In a video on the Wilson Combat YouTube channel, Massad Ayoob noted that “feel” and “fit” aren’t the same. A gun that “feels good in the hand” ™ doesn’t mean that you can shoot it worth a damn. And a gun that fits may not “feel right.”
And now we come to that bit of wisdom via the Springfield Armory Echelon pistol. I’d taken yet another range day to try to sort out my “shifting right” error. I worked the “Wall Drill” (you can see more about that here in my review of George Harris’ new book) and a range of other skill builders, but still defaulted to the ‘shift right’ tendency.
Springfield Armory had provided the solution. It was in the box with the gun. You can see the coverage provided here, here, and here about the Echelon, to catch up. That should get you up to date with the new product’s details as well as my trials.
On my next trip, I used the ‘blind singles’ drill. Standing about ten feet from the target, I did some dry draws – this was with the Galco Corvus configured as an IWB – then shot single hits from the draw with my eyes closed. Natural point of aim was checked first. Surprisingly, I was tending right even blind.
I did the 1-2-3 “Walk-back” – on the FPS-1 target (details here). I started at five yards. The procedure was a single hit center from the holster. I followed with a pair from the holster and finished with the failure drill, again from the holster. I was marginally successful and backed off to 8 yards, 10 yards and finally went off the rails at fifteen yards.
I’d been using ‘performance’ ammunition and went back to ball ammo. I found I was tending high on head shots consistently, but ended with a pair outside the main center scoring zone.
From 25 yards off hand, I shot five singles using a 6 o’clock hold. The elevation was right on, but I tended right, for a 42/50.
I continued to work on the bullseye from fifteen yards and left-hand only from seven yards. At seven, the right tendency was masked due to the proximity.
I posted another target and went back to fifty yards. The first three went off the target on the right. Learning, I held off the left edge and struck left on the target with one hit to the right.
Against my better judgement, I tried the classic Bakersfield PD qual using the target repair center from the FPS website.
I ended with 88/100, hardly my finest hour.
The gun was too good for this. There were zero stoppages to this point. I did a ‘target focus’ walk-back using the FPS trademark on the FPS-1 target.
Back at the barn, I considered the issues I was having and opened the box the pistol shipped in. There was one backstrap marked “S” and one marked “L.” Being contrary and knowing that the larger size would be a problem, I elected to try it. Doing some dry practice I noticed that the sights were arriving exactly where I was looking.
Early on a Saturday morning, I made it to the club and got there before anyone else could grab a pistol bay. I set up a TQ-21 target upon which I’d drawn a center box and a head box. The first thirty rounds – I used the remainder of the Winchester “White Box” 115 FMJ and shot combined stages from the Kansas C-POST qualification and an older Arizona Daytime Handgun Qual. Using the DeSantis Speed Scabbard for the holster, I did the close stages, three rounds each, as failure drills. I still drifted a little high on the high value hits but not so much as before.
On the qual target, I marked five hits I fired from 25 yards in red. They’re on the right side of the main scoring box. I set up a B-8 and tried five rounds off-hand with Fiocchi 115 grain FMJ. One drifted out into the “8” ring to the right and I contrived to drop one “9” for a 47/50.
The large backstrap “cured” my tendency to push right.
The gun “felt good in the hand” with the medium strap. It “shot good” with the large. The large stays in.
I had one failure to extract on the last day. That was the only stoppage in ca. 270 rounds of shooting. Not sure why that happened, but I’ll keep after it.
First, I have to get an optics cover plate bolt. No, I didn’t check them for tightness after shooting. The one remaining Torx screw is loose. The other is lost to history. Serves me right for not checking fasteners – something one should regularly do on any weapons platform.
Springfield has a winner and I’m interested in seeing what modular components follow the initial offering.
-- Rich Grassi