Glock G45 Gen5 MOS 9mm vs Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm

With the MOS slide in play both guns are optics-ready 17+1 9mms at nearly the same weight: the Glock G45 Gen5 MOS 9mm is 24.52 oz, the Springfield Armory Echelon 9mm is 23.9 oz. That removes the optic cut as a tiebreaker and leaves size, trigger and price. The Echelon is longer (8.0" vs 7.44") on a 0.48" longer barrel (4.5" vs 4.02"), 0.14" narrower (1.2" vs 1.34") and 0.03" taller (5.5" vs 5.47"), and its trigger breaks 0.3 lb lighter at 5.5 lb against 5.8 lb. MSRP runs $745 for the G45 MOS and $710 for the Echelon; the Glock ships with three magazines, the Echelon with two.

Pick the Glock G45 Gen5 MOS if:

• You want the shorter 7.44" slide with a 6.18" sight radius for carry under a cover garment
• You want three magazines in the box rather than two
• You are staying inside the Glock holster and magazine ecosystem you already own

Pick the Springfield Armory Echelon if:

• You want the $35 lower MSRP ($710 vs $745) on a gun that is already optic-ready
• You want the 4.5" barrel and the 0.3 lb lighter trigger (5.5 lb vs 5.8 lb)
• You want tritium/luminescent front and Tactical Rack U-Dot rear sights instead of fixed sights

Both mount a red dot and both hold 17+1 at essentially the same weight. The decision comes down to slide length and magazine count against the Echelon's lighter trigger, better factory sights and lower MSRP.