Do you think Smith and Wesson will ever make another 10mm handgun?

Will Smith and Wesson make a new production 10mm?

  • Yes

    Votes: 22 36.1%
  • No

    Votes: 30 49.2%
  • Maybe

    Votes: 12 19.7%

  • Total voters
    61
  • Poll closed .

Red-5

New member
That's pretty much the conclusion I have came to. I was wondering if there were any SAO double stack 10mms, but figured I might be limited to single stack guns due to trigger reach.

Rock Island has a couple double stack 1911's out this year. STI and Dan Wesson also make double stacks, but they will set you back big $$$.

Best bang for the buck will be the EAA Witness Elite Limited, although their CS is a bit sketchy for my liking.
 

Walt Sherrill

New member
CZ (or members of the CZ Custom Shop) may also be working on a 10mm gun. I've seen discussions and photos of their work on a gun based on the SP-01 frame (rather than the CZ-97 or Tactical Sport frame), and that would be a double-stack. With a SA conversion it would be a reasonable trigger reach for even a small hand.

Don't know WHERE that project stands.
 

Bongo Boy

New member
To me the grip on the M&P series is miles ahead of either of those options. That is why I'd want a 10mm M&P.

Agree 100%, and I wouldn't think they'd have to do a whole lot to put one out there--certainly seems the risk would be far less than introducing a new revolver that 4 people want and 2 can actually afford to shoot.

I also voted 'yes' and for the same reason--Hope springs eternal in the human breast.

I'm VERY pleased with my Tanfoglio Witness 6" Hunter model in 10mm despite their capacity being 2 less than advertised - excellent quality - better than any other 10mm I've had

Gotta agree on this one, too--and find the Tanfo incredibly comfortable, and I've got medium hands and fairly short fingers. Because it's an all-steel double stack that 'works' and isn't like holding a brick in your hand, I very much wish other manufacturers would take notice--it's the way to package 10mm IMO, at least if you're wanting to sell beautiful steel.

Is the M&P design strong enough to handle 10mm?

Sure seems to me it's just as strong as a Glock--but if you take an M&P 45 design and slap a 10mm barrel in it, you've got that extra meat to work with. There's little doubt in my mind they could build a real winner with no trouble.

I could see S&W do a Custom Shop 1911 in 10mm, but not a M&P....

...and to me, that would be a real pity--it's about the last thing we need more of, IMO, is a 10mm auto pistol artificially choked by a single stack design. Not that 1911 means 'single stack' really, but I'm sure that's what would happen. An 8-round longslide or Gov't model for hunting might make sense I suppose--but of no interest to me. I'd like to see a few more good carry options, as that's where I see 10mm as ideal.

After having now loaded and shot maybe 3,000 rds of 10mm or so, and after falling absolutely in love with it, a few things have surfaced:

- Starline 10mm brass is like Play-Doh and most of mine is now permanently damaged from loads I consider just at max
- There aren't too many powders I've found that provide nice case fill at or around max loads--most leave a gaping chasm in the case that makes me wonder why I don't just put the same load in 40SW cases, and
- The variety of bullets available and range of bullets that shoot well in 10mm is 'enormous'

I still feel 10mm may be the very 'best' all-round auto pistol cartridge out there--at least for me. If Smith & Wesson were to dip the toe in the water again I think they'd be able to make a few bucks.
 
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Walt Sherrill

New member
Is the M&P design strong enough to handle 10mm?
Sure seems to me it's just as strong as a Glock--but if you take an M&P 45 design and slap a 10mm barrel in it, you've got that extra meat to work with. There's little doubt in my mind they could build a real winner with no trouble.

Maybe, eventually, but it may take a while.

Here in NC, the NC Highway Patrol tried the M&P .357 for a number of years, starting in late 2009, and had with problems with extraction and feeding. It wasn't noticed immediately. S&W sent their engineers and experts to NC, took guns back with them for evaluation and testing, tried all sorts of things, and were unable to get the M&P .357s to function properly.

In 2014, the NCHP switched to the P226 in .357 SIG. They are focused on that round, I think, because they believe it does a better job of going through windshields than most LEO-carried calibers.

S&W isn't currently offering any M&P in .357 SIG. IF you go to their website, every M&P-related .357 SIG model has the following statement added to the product description, and the overall entries are marked "ARCHIVE."

No longer in current production, content is subject to change and is provided here for reference purposes only.

If S&W figures out how to resolve their .357 SIG problems with the M&P, they may move to a 10mm version. But, if S&W can't get the .357 SIG round to run properly in the M&P design, I suspect they'll be wary of trying it with 10mm. While they have gone to a .45 version of the M&P, The .357 SIG and 10MM rounds operate at much higher pressures than the .45 ACP round, and it may matter WHERE that "more meat" mentioned above is positioned, if the lack of meat is a factor. I don't think many LE agencies will move to 10mm, and the trend seems to be in the other direction: a number of law enforcement agencies are moving from .40 and .45 GAP to 9mm. The LE market is a big and important market for S&W.

Military units, even Special Ops teams, apparently haven't used 10mm handguns that much in combat -- preferring their long guns (some of which aren't THAT long.) LEOs aren't willing or able to carry even a small carbine in their work day, so an effective handgun remains their primary weapon of choice -- but even then, handguns are used far less often than other tools available to them.
 
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