Springfield Debuts New Modular 4.5F Echelon Comp Pistol

This Versatile Striker-Fired 9mm Is Stacked With Features

Integral compensators are the hotness in the handgun world, and Springfield Armory has been regularly obliging comp fans by introducing ported barrels or comps to their best-selling handgun models, including the Hellcat Pro and the 1911 DS Prodigy that dropped during the summer. And the gunmaker isn’t done for 2024; the brand new Springfield Echelon 4.5F Comp 9mm pistol is the latest to join the comp club.

The new integrally compensated Echelon model promises to reduce felt recoil and muzzle rise via a single port cut into the top of the hammer-forged slide and barrel that redirects gas upward when a round is fired. This counteracts the forces that cause muzzle flip and reduces the amount of recoil transferred to the shooter. 

That makes for a faster and more accurate pistol when firing multiple rounds in sequence. Like the DS Prodigy Comp, the front sight on the Echelon Comp is positioned behind the port for a better sight picture.   

“The Echelon was designed to offer a fresh take on the duty-style 9mm pistol with a host of modular and innovative features,” said Steve Kramer, Springfield Armory’s Vice President of Marketing. “Now with the Echelon Comp, shooters have a new option that combines advanced performance with duty-grade durability.”

The Echelon is a modular pistol built around a Central Operating Group (COG), which is a self-contained and serialized firing mechanism that can be easily moved from one grip module to another. The COG is encased in a robust, precision-built stainless steel chassis.  

The slide is optics-ready with the Echelon Comp’s patent-pending optic mounting system called the Variable Interface System (VIS), which allows the gun to host more than 30 popular red-dot optics directly to the slide with no adapter plates needed. Instead, the user adjusts the self-locking pins in the optics cut to create the desired optic footprint. This provides the lowest mount possible for a better sight picture and bore alignment.  

The Echelon 4.5F Comp includes a flush-fit 17-round magazine as well as a 20-round magazine. There are limited capacity models available for those in restricted states with 15- or 10-round mags. The Echelon 4.5F platform is fully ambidextrous.   

It’s a lot of gun with a lot of features for a suggested retail price of $749. 

Springfield Echelon 4.5F Comp 9mm Specifications: