Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns XDM 10mm full size or compact

I have a G20 that I carried in Alaska with hard cast lead loads. It just doesn’t fit my hand well. The XDM 10mm is a better fit. I like both the full size and the compact. But the compact only makes sense if I can get rounds on target quickly. Anyone with experience that can tell me how the compact really shoots. Thanks.

I'm not a XDM fan, but I can shoot any full size model Glock faster than the comparable small size version. E.g. G34 is faster than G26, G20 is faster than G29. Even with a SW 10mm the 4.6" version is faster than the 4" version. Not sure speed actually matters in these scenarios, I can't see getting off more than 3-4 shots at a charging bear. The longer barrel versions have more velocity, but again, not sure if 25-100fps matters to most people. Personally, I like the 4-5" barrels in 10mm for woods carry. The extra 3 ozs. doesn't change much on my hip, but the extra velocity and faster splits is more reassuring to me.

That said, on summer backpack trips in the mountains where every ounce counts, I take a G29 with hardcast and don't feel undergunned.

I have the 4.5". A family member has the compact. I find the taller grip and longer sight radius more conducive to accurate shooting at speed. If you're planning to add an optic and the compact fits your hand well, the compact may be the better option. But if weight is a concern, you can always load fewer rounds in the mag. I'd be beyond surprised if anyone gets anywhere near fifteen shots at an attacking griz.

I only have the 4.5”. I’d do it again.

This is, basically, what I was thinking. I like a Glock 40, but the Glock grip just doesn’t fit my hand well. I will need to really get my hands on a full size XDM in 10mm to see if it fits any better. I was thinking, I might get both. Carry the full size the most and carry the compact when size and weight are an issue.

But around here, we just have some black bear and 147 grain hardcast in a 9mm is a good load for them if necessary.

Sold my Glock 29 many years ago as I shoot my Glock 20 much better.

Me too. In fact I did do it again. Wife & I had a pair we carried in AK. Gave one to our daughter when she moved out West. We’ll probably buy another before our AK trip next year. I found this model to be quite portable, yet still shootable.

My XDM has the 5.25" barrel, why have a short barrel and leave velocity on the table.

9mm is not a bear round. Period. It’s barely a 2 legged predator round. A lead instructor at the FBI told me a major reason they switched from the 40 to 9, was
agents put more hits on target with 9. The 9 was not ballistically superior to the 40SW’s performance (nor the 10mm’s). However, a hit with a 9 was worth more than a miss with a 40, and that was the reason for the change. And I agree a hit a bear with a 9 is better than a miss with SW500mag. But, that doesn’t mean it’s an effective bear stopper. In a perfect shot placement hunting scenario, no one chooses to hunt bear with a 9mm, but somehow people think in a situation with guaranteed poor shot placement, like a charging bear, 9mm is acceptable. That is ludicrous.

I've got an old XDM forty in the 4.5" length. I've tried not to like the damn thing, which was pretty easy because it shot way high at 25 yards and had the sshittiest trigger I've seen on an XD. I fixed both and discovered it's the most mechanically accurate 40 I've ever used. The 4.5 size is perfect in this platform. it points naturally, it always works and it carries well even IWB. I've carried it all summer and the finish is bombproof. If I wanted/needed a 10mm, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.


I've owned 2-3 Glock 30s and an XD45 3.3", all good pistols; but I was always fiddling with fullsize mags & spacers trying make the grip bigger. Fullsize pistols are a much better option for me.

Liking the XDM Elite 10mm in 4.5 brl. Hard to find the 15rd. Magazines and a holster to fit in with the added "gas pedal", but overall its accurate and reliable for me. Im usually a Glock guy for 10mm platforms.

I have and like both.
The longer tube is more practical. Oddly the compact seems to not recoil quite as much.

Can't go wrong with either.

~J.O.

So I swore the same thing about my G43x and G34. Felt like the little 43x was smoother and flipped less and was faster. Then I took out the shot timer and measured. While close, the bigger gun was definitely faster between shots. I think the longer barrel looks like it's moving more, but the rotation of your hand is less. Say if each rotated 10 degrees upward with your hand, the muzzle of the longer barrel will have moved upward more than the shorter barrel - even though the rotation is the same. While I didn't do the YouTube thing and video the side of the gun during recoil in front of some graph paper, I suspect the longer barreled gun is also rotating less in your hand. And despite rotating less, still may have the muzzle rise more than the shorter barrel, just due to its longer length.

You cannot shoot the smaller grip frame and reduced sight radius as well as you can the full size.

All else being equal.

Had a Glock 20 sold it and bought a XDM 10mm 4.5 inch prefer it.

https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=388

I agree its not ideal but it will work. If i was back in AK or grizzly country, I would take my G20. But here, hard cast lead in 9mm soothes my nerves just fine. If it wasn’t so inconvenient, I’d carry my 450 Bushmaster on every hike and fishing trip. But its not practical. A handgun, of any caliber, is no substitute for a proper rifle.

I’ve read other items Mr. Shoemaker has written. He clearly states that he would have rather had something bigger than the 9mm but its what he had. He has also stated no handgun is good for stopping a wounded bear. I will take his word as many would say he has more experience with bears than most others.

Exactly 💯%

The full size is a huge handgun that is going to be pia to carry. If you can get longer threaded barrel for compensator I would choose the smaller gun. It is cut for optic so if one is installed sight radius issue goes away.

Says the guy who never carried one.

The 4.5 is a full size frame. "Huge" it is not. Or else, I wouldn't have it. It is no more a PIA than any normal size plastic frame pistol.

Go play with your airsoft maser.

Maser wouldn’t know schitt from shinola.
Much less anything about real handguns.

I suspect he’s prohibited by law from owning any actual firearms, due to mental instability, frequent drug use, and prior criminal convictions.