Springfield Armory XDM-E OSP XDME94510GBHCOSP Green Cerakote Finish 10mm Auto

GUN TESTS GRADE: A

$650

If one looks very closely at the product numbers for our two XDM-Elite OSP models, you will find one letter difference. There is an additional “G” present in this pistol’s product number, denoting the green Cerakote finish on the second pistol. When we saw the special issue of this pistol being sold on the Sportsman’s Warehouse website, we thought we had found Springfield Armory making a Lipsey’s-type arrangement. For those not familiar with the company, Lipsey’s is a prominent distributor of firearms based out of Louisiana, as is Sportsman’s Warehouse. The Lipsey’s company is famous for specifying particular options that they think would be very popular on given firearms and then ordering short runs of the product from the manufacturer, which Lipsey’s then distributes as its own “specials.”

We saw the new finish and wondered what other options had been changed and ordered a sample. We wuz wrong! They are the same pistols. Nothing else beyond the color had changed. Slightly deflated, we realized that we still had a good chance to test the Springfields against the G20SF and against each other. During many years as active instructors, we have witnessed almost identical firearms acting very differently and preferring different ammunition. Our standard explanation has been that “Firearms are a lot like spouses. They have personalities and you don’t really know what they are until you have spent some time with them.” So, we tested the XDM-Elites against each other as well, looking for similarities and differences. This section of the report focuses on Mr. Green.

Made using the same machines, these pistols, except for the colors, are about as identical as can be. All measurements were the same. The same parts were polished to an almost mirror finish. We couldn’t even tell the difference in how the pistols felt to our hands or the triggers to our fingers.

Mr. Black XDM-E had an aggregate group size average of 1.94 inch. Mr. Green came in at 1.83 inches, versus 2.10 inches for the Glock. We consider the difference between the two Springfields to be statistically insignificant. The black XDM-E did slightly prefer the Sig V-Crown, while the green pistol, again slightly, preferred the Magtech ammo.

The black XDM-E had an average of 1.78 seconds on the first speed drill — five shots in the A-Zone of a USPSA target from the low ready at 7 yards. The green version averaged 1.73 seconds. The Glock’s time was 1.86 seconds. Our 5×5 drill (five shots at a 5-inch circle from the low ready at 5 yards) showed an even smaller delta. Mr. Black averaged 1.86 seconds, and Mr. Green came in at 1.82 seconds, while the Glock clocked 2.18 seconds.

Our Team Said: For us, the almost identical numbers of the two XDM-E handguns compared to slightly larger or slower number for the Glock gave the Springfields an edge. Kudos to Springfield Armory, their production methods and quality control. Their two pistols were about as identical as they could be. We expected the pistol finished in green Cerakote to have a higher price, $30 to $40 or so. The actual difference of $75 between Mr. Green and Mr. Black may have resulted from two different vendors (one for the Cerakote finish and one for Sportsman’s Warehouse) building in their required mark-ups. If you like the color and want to spend the additional money, then go for it.

10MM Auto Range Data