Hey everyone, this is Shooting Illustrated bringing you another episode of “I Carry.” In today’s feature, we’re taking another look at the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact in 9 mm and some related gear. Let’s take a closer look at this setup:
Firearm: Springfield Armory Echelon Compact (MSRP: $694)
We’re taking another look at the Springfield Armory Echelon Compact 9 mm pistol in today’s kit for a variety of reasons. First, the Echelon is a solid choice for an EDC pistol, with thoughtful ergonomics, replaceable backstraps, excellent texturing and three-slot accessory rail, should a light or laser be desired. Second, adding electro-optics is super easy with the Variable Interface System. Lastly, the 15-round capacity can easily be supplemented with the included 18-round extended magazine or even the 20-round extended magazine from the full-size version.
Dimensionally, the Echelon Compact is similar in size to, well, pretty much every other compact, striker-fired 9 mm handgun on the market. It has a 4-inch barrel, a 7.25-inch overall length, 5.2-inch height with the flush-fit magazine and 1.2-inch width; and weight is 24 ounces with the flush-fit magazine. If these measurements sound familiar, they should – they’re within a tenth of an inch of the Glock G19, which is about as close to the “standard” concealed-carry compact as you can get. Carrying the Echelon full-size really isn’t all that difficult; the Compact version makes it even easier.
Getting back to Springfield Armory’s excellent Variable Interface System, it’s one of the best methods I’ve seen for adding powered optics to a pistol slide in a multiple-fit system. Yes, the best is to have a custom footprint milled for whatever optic you have – like having a dedicated RMR cut. But, who knows what the future holds? You may decide to change it down the road, and if so, being able to quickly adapt the slide like the VIS allows is super helpful. I’ve fitted RMR-, RMSc- and DeltaPoint Pro-footprint sights to the Echelon, and the way it’s set up, it’s quite easy (albeit a little taxing on the old fine motor skills with those tiny pins…)
Great ergonomics, adjustable grip size and a superlative multi-fit optics setup are great reasons to consider the Echelon Compact. It’s a good mix of small enough to carry and big enough to shoot decently, and holster fits are becoming more and more prevalent. Spare magazines are available from Springfield Armory, with capacity ranging from 10 rounds for restrictive states through 20 rounds in extended variants. There are a good number of options available, and that’s always a good thing.
Holster: Mission First Tactical Ambi IWB (MSRP: $54.99)
Since the Echelon Compact is so adaptable, I wanted to pick a holster to match, so I chose the Mission First Tactical Ambi AIWB/OWB holster. Smartly designed to allow the holster to work for both right- and left-handed shooters, it can also be worn inside or outside the belt in a variety of positions and options. Want traditional strong-side IWB? No problem. Crossdraw? Yep, you can do that. Appendix? Yep. The belt clip can be adjusted for cant, there’s a tall sight channel if you have suppressor-height sights, it’s cut for optics and it has an open muzzle for compensators or threaded barrels.
Constructed of .08 boltaron in a single-sheet, taco-style setup, there is a single screw to adjust retention if needed. The single polymer belt clip allows the holster to be quickly added to or taken off the belt, so it’s a great “grab-and-go” option. Of course, multiple attachment options like loops, clips and claws are also available from Mission First Tactical. The Ambi AIWB/OWB holster allows a variety of options, which, as I’ve said, is a good thing.
Accessory: Burris FastFire E enclosed-emitter red-dot sight (MSRP: $420)
I certainly can’t talk about how easy it is to add an optic to the Echelon Compact and then use the iron sights, so I’ve added the new FastFire E enclosed-emitter red-dot sight from Burris to complete today’s kit. Released at SHOT Show 2025, this rugged optic uses the ACRO footprint to mount to a pistol slide and is the first enclosed-emitter sight in the Burris FastFire line. An identical version with a green dot with the same specifications is also available.
Featuring a 3.5-MOA dot adjustable over a range of 100 MOA for both elevation and windage, the FastFire E has a claimed 60,000-hour battery life on a single CR2032 battery according to Burris. Automatic brightness detection adjusts the dot to ambient conditions, however the brightness can be adjusted manually as well through a range of eight settings, two of which are compatible with night vision. There’s even a lockout feature to ensure the brightness settings are not changed accidentally.
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