Military Arms Channel on the Springfield Echelon

Is the Springfield Echelon just another polymer striker 9mm? Military Arms Channel ordered one after the launch to find out. They say the grip feels closer to a Shadow Systems than a Glock, and the serialized chassis comes out of the frame.

What they cover: the full size Springfield Echelon in 9mm, set next to a Glock 17 Gen 5. In the box they show a soft case, a gun lock, a 17 round magazine and a 21 round magazine, a loader, extra backstraps, and the pins for the optic. The red dot they mounted did not come with the pistol. There are three backstraps, and it ships with the medium. The mag release and the slide stop are ambidextrous. There is no manual safety. The sights are dovetailed, with a night sight up front. The trigger is a wide flat face with a rolling break and an audible reset. They put it at about four pounds four ounces. On the first range trip the slide stop was stiff. After a few hundred rounds it eased up. Every round in the video is Federal American Eagle 115 grain ball, which Federal sent them. They have not tried hollow points. They report no malfunctions. They have not checked whether it fits a Glock holster. The chassis is the serialized part, and they pull it out of the grip. They have not swapped frames. They call it one of the best 9mm pistols on the market right now, and they say some Shadow Systems guns they own still hiccup after more than a thousand rounds. This Echelon has not done that yet. Specific claims and results in the video are theirs, not ours. It is a product review of about 23 minutes.

Here’s our take. Buy the full size Echelon if you want a polymer 9mm with a chassis you can pull out, an optic that bolts to the slide, and a trigger in the range they measured. Skip it if you want the shorter 4.0C, the compensated slide, a manual safety, or a metal pistol. They only shot 115 grain ball. Whether a hollow point runs the same is still open on their sample.

We stock the Springfield Echelon they are shooting. On the shelf: the Echelon 9mm in black, 4.5 inch, gear pack. Related: the Echelon 4.0C, the shorter pistol, and the Echelon Comp, 4.5 inch. The pistol in the video is the full size. The 4.0C and the Comp are different guns. Complete firearm. Indiana FFL transfer through Wulfy’s. Ask us for current fees.