10mm 1911 or Coonan

Look into the 45 Super.
Click to expand...

Yup, made me forget all about 10mm, etc. 230 grains going 1K fps. All for the cost of a recoil spring, a mainspring and a $15.00 EGW FP stop. My all-steel Kimber likes them just fine, though shooting many of them is a little hard on my wrist. I shot enough to verify function and accuracy and since then just shoot regular 45 ACP. They work fine in the gun, though if I was shooting a lot of ACP I would pop in a lighter recoil spring.

I could load them even hotter if I wanted to. 1K just seemed like a nice, round number. :cool:

 
The Glock 21 also handles the 45 Super nicely with a few dollars worth of parts.

Even though the OP has 357mag ammo on hand, that stash is quickly offset by the price of the Coonan, compared to inexpensively changing few parts in a already-owned 45 to allow the use of 45 Super.
Then there is the performance comparison.... Coonan 357 or Glock 21 45 Super, its an obvious choice for me.

On a few occasions I've shot my old G21 alongside my 1911 using the same box of ammo.
The felt recoil of the G21 is noticeably less. I'd expect that trend to continue if running Super through both.
I wouldnt batter a nice 1911 with Supers, I'd go with the cheaper, softer shooting, higher capacity Glock for this roll.
 
I personally think the 10mm is a cruel and unusual thing to do to a 1911.
Click to expand...
I certainly have no idea why. My Delta is the last gun I would give up. I have a Glock 29 also, but it would be readily given up before the Colt, which I have had since the 80s. Today, I would go with Kimber, since it offers unsurpassed chamber support. But the CS on my old Colt is not bad at all, and I've never had an issue.
 
You could get the Coonan now and buy a 10mm later if you still want one. 10mm's are a dime a dozen, you can get them in every price range. The Coonan is by most accounts an excellent firearm, but it might not be around forever and it isn't really all that expensive for a custom 1911.
 
Tanfoglio Stock II 10mm here. 14+1. Very high quality and looks pretty fancy. :D

My preferred general self defense round is the Underwood 155gr HP. If I were to venture into bear country, I'd have the 220 grain hard cast loaded up for skull penetration. Underwood loads are full SAMMI spec'ed, and not your general off the shelf dumbed down loads. Huge felt difference between, say, Armscor, and Underwood. Huge.

The Tanfo (imported by EAA) is DA/SA but can be carried cocked and locked like the 1911 if preferred. 1" slide width and about 40oz.
 

Attachments

  • StockII_001.JPG
    StockII_001.JPG
    214.9 KB · Views: 21
I've got a Kimber Eclipse Custom II 10mm and have 500-600 rounds through it. I upgraded the springs and the firing pin stop and shoot stiff, real 10mm loads (but not max or above SAAMI type). It is a wonderful pistol and after buying this as my entry to the 1911 I have no desire to ever own a 45.

One advantage to the "real" 1911s is that it matters little if the original company is around forever. If you buy a Coonan, they are discontinued, and something breaks, what do you do? None of the pieces I have added to my Kimber came from Kimber, except the 1-piece MSH/magwell, which I easily could have sourced somewhere else.
 
spaniel said:
I've got a Kimber Eclipse Custom II 10mm and have 500-600 rounds through it. I upgraded the springs and the firing pin stop [...]
Click to expand...

What weight recoil spring do you have in it? And what mainspring (hammer spring)? And what mags do you use?

My 10mm Eclipse seems to run best with the stock 18.5lb spring (and I've got an 18lb mainspring in it, which was needed to get the trigger-pull down where I wanted it). (I DO have a small-radius firing-pin-stop in it.) I shoot DoubleTap JHP's exclusively in it: alternating 150gr, 180gr, and 200gr in each mag ... close to full spec.

But the best springs for the gun might well depend on how the extractor is set up. Mine is fairly reliable except for feeding the last round in the mag ... I get a 60-degree nose-up jam about every 10 last-rounds or so. That's with 10mm Checkmate mags (which are I believe just like the mags that Kimber has recently switched to (used to be Metalform round-follower mags, I think).
 
Last edited:
Tangfolio Witness 10mm as well as a Fusion Commander length 10mm. The later is my carry gun.
My .357 Magnum is a 4" GP100 and I'm happy with it.
 
"What weight recoil spring do you have in it? And what mainspring (hammer spring)? And what mags do you use?"

IIRC it is a 22# recoil spring and 23# mainspring. I can tell you I value those forward serrations for racking it!

IMHO the mainspring and FPS are more important to controlling the slide than the recoil spring. I have no intention to run mine any heavier, though the brass still travels a significant distance.

I use the factor Kimber mags and Tripp mags. Failures to feed are very rare but honestly more common than with my Glocks. But I'm new to the 1911 so I'm waiting to see if it is my TLC or the gun. No difference between mags, maybe 1-2% FTF rate. Typically just need a tap on the back of the slide to finish closing it.
 
If you have lots of 357 around then a Coonan would give you a semi auto way to get rid of it. I will probably get one someday. Have a couple 10mm 1911 variants now and 10mm is fun, esp. if you reload. If you are O.K. with the grip on the Coonan, then go for it.
 
I am just glad we live in an age where there is a lot of verity. Back in the day a 1911 was only in 45acp they later added 38 super and 9mm but now now days there are 1911 style pistols in 45acp, 9mm, 38 super, 357 sig, 40S&W, 10mm, 357 magnum, 380acp, 22lr and I am ure I am forgetting a few.
 
357 vs 10mm

My 2 cents.
If you want the most bang from a standard size platform the 10mm is your best bet. As others have mentioned the witness line is hard to be for performance and value and with ammo like buffalo bores offerings you get all the power you could want.
460 rowland conversions can be had for several popular guns like the 1911 and xd with a drop in conversion from clark customs at a reasonable price but ammo is more expensive and you add the length of a comp. Side note, you can have other .45s with a fully supported chamber cut for 460 as long as it is strong enough, has a strong enough lock up and you can add a comp.
The coonan is neat but for the size I dont see much benefit over sometjing in 10mm.
if size is not so important as long as it is not gigantic aka .50 DE. And you want a real performance jump get a grizzly in .45win mag. The ammo can be had on gunbroker for a reasonable price ( loaded new by a very nice and friendly guy) ammo ranges from .45acp mild to the hammer of Thor brutal. The gun is not small for sure but it doesn't overwhelm me and im pretty average.
 
The Grizz is a great gun. I have a comped version that is fun to shoot. I have been shooting it for 20+ years now. The only real drawback is getting spare parts is getting real difficult now, if you need any. I get well above 44 mag performance from mine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top