Springfield Armory has released an XDm in best millimeter at last. I have been calling and writing emails to them for years, nagging for a 10mm version of their XDm. And the XDm-10 is finally here. I am a big proponent of 10mm Auto because it is an extremely versatile cartridge. It can be loaded with bullets ranging from 60 gr to 230 gr and it can be loaded to energy levels that equal or exceed safe .357 magnum loads.

Gone are the days when only hand loaders or boutique ammo makers loaded “full power” 10mm, too. There are respectable loads from some of the biggest names in the business now. But just because you can load it as hot as .357 magnum, doesn’t mean you have to. You can carry 10mm ammo that’s basically like a +P .40 S&W for lower recoil and fast, accurate shooting to defend against human beings or you can load it with crazy nookular loads for hunting or large animal defense.

TFB REVIEW: New 10mm Springfield Armory XDm–10 First Look

https://www.springfield–armory.com/products/xdm–5–25–10mm/

MSRP: $779

And the two pistols that Springfield has released today are outstanding design choices. As much as I like Glock pistols, the G29 has never made a lot of sense to me. Like a .357 mag snub nosed revolver, the G29 is a great deal of horsepower that isn’t easy to wrestle with your pinkie hanging off the end of the grip. Springfield made a well-considered choice when they decided that both of their 10mm XDm pistols would have a full-sized grip. Yes, I understand that grip length matters for concealment. But full power 10mm is a handful and I, for one, welcome this choice. Maybe if these sell well enough, they can follow up with a compact model that reduces grip length to just long enough to get your fingers on.

While both pistols have a full-size grip and accept the same 15 round magazine, one is a traditional 4.5” service pistol size and the other is a 5.25” long slide version that would be well suited to hunting, trail defense, or competition. Springfield sent me the long slide version to review. It comes with an adjustable rear sight and has and extra notch in the slide serrations at the front.

Otherwise, the two pistols are identical. In all respects, the 10mm XDm is the same as the XDm pistols made in other, lesser calibers. They have the same XDm Melonite finish, match barrels, interchangeable back straps, ambidextrous mag release, and the sight dovetails on the 4.5” model are the same dimensions as those on certain Sig models, making it easy to locate aftermarket sights.

 

 

Springfield says they tested the 10mm XDm with 10,000 rounds with no maintenance other than lube and recoil spring changes every 2,000 rounds. I didn’t have 10,000 rounds, but I did have a wide range of ammo with different nose profiles and some of them were legit, full power 10mm Auto as Col Cooper would have wanted. All fed and ejected perfectly with no malfunctions. The velocity figures are listed below.

Sig Sauer 180gr V-Crown:

• 1,256
• 1,288
• 1,271
• 1,215
• Average: 1,257.5
• StdDev: 31.2
• Min: 1,215
• Max: 1,288
• Spread: 73

Ventura Munitions 180gr JHP

• 1,412
• 1,406
• 1,412
• 1,386
• 1,392
• Average: 1,401.6
• StdDev: 11.95
• Min: 1,386
• Max: 1,412
• Spread: 26

Ventura Munitions 115gr Xtreme Defense

• 1,586
• 1,578
• 1,613
• 1,588
• 1,600
• Average: 1,593.0
• StdDev: 13.67
• Min: 1,578
• Max: 1,613
• Spread: 35

Super Vel 160gr SCHP

• 1,177
• 1,231
• 1,200
• 1,239
• 1,211
• Average: 1,211.6
• StdDev: 24.80
• Min: 1,177
• Max: 1,239
• Spread: 62

Lehigh 140gr Extreme Penetrator

• 1,395
• 1,397
• 1,408
• 1,479
• 1,360
• Average: 1,407.8
• StdDev: 43.69
• Min: 1,360
• Max: 1,479
• Spread: 119

Shooting the pistol is predictably enjoyable. I’m not a big fan of accuracy reviews because I don’t own a Ransom rest and without one, the results are largely dependent on shooter variables. But the long sight radius makes for a precise sight picture and the fiber optic front sight really grabs your attention. The pistol is certainly more accurate than I am from an unsupported standing position. As expected, the Ventura 180gr recoiled quite a bit. Some of the lighter loads were quite manageable.

Surprisingly, the 115 gr Extreme Defense was one of the softer recoiling loads because of the light bullet, despite the crazy fast velocity. The extra weight of the longer slide likely helps a little to soak up recoil. It does have a cutout on the top that doesn’t really make any sense without a ported barrel, though. Maybe I’m missing something, but it seems that this cutout can serve no purpose other than a place for dirt to get in. My preference for this pistol would be to delete that cutout and to offer the pistol with a 6” threaded barrel as a factory option or aftermarket part so the end user can choose to add a compensator, silencer, or leave the muzzle bare.

Another unusual point was that the magazines provided lacked any witness holes. I suspect that’s because they are preproduction samples. Mags shipped with production pistols will probably have witness holes.

I like this pistol. I’ve liked it since it was called the HS2000. It feels great in the hand, despite being chambered for a rather large cartridge. It arrived with the smallest grip insert installed, which is just as well because I have tiny hobbit fingers. The XDm-10’s grip feels about the same size as my polymer frame EAA Witness, but it is noticeably smaller – shorter really – than the grip on my Glock 20SF.

 

 

If I were to imagine a perfect 10mm pistol, the Springfield XDm-10, checks the boxes for almost everything that would be on my list. It has a large capacity, is produced by a reputable company on a proven platform, has good aftermarket support, is available in a long slide flavor, fits the hand well, has a light rail, has adjustable sights, and has a workable trigger. The XD series of pistols are solid and dependable. They compare favorably with their polymer frame peers. There are few things I would change and nothing I can’t live with. This has been a long time coming, but it’s here now and it is everything I hoped that it would be.