Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 10mm | One Well-Built Thumper Leave a comment

In the above image, we see two very useful tools. Our ‘88 Cheyenne is a truck we use when we need to cart something that needs an 8-foot bed and some power. The Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 10mm in the image is a tool I use to keep things running and in order on our homestead. Both have earned their place and my appreciation. 

If you’re a reader of my musings herein, you might recall that I have mentioned, in several reviews and articles, that we live out in the boonies in the Hoosier State. We have chickens. We like our chickens, and especially the nice brown, white, and olive eggs we get. So, it is with alarm that we view predators invading the coop. I’ve killed raccoons, possums (lots of possums) and other vermin trying to snatch a chicken.

We’ve had protected-species juvenile bald eagles, hawks, and one huge owl try their luck – usually successfully, except for the owl that got tangled in the roofing net and expired. I can’t shoot them, but we try to keep them out. At 3:00 this morning, we heard the chickens alarming and saw a fox trying to figure a way into the coop. My wife chased him off. We do keep busy in the chicken-vs.-varmint game and firearms play an important part.

Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 10mm Pistol

A 10mm pistol is overkill for something like this, but it is a comfort to know that I don’t need to grab a long gun to have something with some power in case I need to put something larger than a fox down. As a matter of fact, this pistol will be on my hip during my first foray into the deer woods in November. We don’t have bears around here, but we do have bobcats and one large mountain lion… our local deputies had seen it after we reported it roaming through our yard, which verified our sighting. You never know what might be roaming the woods behind our house.

OK, enough about where we live and the critters we see. I just wanted to make the point that a pistol like this XD-M Elite is much appreciated and very useful in our household, as I’m sure it is in many others. The SA XD series has been used on many occasions to get the job done. But… where did the XD pistols come from?

The XD Series

Here’s a quick rundown of the XD series of pistols that Springfield Armory (SA) sells. In Croatia, there is a manufacturer known for making military-grade small arms and supplying military needs. That company is HS Produkt. 

The XD started in 2002 when SA negotiated with HSP to produce and modify that company’s HS2000 striker-fired pistol into what would become the XD (eXtreme Duty) series of pistols for sale in the U.S. They eventually expanded into ten models in five calibers and various finishes and sizes, but that has gone off the chain in the intervening years with many more models, calibers, finishes, etc. added to the mix. In 2003 and 2006 the XD won honors as the pistol or handgun of the year by the American Rifleman and the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence. 

The “M” version – Match – came about in 2008 and won Handgun of the Year by the American Rifleman in 2009. It used interchangeable backstraps and a match-grade barrel. Moving forward, the 10mm XD-M was introduced in 2018. Various other XD series have been made – XD-S (single-stack), XD-E (external hammer), and XD-Mod 2. 

It wasn’t until May of 2023 that the 10mm XD-M Elite 4.5 OSP came about. They had made a 3.8-inch version, but the 4.5-inch model increased not only the barrel length but also the magazine capacity and grip length. 

The gun sports these features:

META Trigger: Match-Enhanced-Trigger-Assembly. The trigger is tuned. The one on this pistol broke at a little over four pounds with minimal take-up and no creep.

Match Barrel: The 4.5 barrel provides excellent accuracy and has a feed ramp polished so well you can see my light box’s rows of LED lights reflected in it.

Removable Mag Well: There is a small mag well to aid in magazine insertion, but it may be removed if not desired.

Optics-Ready: The Elite OSP is ready to accept one of many red dots. I mounted a Holosun HS407 on this one with no trouble. The gun comes with several plates.

Sights: If you want to stick with what’s on the gun, no problem. You have a fiber optic front sight and a Tactical Rack U-Notch rear that are easy to use. They are, however, not tall enough to co-witness with a red dot.

LCI and Cocking Indicators: There is a loaded chamber indicator on the top of the slide, a “flag” that sticks up when the chamber is loaded. Also, a pin protrudes from the back of the slide when the gun is cocked. Both of these are visible and also tactile – you can feel if they’re engaged.

16-Round Magazines: You get two stainless 16-round magazines. 

Warranty: Limited Lifetime

Grip Texture: The very knobby grip “bumps” are aggressive but work well.

Grip Safety: I know, love it or hate it, but it really doesn’t get in the way. I would gladly put up with a grip safety as long as they leave the magazine disconnect safety off. They did… the gun will fire with no magazine in place.

Longer Frame Rails: The rails are longer than what you get with many pistols.

Shooting The XD-M Elite

After some previous experience behind the trigger of this pistol, I had come to expect accuracy and reliability. The 10mm cartridge tends to be amazingly accurate, across multiple loadings, and this XD-M Elite takes advantage of that. Here are some 5-shot, 25-yard targets that I shot with three different “normal” velocity loads. (I did not have access to the “flamethrower” loads, but they are out there for those who want/need them). Somehow the Holosun red dot moved its P.O.I. to the right a bit but that’s easily fixed.

Here are the results…

Load: Velocity, fps | Energy, ft.lbs.:

• CCI Blazer Brass 180-grain JFP: 1168 fps | 539 ft.lbs
• MagTech 180-grain JFP: 1188 fps | 564 ft.lbs
• HSM “Bear” Load 200-grain Hard Cast FP: 1080 fps | 518 ft.lbs
• Winchester Target & Practice 180-grain JFP: 1079 fps | 467 ft.lbs

Ballistics were measured using a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph

Here are some representative targets.

And, after you shoot the gun, you gotta clean it. Here’s how to take it apart. 

First, clear the chamber and drop the mag. Lock the slide back. Rotate the takedown lever up (not down, like the Echelon), release the slide, and let it come off the frame. No trigger press is needed. Separate the spring and barrel. When done, reverse the process to put it back together. The takedown lever and no trigger press make it easy to take down.

Conclusion

For those shooters who are looking to add a(nother) 10mm to their gun safe, the XD-M Elite makes a lot of sense. The match trigger and barrel really contribute to its inherent accuracy. The mag well makes loading magazines easy, but you can remove it if you don’t like it. The ability to add a red dot helps, again, with accuracy as do the stock sights if you don’t want to stick an optic on it.

The 10mm is a very versatile cartridge. You can get mid-range loads that rival the .40 S&W for practice, or go all the way to bear ventilators if needed. This gun is a handful, but not too much. My medium-sized hands have no trouble with it. Add in the availability now of 10mm ammo and holsters, and you’ve got a bargain here. Let’s hear from some owners below!

About Mike Hardesty

With experience spanning over 45 years, Mike Hardesty has long enjoyed shooting and reloading. An inveterate reloader, he casts bullets and reloads for a diverse array of firearms, each handled with long-practiced precision. Living in rural Indiana, his homestead boasts a personal 100-yard range where he shares his love for guns to his four sons, their wives, and eleven grandchildren. As a recognized author, his writings have been featured in notable platforms like Sniper Country, Bear Creek Arsenal Blog, Pew Pew Tactical, TTAG, Dillon Precision’s Blue Press, and Gun Made, revealing his ongoing passion for firearms at the age of 72.