I Retired My Glock for the Echelon
By Adam Scepaniak
Courtesy Tyrant CNC
I’ve got a hot take for all of you that is more salacious than trying to strike up a conversation about politics at your family’s Thanksgiving dinner… I retired my Glock in lieu of the Springfield Armory Echelon. I know, I know, I know… Glocks are the benchmark for customization and reliability, and everybody has to own at least one. Well, I didn’t sell my Glock, throw it in the river, or give it away. It has been benched. My everyday carry (EDC) Glock was a Gen4 17 9mm that I customized to the gills. We’re talking a Cerakote, custom slide, custom barrel, accent pieces from Tyrant CNC, a red dot, weapon light, and more. I had $2K+ into this pistol and 10,000+ rounds through it. The funny thing is though that with all the customization and labor I poured into my Glock, the Springfield Armory Echelon has 75% of it straight out of the box. Why bother with the runaround of hunting and sourcing parts? Let’s walk through my decision to throw my Glock in the safe to collect dust and make my Echelon my primary sidearm.
I’ll get one elephant immediately out of the room that gun bros don’t want to admit to. The Springfield Armory Echelon looks radically cool as is; no mucking with or modifying necessary. I spent a lot of money on my Glock for it to not only perform at a high level (obviously important), but to also look cool. The Echelon has Custom Shop style slide serrations to allow for press checks from the front or rear of the slide. Plus, they look sweet. Instead of forking extra money for a custom slide and barrel (like I did for my Glock), just buy an Echelon.
What I also like a lot more about my Echelon than Glocks is the Echelon’s factory trigger. It is superb. Moreover, it is contained in Springfield’s C.O.G. (Central Operating Group) which is a secret squirrel codeword for: this is a chassis pistol. You can rip the guts out in one chunk like a SIG P320 and plug-n-play with different-sized chassis systems (on the way soon from Springfield). So, with an Echelon , you have Pandora’s box of frames while all Glocks you are stuck with the size that you purchase.
The next biggest reason I dumped my Glock for an Echelon is Springfield’s proprietary, direct-mounting, optics system – V.I.S. (Variable Interface System). Being a gun writer, I test a lot of varying optics on handguns both old and new. Springfield flipped this portion of the industry on its head by creating a direct-mount, no plates required, optic system. So, now if I want to play with half a dozen optics on a range day, there are no cruddy adapter plates required. A simple “post system” is all you need, and all the required components come with your Echelon .
Finally, I dropped my Glock into retirement for an Echelon because the Echelon is equally reliable. The Echelon has barely been out 1 month, and I have already fired 1,000+ rounds down range with zero malfunctions – none whatsoever. That is huge for me because I not only compete with this pistol, but I use it for self-protection at work and while hunting outdoors. I know it is a spicy opinion to retire a Glock for anything else, but I did it… I stand by it… and I think you should, too. Give the Echelon a good hard look. In the end, make sure to get out there training, honing your craft, getting reps with your firearms, and Tyrant can help you along the way with some rad accessories. Until next time, continually check out the Tyrant blog, join their newsletter, and watch their website for new and exciting updates! As always, let us know all your thoughts in the comments below. We love it when you participate in our articles and keep the conversation going!
