10mm...What's the big deal?

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Drjones

New member
I've been seeing more threads lately about 10mm guns. Why all the hubub?

I like BIG guns, BIG bullets, etc. so I think I might like the 10mm.

How does it perform ballistically?

I'm getting the impression its better than the .45, and close to a 12ga with the way some people are painting it! :p

Any other info is appreciated...
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
I wondered the same thing until I got my EAA Witness.

I also wondered the same thing about the .41 Mag. until I got my Model 58 S&W.

Quite simply, there's really no way to quantify or qualify what's so good about these two calibers, other than the simple fact that now that I own them, I can finally understand what all the talk was about.
 
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Drjones

New member
Uh, thanks, but I was looking more for performance statistics and the like...

I'm sure its fun to shoot, if thats what you're getting at!

:D
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
OK, you want hard, cold, compassionless statistics, I can give you those, as well...

In 10 mm you can push a 180-gr. bullet in the 1,300 +- fps. range.

A 200 gr. bullet in the 1,200 fps. range.

Decent ballistics.

The .41 Mag. is similar, but better.
 
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AndABeer

New member
Please note that the 10mm ballistics above are not generally available from the major manufacturers. You'll have to look to Cor-bon or Texas Ammo or roll your own.
 
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IRock

New member
How about seven hundred ft. lbs. of energy. Compare that to a 9mm and you will see the difference. Plus they are fun to shoot!
 
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pax

New member
What niche does the 10mm fill? Well, a 9mm is small and fast.

A .45 is heavy and slow.

A 10mm is heavy and fast.

The trajectory for a 10mm is generally very flat, and it's a very hard-hitting round. It's also probably the most versatile round for handloading.

One day my buddy and I were at the range hitting some steel plates. I had my little 9mm and my buddy was shooting his 10mm. I was having an off day and (maybe) the plates weren't calibrated for 9mm. Anyway, I hit one plate about four times in a row before it went down. Ran out of ammo. Grabbed my buddy's 10mm and the next plate went down just as I lifted the gun from the bench. Heh. Just goes to show that the 10mm is such a powerful round that it can knock over a stubborn steel plate even before the trigger is pulled. ;)

pax
 
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RickB

New member
If you like the .357 Magnum, think of the 10mm as a bigger bullet at higher velocity. If you like the .45, think of the 10mm as faster- and flatter-shooting. My defense load is a 135JHP at 1400fps, and my plinking loads are 180s and 200s at 1000-1100. You can load it down for competition, or load it up for hunting or ?
 
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Will Fennell

New member
Shoots flat, hits hard......

The other guys have covered things well, but I will ad that the 10mm, with proper loads, kills well......much better hog and deer round than any .45acp load i've tried. I know some of the 45acp loads are hot, but the sectional density isn't great. The 10mm on the other hand, with 180 and 200 grain bullets, penetrates well. I have always had good luck with 10mm in the accuracy dept, and it is dead simple to reload.

Oh yeah, depending on the load, approx. the same energy @ 100yards as the .45acp does at the muzzle.....

Whats not to luv :D
 
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4V50 Gary

Staff
The big deal? $300 for my Glock 20. It was a "take it or leave it" affair for me to the seller. She took my cash and I left with her Glock.

The 10 mm is a good bullet, but it has been surpassed by the 40 S&W. Where it really has a lot of potential is in a smg. HK claims 275 yards range with that sucker in the MP5.
 
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Ed2

New member
I want one in a hammerless lightweight J-frame with half moom clips. Wouldnt worry about having only 5 shots. The cylinder would have to be enlarged a bit, I guess.

Hey Mike Irwin, S&W was sold to a gun friendly company. Theyr'e back in the good graces of the NRA. Why the old link?. Lots of good people in Springfield can again, proudly support their families on S&W paychecks.
 
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Mustang6

New member
10mm MP5

hrmm Didnt the good ol FBI stop using the Mp5's in 10mm cause they were going threw the bad guy threw the wall and threw the hostage? Just curious...

Should have never sold my 10mm Glock :(


Semper Fi
 
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agtman

Moderator
Hot Stuff.


While Corbon, ProLoad, Winchester and Georgia Arms offer hot 10mm ammo, Texas Ammo's 4 offerings in 10mm give a representative idea of the potential energy level of this highly versatile cartridge:

10mm/135gn Nosler JHP @ 1450fps/630fpe;

10mm/165gn Sierra JHP @ 1350fps/668fpe;

10mm/200gn Hornady FMJ-FP @ 1250fps/694fpe;

10mm/200gn Hornady XTP-JHP @ 1250pfs/694fpe.

That's "factory" ammo, by the way. Handloaders can surpass those number easily and, apparently, quite safely. Checkout GT's 10Ring for the many posts by an experienced 10mm reloader named MCNETT, whose adventures in the "nuclear range" with his G-29 have become legendary. ;)

As others have suggested, the versatility of this round is in its power range - from a light plinker to a "heavy & fast" bruiser. Available bullet-weights go from 135gns to 220gns, and can be launched at speeds that would instantly KABOOM! a .40S&W.

Target work, competitive shooting, self-defense, handgun hunting, barrier penetration - pretty much whatever you need a cartridge to do at whatever energy level needed to get it done. All from an autoloader of reasonable size and weight.

HTH. :)
 
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MiniZ

New member
a beauty of the 10MM is it runs the gammut from "10MM lite"-essentially .40 S&W-to heavy "bruiser" loads that approach .41 Mag velocities.
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
quote:
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The 10 mm is a good bullet, but it has been surpassed by the 40 S&W
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I'd like to hear the thinking behind this.
Click to expand...
Me too...

I'm guessing he means in terms of popularity.
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
Ed,

S&W still hasn't cleaned up the mess left by the old owners.

Being back in NRA's good graces can be had for a price. Bill Ruger proved that.
 
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the blind lefty

New member
additional to the other advantages the 10mm offers,it also has superior feed characteristics compared to the 45.
i find it dissappointing that while the Bren Ten addressed the violent recoil with a slide in frame design,few others followed suit. i feel S&W did a fine job with the 1006,with the exception of some 3rd gen. triggers.i liked the Springfield "Linkless"concept as well. Star was on the right track with the Megastar,but simply overdid the pistol. i think a SA,single stack Megastar would be ideal.
i say this:most folks who dislike the 10 are 45 guys. they control the estabished large frame auto market,and are just too"dug in"to change. the 10 was what brought me around to take the auto market more seriously in the 80's. at that time i was all about ballistics,and the 10 delivered without question.
i feel the 10 was blackballed because it challenged the established 45 icon. the 40 succeeded because it appealed to the progressive"wonder 9" market. i don't buy the stopper numbers,as i don't buy most of them;shot placement baby!additionally,the 10 could have been loaded to accomidate any stopper ideal, but the 45 guys were quick to report initial results with virgin loads.the stopper creeps(guys who base all their buying decisions on stopper #'s) were quick to hold their dollars.wonder9 types only wanted double column designs.
it was guys like me,357 users looking for an ergonomic alternative, that really liked the 10. i got a S&W 610 and waited for the market to fall in line. it didn't. when you have to chase brass at the range,you want it to be worth it.frankly,i'm not going into a shooting with a handload unless it's a hunt.
the 10 is the best conventional auto round,but it came in at a time of trite prejudice,and wonder9 hype. just like the 41 magnum,the 10 suffers from the most imprtant attribute:MARKETING.
N nuff sayed!
 
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