For a long time, Springfield Armory was known for its polymer-frame XD line of duty-size handguns, which were produced in Croatia and evolved into later XD-M and XDs offerings. Over the last couple of years, though, the company upgraded its duty-style handgun offerings with the Echelon, a modern, striker-fired design made by HS Produkt in Croatia that incorporates a serialized chassis system set within an unserialized, polymer grip frame. Watch our "American Rifleman Television" Rifleman Review segment above to see the details of this recent introduction.
"The Echelon doesn't feature a grip safety, it has a blade-style trigger safety, and, of course, there are internal safeties as well, but that's one way in which the Echelon is all new. The other way in which Echelon is all new is essentially what it is, is that the Echelon does not incorporate the components that serve as the receiver of the gun technically into the frame of the gun," American Rifleman Editor in Chief Brian Sheetz said. "The frame is just a polymer housing. The receiver is a module. It's a stamped steel module that holds all the fire control components and is held into the frame."
At its launch in 2023, the Echelon debuted in a duty-size configuration with a 4.5" barrel while still offering some carry-ready features. A year later, in 2024, Springfield added a manual-safety variant to the Echelon line, as well as an Echelon Comp model with a single port integrated compensator at the top of the slide and barrel. In 2025, the company expanded its line yet again with the Echelon 4.0C, a compact model with a shortened slide and grip frame.
"Now from the standpoint of its tactile features, Springfield has done a really nice job with the stippling on this gun. That stippling covers not only completely around the grip and, of course, the backstraps here, but it is in areas above these thumbrests, essentially, or these guards for the magazine release," Sheetz said. "It's on the magazine release button, which by the way is completely ambidextrous in the sense that the buttons exist on both sides of the gun. The stippling is actually under the trigger guard here and on the face of the trigger guard, and then it's also on these ledges right here."
Three backstraps are included with the Echelon, making it easy to customize the grip fit for different hand sizes. Additionally, Springfield also offers three different grip sizes, available in small, medium and large, that are compatible with the backstraps and offer different configurations while remaining compatible with the Central Operating Group chassis.
"Now, when it comes to the fact that this gun comes from the factory with the slide cut for miniature red dot sights, Springfield calls their system that they've included with the Echelon, the VIS or Variable Interface System," Sheetz said. "What it consists of is two plates and then a series of pins that anchor a variety of different red dot sights to the slide. So it's a system that's designed to simplify the mounting of the wide variety of red dot sights that are now on the market for pistols."
The slide also includes a number of notable features, particularly the flared tabs at the rear that provide a raised surface for easier racking. The front of the slide, just ahead of the ejection port, is cut with what Springfield calls a "forward trench," complete with deep, wide serrations, that provides additional leverage for press-checking the gun. A set of dovetailed sights, with a tritium-illuminated front dot and a U-notch rear, completes the setup.
"So with the Echelon, again, you have a great set of physical specs that make the gun trim and svelte, yet it's made to a duty level of capability and service and features and durability," Sheetz said. "But what I think is amazing about the Echelon is it gives you all of that and it gives it to you in a package that can be carried every day."
Springfield Armory Echelon Specifications
Manufacturer: HS Produkt (Croatia)
Importer: Springfield Armory
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: 9 mm Luger
Slide: steel, machined forging; black Melonite finish
Frame: plymer
Barrel: steel, hammer-forged; black Melonite finish
Rifling: six-groove; 1:10" RH twist
Magazine: 17-round detachable box
Sights: steel, dovetailed; luminescent yellow front with tritium, Tactical Rack U-Dot rear
Trigger: striker-fired; 4-lb., 14-oz. pull
Width: 1.25"
Weight: 23 ozs.
Accessories: owner's manual, soft case, extra magazine with extended baseplate, magazine loader, lock
MSRP: $679
To watch complete segments of past episodes of American Rifleman TV, go to americanrifleman.org/videos/artv. For all-new episodes of ARTV, tune in Wednesday nights to Outdoor Channel 8:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. EST.
