Guns and Gear

Building a Custom Echelon Pistol Around the Standalone COG

November 7, 2026

The Armory Life's author builds a custom pistol around Springfield Armory's Central Operating Group, the serialized Echelon chassis that is now sold on its own.

Key points

  • The COG: It holds the trigger, sear and primary operating parts. It sells for $295 with a matching takedown lever.
  • The build: A full-size 6061 aluminum grip module from Icarus Precision, about 7.1 ounces, and a custom 4.5-inch slide from FDEZ WERX. The companies supplied both parts to support the COG launch.
  • The slide: It takes Glock-pattern iron sights and came with an RMR footprint. Black Cerakote is standard, and FDEZ says an RMSc option is planned.
  • Swapping: The pistol is field-stripped, the takedown lever comes out and the COG is released from the module. No permanent modification is needed.
  • Status: The author has not yet fired the finished pistol.

Quick take

The author says he is extremely happy with the result and calls it potentially his favorite Echelon combination. He argues that buying the COG alone lets shooters start with the core and decide the rest.

Read the full story at The Armory Life.