First Look: Springfield Echelon COA Models

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Springfield Armory has just announced three new Aimpoint COA-equipped Echelon models.

When the Aimpoint COA and its neat new A-CUT mounting system were announced last year, many shooters were excited to get their hands on it. The ability to do so was limited, however, due to it being exclusively available on Glocks for the first year and those sales being limited to MIL and LE customers for much of that time frame. Thankfully, that 1-year exclusivity window has recently ended, and Aimpoint COA red dots are starting to become available on a wider variety of handguns. The latest to be announced is the Springfield Echelon, with COA variants being offered for the 4.0C, 4.0FC and 4.5F models.

The Springfield Echelon left our team impressed, but the new optic option should help make it even better. The trick behind the Aimpoint COA is twofold: there’s the red dot itself, and there’s its A-CUT mounting system. The COA is a rugged yet lightweight closed-emitter optic that features a 3.5-MOA dot, a huge 15x15mm lens and an excellent battery life. Meanwhile, the A-CUT mount dovetails the entire optic into the slide of the Echelon and secures it via a front hook and rear wedge. This system keeps recoil forces acting on the dovetail rather than the mounting screws, making for a very solid, durable lockup that retains zero extremely well, and also allows for co-witnessing iron sights due to how low it’s mounted. All in all, a very cool system.

Steve Kramer, Vice President of Marketing for Springfield Armory, said this about the new optics-equipped pistols:

We are extremely proud to announce the launch of these Aimpoint COA-equipped Springfield Armory pistols … Pairing the Aimpoint COA closed-emitter optic with these dedicated A-CUT Springfield Armory pistols makes for a combination ideal for facing the most demanding situations and environments.

The MSRP for all three new Springfield Echelon COA models is $1,120 and they’re available now. Springfield says that 1911 DS Prodigy and 1911 COA models will eventually be available as well.

For more information, visit springfield-armory.com.

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