Like a lot of folks, I waited, and waited, for Smith to come out with a 10. They didn't, and last year I got a XDM 10mm.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: This is the one Smith should have made.
EXTERIOR: This is the longer 5.25" version. There's also a 4.5" version. The gun is large, but does not feel so in the hand, at least to me. I have much larger than standard hands, so you may differ. But it feels much better in the hand than the Glock 20. The magazine release is positioned such that my thumb has plenty of reach, but again you may believe differently if you have smaller hands. The slide release/ latch is also well within my reach. There is no thumb safety, but there is a grip safety and a trigger-mounted safety. The grip safety is a good thing, in that it prevents Glock Leg from happening. All striker fired guns without thumb safetys should have this. The grip is adequately checkered, and the slide has good serrations fore and aft. Sights are a red fibre-optic front sight, and an adjustable rear sight with no markings; Sprg. should have had a three dot system for low-light visibility. If I were using this for anything but a range toy, I'd want to fix that. The front top of the slide is relieved for a lighter gun. I'd just as soon have them left the additional weight out there. Takedown is accomplished by rotating the takedown lever. The trigger has a bit of creep before breaking, but it is smooth and as good as a typical striker fired trigger. Racking the slide takes some effort, but is not onerous for a person of normal strength. Grip angle is 1911-friendly and not like a Glock's.
MAGAZINE: The polished stainless steel magazine holds 15 rounds and appears well made. It breaks down with with ease for cleaning.
RIFLING: The rifling is a standard land and groove type, not an octagonal design. It is also polished to a mirror finish, as is the chamber and feed ramp. This is a very nice touch. 10mm shooters are quite often hand-loaders, and they use hardcast bullets. The traditional rifling works with cast bullets. The polishing helps feed reliability and makes for much easier clean up. I can understand why my M&P9 is not so polished, because it is a duty-grade weapon and is not as likely to be hand-loaded for. The chamber is fully supported.
FIRING: Loads tested were of two classes. First, was R-P 180 grain FMJ, and my equivalent handload with 180 grain hardcast and AA#5 powder. This is the FBI Lite load which has only a bit more boogie than a normal .40 S&W load. Second, was Sig 180 grain FMJ and my handload with AA#9. This latter load runs quite a bit hotter and brings out the potential of the 10mm. Recoil is stiff -- you know you're not shooting a .45 -- but is not unpleasant. Felt recoil is much less snappy than a 1911 with the same load. Accuracy in such a pistol can't really be tested without clamping it in a rest, but it seemed to point well and the trigger is conducive to decent shooting.
Overall impressions: I got this for a range toy. I think it's too much power for self defense. It is controllable and could certainly be used for self-protection by an experienced shooter. but a 9mm is much easier to handle. Think of this gun as a .357 magnum with 16 shots, because top 10mm loads are close in energy to the top .357 loads. It would make a good woods gun with appropriate loads for defense against large predators. This really is the gun Smith should be making. There is a video showing a durability test where they fired 10,000 rounds with minimal maintenance and no malfunctions of any kind. I can believe it, because this thing is built like a piece of industrial equipment (note that they used FBI Lite grade ammo. I'd like to see how it would do with full house 10mm loads). But mine hasn't given me the slightest trouble, either.
The .44 Auto Mag and the .45 Super both dispose of considerably more power than 10mm. But the 10 is the most powerful semi auto cartridge in widespread use, and if you want to step up from the usual service caliber guns, this is the one to get. It's hard to argue with 15+1 of full power 10mm. And it is a quite versatile cartridge that can run anything from 135 grains to 220, in a variety of pressures.
Review: Springfield XDM 10mm
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