Tom McHale hurts our mind with extra information about 10mm ammunition than you most likely have to know.
For the previous month or so I’ve been tinkering with a 10mm pistol, the Springfield Armory 1911 Vary Officer Elite. It’s a good looking handgun that’s made particular by its caliber selection of 10mm. Roughly equal in ballistics to the decrease finish of .41 Magnum, and extra highly effective than the tried and true.357, it’s an fascinating possibility for a carry gun.
The 10mm shares case diameter with the .40 Smith & Wesson, so in principle, pistol capability might be the identical in a double-stack design. The 10mm is a bit longer, so grip measurement circumference must be greater than that for different calibers like 9mm and .40.
10 mm Ammo Growth Issue
For carry or house protection use, the commonest loading for 10mm ammunition can be a 180-grain projectile. I examined a pile of the superb Sig Sauer V-Crown from a Springfield Armory 1911 Vary Officer Elite and measured common precise velocity of 1,186.3 toes per second. That interprets to muzzle power of a formidable 562.6 foot-pounds – a great 150% greater than most 9mm or .45 ACP hundreds.
After all, if you wish to go along with totally different bullet weights, yow will discover some fascinating choices too. For instance, the Doubletap Ammunition 135-grain Managed-Growth bullet left the identical Vary Officer Elite pistol at close to warp velocity of 1,494.3 toes per second. That velocity cranked up muzzle power to 669.5 foot-pounds.
When you’re within the extra is healthier crowd, Doubletap additionally makes 190-grain Equalizer load that fires two projectiles from every case: a 135-grain JHP and a 95-grain lead ball. Ouch.
Combo Carry and Open air Caliber
In case you are nervous about grizzlies, like Dean Weingarten is, I’d select an MK-19 Automated Grenade Launcher over any pistol caliber. Nonetheless, I’ve not but discovered a cushty holster for that beast. When you plan to hold a pistol on the town and out within the woods, 10mm isn’t a foul possibility.
For outside use, take into account a number of the extra fascinating ammo from Doubletap Ammunition. They make a 10mm spherical that packs a wallop with a 200-grain hardcast lead bullet; Once I examined it, it chronographed at a median of 1,132 toes per second. That’s 569.84 foot-pounds of kinetic power and severe penetration contemplating the hardcast bullet ballistics.
Recoil
Pondering the recoil issue subjectively, I don’t discover a lot distinction between the .45 ACP and the 10mm when fired in related pistols. Neither are inflicting non permanent PTSD, however then once more, I’m capturing each calibers from full-size, all metal pistols. For the .45 ACP, I shoot a Springfield Armory 1911 TRP which weighs in at 2.63 kilos empty. For 10mm, I’ve been testing a Springfield Armory 1911 Vary Officer Elite which suggestions the scales at 2.56 kilos empty. Clearly, these are weighty pistols so perceived recoil is mitigated – so much.
If we do some fast recoil math and run the numbers for every utilizing an “common” load and the burden of every pistol, the 10mm exhibits a bit extra power. The .45 ACP TRP firing a 230-grain bullet at 880 toes per second generates 5.43 foot-pounds of power. The 10mm Vary Officer Elite firing a 180-grain bullet at 1,181 toes per second delivers 6.28 foot-pounds. It’s extra, however not an evening and day comparability. To place these numbers in perspective, a lighter pistol just like the .45 ACP Springfield Armory XD-S socks you with 8.15 foot-pounds of recoil power. So, taken in context, should you’re cool with a .45, a 10mm isn’t going to make you run on your secure house.
Only for kicks, I ran the recoil math on a few 9mm pistols too. Because the lighter weight polymer pistols enhance the felt recoil quantity, the outcomes are a bit stunning. When firing a Glock 26 Gen 4 with 124-grain 9mm bullets shifting at 1,151.5 toes per second, you’ll catch 5.43 foot-pounds of recoil power. Even the bigger and heavier Glock 17 Gen 4 will ship 5.65 foot-pounds of recoil power thanks partly to larger velocity generated from its longer barrel.
Invention: A Cartridge and Pistol Pairing
Again in 1979, two guys, Thomas Dornaus and Michael Dixon, needed to make a much bigger semi-auto pistol that exceeded the efficiency of the .357 Magnum whereas providing the capability and quick reload advantages of semi-automatic pistols.
Across the similar time, Colonel Jeff Cooper was jonesing for a brand new pistol and cartridge mixture, which he known as the .40 Particular. A working partnership led to Cooper offering perception and design concepts and Dornaus and Dixon dealing with engineering and manufacturing. The prototype pistol from this effort, based mostly on a beefed up and redesigned CZ-75 was known as the Fight Service Pistol (CSP) 80. One factor led to a different, and earlier than lengthy the brand new pistol was deemed the Bren Ten and the cartridge the 10mm Auto. The pair manufactured the pistols from 1983 to 1986, however rush-to-market high quality points doomed the hassle.
FBI
After the notorious 1986 Miami Shootout, the FBI launched into a seek for a extra highly effective handgun various that might penetrate extra persistently to incapacitation depth.
After plenty of bickering and testing, the company standardized on the 10mm in 1989. Type of. The ultimate ammo product was issued to Particular Brokers carrying the Smith & Wesson 1076 pistol. The 10mm Fed affair didn’t final lengthy because the recoil was a bit stiff and the pistol measurement too giant to satisfy the company goal of standardizing on a single handgun for everybody. Oh, and the 10mm ammo was extra like a 10mm minus. The FBI needed the cartridges downloaded to fireside a 180-grain bullet at 950 toes per second as a substitute of the total 10mm velocity spec.
Earlier than too lengthy, somebody observed {that a} downloaded 10mm case had additional inside house for lease and the shorter .40 S&W was born. The remaining is historical past. We should always notice that the motion to .40 S&W wasn’t completely due to recoil. The longer 10mm case requires a bigger pistol, and people with smaller fingers had hassle reaching the set off with correct leverage to fireside in double motion mode.
Reloading
Reloading for the 10mm is straightforward. Reloading for the 10mm is a royal ache within the @ss. It’s straightforward as a result of each circumstances and bullets are giant and simple to deal with. There are many projectile choices in .40 caliber, so it’s straightforward to seek out elements. Reloading is a royal ache as a result of the brass is so much like .40 S&W. Really, it’s nearly equivalent apart from the size. Attempt sorting via a pile of blended vary pickups and see how a lot enjoyable it’s to seek out the 10mm circumstances.
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Dimension
The 10mm shares bullet and case diameter with the .40 S&W. Each use a .400-inch diameter projectile. The case can be practically equivalent apart from size. The 10mm mother or father case is a .30 Remington whereas the .40 S&W mother or father case is a… 10mm. No large shock there. Each have diameters that begin at .425 inches on the base and slender to .423 inches on the case mouth. The massive distinction is that the 10mm case is .992 inches lengthy whereas the .40 S&W empty case measures .850 inches. When loaded with a projectile, these figures translate to most general cartridge lengths of 1.250 inches for 10mm and 1.135 inches for .40 S&W. It doesn’t sound like a lot, however whenever you’re making an attempt to design a pistol grip suits all hand sizes, that additional distance required makes issues difficult.
Is it Higher Than…?
Guess what? Whether or not it’s higher than 9mm, .40 S&W, 45 ACP, .357 Sig, or .38 Tremendous is irrelevant. It could be a boring world, certainly if we had been all restricted to the one “finest” selection. How completely depressing life can be if we solely had one sort of pickup truck, garden tractor, 80s band, or Chia Pet character? Do you prefer it? Does it do the job you need it to? If that’s the case, go for it.
About
Tom McHale is the creator of the Sensible Guides e-book sequence that guides new and skilled shooters alike in a enjoyable, approachable, and sensible means. His books can be found in print and eBook format on Amazon. You too can discover him on Fb, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
