So what's the deal with 10mm?

[Murdock]

Saw a new Colt Delta Elite today, and it tempted me.

The rumor mill has it that Colt is having difficulty coming up with the funds to cover their anticipated 2nd quarter debts and may default. If so production of Colt handguns may go into the freezer. The 10mm is the only flavor of 1911 I have no experience with, so I'm wondering if now is the time...

What is the proper/ideal role for the 10mm?

What will it do that a hot .45 ACP won't? (I reload, so I'm thinking a .452 200-grain LSWC over 7.5 of Unique, for example).

How does it compare with a serious .38 Super or .45 ACP load for SD? In rapid fire?

Personally I have found the .45 ACP light for whitetails, even loaded with 230-grain Hydrashock. Has anyone taken a deer with the 10mm? Will the 10mm do better? What's your experience?

 

[colt_saa]

What will it do that a hot .45 ACP won't? (I reload, so I'm thinking a 200-grain LSWC over 7.5 of Unique, for example).

7.5 grains of Unique under a 200 LSWC in the 10MM Auto cartridge?

That will be overpressure.

Where did you find that data? Are you sure that you are looking at the 10MM Auto cartridge and not the 10MM Magnum cartridge?

 

[robertrwalsh]

A properly loaded 10mm has more energy at 100 yards than a .45 has at the muzzle. It pushes a decent size bullet fairly fast. It is an OUTSTANDING antipersonnel round and a decent hunting cartridge. I admit I am dubious about the longevity of 1911 platform weapons in 10mm.

 

[colt_saa]

Absolutely MANY folks have taken Whitetail with the 10MM Auto Cartridge

In the 1911 platform you could also go to the 45 SUPER or the 460 Rowland if you want more terminal energy than the 45 ACP or 45 ACP+P

I have been shooting the 10MM Auto cartridge in 1911s and other firearms for many decades now. Here is the 10MM Long Slide I built last summer

I built this with an Aristocrat rear sight so that 3 different loads can be sighted in simultaneously. The 6" barrel also yields a bit more velocity and energy

I do not load SERIOUS 38 SUPER. I use 9x23 Winchester if I want more performance from a 9MM projectile.

The 10MM Auto is a superb cartridge. I would gladly carry a 10MM Auto over a 45 ACP when appropriate.

 

[Murdock]

7.5 grains of Unique under a 200 LSWC in the 10MM Auto cartridge?

That will be overpressure.

Where did you find that data? Are you sure that you are looking at the 10MM Auto cartridge and not the 10MM Magnum cartridge?

No. That load in a .45 ACP. Sorry if I wasn't clear. A traditional max load for that caliber. Edited my post above for clarity.

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

It is always the time for a Colt Delta Elite!!! Too bad about Colt; I keep hearing more and more about that so it sounds like it is not an Internet rumor. The 10mm is a fine round and the Delta Elite is a fine platform for it. However, I would not fire a lot of hot rounds out of it as multiple hot loads over time will take its toll. I personally love my Delta Elite and have had not problems with it. I've had a 'smith who really knows the 10mm and 1911's work over it a bit; many 'smiths familiar with both highly recommend a stronger slide stop, firing pin stop, a heavier recoil spring and other modifications.

I know folks who have taken both deer and wild pigs with the 10mm. I would classify it as a re-loaders cartridge, as factory rounds quickly become pricey. Some bulk deals are out there on the Internet for FMJ rounds, but you have to look and the round itself was quite scarce, like everything else I guess, during the last shortage. Also, it is a cartridge that you won't find on every shelf, especially at WalMart or other chains. Some individual guns can be finicky on what type of magazines they like.

The 10mm has an incredible inherent accuracy to it, from what I've experienced. It is easy to reload and there are many powder that do great behind a variety of bullets from 135 grains to over 200 grains. Brass can be hard to find; I'm always on the lookout and there seems to be less and less for sale on forums I've noticed and it has gone up in price some.

Self-defense rounds loaded close to original specifications (many factory self-defense rounds are not) will have more muzzle flip that .45 ACP or the 'Super. But, if you train and shoot with it I believe it is a fine self defense cartridge. I'd wouldn't hesitate to carry one for duty or off-duty. A deputy here carries a 10mm for duty, but it is a Glock

 

[gordon21]

A decent powerful gun that was introduced in the wrong time and place.
A 10MM is definitely for reloaders and people who love Miami Vice reruns.

 

[Murdock]

I would not fire a lot of hot rounds out of it as multiple hot loads over time will take its toll.

I've wondered about that. Jeff Cooper wrote that he thought the 1911 in .45 ACP was actually under-stressed, but I took note that when the 10mm was first fielded it was in the Bren X, a somewhat beefier gun. When Colt came out with the Delta Elite I wondered if it would hold up. I guess it has, given how long they have been around.

 

[BikerRN]

I've wondered about that. Jeff Cooper wrote that he thought the 1911 in .45 ACP was actually under-stressed, but I took note that when the 10mm was first fielded it was in the Bren X, a somewhat beefier gun. When Colt came out with the Delta Elite I wondered if it would hold up. I guess it has, given how long they have been around.

IIRC there were some frame stress issues with the early Delta Elites.


Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[suckersrus]

.... Has anyone taken a deer with the 10mm? Will the 10mm do better? What's your experience?

65 yards. S&W 1006. My secret (hot) handload. I never cared for the 45 so never used it on any game.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

What is the role of the 10mm?

My opinion it is to be more than the 45acp. It offers more power, more velocity, more blast, more recoil and more charisma than the 45acp.

How does it compare to the Super or the ACP?

Very different than both. Super is hot, loud and brassy but easy to control and not much recoil really. The ACP is accurate, smooth, easy push and lacks the smack of the faster loads on the hand. The 10mm though is the hot and loud of the Super, but has a smack to the palm during firing. 200 grs @ 1200 fps will do that to you.

I have not shot deer with the 10mm but it is fine for hogs.

My overall summary of the 10mm is pretty simple. It offers more power than most shooters can really handle well. This leads to a lot of complaints about everything under the sun, poor accuracy, too loud, hard on frames and slides etc. My observation is more simple. Full out 10mm loads are just too much for folks to handle in a 1911 format gun in general and then when they don't do well, it is easier to blame the 10mm instead of saying "Ok, it was more than I can handle well".

This is why I like the Super and the 10. I like the power, the loud, the accuracy that the 10mm and the Super put on tap.

 

[Murdock]

Thanks to everybody who has contributed so far.

I already have a .38 Super LW Commander, an older gun from 1952 that I don't want to tear up, so I was looking at a stainless 5-inch Super to do some serious work with, but started thinking about the 10mm as perhaps a more versatile cartridge in a full-size gun.

I have carried the .45 ACP more than anything else, but when berry picking in moose and bear areas (basically meaning anytime I'm out-of-doors near home) I have felt that the .45 was kinda light. A few years ago I put down a crippled doe that had been hit by a car in front of my house. I used my government .45 with Federal Hydra Shock 230s. If I ever have to repeat the experience I want more power. Once an animal is already shocky from trauma they don't want to go down.

Sounds like deer and hog hunters have confidence in the 10mm.

I have N-frames in a number of configurations, but don't want the bulk on my hip if I can get by with a more slender semiauto with reasonable power. And I have put in so much SD training with he 1911 platform that I don't want to shift to another format, or purchase more leather than I already have.

Looks like it will be a 10mm. Thanks, all.

 

[federali]

In its full-house loadings, the 10mm is the equivalent of the .41 Magnum. However, while there can be no doubt that planting one of these in some felon's ten-ring will absolutely ruin his day, recoil remains a significant issue.

The FBI had a fling with the 10-mm "Lite" just before the 40 S&W made its debut. the .40 is a 10mm lite and it caught on like wild fire in law enforcement. Even so, recoil remained an issue so now the Feds are returning to the 9mm.

I own two .45 ACPs. While they are superior self-defense rounds, I would not use them for big game hunting as their low velocity makes them short range affairs.

 

[Arik]

It's a great and accurate round that I just couldn't justify owning.

At one point I had 3 10mm. G20, S&W 1006 & 1026. I'm not a reloader and I couldn't stomach paying double for 40s&w, which is what a lot of commercial 10mm is loaded to. I sold all 3.

 

[Pitdog02]

I have a G29 and a G20 with 6" barrel for hunting. takes 135 to 220 hardcast from underwood. I also bought the KKM .40 conversion barrels to use for training or just target.With just a barrel change and the same mags I can run 9x25 Dillon,357 sig,.40 and 10 mm. IMHO glocks got it right on the 10mm format. The feedramp in the 1911 is in the frame and does not lend the cartridge support needed for the hot stuff. The 135 grns run at 1600fps underwood ammo ad says do not run in 1911 style formats.YMMV.

 

[Watchdog]

The rumor mill has it that Colt is having difficulty coming up with the funds to cover their anticipated 2nd quarter debts and may default.

Going briefly off the 10mm topic here...Colt is temporarily out of the financial briar patch...at least until the end of the year.

As of November 18, Colt had secured a $70-million loan which won't mature until 2018. This allowed them to make their $10.5-million loan payment and pay off their $50-million term loan.

So although the buzzards love to circle over Colt, the company is still alive. Colt has some hard choices to make, but I don't foresee them going away any time in the near future.

 

[LimaCharlie]

Look at the 10mm as a semi-auto .357 magnum. The ballistics overlap the .357 magnum round by about 95%. At the top end, it reaches the bottom end of .41 magnum ballistics just like hot .357 magnum rounds have low end .41 magnum energy levels. There is a lot of internet myth around the 10mm that keeps getting repeated.

I find the 10mm recoil in a 1911 is like shooting .45 ACP +P and pretty mild. I also shoot a Desert Eagle 50 AE, a .454 Casull revolver, and .44 magnum revolvers.

 

[scott1970]

In its full-house loadings, the 10mm is the equivalent of the .41 Magnum.

No it isn't. Not by a long shot.

 

[J. R. WEEMS]

This one has accounted for 3 deer in it's day. Some years ago while in Alaska, I had three different guides tell me their choice of a carry gun was a 10MM-- I suspect revolvers but cannot say for sure. This was long before the 500 came into being. I am a long time fan of the ten but have cut my choices to this one now. Plus a couple of revolvers.

 

[S&W1006]

Let me warn you about the 10mm. It will hook you and you will end up with more than one if you are not careful. I have 3 now and a 4th on layaway. I own a 1006, 1086, Glock 20 and a 610 on layaway. I also have a friend who developed arthritis holding a highly modified Delta Elite for me as soon as I can free up some money. The 10mm is very accurate in everything I have shot it in and I understand the Colt Delta Elite is no exception. I have not hunted with the 10mm yet but that will change when the 610 comes home with me. The 10mm is an under appreciated cartridge in my opinion.