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[BLUEDOT37]

...he was really concerned with stout 10mm ammo and handloads (not even 'max' loads but a regular diet of upper mid-range stuff) battering the alum frame to the point of deformation or cracking.

I did not install a buffer but not a bad idea. I'm not against them in a range gun, which my 1013 is to me, but I wouldn't use one in a SD pistol.

I documented shooting (810) rounds thru the 1013 in my earlier testing. It had unknown rounds thru it before as a 40.

The current contact point, between the barrel & frame, looks pretty much like it did before I started (below).

I believe the hole in the frame, for the slide stop pin, has been a point of failure for some in the past (?), which gets the most stress from the slide's closing force on it.

That's why I ultimately backed off my recoil spring's strength a bit & upped the hammer spring strength.

The 1013's been residing in the safe mostly since the mod, because of other new toys & projects, only shooting it recently in a 10AUTO chrono test to compare velocities of different barrel length.

It'll never be a high use pistol, for me, but it'll get play time now & then.

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[Frank Black]

Buffers are one of the most polarizing subjects in gun forums… discussing them seems to bring out the absolute worst in some people.
I am a fan of them and I know full well what the opposition thinks of them.
I had no idea that S&W ever had or marketed anything like this for a 3rd Gen. Can you point to any source to learn more about this?
For sure… any item that is designed to be HIT and also to flex and absorb when hit needs to be tended to, but I believe that handguns need to be tended to, so I do that.
Where do you get more of these — or do you cut, shape and fit them yourself?

Hi Sevens:

Well, my rule of thumb on recoil buffers, based on a lot of experience with running them in both 5" Gov't and 4.25" Commander 1911s is this: if it's just a range toy or handload tester, it doesn't matter. But in any pistol that's in my concealed EDC rotation, it doesn't run a buffer.

The one exception is this 1013. Due to the way my gunsmith fitted it, I've had no issues and he deems it to be a necessary internal component to prevent degrading the alum frame over time.

Attached is a pic of the S&W buffer pack he gave me when I received the gun (shown with some 10XX-series white followers and black floorplates). These buffers differ in size and shape from 1911 buffers and were specially intended for use in the large-frame 3rd Gen pistols, not the compacts.

I don't know if you can still source these. Maybe on ebay?

 

[Frank Black]

Here's a pic from a different angle showing (1) how my 'smith machined the frame for fitment and (2) the buffer seated in the frame.

 

[Frank Black]

I did not install a buffer but not a bad idea. I'm not against them in a range gun, which my 1013 is to me, but I wouldn't use one in a SD pistol.
I documented shooting (810) rounds thru the 1013 in my earlier testing. It had unknown rounds thru it before as a 40.
The current contact point, between the barrel & frame, looks pretty much like it did before I started (below).
I believe the hole in the frame, for the slide stop pin, has been a point of failure for some in the past (?), which gets the most stress from the slide's closing force on it.
That's why I ultimately backed off my recoil spring's strength a bit & upped the hammer spring strength.
The 1013's been residing in the safe mostly since the mod, because of other new toys & projects, only shooting it recently in a 10AUTO chrono test to compare velocities of different barrel length.
It'll never be a high use pistol, for me, but it'll get play time now & then.

Yes, since mine's in the carry rotation, especially in the hot weather months, ... no buffer.

Here's a pic of a 3" Shoot-n-See target shot (x8) from 7-yds with Underwood's 200grn FMJ ammo (box-flapped @ 1250fps from a 5" barrel, I believe). One flyer (high left @ 10 o'clock) but three shots thru one hole.

Most definitely a "Sonny Crockett Load."

 

[Frank Black]

At the opposite end of the 10mm's energy curve is Federal's old 10mm 'X' load from back in the day - circa 1990. This ammo featured a 190grn bonded JHP, the first bonded bullet fielded specifically for use in L.E. autoloaders. I still have about 400-rds of this ammo. So a bit heavier and a bit hotter than Federal's "FBI-Lite" 180grn ammo (@ 950fps).

In my buddy's 5" Delta Elite and my 5" 1006, we chrono-ed this ammo doing about 1040-1050fps. We both agreed it should've been loaded at least 100fps faster. But then, FBI agents aren't known to hang out in real 10mm Landia.

Attached is an 8-shot target pic from 7-yds out of the 1013.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

This ammo featured a 190grn bonded JHP, the first bonded bullet fielded specifically for use in L.E. autoloaders.
In my buddy's 5" Delta Elite and my 5" 1006, we chrono-ed this ammo doing about 1040-1050fps. We both agreed it should've been loaded at least 100fps faster.

Yeah you'd think it would be a little faster too, if they were loaded for max velocity?

Maybe they were loaded down a little for the early Delta Elites that had unsupported chambers, so they wouldn't bulge the brass? Don't know what year Colt fixed that issue?

I don't shoot, & haven't tested much, using 180gr bullets, or heavier.

Using Power Pistol @ 8.4gr (HDY# 10 max) with a 180gr JHP I got ~1200mv/575me from my M1006.

I've found AA#7 to produce the best velocities in my 10mms & HDY# 10 max with a 180gr gets another 50fps more, without pushing it.

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[Sevens]

Colt never fixed the unsupported chamber issue in the Delta Elite. Their only "fix" was to chop off the frame rail over the slide stop hole because it would crack. Without it actually there, it cannot crack.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

LOL, really?

I remembered this 2018 Handloader article & Brian Pearce down-loading the 10mm ammo for the Colt Elite & thought the unsupported chamber problem had been fixed. Shame on Colt!

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[Frank Black]

Yeah you'd think it would be a little faster too, if they were loaded for max velocity? * * *

Yes. Years ago I loaded up almost 1K rounds using a now-discontinued Speer 190grn JFP bullet over AA9. It got just over 1200fps out of my 1006. (IIRC, my loads averaged right about 1208fps).

I've found AA#7 to produce the best velocities in my 10mms & HDY# 10 max with a 180gr gets another 50fps more, without pushing it.

For me, the dividing line between using AA7 and AA9 is the ubiquitous 180grn bullet which can be used with both to good effect, i.e., to get *real* 10mm velocities. Bullet-weights below 180grns, I use AA7. Above 180grns, I stick with AA9.