Tag Archives: Review

Springfield Armory Echelon, Now with Installed Aimpoint COA

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Springfield Armory and Croatia’s HS Produkt have collaborated on polymer-framed striker-fired handguns for 25 years, producing the XD series, Hellcat, and, since 2023, the modular Echelon. Our reviews of the Echelon 4.5F, 4.0C Compact, 4.0C Comp, and 4.0FC hybrid models found minimal issues – they perform reliably.

The guns are billed as “duty-grade,” a claim that has been supported by their adoption by several large U.S. law enforcement agencies, including those in Henderson and St. Louis County. Overseas, the Echelon just earned a Spanish National Police Corps (Cuerpo Nacional de Policía) contract for over 6,000 pistols to replace older HK USP Compacts, beating out several big-name contemporaries submitted for competitive evaluation.

Now, with the exclusive one-year relationship between Aimpoint and Glock over, the former’s excellent small-form COA enclosed red dot is available for use with the Echelon line – factory installed. Springfield this week debuted three new COA-equipped A-Cut footprint Echelon models: the full-sized 4.5F, hybrid 4.0FC, and compact 4.0C pistols.

The MSRP across the line is $1,119, which is a deal considering the published price for the COA direct from Aimpoint is $617, while the standard Echelon models start at $710, pointing to an easy $200 savings. Plus, keep in mind that the counter price we are seeing at launch is closer to $950, so…

Why the COA?

First off, let us talk about the Aimpoint COA and why it is a big deal. First introduced at SHOT ’25, the 3.5 MOA COA red dot eschews plate systems and direct mounts into its distinctive A-Cut via a wedge system that helps eliminate movement. With a 15×15 mm aperture, the ultra-compact 7075-T6 aluminum housing is fully sealed and rated as being submersible to 80 feet or so, and offers much the same performance as Aimpoint’s “bomb-proof” ACRO but in a smaller package with a deck low enough to allow most irons to co-witness. The optic is billed as surpassing a 40,000-round endurance standard.

The Aimpoint COA-equipped Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C
The A-Cut allows the COA optic to be mounted deeper into the slide, increasing stability. Note how the mount provides an iron sight index for the optic. (Photo: Springfield Armory)
The Aimpoint COA-equipped Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C
Note the tactile dot brightness adjustment with four night vision and eight daylight settings. 
The Aimpoint COA-equipped Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C
Note the side-accessible compartment for a single standard CR2032 3-volt battery, with a 50,000-hour (over five years) advertised lifespan. Weight is 1.4 ounces. 
The Aimpoint COA-equipped Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C
Here we see the Echelon COA stacked against a similar Echelon with a Vortex Defender-ST micro red dot. 
The Aimpoint COA-equipped Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C
Note the difference in how low the deck sits versus the overall height. For reference, our Echelon 4.0C COA, as reviewed, has an overall height of 5.8 inches from the bottom of the flush-fit magazine to the top of the optic housing. 

Glock and Aimpoint blazed a path for the COA – which we extensively reviewed– but soon all but pulled them from the market for one reason or another, discontinuing the Gen5s and not (as of 3/17/26) offering the package on the U.S. market for the Gen6.

Now we are seeing the COA in more places, which is good, and, when paired with the Echelon, is great.

Especially for the price.

About the only rocks we can toss at the gun is that the COA and its A-Cut, for now, is a double-edged sword, painting the owner into a corner without any other (as of 3/17/26) optics available for it. Of course, that could change in the coming months and years. Other than that, the only knocks we can give the gun are its $35 magazines and not amazing (but upgradable) trigger.

In closing, we’ve always found the Echelon to be a superior gun that is often overlooked in a crowded market. When paired with the Aimpoint COA, at a reasonable price, those sleeper days could be in the rear view.

Full review in my column at Guns.com.

The Aimpoint COA-equipped Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C
The MSRP on the new Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C with an installed Aimpoint COA is $1,119. 

Springfield Armory Hellcat, now in 380

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The Hellcat was already well-liked on the micro-compact market and has been a solid choice for those looking for an EDC gun that splits the Venn Diagram of being both concealable and practical. The 380 version of the gun doubles down on that while providing a more subtle felt recoil impulse without sacrificing reliability or accuracy.

When it comes to rocks, the only thing we can find to throw at the gun is the fact that the short slide, coupled with its stout recoil spring, is a bit tough to rack, especially for those with compromised hand strength. On the upside of that, when mounting an optic, it allows more real estate to perform the task. We racked the pistol probably 100 times in testing from the optic and never felt it loosen or observed it shifting point of aim/impact.

The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
The standout feature of the Hellcat in 380 is the size. It is a very slim gun, with the slide running 0.85 inches and the widest part of the grip just breaking an inch. Note the loaded chamber indicator. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
Sans optic and with its flush-fit mag installed, you are looking at a pistol that is right at 4 inches tall, which puts it just under the cutoff for a pocket carry piece. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
Speaking of magazines, the Hellcat uses stainless steel-bodied mags with rear witness holes and black base pads and followers. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
You see the 11+1, left, with its pinky extension installed, and the 13+1, right. Note the grip texture extends to the base pads. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
That allows 12 rounds on tap in one of the most compact .380s on the market. Federal Hydra Shok Deep 99-grain JHP shown. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
And the ability to EDC with the shorter mag inserted to aid in concealment, with the longer mag easily carried as a backup. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
The Hellcat .380 has a super short one-slot accessory rail. While it runs just inches long, Streamlight’s flush-fit TLR-6 and TLR-7 Sub are made specifically for the 3-inch Hellcat models, as well is the TLR-8 light/laser combo, so there are options out there. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
The surface controls are on the left side of the gun for right-handed shooters, including a slide catch, push-button magazine release (which is reversible), and take-down lever that rotates skyward. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
Disassembly on an unloaded Hellcat is simple via said take-down lever. Note the dual spring guiderod assembly. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
When it comes to ergos, you have textured memory pads forward of the trigger that are instinctual, as well as short but usable forward slide serrations. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
The high beavertail and undercut rear trigger guard allow for a corresponding high grip on the Hellcat, just under the slide. This helps mitigate recoil impulse. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
Only one model of the Hellcat .380 is available at launch, but it has excellent dovetail-mounted steel sights with a tritium/luminescent front and a Tactical Rack U-notch rear. It uses the common Shield RMSc optics pattern, and our test gun shipped with a Shield OMSsc sight installed. A compact and sleek design, the OMSc features a translucent panoramic roof over a T6 6082 aluminum body. It runs a 4 MOA dot with automatic adjustments and boasts a 9,000-hour battery life. 
The new Springfield Armory Hellcat in .380 ACP
The pistol ships in a cardboard box that includes a branded double-zipper case with room for the Hellcat and both of its mags. 

Of course, I have carried a Hellcat Pro for the past few years every day, so I may be a bit biased. But at least I am biased for a good reason.

New Springfield Armory Optics-Ready TRP AOS 1911

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Back in the 1990s, the FBI was in the market for a pistol to equip its elite Hostage Rescue Team and regional SWAT teams, and the contract went to Springfield in 1998 for 500 M1911s crafted to very tight specs via meticulous hand fitting in the SA Custom Shop. Shortly after, the Marines ordered a batch of 150 similar pistols for its MEU(SOC) units. The HRT contract gun soon morphed into the Professional Model and eventually the TRP, which has gone on to become legendary over the past couple of decades.

SA’s Professional 1911s

Standard features on today’s top-shelf TRPs– going beyond the careful selection and fitment of components– include front strap checkering at 20 lines per inch, forward slide serrations, sighting plane serrations, the company’s Gen 2 Speed Trigger, a skeletonized hammer, premium sights, a straight mainspring housing, and G10 grips.

New for 2025 are eight optics-ready models, all equipped with an Agency Arms optics sighting system and offered in 9mm- both a first for the TRP. Priced at $1,999 across the board (we told you these were Springfield’s top shelf 1911s), there are full-sized all-steel 5-inch railed models in either black or Coyote Brown and in .45 and 9mm, as well as a lightweight Commander-length (4.25-inch) Carry Contour series in the same calibers and color options.

Springfield sent me a Coyote Commander-length Carry Contour TRP AOS in 9mm in this review; light and optic are not included.

In a nutshell, we found it to look good, feel great, and run like a gazelle. The slide-to-frame fit is legit, and the gun has no slop. The AOS system allows for lots of different optics, and it is great that SA is now making the TRP in a 9mm option, even if some consider such a thing in a 1911 platform to be an abomination.

The only rocks we can find to throw on this one are that the asking price of $1,999 is a bit steep, even in today’s inflated dollars, and that, perhaps a direct mount ACRO footprint would be a bigger hit.

The full review is over in my column at Guns.com.