So what's the deal with 10mm?

[Dan Christopher]

Thanks for all of the replies. In summary, I glean the following:

1. 10mm Auto (which is not the same thing as 10mm Magnum) is more powerful than either .38 Super or .45 ACP, but falls just a bit short of true .41 Magnum power. The most potent 10mm loads just barely approach the low end of what .41 Magnum will do.

2. Like the .38 Super the 10mm is loud, but has much more recoil than the Super.

3. Again, Like the .38 Super, the 10mm will have to be hand loaded for best results.

4. Brass is more difficult to obtain than most common auto pistol rounds.

5. The 10mm is a better woods gun than SD gun due primarily to recoil, and secondarily due to possible over penetration.

6. The 10mm is cool, and even those that admit that its not really in the true .41 Magnum class still think it's cool and that I should have one.

Hope that covers it. Thanks again for the input.

Pretty much. The only thing I would add/change is that 10mm brass isn't really all that hard to find at all if you buy it online. I agree that reloading is a must, though, if you plan on doing a lot of shooting. None of the factory 10mm ammo is what I would call cheap, and when you get into boutique ammo it gets really pricey!

 

[colt_saa]

Thanks for all of the replies. In summary, I glean the following:

1. 10mm Auto (which is not the same thing as 10mm Magnum) is more powerful than either .38 Super or .45 ACP, but falls just a bit short of true .41 Magnum power. The most potent 10mm loads just barely approach the low end of what .41 Magnum will do.

Pretty much

2. Like the .38 Super the 10mm is loud, but has much more recoil than the Super.

All other factors being equal, more muzzle energy will create more recoil.

3. Again, Like the .38 Super, the 10mm will have to be hand loaded for best results.

It is not a matter of best results. There are many good 10MM AUTO loadings available, including a new hunting round introduced by Federal this year. It is more of a cost issue

4. Brass is more difficult to obtain than most common auto pistol rounds.

While it is true that the odds of finding it on the floor of your local range when you walk in is slim, after all most of us that shoot it will be picking it up instead of leaving it behind. However, as mentioned it is easily available on the internet

5. The 10mm is a better woods gun than SD gun due primarily to recoil, and secondarily due to possible over penetration.

I totally disagree. The 10MM Auto is a fine personal defense firearm. Ammunition choice is the key. If you are intending to handload, you can choose a load combination that does not over penetrate. I find the recoil to be a non-issue. If this were summer I would come up US1 and let you try some for yourself the next time I am at the house in West Bath

6. The 10mm is cool, and even those that admit that its not really in the true .41 Magnum class still think it's cool and that I should have one.

More COOL that you can know until you shoot it yourself. I have been shooing (and loading) the 10MM Auto cartridge for decades. Everything from single shot pistols to Sub Machine-Guns. Revolvers and Auto pistols. Barrels from 2 1/2" through 14". I have also converted many firearms to 10MM Auto over the years for configurations that did not exist from the factory.

It is not a matter of admitting that the 10MM Auto and 41 Magnum are different power levels. The 10MM Auto was never designed to compete with the 41 Magnum. The 10MM Auto was intended as a more powerful choice for those that carry a 45ACP as a defensive sidearm. For decades Col. Jeff Cooper was the rock of Gibralter defender of the 45ACP as the cartridge for a defensive sidearm, until he designed the 10MM Auto in the early 1980s.