Of course, it is optic-ready but takes it up a level.
[Dont miss Massad AyoobsSpringfield Armory Echelon review.]
And this is where things get really fun, because companies will make everything from barrels to trigger components.
Is this the ultimate Echelon? The author decided to take the excellent Echelon and make it the base for a very special custom project.
Right from the factory, the Echelon is an advanced performer amongst its peers.
The trigger is a step above many in the striker-fired market.
The aggressive slide serrations and trench cuts make running the slide easy.
The Springfield Echelon has aggressive slide serrations. This customized pistol also incorporates porting that blends in with those cuts.
Tricking It Out
One of my personal favorite additions to any pistol is a magwell.
Magwells are a favorite amongst competitors, police and many everyday carry enthusiasts.
For the magwell for this project, I turned to Floyds Custom Shop.
Featuring the Variable Interface System, the Echelon supports over 30 popular optics. The Steiner MPS is shown mounted here. Note the custom slide serrations on the top of the forward portion of the slide.
Floyds is known for creating extremely well-made and well-designed minimalist magwells that fit like a glove.
All of these elements are addressed with the magwell from Floyds.
Pancake Flat?
The Steiner MPS Red Dot optic on the Echelon proved to be rugged, reliable and accurate.
If you have ever heard someone say, That shoots flat as a pancake?
There is a meaning behind that statement.
you might choose to add a compensator if you have a threaded barrel version of the Echelon.
The author found that the customized Echelon was very flat shooting. Recoil was quite mild and muzzle rise was minimal.
Floyds again has a great reputation for porting and slide work.
But how does it perform and feel after all of this work?
These followed the natural design and angles from the original design.
Floyd’s Custom Shop offers magazine baseplates for the Echelon that can increase magazine capacity by up to five rounds.
These serrations are aggressive and complete the custom look, feel and performance of the slide.
On the range, I noticed an immediate difference under recoil with the barrel porting relating to muzzle control.
You will also notice a difference in sound.
Hornady Critical Defense ammunition, popular for self-defense, performed flawlessly in the “ultimate Echelon.”
It is not anything annoying or excessive, just noticeable.
self-defense ammo, there was not a single malfunction.
All of this testing was completed with aSteiner MPS red dot sighton the pistol.
A SureFire X300 Turbo weapon light completed this Springfield Armory Echelon custom build. It is a proven performer.
Needless to say, I am very happy with the performance gains on my personal Echelon.
No duty pistol would be complete without an optic and a light in the modern era.
For this, I turned to a new variation of an old favorite: theSureFire X300 Turbo.
This Turbo model throws a punishing 66,000 candela.
This amount of light allows you to positively identify your target well beyond normal pistol shooting distances.
For the red dot, as noted, I went with the Steiner MPS fully enclosed red dot.
I did this for two specific reasons.
And second, because it uses the same optics footprint as theAimpoint ACRO P1, it requires a plate.
Go to forum thread
Floyds Custom Shop
EchelonTM4.5F 3-Dot Tritium
SureFireX300T
SteinerMPS
