Springfield XDM 10mm - Range Test

[Uni-Vibe]

Anybody give one of these a spin? Worth getting into?

[Uni-Vibe]

Nobody replied, so I got one. I guess it's worth posting, in case anybody else is thinking about this gun.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This gun is cool; you need one.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS:

The gun came in a very sturdy plastic case with strong closures and a hinge. This case looks like it could stand up to field use. Included are three magazines, which is one more than the usual two you get with a new pistol. These magazines are polished stainless steel with a plastic base pad, and they hold 15 rounds. They appear to be well made.

I got the 5.25 inch version, as opposed to the 4.5 inch duty version. The 5.25 has a cutout on top of the slide, I assume to reduce weight. If I had my say, I'd have left the additional weight in the slide to dampen muzzle flip. There is a fiber optic front sight bead, but the adjustable rear sight is a flat black metal structure with no alignment markings. This should be improved; there's a reason pistols come with three-dot sights, or an outline like Glock sights.

The gun is large, but not much larger than my Smith M&P9. There are two additional grip backstraps for customization. My hands are large and the stock one feels about right. All grip surfaces are textured and the trigger guard is textured and furnished with a hook for the off hand index finger. The grip angle is comparable to that of a 1911. The gun points naturally. When you pick it up, you know you're holding a large pistol, but it doesn't feel ungainly.

The trigger has the usual safety mounted on it, and there is a grip safety as well. There is no thumb safety option available on this gun. There is a rail on the dust cap for mounting accessories. The mag release button is ambidextrous.

All exterior surfaces are finished in a flat black. This thing looks like it means business. When Darth Vader comes to Earth, this is his EDC gun.

Racking the slide is not difficult for a 10mm. The serrations are sharp, and bite in when you go to rack it. There are front serrations, too, if you want to do a press check. There is a tip-up loaded chamber indicator on top of the slide.

Stripping is accomplished in the usual way by rotating the slide release and removing the slide. Unlike most similar pistols, the slide release is rotated upwards. The slide is heavy and the recoil spring is stiff, but not too difficult to reassemble. (Anyone with physical challenge such as arthritis would probably be unable to accomplish this). The chamber is fully supported (unlike Glock, Delta Elite) so firing full-house loads should not bulge cases. The feed ramp is polished bright and is very smooth. No polygonal rifling here: you can fire all the hardcast handloads you want. The rifling appears to have a smooth polish. If the gun was test fired at the factory, it was cleaned very thoroughly before shipping out.



RANGE TESTING:



I fired some R-P and Sig 180 grain FMJ just to check it out. That stuff worked flawlessly. I shot about 50 rounds of my loads, 180 grain hardcast over 13.5 grains of AA#9. Max published load according to Accurate Arms recent load data. Definitely not FBI-light.


The gun worked perfectly. There was one fail to fully go into battery, but that was ammo-related. The lead smeared on the hardcast bullet and didn't quite go in. This is why semi-auto rounds are jacketed and does not reflect ill on the gun.

Recoil is much softer than the same loads in a 1911. An experienced handgunner could use this as an urban self-defense carry gun. The muzzle rise is less than you might expect, and it's easy to maintain your grip and control the gun. Recoil with full-house loads (180 grains at around 1250) is no worse than stout 230s in a 1911 .45. Many 10s send the empties into the next zip code, but this one pumps 'em about 12 or 15 feet away.

The bore appeared to be polished smooth from the factory. There was a bit of leading but that cleaned up easily. I think once it's shot a bit, it'll smooth out even more and the lead issue will go away.


This bad boy really is Darth Vader's CHL weapon. You get 16 rounds of full house 10mm in a gun that fits into a M&P9's holster, and is controllable. Mine is the 5.25 length, but if you get the 4.5 duty length, it'd be a feasible carry gun. Everybody should get one of these. For a little north of $600 you get the gun, three mags, and a good carry case. Hard to beat the deal.

[Ron3]

Thanks for the report.

It does look Vader-ish.

https://www.springfield-armory.com/p...xdm-5-25-10mm/

[Gunnar da Wolf]

“Many 10s send the empties into the next zip code, but this one pumps 'em about 12 or 15 feet away.”
The joke on the 10mm forum is that you should warn the International Space Station to look out for ejected brass. My SR1911 would send them twice the length of my quadcab Tacoma, adding a 22# recoil spring helped some what.

Nice write up! I wasn’t impressed with the XD until my old department adopted the .45acp. Now ten years later I think they are really an under appreciated line of guns.

[WillBrink]

Anybody give one of these a spin? Worth getting into?

My interested ended at Springfield XDM. I suspect same for others, hence lack of responses. The XDM is generally viewed as sub par compared to other offerings from Glock, S&W, HK, etc. Why that is, covered in various threads here over the years.

[Wake27]

My interested ended at Springfield XDM. I suspect same for others, hence lack of responses. The XDM is generally viewed as sub par compared to other offerings from Glock, S&W, HK, etc. Why that is, covered in various threads here over the years.

100% correct. XDs are gross.


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[Uni-Vibe]

100% correct. XDs are gross.


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It's early, only one range trip, but I can't see what's "gross" yet. Feels good, shoots good so far.

[RHINOWSO]

XD/XDM are 'meh' all around, at best.

Enjoy.

[WillBrink]

It's early, only one range trip, but I can't see what's "gross" yet. Feels good, shoots good so far.

I was just 'splaining why you may not have gotten any responses. They're not generally well regarded compared other offerings.

[Uni-Vibe]

XD/XDM are 'meh' all around, at best.

Enjoy.

Maybe. It feels good, shoots good, is at least as accurate as I am, and if it stays reliable, I call that a winner.