Springfield's Echelon is its newer duty-style line, and the 4.0FC is a full-size-frame, compact-length model. It is a 9mm with a 4-inch barrel and a 15-round magazine, in black. The U-Dot sights use tritium, so they glow in the dark without a battery.

The U-Dot design puts a dot on the rear sight that you line up with the front post, which helps your eye focus quickly. Many shooters find it fast to pick up in daylight and in the dark. The pistol costs about seven hundred ninety-three dollars, which is fair for a modern pistol with night sights.

The Echelon platform is modular, and it is Springfield's step beyond the older XD design. The 4-inch barrel is a good balance of size and shootability. It works well as a nightstand gun or a carry pistol in a strong holster and belt.

Practice from the holster, and run a few hundred rounds of your chosen ammunition to verify reliability. Confirm with your dealer what comes in the box. This pistol is new. It ships to a North Carolina FFL dealer of your choice for the background check and transfer.