Does the sweet spot between compact speed and full-size confidence actually exist? Pro shooter Julie Golob puts the Springfield Armory 4.0FC pistol through its paces to see how this hybrid Echelon rethinks balance, recoil and real-world performance. Springfield provided the loaner handgun for this review.
Opening up the black box and unzipping the case, at first glance, I wondered if maybe I had made a mistake and grabbed the wrong pistol. For some reason, I expected Springfield Armory’s newest Echelon 9mm to look decidedly different from my full-size 4.5F. I even placed the two pistols side-by-side to make sure.
Sure enough, a close comparison revealed the dimensions were different. This pistol uniquely bridges the gap between compact and full-size duty-grade pistols. [Note: Be sure to read Massad Ayoob’s review of the full-size Echelon 4.5F.]
Echelon 4.0FC Details
The 4.0FC has all the features of the award-winning Echelon line-up of semi-automatic pistols. With a black Melonite finish on the exterior metal parts of the pistol, the 4” barrel is hammer forged steel with a 1 in 10 twist.
Generous and usable serrations are incorporated throughout, along with a flare along the back of the slide, and a contoured trench forward of the ejection port. The flare and trench are designed to prevent slippage for slide manipulations.
Sights and Optics
As an optic-ready model, the cover plate is subtle and tightly fitted. The added grooves on the plate also increase usable grip surface for those who prefer irons. Whether you like to rack from the back or the front, you can maintain your purchase on the slide easily.
The pistol’s U-Dot sighting system comes with a Tritium front sight and a U-shaped rear. The Tactical Rack U-Dot Rear Sight is designed for defense in bright conditions or the dark. The luminescent green-ringed front sight is fast to pick up with your eyes. It’s instinctive to center in the serrated U-shape of the rear. Even with these defensive-style sights, I was able to shoot consistent groups.
While some manufacturers offer plate systems to accommodate the mounting configurations of popular optics, Springfield Armory’s patented Echelon optic footprint, called the Variable Interface System, takes it to the next level. Designed to accommodate three popular mounting standards, the Echelon achieves the kind of fit once reserved for aftermarket milling services. The self-locking pins secure the dot into place at the front of the sight’s base. The cut is deep to allow optics to sit low on the slide, and even though the RMR has a smaller window, co-witnessing is possible with the stock sights. The optics that float on the slide make it easy to lose the dot, but because the RMR sits so deeply, acquiring the dot is fast and natural.
Gettin’ Good Grip
Moving onto the grip, the 4.0FC is built around the serialized Central Operating Group and uses the full-size grip module with a compact-size dustcover. It’s fast and easy to customize the grip to individual hand size to find the sweet spot for ideal trigger reach and recoil control with the three different backstraps. The Picatinny frame rail accommodates lights and lasers.
Adaptive Grip Texture is incorporated throughout the grip, providing a texture that isn’t rough on the skin but increases grip feel under pressure. The texture wraps around the entire grip beneath the magazine release button, accommodating a full range of hand sizes and finger lengths. It’s also strategically applied to the mag button, on the front of the square trigger guard and underneath the trigger guard for the support hand, and on the ledge built into the frame that serves as a thumb rest.
With a 1.2” wide grip, the 4.0FC takes full-size 17-rounders as well as the extended 20-round mags. One of each mag comes in the box. Weighing the 4.0FC on my scale, the weight comes in at 22.2 ounces. Adding 17+1 rounds of Federal’s 147-gr. HST defensive ammo, the weight is 33.8 ounces. Adding a red dot will add between 1 and 2 ounces, depending on what you choose.
Trigger
The trigger is exactly what I expected, with a consistent pull with appropriate weight for a defensive pistol. There’s the clean take-up at the front before you hit that wall and begin to apply that pressure, and the trigger breaks. Reset is both positive and firm, actively pushing the finger forward. There’s a tactile and audible click point indicating the trigger is ready to go. Using a Wheeler electronic trigger weight gauge, five presses averaged 5.43 lbs.
Adaptability of the 4.0FC
Everything about the Echelon is thoughtful and user-focused. It’s even a left-hand-friendly pistol. The magazine release is ambidextrous, and the slide release is accessible with the strong hand. The new 4.0FC offers full-size features with a shorter barrel, and though this will prove to be a desirable combination for many, some may not understand why.
First, for shooters with large hands, the full-size grip offers a comfortable and consistent grip. If you’ve ever tried a fast mag change with a micro-compact and experienced the dreaded pinch on the meaty portion of your hand, you immediately learn to adjust your hand position during a reload. Personally, I don’t have this problem with a compact frame, but for those gifted with large hands, the 4.0FC will prevent the pinch.
The shorter slide can be more comfortable to carry. When concealing, even small differences in dimensions can make a significant impact on holster clearance and how the pistol rides in the holster. It’s especially so for appendix carry. Admittedly, the 4.0FC is not a pistol I can easily conceal, but for larger builds who can hide a full-size grip, the compact-sized slide can be a comfortable and very capable option.
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Competition helps drive research and development. Five and six-inch guns have dominated iron sight divisions in practical shooting sports for decades. When national championships challenged competitors with 50-yard standard exercises, the longer slide with increased sight radius allowed for the subtle corrections needed to hit center on the clock at the longest targets seen in the sport. As reflex optic reliability improved, with red dots becoming durable enough to mount onto slides, Production and Carry Optics became wildly popular among new competitors and experienced champions alike.
Even though slide-mounted optics have changed the game, longer slides still dominate practical and defensive-oriented shooting sports. I confess it’s my default, too; the balance and recoil feel of the longer slide is familiar, and so I automatically prefer longer barrels. The Echelon 4.0FC has me wanting to experiment.
Echelon 4.0FC Specifications
| Chambering | 9×19mm Parabellum |
| Weight | 24 oz. |
| Overall Length | 7.25″ |
| Sights | Tritium U-Dot |
| Grips | Integral, polymer |
| Action | Striker-fired |
| Finish | Melonite |
| Capacity | 17+1/20+1 (one of each included) |
| MSRP | $710 |
Range Testing the 4.0FC
The weight difference between the 4.0FC and 4.5F is minor, but the balance is different. The faster cycle rate produced by the short slide is something that those who prefer the faster recoil timing of lighter 9mm ammo will appreciate. The Echelon 4.0FC’s recoil snaps and settles quickly, while the weight of a fully loaded 17-round flush mag or the extended 20-rounder keeps the weight in the hand.
Shooting the 4.0FC made me wonder if I should revisit my default of choosing the longest slide possible, even when shooting with an optic. The shorter slide drives quickly, and the faster cycle rate makes me want to push my target transitions faster. I’m enjoying it and look forward to trying it on the clock on steel. Evaluating what matches to shoot in the 2026 competition season, I’ve decided to shoot more Steel Challenge. With a consistent course of fire that focuses on fast transitions, the sport offers an excellent way to test transition speed.
Ammunition Performance
As a pro shooter for Federal Ammunition, I tested three different factory loads at 15 yards — 115-gr. American Eagle, 124-gr. HST, and 147-gr. American Eagle. With the iron sights and cold, windy conditions, I averaged some tight groups at 15 yards with only slight point of impact variations for the different grain weights. As expected, my accuracy improved when adding a Trijicon RMR, with the best groups coming in at 1.2”. Though accurate with all three loads, my groups with the 115s were consistently better.
Running these loads over the chronograph, the velocities were consistent. They also all comfortably exceeded power factor minimums for practical and defensive shooting sports. The Echelon 4.0FC allows you to put your shooting skills on the clock, and this pistol can go from carry to competition easily.
Parting Shots on the Hybrid Echelon
The Echelon 4.0FC, is a do-it-all kind of pistol. Full-size capacity with a slide length that carries comfortably, it’s a pistol you can trust on the range and every day. Check out it if that sounds like it checks all the boxes for you. It certainly has me rethinking things!
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