Springfield Armory XDM Elite 10mm… Affordable Power

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I’ve been a fan of the 10mm cartridge for a while now. Well, let me qualify that – I had not owned a 10mm until just recently, but I’ve been impressed by it for a long time. Living where we do, in the woods, you never know what sort of critter you’re going to come across… we’ve had everything from deer to a mountain lion on our property. Even tonight, we had a fox trying to get into the chicken coop. Now, don’t get me wrong – I understand that 99% of the creatures we see roaming our woods are totally harmless. But, we’ve also had firearms-toting visitors of the two-legged variety that were sketchy, usually during hunting seasons.                                                                                                                                       

I say that to justify my wanting a 10mm to carry around during my rambles. A .22 would most likely work, but why not think big? Anyway, I’ve wanted to try the XDM Elite 10mm since it came out. Thanks to Springfield Armory (SA), now I have the opportunity to do that.

The XD Series

We have before us the culmination of the XD series that SA produces. Without boring you to tears, here’s a quick run-down of that series. In 2002, SA contracted with a Croatian company, HS Produkt, to license and sell their pistols in America as the XD (eXtreme Duty). HSP’s firearms are used by a long list of international agencies, more than the scope of this quick look will allow to list. (If you just have to know, look here). 

The originals won awards and were named Handgun or Pistol of the Year by the American Rifleman and others in 2003 and 2006. Throughout the years, the series has evolved to include the XD-M (match) in 2008, and the XD-S (single-stack magazine) in 2012. In 2014, the introduction of the improved XD Mod. 2 increased the number of pistols offered to 33. The year 2018 saw the introduction of the XD-E (external hammer). 

The gun before us was introduced in May of 2022. The XDM Elite OSP 4.5” was a different critter. Upgrades included the M.E.T.A. (match enhanced trigger assembly), OSP (optical sight pistol) cut for a red dot, a 4.5” match-grade barrel, ambidextrous slide and magazine releases, a removable short extended mag well,  improved slide serrations, and a Tactical Rack U-Dot rear sight. Two 16-round stainless magazines are included. It’s been a good seller since its introduction.

10mm History

By now, I think we all pretty much know where the 10mm cartridge came from but here’s a short history in case you don’t. 

In 1983, Dornhaus & Dixon produced a pistol in collaboration with Jeff Cooper based on the CZ75. It was called the Bren Ten. Cooper, a .45 ACP aficionado, had long surmised that the optimum handgun cartridge in terms of stopping power was a 200-grain, .40 caliber bullet at 1200 fps. Norma Ammunition agreed to manufacture what was to become the 10mm for D&D. They surpassed Col. Cooper’s 1200 fps and made it a truly powerful round. 

Cutting to the chase, the F.B.I. adopted the round in 1989 after the disastrous “Miami Shootout” of 1986, where two of the many agents present offered the supreme sacrifice while using their service weapons. They were out-gunned by the bad guys. F.B.I. sidearms at that time were varied, but included S&W Model 459 9mms, .357 Magnum, and .38 Special revolvers. 

The adoption of the 10mm was seen as a positive way to up-gun criminals, but it was reversed at a later time and decommissioned (except for a couple of special units). The recoil was too much for F.B.I. agents, so this led to the introduction of the .40 S&W. That’s where the .40 came from.

Popularity

The 10mm limped along, refusing to die. It gradually gained adherents, mostly among handgun hunters and those intrepid souls who trek where dangerous critters such as bears live. Today, it is back and is offered in more pistols and carbines than ever before. Hallelujah! 

The advantages of a semi-auto cartridge that can, in some loadings, exceed the power of the .357 Magnum and approach that of the .41 Magnum are fairly obvious. Assuming equal reliability between the two, the main advantage of the semi-auto over the revolver is its capacity. This XDM Elite magazine holds 16+1, and you get two magazines. That’s a lot of bear medicine. Many deer, hogs, and other game have fallen to the big 10. I would also surmise that more than a few of our intrepid wilderness trekkers are still vertical today because the 10mm defended them against a bear or other toothy critter. I’ve also read that a lot of folks fishing in Alaska carry some sort of 10mm, usually in a chest holster, since bears share the fisherman’s liking and consumption of fish… and sometimes have a taste for fishermen. It’s good to know it’s back. 

The XDM Elite OSP

The first impression I had when I picked this pistol up was that it was big. When you get used to compacts or sub-compacts, a full-size, 30+ounce pistol gets your attention. My fingers looked like a little kid’s fingers, curled around the grip. Well, maybe not quite, but you get the point… this is one large handgun. It needs to be, for what it is.

Let’s get this out of the way now. It uses a grip safety. I’m not a fan, but this one is unobtrusive and you don’t know it’s there when you’re shooting it.

The grip texturing is blocky and reminds me of another kind of texturing:

Here’s a close-up…

This pistol is perhaps the pinnacle of the XDM line. When the M models were introduced in 2008, they were pretty well-received. The match barrel and trigger aided accuracy. This Elite model goes further. It uses the M.E.T.A. trigger – match-enhanced trigger assembly — which provides a crisp break without a lot of take-up. The slide serrations are wider and cut deeply to aid in grasping the slide. The Tactical Rack U-Dot rear sight is made for quick sight acquisition but is fine enough to shoot decent groups with. 

One of the most obvious additions to the Elite is the OSP cut. That stands for Optical Sight Pistol. You can get the gun from the factory with a Hex Dragonfly red dot – I have a Hellcat with the Hex Wasp sight and it works great. Or, you can install one of many sights via plates. I stuck a Holosun HS 407C on it, using the included adapter plate. One thing… you can’t co-witness the iron sights with a red dot, since it’s mounted higher because of the adapter plate. But that’s a small trade-off… I had no trouble getting the Holosun on the gun.

There is a short extended magazine well to aid in quick reloads. It is removable if you don’t like it. Plus, as I mentioned above, you get two 16-round stainless magazines with the gun. That’s a lot of 10mm at hand. Also included are a loaded chamber indicator flag and a cocked gun indicator… a pin that sticks out of the rear of the slide when the gun is cocked.

The final feature I’ll mention is one that I enjoy, being a lefty. Both the slide and magazine releases are duplicated on the right side of the pistol. I wish everybody did this.

Here’s a good spot to stick the specifications in…

• Caliber: 10mm
• Color: Black
• Barrel: 4.5″ Hammer Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish, 1:16
• Slide: Forged Steel, Melonite® Finish, Optics Ready
• Frame: Black Polymer
• Sights: Fiber Optic Front, Tactical Rack U-Dot™ Rear
• Recoil System: Captive
• Grip Width: 1.2″
• Magazines: (2) 16-Round
• Weight: 31 oz (34 oz. w/empty mag & Holosun red dot)
• Length: 7.6″
• Height: 5.75″
• Trigger Pull (measured): 4 lbs, 2 oz.
• MSRP: $653

The frame rails are extended… they should give you a bit more support with the slide.

A quick word about the slide… the serrations are deep and allow grabbing while wearing gloves, or wet hands.

Also, the underneath of the slide is finished better than some pistols’ exteriors that I’ve seen. No stray marks – very clean.

Holsters

There are many holsters out there for a SA XDM Elite, but I found a couple that are interesting.

I bought a Mission First Tactical holster that allows IWB or OWB carry (with the extra paddle that you have to buy). It works really well and is ambidextrous.

I have two Falco leather paddle holsters coming, for this gun and my SA Echelon compact. I just received another one for my Bersa Thunder Plus and I am truly impressed.

The leather work is top-notch and the paddle looks very substantial. I will probably put together a quick look at those holsters for you when they’re all here.

Field-Stripping

This gun comes apart like most of SA’s striker-fired guns. Clear the chamber and drop the mag. Lock the slide back and rotate the takedown lever upwards 90 degrees. (My Echelon compact lever goes down, not up, so pay attention).

Release the slide and it will come off, sans trigger pull. Separate barrel and spring and clean. Reverse the process to put it back together.

Speaking of barrel and recoil spring…

… we see a feed ramp polished to a mirror-like finish. My light box LEDs are reflected in it. And, the match barrel provided plenty of accuracy. The spring is all metal – no plastic here.

Range Time

I had added a couple more boxes of 10mm ammo to my stash when I found out that this pistol was headed my way. So, we grabbed it and headed to the backyard.

We set targets up at 25 yards to make sure we captured the shots on paper – you never know how the sights will be regulated. Of course, later I would love to mount a red dot and move back to 50 yards, especially if I use the pistol for hunting. But, here we used the sights on the gun.

I was a bit apprehensive about the recoil, since I’ve had some, but not a lot of 10mm experience. I found out that I did not need to be apprehensive. The gun was very controllable and pleasant to shoot. I think that, once I get into reloading for it, this pistol will become my new favorite. It certainly liked the center of these BCA targets.

Here are three representative targets. I shot 10-round groups because the pistol was fun to shoot!

CCI Blazer Brass 180-gr JFP: 1168 fps, 539 ft./lbs. energy

MagTech 180-gr JFP: 1180 fps, 564 ft/.lbs. energy

HSM Hard Cast 200-gr Bear Load: 1180 fps, 518 ft./lbs. energy

The accuracy potential of this pistol jumped out even before I got the Holosun red dot zeroed. I was impressed. Any of these three factory loads would suffice for “woods-walking”. If you want more oomph, there are Buffalo Bore and Underwood loads that should make you smile. The traditional rifling of the match barrel allows the use of cast bullets, a plus. They just need to be hard to avoid leading. So, bullet casters out there, fire up your furnaces or ovens and “bake” your bullets! I think that somewhere around 22-25 Brinnel hardness should work.

Final Thoughts

I’ve shot a few 10mms over the years. One of the most belligerent in terms of recoil was a Colt Delta Elite 1911, but it was still manageable. The owner had replaced the recoil spring with one from a 105-mm howitzer, or so it seemed… it was really stiff, but it still bit the hand that fed it.

Another 10mm that generally flies under the radar is the Taurus TH10. This pistol is one way to get into the 10mm game if you’re on a budget. It fits my hand OK. The Glock 20 just doesn’t fit my hand, so it’s not too comfortable to shoot.

This XDM, with its grip safety, fit my hand better. The grip was comfortable. I’ve been known to grab a soldering iron and stipple the surface of all those little “knobs” to make it grippier. I may do that later. As is, the gun fits and is easy to shoot. 

If you are looking to add a 10mm to your collection, you may want to give this gun a look. Other options out there include the aforementioned Taurus TH10 and Glock 20, the S&W M&P 2.0, the breed of 1911 10s, [insert link here, wherever you want], and a few others.

But, the combination of features, shootability, and lack of felt recoil make me appreciate this XDM. With the capability to add a red dot, its nice trigger and sights, ergonomics, and its match barrel, this gun is hard to beat. Let’s hear from you 10mm fans below!

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