By James “the XDMAN” Nicholas

Today, the Springfield Armory XDM Elite series gets an upgrade and enters the realm of LARGE FRAME pistols with its new compact. Springfield’s done it in 10mm— one of the world’s most powerful duty pistol cartridges available! While Springfield Armory offered .45ACP and 10mm large frames in the older, Generation One XDM pistols, the XDM 10mm was never offered in the compact variation. Up until now XDM Elites were only available in 9mm. UNTIL NOW.

Opening the box to my new 10mm XDME, my primal urge to grunt engaged. My inner Tim Allen came out, sitting on my shoulder grinning with approval of the new raw power. I mean, why even bother with the age-old debate of stopping power 9mm vs 45acp, when you can just surpass them all and supercharge your Armory Life with the 10mm? 

Size-wise, the XDME compact makes this pistol one of the smallest semi-autos chambered in 10mm available. Right out of the gate it IS the only optics-ready 10mm compact pistol available. Now, the 10mm has a cult following and a devout fan base, but they will admit that options for the 10mm are relatively scarce and usually come in large beastly robust type pistols. Larger pistols are what was required to handle and absorb the power from the 10mm cartridge. This brings us to one of the biggest drawbacks about the 10mm. Requiring such large pistols meant organizations like the FBI moved beyond the 10mm. They found that average- and small-handed agents could not comfortably hold the pistols chambered in 10mm. It was said to be like holding on to a 2x4. 

Comparing the new 10mm XDME with the already available 9mm XDME compact, the first thing that strikes you is that it is comfortable to hold. With time comes great advances in materials and design. The XDME takes full advantage of these. The circumference difference between the small frame XDME and large frame XDME is only an astounding 1/4 inch or about 7mm! Handing both pistols to my wife, she said that the difference was not enough to preclude her from using the “larger frame”. 

Springfield and HS Produkt knocked it out of the ballpark when it came to sculpting and contouring the XDM frames. The curves allow most user’s hands to easily grip and comfortably reach the XDM trigger no matter the caliber. A comfortable grip leads to confidence in knowing you can control and even master the weapon system. A good fit and finish helps with the second drawback of the 10mm. The urban legend is that any 10mm pistol’s recoil is excessive and will beat up the user. As a firearms instructor, I have helped countless students with shooting fundamentals. It does not matter what caliber the student is shooting, if the firearm is uncomfortable to the shooter they will always perform poorly. Just by finding a weapon that fits the individual immediately improves the shooter’s confidence and shooting scores. 

The XDME is great in that the user can configure each pistol with different sized backstraps and even remove the magwell—if that’s what the shooter wants. So while organizations like a police department may want to standardize each officer with one pistol system, the XDME can be configured and personalized for each shooter’s needs. 

When it comes to equipment that you have to carry and live with every day, I have never heard anyone in their right mind say they would like to carry the heavier, bulkier equipment. And if they did it gets old fast, especially after a long day of standing on your feet or hiking in the woods. The old saying is “ounces are pounds” —the less the better. Weighing both XDME pistols I found that the XDME 9mm came in at 1 pound 13.1 ounces, and the 10mm XDME weighed a respectable 1 pound 14.4 ounces. Now especially if you need one of the world’s most powerful semi-autos on your side, the extra 1.3oz afforded by a 10mm pistol is going to give you better shot-to-shot recovery time and much better control. 

Being a compact carry-type pistol means that the XDME does come with some trade-offs. The OSP version of the XDME 10mm comes with standard height sights that do not cowitness with the included Springfield Armory Hex Dragon Fly red dot. 

Now before you ask what gives, let’s go over the trade-offs. I also personally own an XDME OSP with cowitnessed suppressor-height sights. Anyone who has owned a pistol with suppressor height sights will tell you you can’t use most of the standard holsters that are out there. Since the front sight is soooo tall you have to work with the limited holster options that have enough of a sight channel to clear the front sight. On a carry-type holster, this is almost nonexistent. Springfield choosing normal-sized sights means that the new XDME will fit almost all current XDM and XDME holsters, including ones designed for deep concealment. And if you are crazy and want tall sights, no problem—the 10mm XDME still uses the same dovetails that the XDs have used for 20-plus years.

So, what’s it like shooting this power wagon, you ask? Well, if you have ever owned an XD/XDM/XDME, you will still be right at home. The Meta enhanced trigger has a great overtravel stop right out of the box, which gets rid of most extra overtravel once the trigger breaks. You get that familiar two-stage type trigger with a nice lightweight initial trigger pull. Then you reach the ledge of stage two and it’s like a glass rod breaking as the pistol fires. The overtravel stop means that the reset is short and quick. 

Now, this is a compact pistol, and the 10mm comes in a wide range of loads. If you use some hard-hitting heavy self-defense ammunition, you need to be prepared. It is not unbearable, but you will know when the pistol shoots. Any of the middle of the road self-defense or practice 10mm will be no worse than shooting something like a 45. 

The great ergonomics and recoil-absorbing polymer frame in the XDME mean that the 10mm cartridge will gain even more popularity, and will for sure grow the 10mm market. The XDME 10mm compact is destined to be a hot seller for Springfield. 

Want more versatility? Get an optional 15-round full-sized 10mm magazine with a grip sleeve, and you transform this compact into a full-sized carry pistol. Good enough for duty/protection use to deep concealment, the XDME series offers user-serviceable customization that adapts the series to the user. Feeling confident in your equipment removes that uneasiness barrier ,allowing the shooter to concentrate on the shooting. 

So what kinds of things can we expect in the future? I would take the bet that not only will we get a full-sized 10mm XDME, but we will also see a .45ACP XDME version both full size and compact. Ahhh…I have seen the future and I likes what I sees…..you get a 10mm and you get a 10mm….everyone gets a 10mm!