March 14th, 2023

7minute read

Few things are as personal as finding the right handgun for your needs.

From personal defense to hunting, finding the perfect pistol is a deeply individual pursuit.

During my testing, this gun performed exceptionally well.

springfield desert fde xd-m elite 10mm review

The new Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 4.5″ OSP 10mm Desert FDE is an excellent pistol for a range of applications.

Its OSP (Optical Sight Pistol) configuration allows for easy optics attachment.

All these features combine to make this an exceedingly capable handgun.

Lets take a closer look at some of this guns defining features.

springfield desert fde xd-m elite 10mm pistol

This pistol is perhaps the most complete defensive handgun devised: impressive capacity, a powerful cartridge, red dot-ready, supremely accurate and utterly reliable.

Chambering

The10mm cartridge is known as being powerful suitable for defense, bowling pin competitions and hunting.

Nevertheless, I have always found it to be relatively easy to control in a well-built pistol.

The power makes it a versatile round, capable of being loaded tolevels well beyond the .45 ACP.

shooting the springfield desert fde xd-m elite 10mm on the range

The author tested this gun on the range using a HEX Dragonfly and Nosler premium ammunition. The gun performed admirably.

Its ideal for maximizing stopping power out of a handgun.

Barrel

Standard is a match-grade barrel.

It is made of hammer-forged steel with a Melonite finish.

10mm chambering

Springfield Armory uses match-grade barrels in its XD-M Elite line. This pistol is fitted with a 4.5″ barrel with a Melonite finish.

Yet, it is long enough for the rounds to achieve effective velocity.

The front sight is a red fiber optic rod that is very visible.

When the sights are aligned, the front fiber optic drops neatly into the wide U-notch rear sight.

hex dragonfly mounted on springfield xd-m elite 10mm desert fde

A wide range of pistol optics are compatible with the XD-M Elite. Springfield Armory offers a variety of mounting plates that adapt to many red dots.

With the mounting plate, it took just a couple of minutes to install.

Grip Frame

Springfield did a good job with the XD-M Elite frame.

The grip fills my hand well with the standard backstrap.

springfield xd-m elite osp 10mm fde

Two 16-round magazines come with the new XD-M Elite OSP. Optics and weaponlights are optional.

Additional backstraps are included to optimize the gun-to-hand fit.

Along both sides of the pistol are recessed cuts for the trigger finger.

These cuts help place my finger pad perfectly on the META trigger.

meta trigger on the xd-m elite

The META trigger is one of the best available on a striker-fired pistol. It is light, crisp and consistent in its pull and break.

Ive found this improves my consistency with accuracy from the draw.

Aggressive block-throw in checkering on the frame works well to give my hands good purchase on the gun.

I live in Florida where even the winters can be warm and humid.

magwell on xd-m elite 10mm fde

Removable magwells are standard on the XD-M Elite line. This one uses a short, flared magwell that helps to funnel magazines when under pressure.

Hands sweat easily especially when you are out on the range running some training drills.

That grenade-like grip helps me keep a firm hold on the gun.

Magwell

The XD-M Elite line uses aremovable magwell.

xd-m 10mm desert fde for bear defense

When venturing outdoors, it is smart to have gear ready for any reasonable emergency. A firearm like the XD-M Elite 10mm FDE can be important for defense against predators.

The simple act of sliding a magazine home can be tough when your body has adrenaline coursing through it.

A flared magwell like this helps ensure you maximize reload efficiency.

Matching up with the extended magwell is an extended-capacity 16-round magazine.

nosler ammo for range testing

The author tested the pistol using a variety of ammo, including these high-performance loads from Nosler. The accuracy was exceptional.

Two are included with the pistol.

All of the controls on the Elite pistols are ambidextrous.

Not swappable but truly ambidextrous.

shooting the xd-m elite 10mm fde for testing

Shooting more than 500 rounds, the author experienced 100% reliability with this gun. That is in line with the performance he’s seen from the entire XD-M Elite line.

The slide stop and the magazine release work on both sides right out of the box.

Perfect Bear Gun?

That includes threats from large predators.

nosler grouping with xd-m elite 10mm desert fde

With a Nosler 200-grain JHP load, the author managed a five-shot group a little over 0.5″. The best three-round group was even smaller than that.

You also need a proven caliber that can deliver enough thump to hit with authority.

I believe this pistol offers both.

As discussed on the site previously, the 10mm is an adequate defensive round against bears.

xd-m elite 10mm fde

The Springfield XD-M Elite 4.5″ OSP 10mm in Desert FDE is ready for any adventure you have planned.

I say adequate as all handgun cartridges are suboptimal against North Americas largest predators when compared to rifle loads.

But with the guns excellent reliability, you have fast access to 16+1 rounds of bear repellant.

Here are three things I learned during this process:

First, the gun proved reliable.

XD-M® Elite 4.5" OSP™

With more than 500 rounds downrange, I experienced no malfunctions with any of the loads.

That included 100 rounds of self-defense hollowpoints.

Secondly, accuracy was impressive.

Blazer Brass 10mm

While the XD-M Elite pistols often deliver great accuracy, this pistol proved exceptional.

At all ranges from 3 to 25 yards the accuracy and precision were great.

With all ammo, 1 groupings were pretty common.

Nosler 10mm 180gr JHP ASP

Finally, the recoil and muzzle flip were completely controllable.

For me, the 10mm is strong, but not overwhelming.

The bottom line is that it offers dependable performance.

Nosler 10mm 200gr JHP DEFENSE

In terms of performance, the accuracy was exceptional.

Additionally, I found the trigger was crisp and smooth.

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