Sharps Bros Grip Module for the Springfield Echelon — Install & First Shots

We debuted the Springfield Echelon about a year and a few months ago and named it our 2023 gun of the year — maybe a little ahead of ourselves, since the platform's full modularity wasn't in force yet. Now it is. Today we're swapping the OEM polymer grip for the Sharps Bros grip module and showing the entire process, because the Echelon's serialized part is what Springfield calls the COG — the central operating group — which looks a whole lot like the FCU from a P320 or P365.

The teardown is simple: slide off, take-down lever rolled forward, then pull the lever out, line up the indent with the little lever inside, pull the trigger, lift the slide stop, and the COG comes right out. One heads-up before you start: the Sharps Bros module does not come with a mag release button, so you're pulling the mag release out of your original Echelon grip. It's a tiny pin, a tiny spring, and a small metal piece — keep a finger over that spring so it doesn't go flying, and use a real punch instead of improvising with a screwdriver like I did.

The module itself is 7075 T6 aluminum with scaling on the sides, and the whole thing comes in at only 8 ounces — the OEM polymer module is about 4, so you're adding just 4 ounces for an all-metal grip. It ships with a magwell that installs with a single T10 screw, which is nice since T10 torx is always on the bench. The double undercut is even a little more exaggerated than the original, and the texture is placed where your palm and fingers actually sit instead of the all-around stippling on the polymer frame. The one thing you give up: the interchangeable backstraps. This is one-size-fits-all.

Reassembly is the reverse, with one honest note — the tolerances on this aftermarket module are a little tighter than OEM. The take-down lever takes a second to find the right spot and really dig in, and if you don't seat it fully, the slide won't go back on. Not a flaw, just a snugger fit than you're used to.

Then we took it outside here at the ranch. Man, it feels good. I love the grip angle, the palm swell feels great, the side panels feel great, and the extra 4 ounces of weight settles the gun without making it a brick. Slide locked back clean, no issues. I could genuinely see this going into my daily rotation, especially carrying outside the waistband like I was today. Up top we're running the Olight Osight in FDE — the plain dot version, not the circle dot — and the whole package just reinforces why we named this gun our 2023 gun of the year.

Final thoughts: 10 out of 10. A huge upgrade over the original OEM grip module. Sharps Bros does this for a couple different platforms too — they've got a Ruger American Ranch chassis and a Remington 700 chassis — so go take a look at their site. Absolutely phenomenal work.