Decision time: 10MM

My Smith 1086 with the DAO trigger puts a smile on my face. I also have a 10mm 1911 but the Smith gets the nod. I have heard great things about the Sig but haven't held or fired one yet. You'll love the 10mm club.

 
I have the itch for a 10mm * * * I have narrowed it down to three choices:
Sig P220
Sig 1911 Tacops
Kimber Custom TLE/RL
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Kimbers are junk. Let's get that outta the way first. :rolleyes:

The choice between the 10mm Sigs is really a choice about a little thing called platform.

There's the DA/SA 10mm P220, which I have, and 3 SAO P220 10mm variants. The SAO P220 are sort of like, but not quite, a good 1911, at least in terms of the trigger.

If you have any experience with the P220 in .45acp, you should find a 10mm version to your liking.

The 10mm TacOps is a railed 1911 if you want to run a light. But the rail also adds front-end (muzzle) weight, which some traditional 1911 shooters detest.

I've got a 10mm Delta Elite (sans rail), so I'm intimately familiar with the 10mm on the 1911-platform.

Again, it's really about deciding on the platform first, ... then on the specific model.
 
I really like the 220 platform but I think it would be hard to go wrong with any of them.

No matter which one you end up with, I am sure you're going to love the 10mm round. I'm glad it's making a comeback.
 
Probably the p220 esp if it's ben designed for 10mm. 10mm can be ugly on a pistol frame. My gen2 glock 20 the stock spring is clearly undersprung, I got a replacement with an alum guide rod and uncaptured springs (nightmare to reassemble). I have both full size and compact tanfoglio eaa witnesses. The compact has always been problematic and it needs a new buffer.
 
I'd think the Sig would a nice option, just wish it held more rounds. Also, interesting timing that Ruger just released a "target" 10mm 1911 3-4 days ago; not suggesting that as an option but it does suggest the round might be experiencing an upswing in popularity again (beyond the habitual users).
 
* * * Also, interesting timing that Ruger just released a "target" 10mm 1911 3-4 days ago; not suggesting that as an option but it does suggest the round might be experiencing an upswing in popularity again.
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No question the 10mm's resurgence continues on the upswing.

It's long since ceased being the "dead round" many claim it was at the end of the '90s and even into the immediate post-Y2K years. We're about 17 years down the road now, and more guns are being chambered for the 10mm AUTO than ever before.
 
Picked up a Colt Delta Elite 10mm, in box with papers, unused for $850 OTD.

Yea I know it doesn't have 100 percent chamber support but when I inserted a 10mm round in the barrel it covered virtually all the webbing of the round! Even Buffalo Bore used a DE to test their ammo!

Had a .40 S&W NM barrel made for the DE laying around here and it fits in perfectly (I also have a Colt .40 S&W 1911 and the mags look virtually alike.)

Anyway with factory ammo that is watered down (180 gr at 1150 fps or so) it is very easy to control.

Now if you want to reload, Blue Dot or Powder Pistol (or Longshot) all work very well. You can easily get 180 gr JHPs at 1300 fps or more!

Not a .41 Magnum but it's ahead of the .357 Magnum!

Yea, I like the round. Might get me a Glock 29 SF one day to.

Deaf
 
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Might get me a Glock 29 SF one day to.

G29 SF makes a dandy carry/woods gun. I put a Storm Lake barrel in mine. 14.5 #9/180gr Zero will get anyone's attention.

Also shoot gobs of 13.5 #9/180gr cast thru it.

Do you know the Glock 10mm barrel shoots 40 SW just fine?
 
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Do you know the Glock 10mm barrel shoots 40 SW just fine?
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It will, however it puts extra stress on the extractor. That probably won't be an issue in the short term but may be over time.

More important is that shooting a shorter cartridge in an autopistol chamber is not a great idea because unlike the tapered chamber found in revolvers (since headspacing is done on the rim in revolvers) there's a stepped front to the chamber in an autopistol. Normally the case mouth is against that step which means that the bullet doesn't have a chance to come in contact with it.

When a shorter round is shot through the chamber, the bullet starts behind the step at the front of the chamber. Since the step is sharp-edged, it can shave material from the bullet as it passes the step and that material can build up at the front of the chamber. That can result in some possible negative effects. The buildup might prevent chambering the native caliber until it is removed--not really a big deal. However, it might also result in the native caliber chambering nearly all the way creating the potential for a partial out-of-battery firing.

The most potentially dangerous issue is that the material buildup might progress to the point that it creates a partial obstruction resulting in an overpressure event that could potentially damage the gun and cause injury.

If you want to shoot .40S&W in a 10mm, it's best to buy a conversion barrel. Unlike the situation with revolvers, it's not a good idea to shoot anything other than the native caliber through an autopistol without some kind of conversion parts.
 
My decision time is still "just go with 10mm or try to make something in 9x23 happen?" I would prefer 9x23 for capacity/recoil, but 10mm seems to be more economical to get into. FWIW my budget is very limited and the most economical bang for buck is a Glock 20 or a witness in 10mm or 38 super with a later chamber ream to 9x23 (if needed, I have heard that it is not but 38 super witnesses seem more expensive). I want higher capacity than the 1911 platform (yes a double stack 1911 is out of the budget), plus I don't fully trust a 10mm 1911.

To the OP, I personally think 10mm is pushing the 1911 design envelope. The P220 locks via the chamber in the eject port on the slide, ala Glock. This is easier to get right than the locking lugs on a 1911. Of your choices, I would choose the Sig for this reason. That being said I will mirror a previous comment in that the only pistols in 10mm without teething issues is the S&W or the Glock 20.
 
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Yesterday I put a few mags through my full sized full steel wonderfinish Tanfoglio EAA Witness after many years sitting on top of my closet and recently moved to a drawer safe next to my bed.

I handed it to my wife without telling her what it was and she shot a handful of rounds with no problem until the weight of the pistol itself got to her. I forgot how much I loved shooting that thing, way more than I ever liked shooting my glock 20.

Now I just need to work on getting its compact little sister to function reliably.

A shame ammo costs 2x or more than 9mm.
 
Hmmm... Hornady says the max load for a 10mm Auto with a 200 grain XTP and Accurate No. 9 (13.2 grains) yields 1,150 FPS. I'd tend to trust the powder manufacturer's figures a little more than the bullet manufacturer's though. Still using Hornady's data, I think I'd probably go with a 180 grain XTP with 10.7 grains of Blue Dot and get 1,250 FPS. Plus, I'd be able to load 124 more rounds per pound of powder. Well, once I actually get a 10mm Auto, anyways. One of these days...
 
...I think I'd probably go with a 180 grain XTP with 10.7 grains of Blue Dot and get 1,250 FPS...
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I think Hornady's figures are very doable. In my 1911 10mm, the 180 XTP with 10.0 of Blue Dot, it averages 1252 FPS.
 
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