Springfield Echelon is the Real Deal!!
After some time with the Echelon and open sights I decided to pull the Leupold Delta Point Pro NV off of my .224 Valkyrie Precision Rifle and try it out on the Echelon with its 5.5" threaded barrel. This thing is a shooter. --1.5" group at 40 feet. So good!
But, what do I not like. Well, I don't like that the Echelon in the threaded barrel configuration came with non-suppressor height sights...just why? This bugs me because it's lazy and cheap on an otherwise perfect pistol.
What do I like? I like it all, I love the overall pistol, I like the trigger. The trigger is nice, but it's not competition and honestly it's not quite as good as my $60 customized trigger job in my Gen 2 Glock 48. Do I really care? No, I don't really care. I don't really care because from my research the trigger group ages really well and just gets better with a little bit of working in.
INSERT PICTURE HERE of Trigger Group (Coming Soon)
What is the same about this pistol and other pistols? Well, mostly everything is different, but it's boring black and that's the same as every other pistol. A sweet FDE or Coyote would've really lit up the world had they gone to that instead. I'm sure we will see this colored option come up in gen 2 or 3 anyways and a lot of people will rush out to buy it while I will be happily enjoying this pistol for many years.
What is unusual about this pistol and other pistols?
Pretty much everything is unusual, except the color. It has to be run like a bit of a race gun. The grip and contouring of the pistol demand an exaggerated forward thrust support hand position in order to use the landing pad of the frame and slide lock. It screams at you to use a proper grip or simply put it may be a little unruly for the shooter.
INSERT PICS HERE Frame Purchase for thumb (Coming Soon)
The trigger frankly is kinda odd like I mentioned earlier and we found ourselves anticipating it a bit. It'll take more time to adjust to. And, to make sure that we weren't imagining things J and I switched between his Gen 5 Glock 19, which by the way is amazing to shoot, and the Echelon. The G19 felt like going home after a long time away and the Echelon felt like driving a Corvette with 650HP after driving a Honda. I am not referring to the G19 here; I am referring to most factory pistols on the market. That is not to say that the Echelon is difficult to shoot because it's not but it demands the shooter rise to the occasion and learn it.
Honestly guys and gals, I love this pistol but I have one confession and that's this. I have never wanted to switch to a Red Dot on a pistol. I can shoot open sights rather well; accurately and quickly with little thought for sight alignment. But this pistol screamed for a Red Dot to at least be tested on it. I'm kicking myself for not taking a group picture of my final group of the day but there will be others and there will be much further tests of the gun's accuracy, trust me.
I am not spring chicken even if my wife says I'm aging well either. My eyes, unfortunately, are not the same as they were a few years ago. Getting a clear front sight picture is a struggle after years working at a computer for university. So, the Leupold Delta Point Pro NV Edition became a bit of a necessity and I can very clearly see the red dot in it for whatever reason. Now, I need to adjust to using it like I use my Eotechs. Focus on the target and pretend I'm playing a video game?? That's what I'm told anyways. Luckily, I love most new challenges.
The Springfield Echelon pistol is a great package overall, and I'm sure there will be a plethora of take your money for no real reason except bling factor coming out for it. My recommendation is this. Buy it, shoot it, enjoy it, and save your money to take your wife out for dinner, or a vacation, while carrying this appendix next to your other big shooter. One of them will be getting some action.