Pistol Review: The New Springfield Armory XD(M) 10mm

As I take in the beautiful Montana views, I decide to move down closer to the river for some photos. I am less than 100 yards from the car, but deep in the trees and shoreline in no time. The shutter clicks until I look up to soak in the beauty once more. In the corner of my eye though I see something that is a quick reminder of where I am. A recent bear scat deposit. It is at that moment that I wish I had something a little friskier that my handy 9mm. While the 9 is solid against two-legged predators, it would not be much of a match for an angry grizzly. Like many people, my caliber of choice for a backcountry gun has been 10mm. Preferably a 10mil in a common platform that I am accustomed to running. It has exceptional punch while not being absurd to handle. The folks at Springfield Armory obviously feel the same way and have now released the XD(M) 10!

XD(M) — The gun comes complete with adjustable backstraps as well as 2 magazines.

The XD (M) 10 is being offered in both a 4.5″ and a 5.25″ version. Built on the XD(M) platform, the 10mm addition to the family is a fight stopper. Like other guns in the XD(M) class, the 10 is designed with multiple interchangeable back straps. The XD(M) can be perfectly tailored to fit your hand. As it shares the same solid grip angle as the standard XD and 1911, the XD(M) points naturally. It has Springfield’s aggressive mega-lock frame texturing and major grasp slide serrations keep the gun in your hand and operates under a wide variety of conditions. The gun is feature rich and includes a low-profile rear site that is truly snag free as well as a fiber optic front sight. To help know the condition of the gun, it has a striker status indicator and loaded chamber indicator giving the shooter instant tactile and visual feedback to know if there is a chambered round and if the striker is cocked. It also comes with a fully supported ramped match grade barrel. The gun is wrapped up with an accessory rail for a light or laser and a Melonite finish on the slide and barrel for protection against the harshest of elements.

XD(M) — Solid features like front slide serrations make the gun a great choice.

The first question that comes to many serious shooters’ minds is “How will it hold up against the powerful 10mm round?” Springfield Armory performed a pretty incredible test on the new XD(M) 10mm. They fired 10,000 rounds of Federal Premium Hydra-Shok 10mm ammunition through the gun with every round documented on video. They did nothing to the pistol outside of changing the recoil spring and adding some oil at the 2,000 round marks. They even left the mags out and exposed to dust and grit. The result was zero failures in all 10,000 rounds. That should answer the question about durability, to say the least. “Our customers have been very vocal about their excitement at the prospect of an XD(M) Chambered in 10mm,” said Springfield Armory President Steve McKelvain. “We are thrilled to offer them exactly what many have been asking for: The power and velocity of the 10mm round delivered in the reliability of the XD(M) platform, proven through our 10,000 round torture test documented in a video.”

A simple yet very effective design makes the XD(M) 10mm a great choice for a variety of applications.

First Impressions

I was pleased when I was asked to take a closer look at the new 10mm and Springfield was kind enough to send me a 5.25″ version for testing. First impressions out of the box are that this has the same fit and feel like the XD(M) you already know. It’s comfortable in the hands and has good sights. The front cocking serrations make for easy chamber checks while the cut out in the top of the slide dropped that weight just a touch. The ambidextrous magazine release is a nice feature and makes the gun fairly friendly for left-handed shooters. The addition of a slide release on the right side of the gun would complete the ambi equation, but I am certain the engineering for that has more math than I want to deal with. Another nice feature is an adjustable rear sight that can be found on the 5.25″ version. This comes into play because the gun is indeed very accurate. Out of the box I was able to shoot a 1″ group at 20 yards. They all printed a little low, so I adjusted the sights and I was soon dead on. The 5.25” barrel lets us get a little more out of the 10mm round. Speaking of the round, the recoil on the gun was well managed. The gun has a one-piece full-size guide rod and beefy recoil spring. The benefits of this are many but extending the life of the gun in is pretty high on the list. I ran a mix of several flavors of ammo but centered around two of my favorites. The Hornady 10mm Auto 180-grain XTP and the Federal Premium 10mm Auto 180-grain Hydra-Shok JHP. The Hornady pushes the 180-grain bullet at 1,275 fps, which is screaming. Federal is right behind it at 1,030 fps with 424 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. It is because of these numbers the 10mm round is so popular as a backcountry and even personal protection round. It simply makes very big holes in whatever it hits.

With a 5.25″ barrel the XD(M) 10mm is a very accurate shooter.

The trigger on the XD(M) is nice and has a short reset making it a pretty fast gun to run. The longer sight radius made for some nice long distance shooting as we moved back on steel until we topped out at 100 yards. Even at that distance, there was no question when the round would hit the steel. A very loud “ping” would ring out with every impact. The gun has some heft to it but is by no means unwieldy. At just over 31 ounces, it would serve its’ owner quite well in the right holster. Applications of the gun are many but I would push it towards personal protection. As I said the 10mm round has been a popular backcountry round for years and has a proven reputation to stop threats with claws and teeth. The 10mm has also been growing in favor in the personal defense realm as well because of its punch. The saga of the 10mm has been well documented including its time with the F.B.I. Regardless of the application, the Springfield Armory XD(M) 10mm is a solid platform for anyone serious about 10mm.

XD(M) — Complete with a striker condition indicator, the shooter can look and feel for the condition of the gun.

Specifications:

Caliber: 10mm
Magazines:      2-15 round magazines
Barrel:            5.25″ Steel Melonite finish / Hammer forged 1:16 RH Twist
Sights:            Fiber Optic Front, fully adjustable target rear
Frame: Black polymer with changeable backstraps
Slide:              Forged steel with a Melonite finish
Recoil:            One-piece full-length guide rod
Length:          8.3″
Height: 5.75″
Grip width: 1.2″
Weight empty: 31.2 oz.