My Glock and M&P (the 1.0 models) won't even lift a pencil completely out of the barrel. The XDMs will make it jump completely out of the barrel.
The pencil test is good to make sure the firing pin is actually coming through the breech face, as it has to in order to ignite the primer, but apparently (based on the Glock/M&P) results, even a lighter firing pin striker on the primer can still do the job.
I stuck a pencil in the ceiling at work one time, with a 1911. Had to get up out of the chair, reach up and pull the darn thing out of the celotex panel. Never seen anything launch a pencil like a 1911, but the still go bang.
When you get the parts and install them, please be sure to come back and post on the thread to let everyone know how it worked out for you.