1911 10mm

[Oscar Zulu]

I am interested in getting a 1911 in 10mm. Primary use would be "woods walking" and atv outings in the desert. And of course, bear protection... lol. So probably in stainless.
I don't know much about the 1911 in 10mm, except that the early Delta Elite models had some issues.
Do newer versions hold up to full power 10mm loads? Would a long slide be worth (have to buy new holsters) the extra performance and longer sight picture? Is the 10mm THAT much better than .45 acp? Are the grip panels the same size? Will recoil be much of an issue?
I have 1911's in .45 and shoot them well. I like the thinness of the pistol and have no issues with cocked and locked carry.
I do have an S&W 1006 that I installed tritium sights on that I just never warmed up to. (small hands).
My ideal set up would have a front tritium sight and an adjustable rear, with a durable finish or stainless. No two tone or rail and probably at least government model size.
Is there anything like this out there? And just as important, anything I should stay away from?
Thanks,
Oscar Zulu

 

[Echo40]

Let me start off by saying that regardless of what some folks will inevitably assert who most likely have never seen a bear in the wild, 10mm Auto is a perfectly viable choice for bear defense.

Do newer versions hold up to full power 10mm loads?

Generally yes, most 10mm 1911s are built to handle full-power 10mm Auto loads with no problem. Some folks will insist that you swap out the stock springs on certain models for stronger springs, but practically any 10mm 1911 built by a reputable manufacturer is obviously going to be built to safely handle full-power 10mm Auto loads.

Would a long slide be worth (have to buy new holsters) the extra performance and longer sight picture?

Yes, it provides a surprisingly substantial increase in overall velocity, muzzle energy, and performance. Some folks say that you're cheating yourself with anything less than a 6" barrel.

Is the 10mm THAT much better than .45 acp?

Provided that you're using true, full-power 10mm Auto loads and not those watered-down FBI Loads which are essentially just .40 S&W in a longer case, indeed it is.
For reference, .45 ACP typically generates a maximum of 500 foot-pounds of energy, whereas 10mm Auto can generate a maximum of over 700ft-lbs of energy.

Are the grip panels the same size?

Yes, they're the exact same size as other 1911 grips.

Will recoil be much of an issue?

No, especially not with a 6" barrel. 10mm Auto is comparable to .45 ACP +P in terms of felt recoil out of a 1911.

My ideal set up would have a front tritium sight and an adjustable rear, with a durable finish or stainless. No two tone or rail and probably at least government model size.
Is there anything like this out there? And just as important, anything I should stay away from?
Thanks,

Yes, many 10mm Auto 1911s come equipped with either a fiber optic or tritium front sight post with a bomar-style rear sights which are adjustable for both windage and elevation, and are available in either Stainless Steel, with a DLC/FNC finish, or both.
Nothing in particular to stay away from, pretty much all of the 10mm Auto 1911s that I'm aware of are fine, including cheaper ones made by Rock Island Armory, it really just depends on what you want.

 

[dsf]

I bought a Kimber Eclipse a few years back. Not much to choose from in CA re 10mm 1911s. It's an OK gun. I did a bit of cleaning up re trigger pull and some other bearing surfaces. I don't like FP blocks, however Kimbers don't involve the trigger pull so the only issue was one of keeping or removing to ensure reliability/safety.

Recoil is relative but I think it's overrated. I found factory loads less than a plain old 45 ACP 230 grain hardball. Grip panels should be the same although you can get them in a variety of widths and fullness. The grip frame is the same between calibers.

I like the 10mm and also have an older Smith 610. At the risk of encouraging all sorts of graphs and charts showing either a) it's overrated and less than a 357 or b) it's underrated and leaves the 41 Magnum in the dust it seems to me between the two.

When walking about in the woods in OR I generally go with a 41 or 44 magnum. Concealment isn't high on my list. If it were and using an auto I'd be fine with anything from Dan Wesson. If their CBOB or current 4" is available in 10mm that's a pretty good choice.

 

[Wyo]

I have a Dan Wesson RZ-10, a full size 1911. It's stainless and then I had it Cerakoated so it's about as corrosion resistant as a metal gun can be. It also has a ramped barrel so the cartridge is fully supported unlike the Delta. I have a Delta also but shoot the Dan Wesson about 98% of the time. I chronographed some ammo today from Grizzly Cartridge. It uses a 200 gr hard cast flat point bullet that does 1235 fps. That, my friend, is a powerful load that will penetrate 5'-6' of large critter rapidly and repeatedly in a gun that is no harder to use than any other 1911. And it is very effective with hollowpoints as well for thin skinned stuff. I like the .44 Mag as well but I can't handle it nearly as well as the 10mm and most other folks can't either. I say go for the 10mm - there are lots of choices out there - you won't regret it.

 

[colt_saa]

I have firearms chambered for the 10MM Auto cartridge in barrel lengths from 3" through 14"

Longer barrels are better, but that is also true of the 357 Magnum.

Apples to apples, barrel lengths being equal and ammunition being at or near SAAMI max, the 10MM Auto cartridge will produce more energy

I greatly love the EAA Witness Hunter, 6" barrel and 15 rounds of ammunition in the magazine.

The older IAI (formerly AMT) 1911 has a 7" barrel.

But a few summers ago a fellow shooter bragged on his newly acquired Glock 40 claiming he now held the Hammer of Thor.

So I went about building myself a new 10MM Auto Longslide that I named THOR's Hammer. A 6" Briley match barrel and spherical bushing mounted in an STI long slide, Aristocrat sights, trigger bow mounted on ball bearings to reduce friction, Esmeralda O'Shannon scrimshawed THOR's hammer onto a wonderful set of grips along with the Celtic knot pattern and more

So go out and grab yourself a new 10MM Auto, then drop back in here with the photos

 

[78bagger]

I've shot 1911 forever and am a devote' so when I got the 10mm bug I bought a Colt Delta Elite. I grabbed a box of Sig Sauer rounds on my way out and headed for the range. Gun was great! Everything I knew and muscle memory let me run it easy. When I picked up my brass to reload, I saw that they were all bulged. Pretty well. So now we're in the unsupported chamber discussion. This can get ugly so I'll let you research it . I'm in the camp of- the 10 is a reloads round so just lighten it up a tad for the range . Save the full house rounds for the woods. Now someone will say that you may as well use a .40 but that hasn't been my experience. Anyway I also got a Springfield XDM for 10mm that has a supported chamber. It's my only striker fired plastic gun but the price was right and it's lighter on the hip. The Delta is still my favorite.

 

[smokemonster65]

Dan Wesson Bruin checks all the boxes you mentioned. I have one and really like it, recoil is (subjective, of course) negligible will all brands of ammo shot thru it.

 

[stansdds]

As far as I know, Colt is clinging to the non-ramped style barrel while most other brands have adopted the ramped style barrel for their 1911's chambered in 10mm Auto. The ramped style barrel definitely provides more case head support, not a huge issue for reduced or even some of the "full power" loads, but when loaded to the caliber's full potential, the non-ramped, non-supported chamber can produce some well bulged brass. If I were looking for a 1911 in 10mm Auto, first thing would be to look at those with the integral feed ramp which adds support to the chamber. I think even Rock Island Armory is using ramped barrels and they are among the least expensive 1911's.

 

[glenncal1]

I bought a RIA 10mm as an inexpensive way to try the cartridge. Really like the caliber and the gun. I don't know how rust proof it is (kind of a parkerized finish). But so far gun has been 100%. There are several nice 10mm 1911s on the market now, finding one might not be so easy.

 

[Oscar Zulu]

Thank you for all the replies!
There are some real fans of the 10mm 1911 here. I really like the looks of the Dan Wesson Razorback. (I have a CBOB in .45, which I think is a great pistol).
Guess I am rather late to the party.

Thanks again,
Oscar Zulu

 

[WCCPHD]

I'm a fan of 10MM AND ammo is readily available in my area. I have a 1076 and a 610, but as a 1911 fan, I wanted to go that route. I started with a Rock Island because they are the only company that makes a shorter barrel 1911 (4.25 inch). I qualified with it and carried it off duty some, but never warmed up to it. It is currently at a LGS on consignment.

I then bought a Kimber full size 1911 and I like it a great deal. I have six .45 Kimbers and I am a fan. The gun came with VZ grips, but I changed them to the current grips shortly after buying it.

 

[jdlii]

Delta Elite, refinished in "gun metal gray," Novak night sights, VZ Operator grips and a Wilson Combat trigger. The plastic mainspring housing was replaced with a Remington, G.I. MSH with a lanyard loop so it wouldn't "escape" from a tree stand. A great woods companion piece.

 

[arjay]

Delta Elite, refinished in "gun metal gray," Novak night sights, VZ Operator grips and a Wilson Combat trigger. The plastic mainspring housing was replaced with a Remington, G.I. MSH with a lanyard loop so it wouldn't "escape" from a tree stand. A great woods companion piece.

Prettiest Elite I've seen!

 

[Mike0251]

As said above, most factory cartridges are kinda blah. SB and Armscor are just so so, Sig Sauer 180g are nice, 1250fps 624 ft/lbs. I load my own at 1250 and you know your shooting a 10mm.
My DW Silverback in 10mm