My daughter is looking for a new CC pistol and has come up with two possibles:
Smith and Wesson M&P 2.0 or the Springfield Armory Echelon. (We’ll be hitting the LGS to view/handle both in the near future.) Does anyone have real-world experience with either or both of these? Looking for experiences, opinions, glowing reviews, and/or dire warnings.
Thanks for looking……………
Shield EZ or Hellcat may be better options if you are tied to S&W and Springfield. Also look at the new Bodyguard .380 - it’s not your old Bodyguard by any stretch. P365 series and Canick offerings are also good performers.
I have a M&P 2.0 Compact and my brother has a Shield EZ. I really like them both, but the grip safety on the EZ causes some folks problems. Assuming your daughter may have smaller hands, I recommend also testing the Shield Plus for grip fit to her hand.
Pre-congrats to you & your daughter, David!
Perhaps I should add that my girl already owns and shoots a few pistols as well as shooting some of mine, so she has a decent idea about likes and dislikes. I’m interested in info such as known weak points, common failures, along with good features, etc.
Not compact, I suppose. I only have the Shield compact for EDC. No complaints.
Hickok45 had fun with the Echelon. He’s a big guy but still commented it’s a big pistol
Tough decision.
Both M&P 2.0 and Echelon are great pistols.
M&P got it’s name correct - Police & Military. Verified and tested handgun.
I was carrying M&P 2.0 4" and never got single issue. Mine had a old type hinged trigger that I replaced with Apex Flat one, but it is not a problem anymore - the new model is already equipped with factory flat trigger.
I think M&P 2.0 will fit your daughter’s hands. It was actually too light for myself, but this is of course personal preference.
Echelon - never owned this one, but got a pleasure to shoot Compact version on the range.
Feels great in the hand, shoots smooth and what amazed me - all control buttons are designed to work for lefties as well. 
I run few magazines without single issue. I know one day is not enough, but this handgun restored my confidence in polymer guns.
The difference I noticed which matter to me:
Additionally Echelon is a newer product so I’m guessing it may have a better design. Also FCU used in Echelon gives much more options to adjust handgun to your needs.
I’ve had a decent amount of time with M&P 2.0 (I’ve owned 3) They are solid. That being said, my wife does not like the grip texture. It’s rough on her hands with shooting. honestly the grip texture for me is the biggest issue as well: it works really well. My grip never slips, but it’s very abrasive on my abdomen while carrying. That’s one reason I like the stock Glock grip. It is defiantly not as functional as far as shooting, but it works decent without being uncomfortable.
Echelon seems really interesting. I’ve been watching videos on it lately myself. Both guns have a really good reputation.
My EDC is a Shield 1.0 with a optic slide my backup carry is a M&P 9 Compact 4 inch. Both solid and reliable. For some occasional circumstances I’ll carry a Kimber Micro 380 another solid performer.
If possible go to a range where you can rent and shoot as many pistols as possible. This will give you more options and let’s her decide what she wants.
My Wife had an M&P Shield Compact (I know - NOT a 2.0) a few years back and LOVED the way the weapon shot. It was easy on her hands (she has fibromyalgia) and a tack driver as a S&W should be. Very reliable heritage.
The only thing about the weapon she didn’t like was the hundred different steps needed to field strip the weapon and it bothered her to the point she wanted to trade it off, so she did. She picked up a Beretta PX4 Compact and has not looked back.
Thanks, @BruceE. That’s sort of info is very good to know.
Very Welcome, Brother.
In truth, there were only about nine or ten steps as I recall in order to field strip the weapon, but with My Wife’s Swiss cheese brain (HER term, not mine) she would have had to pull the manual out every time she needed to pull it apart. Practice, practice, practice would have developed the muscle memory to do it, but she didn’t like it.
With her Beretta, she only needs to release tension on the slide then release tension on the two buttons on the left and right of the slide and it falls apart in her hands.
No doubt her choices are solid. I myself kinda lust after the Echelon.
That being said I would recommend renting as many handguns as possible. The number of competent and capable handguns out there are…well she knows by now.
Right now it’s a buyers market and there are innumerable options at very affordable prices without sacrificing performance.
Until she handles and shoots a few (or more) she will not be able to form a true opinion of what she likes or dislikes based on ability with various types.
Choosing between 2 predetermined handguns with the variety available today seems ill-advised to me.
I’m not a fan of Shield series. Even X doesn’t gonna change it.
Definitely M&P 2.0 3.6", which is the same size, is a better choice than Shield X.
[for me 
]
I own the Echelon and absolutely love it. But it is not a concealed carry gun. It is a full size pistol. I just bought the bodyguard 2.0 carry comp….perfect for concealed carry. I haven’t shot it yet but people seem to love this little guy. For me it was so tight I couldn’t rack it, it wasn’t possible for me to fully load the magazines. There are some You Tube videos that deal with these issues and I think with use the gun will loosen up and I’ll be happy with it. If possible, try it before you buy it…..I should have done that, but didn’t.
Welcome to the forums Pamela-Ann.
Which model do you own?
4.0C is concealable. Of course all depends on carrier’s preference…
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Welcome to the community! Your Bodyguard will break in as you continue using it and so will the mags, just target shoot as often as you can, getting used to it, and enjoy it!