of the firearm in my hand. I actually liked it. Despite my desire to tinker with every firearm I own, I wasn’t able to find an obvious feature that needed to be changed on the grip.
The frame is equipped with arguably some of the most aggressive texturing I’ve found on the market yet. During testing, a thunderstorm rolled in and soaked me and the firearm. I had no issues with controlling recoil or follow-up shots with wet and slippery hands, normally reserved for the aggressive aftermarket texturing I’ve applied to my Glocks. The frame featured factory undercuts on the trigger guard that indexed well for my support hand while the gas pedals forward of the takedown lever were well-defined and easy to index.
The slide contours on the pistol are reminiscent of the result of a one-night stand between a Glock 17 and HK VP9 with Zev or Agency as the midwife. The slide has wings machined into the rear that serve a purpose similar to the wings of the HK VP9 slide cuts. I was concerned about obtaining proper purchase on the smooth metal but didn’t experience any grip lacking when racking the slide under wet or sweaty conditions. The slide serrations are inset into the frame slightly. From first impressions, I think this allows for slightly greater purchase when manipulating the slide while reducing (however slight) abrasion from the serrations catching on clothing during concealed carry.
Operation and Handling
One complaint I initially had with the firearm was the slide release position. It was conveniently placed under my dominant thumb. Before even putting one round through the gun, I knew I was probably going to run into issues with depressing the slide release and causing the gun to not slide lock on the last shot. This fear was realized during the first few magazines. After about 50 rounds through the gun, I adjusted my thumb placement slightly and the issue stopped almost completely. As a matter of disclosure, this isn’t a firearm design issue as much as this is an issue with adjusting to a new weapon platform. From my experience, most slide releases are a bent piece of metal with a rounded edge near the top. Some firearms, like HK and Sig, have the slide release with an angled contour. Occasionally, this curved or contoured surface can provide less than optimal purchase for slide release manipulation. The Echelon’s slide release is flat and conducive to a very positive slide release. It was oddly satisfying dropping the slide on this gun because of how responsive and positive it felt.
Earlier, I discussed my absolute disdain for the trigger of the HS2000, XD, and XDm pistol series. While the trigger pull weight was lighter than a Glock or M&P, it was long with an equally long reset for follow-up shots. This is most likely attributable to the striker design of the XD series, but was a sub-optimal reset compared to its peers on the market. Springfield’s Echelon is not an improvement to the XD trigger; it’s a completely different beast. The trigger pull weight is comparable to the HK VP9 or Walther PPQ with a similar reset. During shooting, I was shocked at the rate of fire I could achieve during drills. In my first Bill Drill with the Echelon, I ran it with an average .15 second split time (and one miss on steel). This gun can — and wants to — be run fast.
Reimagining Optics Mounting
The red dot pistol is the future of the fighting handgun. While some traditionalists may fight such change, the red dot pistol has established itself like red dot optics on rifles did in the ‘90s and early ‘00s. When red dot optics were first mounted to fighting pistols, the slide was frequently machined specifically to the optic. As manufacturers offered pistol lineups that were “red dot ready,” optics manufacturers expanded their lineups. Unfortunately, nearly every optic manufactured has a different mounting pattern. Firearms manufacturers adapted to this issue by offering a confusing and overwhelming variety of mounting plates to adapt the optic to their firearms.
The use of mounting plates generates some unique issues: (1) it’s an additional point of failure where screws can back out or (as I’ve experienced) screws can strip from the plate under repeated recoil and (2) it mounts the optic higher on the slide, requiring the shooter to use suppressor height sights in many cases. The Echelon has Springfield’s patent-pending “Variable Interface System” for nearly 30 handgun optics. Using a pin system, the optic mounting platform for the Echelon deletes the need for a mounting plate while retaining the breadth of options available for pistol optics. During testing, the RMR equipped on the Echelon didn’t lose zero nor did the optic work loose after 400 rounds. While a snapshot of what I’d like to run the pistol through for testing, it was a satisfactory result. If it stands the test of time, Springfield’s Variable Interface System could be the future of pistol red dot mounting systems.
Trigger Time and Final Impression of the Springfield Echelon
While ammunition isn’t cheap, it’s worth it to get to know this gun from the initial impression. In total, I ran about 400 rounds through the pistol. While I would like to get more through the gun, this was graciously loaned to me by CrossBreed Holsters and I’m sure they want it back. A huge thank you to them for putting this out on loan to me. If you haven’t done so, I highly recommend perusing their products as they’ve served me reliably for over 15 years.
After some minor adjustments to the sights to my liking, I ran the pistol through some drills. This is a full-size handgun and is suitable as a duty or home defense firearm. I anticipate Springfield will offer more calibers and frame/slide configurations with the release of this product that will be more conducive for concealed carry. For size comparison, it’s nearly identical to a Glock 17 and has a surprisingly similar appearance.
The pistol didn’t have any malfunctions during testing and performed flawlessly. The biggest issue, as mentioned above, was my thumb riding the slide release. Nevertheless, mag changes were easy and smooth with the beveled mag well. It’s not a competition mag well by any means, but is suitable for a combat and defensive pistol.
The felt recoil on the pistol was what I expected from a polymer frame handgun. The bore axis sits low, very similar to a Glock, and has a comparable muzzle rise. In transitioning from a Glock to the Echelon, the change was seamless and comfortable. Frankly, the Echelon is how a lot of us in the Glock world wish our pistol came.
At distance, I had no issues with making shots I routinely do on other pistol platforms and found the trigger to be easy to stack and break for precision shots. The wall is softer than a Glock but is crisp enough to remove slack and still know where the wall is on the sear. The reset is positive and crisp.
Overall, the Springfield Echelon is a promising addition to the polymer pistol market today. Beyond the optics mounting platform, the pistol doesn’t necessarily do anything ground-breaking. However, the pistol’s features, ergonomics, modularity, and functionality are everything I ask for in a polymer duty pistol. It includes these features straight from the factory and requires no aftermarket modifications or accessories. The Echelon is the polymer pistol many of us have asked for — and it’s like that straight out of the box. I’m cautiously excited to see the reputation the Echelon line develops as it hits consumer markets. For now, well done Springfield Armory, well done.
