The Echelon Deserves a System.
Not a Parts Bin.
If you found us through David or Christian's story — you already know why we built this. The Meridian is what happens when a Navy Corpsman machinist and a technology founder stop waiting for someone else to solve the Echelon aftermarket problem. We are not open yet. But we are looking for the right people to help us get there.
Founding allocation is limited. First on the list. First through the door.
The Echelon is one of the most capable striker-fired pistols available. The aftermarket has not kept up.It starts simply. A shooter wants a magwell — faster reloads, cleaner funnel entry, a competitive edge. They find one that fits the stock frame through a proprietary backstrap. Both go on. It works. Then they get to the range or a match and see competitors running full aluminum grip modules. They want that. So they buy one.
That is where everything bought before gets left behind. The backstrap and magwell only fit the OEM frame. The holster no longer fits the new geometry. The magwell for the new module is a different brand's proprietary solution. The basepads may or may not clear.Nobody did anything wrong. The problem is that none of it was designed as a system — because nobody built a system for the Echelon. Until now.The Meridian meets you where you have trained. Grip angle from 17 to 18.8 degrees — Glock geometry or 2011 geometry, whichever your hands know. Three panel sizes scaling from stock profile to full palm swell without changing trigger reach. Aluminum or brass. Selectable tungsten ballast — 12g, 20g, or both. The carry magwell fits the carry basepad. The competition magwell fits the +6 extension. Your existing holster fits the Meridian.Nothing gets left behind. One system — designed together from the beginning.
Architecture. Not Aftermarket.
MERIDIAN GRIP MODULEYour Echelon's central operating group transfers directly into the Meridian — no new serialized firearm required. One machined body accepts three grip panel sizes scaling from the stock Echelon profile to a full palm swell — without affecting trigger reach distance. Grip angle adjusts from 17 to 18.8 degrees — meeting your hands where they trained, whether that is Glock or 2011 geometry. Compatible with standard Echelon holsters in every configuration.
BALLAST WEIGHT SYSTEMTwo discrete pockets per backstrap accept 12g or 20g tungsten in any combination. One weight. Two weights. Mixed configurations for precise tuning between carry and competition. Field-swappable without tools. Each weight is seated by a precision elastomeric ballast seat that eliminates mechanical play and maintains exact position through every draw, stage, and round. Configure light for carry. Configure heavy for competition. One system covers both.
USA MACHINEDEvery Meridian component is precision-machined domestically to aerospace tolerances — grip panels, backstraps, magwells, basepads, and magazine extensions are available in aluminum or brass. The carry magwell seats flush with the +0 basepad. The competition magwell fits flush with the +6 extension. No gaps. No modifications. No compatibility research required at any point. The system was designed this way from the very beginning.
VETERAN-FOUNDED | USA-MACHINED | PATENT PENDING | 50-STATE COMPLIANT | AEROSPACE TOLERANCES
Two ways in
We are building this the right way. That means a small group of serious shooters gets their hands on it first
— before anyone can buy it.
MVP FOUNDER - APPLICATIONSix kits. Free. No strings except honesty.We are selecting a small group of Echelon shooters — three carry configurations, three competition configurations — to receive a complete Meridian build kit at no cost. In exchange we need your real feedback — what works, what does not, what we missed. Under NDA. Before anyone else touches it. This is not an influencer program. We are not looking for content. We are looking for critical shooters who will tell us the truth.
Not selected? Every applicant is automatically added to the Founding Waitlist — first access when the doors open.
FOUNDING WAITLIST - FIRST ACCESSNot selected as an MVP Founder? You are still ahead of everyone.When the founding allocation opens — 25 Carry kits and 25 Competition kits — the waitlist gets access before the public sees a single post. Invite only. No announcement. Just an email to the list.
We are not manufacturing demand. We are managing supply.
Who built this
DAVID HYNEMAN
Co-Founder — Head of Design & ManufacturingDavid served as a Navy Corpsman before spending fifteen years machining gun barrels, aerospace components, and defense parts for some of the most demanding applications in the industry. He designed the Meridian from the ground up — every pocket, every tolerance, every interface. He closed his eyes, raised the first prototype to a firing position, and it came up perfectly horizontal. That is when he knew the system was right.
CHRISTIAN PRUSIA
Co-Founder — CEOChristian spent twenty-five years building and scaling technology companies before co-founding Vital Arms. He picked up an Echelon, tried to build it out the way he had built out his competition pistols, and found nothing in the aftermarket designed to work together as a system. That frustration became a product brief. That product brief became the Meridian. He handles everything that happens outside the machine shop.
Found us on Reddit or Facebook? That post was written by the people who built this.
There is no marketing team. There is no agency. There is David in the machine shop and Christian at the keyboard — and a product that is almost ready.
© 2026 Vital Arms, LLC — Idaho | [email protected] | Patent Pending