40/10mm ruminations

[mikerjf]

Us 38/357 guys like to talk about flexibility... and having a J frame in your pocket, a 4" or 6" belt gun, and maybe a carbine all using the same ammo is pretty cool.

I got to thinking about the 40 S&W and 10mm "family", similar in a way... you can load with the same dies, lots of 10mm guns will shoot 40 with maybe a barrel swap... and .40 is Big Bore because it's .043" bigger than 357 (lol)... but it goes well beyond that.

For a classic auto buff you got your 10mm 1911s and 40 Hi-Powers.

S&W 3rd gens... SIGs... CZ-75s... Tanflogio... got DA/SA choices.

Hi capacity plastic, all the usual suspects... Glock has the 27 for a subcompact, 23 or 29 for a compact, 20 for a woods gun.

Revolvers? S&W 610 will shoot either. Charter makes the 40 Pitbull that IMO just about qualifies as a pocket gun. (Might have to shorten the barrel a little.)

10mm carbines out there, not a lot of them but you can get one.

That's a lot of platform choices! And you can use the same bullets in either case, and your stash of both small (40) and large (10mm) primers.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I was late getting on the 10mm/.40 wagon. Received a Kahr P40 about 2005, found it to be very handy for discreet carry or serving as a back-up handgun locked in the vehicle. Little 16.1 oz. compact pistol, really let you know when a 180-grain slug was launched!

About 2016 the Kahr migrated away to other ownership. Still had a few hundred rounds of .40 S&W ammo, reloading dies, bullet mold (figured sooner or later another pistol would show up so I might as well retain the capacity for feeding it). In 2018 I caught a deal on a Sig P229 .40, excellent condition, in the box, 5 magazines, started getting back into the .40. Much more comfortable to shoot the Sig, about 28 oz. empty weight and a full-size grip-frame to help soak up the recoil. Very accurate and reliable with every ammo type I've tried.

Impressive ballistic performance, IMO. 180-grain bullet at ~950-1000FPS from a typical handgun barrel. 10mm is even more so, adding 100-200FPS. Either one fired from a 16"-plus rifle barrel should be even more impressive.

Lots of brass available. Standard small pistol primers. Straight case, easy loading with carbide dies. Bullet choices from ~150-200 grains readily available. Wide range of useful powders.

My Sig P229 also offers the option of drop-in barrel change for .357 Sig, with everything else (springs, magazines, etc) remaining the same. Haven't pursued that yet, but could be useful for some folks. About $150 for a factory barrel (seen on GunBroker frequently). Downside would be reloading bottle-neck brass and gearing up for another caliber (dies, bullet mold, etc). But that 125-grain slug at ~1350FPS-plus is interesting, basically matching .357 Magnum performance.

My thoughts on the subject, FWIW.

 

[Hair Trigger]

Us 38/357 guys like to talk about flexibility...
I got to thinking about the 40 S&W and 10mm "family", similar in a way... you can load with the same dies, lots of 10mm guns will shoot 40 with maybe a barrel swap... and .40 is Big Bore because it's .043" bigger than 357 (lol)... but it goes well beyond that.

For a classic auto buff you got your 10mm 1911s and 40 Hi-Powers.

I think along the same lines; I load .38/.357, and .40S&W/10mm Auto. And I have a 10mm and a .40 1911, and a .40 BHP. Not interested in barrel swapping, I have the entire platform in each caliber and don't need to swap anything. .40S&W is my favorite semiauto round and my EDC.

I keep my loads fairly simple. My .38/.357's both get 158 grain bullets, the .40/10mm get 155's, and a 10mm really makes a 155 sizzle from a 5" barrel, just a tad faster than a 158 from a 6" .357. If I need or want a heavier bullet, I just move up a notch to .45 Auto or .45 Colt, or .41M if I want the magnum punch.

 

[BillBro]

Ive always liked the 10mm. I own only one though, a 1911 platform Dan Wesson Silverback Government length and its a fine, fine weapon, very accurate, very powerful. Ive had a hankerin for a smaller type 10mm like a Glock. I just wish they would make one the size of the 19, their current offering is TOO compact for me and my hand.

Ive loaded some very hot 10mm, which is pretty easy to do and Id love to see what some of those loads would do in a carbine.

 

[tlawler]

10mm carbines out there, not a lot of them but you can get one.

I've had the 10mm carbine bug for awhile; I wish there were more choices.

 

[biku324]

I need a 610 pretty badly to complement 40 pistols. I have a 625 to match with 45 autos as well.

My duty 357 and j-frame 38 don't get much use these days.

 

[FWP]

Ive had a hankerin for a smaller type 10mm like a Glock. I just wish they would make one the size of the 19, their current offering is TOO compact for me and my hand.

The S&W 10MM is about the size of a 19. I just bought one. I only have a few rounds through it. So far no problems but it will take a lot more rounds to wring it out.

It is much smaller and lighter than my other 10s which for me is a big plus if I want to carry it. If it is reliable that will be another big plus.

So far I am very happy with it. Time and a lot of ammo will tell.