The Springfield Echelon 4.0FC: It’s Compact with Capacity

Springfield Armory didn’t just release another striker-fired pistol with the Echelon. The company took a hard look at handguns and designed this semi-auto on a modular chassis system for adapting to changing missions, optics and shooters. The original was a baseline followed by a compact version with a 4-inch barrel. 

Many shooters like the shorter barrel but wanted a gun with a larger grip and more capacity. Well, Springfield answered with the Echelon 4.0FC. This modular chassis pistol comes with the compact slide, barrel and dustcover on a full-size frame. 

Compact With Capacity

The grip of the Echelon 4.0FC feels just like the Echelon. It is, after all, a full-size frame with a compact slide. There are no surprises there. Some might not like the full-size grip for carry but it has benefits. The obvious, of course, is the grip. 

For most, a full-size grip provides more control, as it has more purchase area. This is especially true for those with larger hands. Average hands have ample room on a textured grip that isn’t too aggressive and it has all the features of the original. These include ambidextrous controls, trigger finger pads on both sides and bump outs at the magazine release to prevent accidental activation. The grip angle, which provides for natural pointing, is also the same, as is the magazine capacity. 

That is the other benefit of the full-size grip on the Echelon 4.0FC. It comes with a 17-round flush-fit magazine and a 20-round extended magazine, offering 38 rounds of defensive power when carrying with two fully loaded magazines and a round in the chamber.

On the top end, the shorter slide makes the pistol a little lighter and quicker to get into action. It is billet machined and sports a 4-inch hammer-forged barrel. Both slide and barrel come with a Melonite finish. The FC slide is the same as the 4.0C, featuring deep serrations on the front and rear, tritium front sight and tactical U-Dot rear sight. It even comes with the Variable Interface System that allows direct mounting of most red-dot optics. 

The Echelon 4.0FC also comes with a flat-faced trigger, squared-front trigger guard and an accessories rail. There is no manual safety, but its trigger dingle keeps the trigger from depressing without an actual pull. 

While the features of the Echelon 4.0FC are nice, most care more about fit, feel and especially function. In simple terms, shooters want to know whether the pistol is accurate, controllable and performs as advertised. The only way to determine that, of course, is at the range. 

Fit, Feel & Function

The full-size grip of the Echelon FC feels great. I’ve always liked full-size grips because my hands are right in the medium-large range. My pinky finger tends to hang out around the magazine on many compact grip guns. It’s not a big deal because it is still gripping but it sometimes makes me change my grip to let the magazine drop free. 

At the range, I started with slow fire at 7 yards to ensure I could hit the target with the Vortex Defender red dot. From there I performed a variety of slow and fast strings, getting a feel of the Echelon FC. Recoil was extremely manageable and accuracy was on par. The trigger broke clean, after just a little bit of take-up, at just over 4 pounds. I really liked that Springfield includes a loading tool, as it sped up reloading and reduced finger wear. 

After checking general accuracy, I moved to some basic drills. These included the Failure and Bill drills. I also threw in some reloads drills for good measure. The pistol performed as it should, having zero hiccups with a variety of loads throughout the session. 

For accuracy, I loaded up with Hornady American Gunner 9mm +P with 124-grain XTP and stepped off to 10 yards to fire from a rest. I shot five groups of five shots each from a rest. Accuracy was excellent with all five groups averaging 3 inches. Most groups actually measured closer to 2 inches, but I had a couple of flyers that I’m pretty sure was my fault. I saw no difference between Echelon 4.0 FC and the Echelon 4.5 Comp previously reviewed. 

I don’t know if having a half-inch shorter slide and barrel makes a difference in speed, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t make a difference in accuracy. Springfield is simply providing shooters with options. And that new option, the Echelon 4.0FC worked well. 

Springfield Echelon 4.0FC Specs

• Action: Striker-fired semi-auto
• Caliber: 9mm
• Frame: Black Polymer, Full-Size Grip Module w/ Compact Dust Cover
• Slide: Billet Machined, Melonite Finish, Optics-Ready
• Barrel: 4” hammer-forged steel; 1:10 twist
• Sights: Tritium / Luminescent Front, Tactical Rack U-Dot Rear
• Grip Width: 1.2”
• Length: 7.25”
• Height: 5.5″ w/ Flush Mag, 6.5″ w/ Extended Mag
• Weight: 24 oz w/ Flush Mag, 25 oz w/ Extended Mag
• MSRP: $710
• SKU: EC9409BFC-U