May 25th, 2022
9:00 runtime
The 10mm is and always has been a remarkable round.
That pistol is the XD-M Elite 4.5 OSP 10mm.
We at GunSpot were excited to get a hands-on look at the gun prior to its release date.
Upon looking at the pistol, there are some noteworthy physical characteristics to this weapon.
We opted to put a Surefire X300 on ours.
The frame has grip texture added on just about any place you would want it.
There is a chunky, scale-like texture to it that grabs the hand well.
This texture is found on the front, sides, and back of the pistols frame.
On the bottom of the grip, there is a short magwell added by Springfield Armory.
This gives you an ample 16+1 rounds on board for carrying.
That is stellar capacity for a pistol in 10mm.
Topping It Off
The slide of this pistol is created from forged steel and is Melonite treated.
The pistol can be purchased alone, or as a package with the HEX Dragonfly red dot optic.
The gun comes equipped withstandard-height U-Dot iron sights.
The rear sight is a U-notch sight, which is identical to the rear sight on the Hellcat models.
The front sight is a red fiber optic unit designed for high visibility in daylight.
The slide has machined rear and front cocking serrations that are enlarged and enhanced over those of the XD-M.
This will make functions like charging and press checks easier.
On top of the ejection port area of the slide, there is also a loaded chamber indicator.
When in the loaded position, the indicator can be felt or visually seen.
This is a great tactical feature that supports shooting from either hand around cover and concealment.
We took each of these three loads and used them to test the pistols performance.
We used three different loads from three different manufacturers.
Our first load was PMC Bronze ammunition.
The grain weight of this load is 170 grains and has a jacketed hollow point for the projectile.
Our second load was Winchester Defender 180 grain with a bonded jacketed hollow point.
This was Doubletap 125-gr.
ammunition with a full copper projectile.
I fired all of my shots from 15 yards away on a bench with a Lead Sled for support.
From there, I shot four three-round groups with each ammunition.
Im not a master by any means.
I only rate myself in the above-average level because Ive seen just how bad some flat range shooters are.
In all seriousness, this pistol will outperform me on my best day, especially at 15 yards.
The first groupings I shot were of the PMC 170-gr.
The PMC performed really well, with my tightest group being a 12 group.
My second grouping was using the Winchester 180-gr.
bonded jacketed hollow point.
This ammo did the best for me overall.
My best group was again a 12 group.
The last grouping test was done with the Doubletap 125-gr.
10mm, with my best group being 114.
For each ammo choice, we fired five rounds and took an average of the five shots.
The chronograph was set to measure in feet per second.
The first round tested was the PMC 170-gr.
round with an average of 1,119 feet per second.
The second round was the Winchester 180-gr.
round with an average of 1,166 feet per second.
The Doubletap round was the last one with a 125-gr.
bullet that reached an average of a blistering 1,516 feet per second.
Both Grant and I shot the pistol.
For me, it was the first 10mm I had ever shot.
Grant, a more experienced shooter, has shot most of the calibers in the gun world.
The conclusion amongst us was that this gun handles the 10mm recoil pretty easily.
The pistols META trigger is great, with a crisp break and an integral overtravel stop.
The gun has an amazing capacity to go along with it, as well.
Target Market?
If you love 10mm, Im sure you will love this gun.
This is true especially if youre already a fan of the XD-M Elite line.
