Gun Review: Springfield Armory’s New Echelon 4.0C Compact 9mm

It had to happen. or so it seemed. If you name something 4.5F, naturally a 4.0C will follow. Or so I’d hoped. The Springfield Echelon was great and I had no complaints with the 4.5F – the compensator version of the Springfield Armory service 9mm pistol. Both worked well, were more accurate than they needed to be, had great ergonomics, so… no complaints.

But I’m retired from service. A full-sized service pistol would see little use in my world. What I needed was a compact Echelon and here it is.

Like previous versions, the modular Echelon has a billet machined slide, Melonite finished, that is optics ready. The half-inch shorter compact barrel is hammer-forged steel and likewise Melonite finished. The 1.2-inch wide grip surface is compact and well formed, with properly “grippy” stippling.

Weighing in at 24 ounces, the gun has my much-preferred tritium/luminescent front sight and “tactical rack” U-Dot rear sight. It’s furnished with a pair of 15-round magazines – or with a 15-round flush magazine and an 18-round spare. Just in case.

The gun ships with the Springfield Armory double-zipper case too.

Like the Echelon 4.5F full-size model, the new c0mpact gun is tested to exceed industry-standard drop testing. If that’s not enough, its “central operating group” (their fire control parts component) has a “second sear” design. For some, a critical feature of a new service or carry pistol is the ability to disassemble it without pressing the trigger. The Echelon Compact, like its predecessors, meets that standard.

I wondered about the difference in velocity between the full-size 4.5F and the new 4.0C compact. Here’s what I found . . .

Load	Echelon Comp	Echelon Compact
Hornady Critical Duty 135 grain FTX +P	1,158 fps	1,136 fps
Federal Personal Defense 124 grain Punch	1,154 fps	1,144 fps
Remington Golden Saber 147	969 fps	982 fps

The velocity difference is negligible. Shooting one gun against the other with the same load using old stock Cor-Bon 90gr. JHP +P ammo, I found that it was virtually indistinguishable. The new gun is shorter, making it every-so-slightly quicker to the first shot out of a holster, but that’s likely an inconsequential improvement for most shooters.

Trying the new compact on some handling drills, I found I was slow. That was due to the human component and is no indictment of the new pistol. All hits were in the scoring rings. Sometime later, I was able to get to a “sort-of” accuracy component with the smaller Echelon. That hurried range trip featured heavier projectile 9mm loads, just what I grabbed on the way out the door.

As the range was still soggy from recent precipitation, I confined myself to the more civilized bullseye bay and shot from 25 yards in a standing “with support” barricade position. While my groups weren’t small, I found the Vortex Defender-ST reflex sight was very helpful in minimizing visual fatigue.

Shooting five- and ten-shot strings, I found that the groups averaged around 4½ inches, but the best three and four rounds in each were considerably tighter and what one would expect from a machine rest. The best of these were rounded without a noticeable tendency to stringing vertically. The “old stock” Cor-Bon 147gr. Performance Match ball ammo clustered into around 2 5/8 inches. Remington Golden Saber 147gr. Brass-Jacket HP showed a 2¼ inches best effort. The Hornady 147 grain XTP load slightly bested the others in this gun with a 1¾-inch result.

While just getting a feel for the gun, I shot on the ten-inch plate from fifty yards and hit it four times out of four attempts. Shooting at distance with the Echelon, using the Vortex optic, made life easy.

 

Finally, I got to hit the range on a cold day before the holiday break. I shot the Compact on a B-8 center, starting at seven yards, moving to ten and fifteen yards. Up close, I shot one-handed with the non-dominant hand. Trying to target the X, I conveniently forgot the offset of the dot over the bore. Not much, but it pushed the first two hits into the low “10” ring.

Moving back to seven yards, I tried five hits with the dominant hand only. Finally, at fifteen yards, I could use two hands. I ended up with a pair of disappointing hits in the “9” ring, but I found the Vortex optic sure made the hits easier to get. Moving to a pistol without optics – and using a timer – I had trouble staying on a larger target at similar distances. The fit, feel and frame texturing all contributed to the performance – even with low-cost Monarch-branded ammo from Academy Outdoors.

 

This new gun gave me the chance to try the Cipher holster from Henry Holsters. Meant for the Echelon F4.5, the longer holster body is an advantage for the 4.0F compact version. It still holds the gun capably and the longer holster body prevents the heavy-when-loaded pistol butt from tipping out away from the body.

Like certain other very good AIWB holsters, I found that I had some issues with it. That’s more of a personal issue than a holster issue, because this thing is well-thought out and well executed. Looking at the price tag tells you a lot, but looking at the finish and the extras provided with the rig fills in the remainder.

It’s slim, can be configured for left- or right-hand use and it uses the excellent Discreet Carry Concepts clips.

The mid-height sweat guard is a plus and optics pose no problems with the Cipher.

It is apparent a lot of thought went into design. It’s a good fit for the Echelon, itself a well-considered, solid service grade pistol.

Specifications: Springfield Echelon 4.0C Compact 9mm

Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 15+1
Barrel Length: 4.0 inches
Overall Length: 7.25 inches
Width: 1.2 inch
Height: 5.125 inches (flush magazine)
Weight: 24 ounces
MSRP: $719