new to 10mm questions.

9

98 220 swift

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I bought a 10mm over the weekend. New to the 10. What is the best bullet weight for hunting and general shooting. Donot plan on using it for defense use. What are some good loads as well? I probably don't need the stoutest loads but something in the 600 ftlb range would be good. Pistol is a EAA Witness match.
 
180gr

Powder.

AA #7
AA #9

Silhouette
True Blue

Longshot
800x, meters very poorly.

Blue Dot, big flash
Power pistol, big flash
 
I think the 180gn is the native weight. I have two 10mm's (Glocks) that I load for. My basic range shooter uses AA5 under a 180gn and is approaching 1100 fps. I haven't done a lot of load experimenting. But I have dabbled with Power Pistol and AA7 and they will get you to the 600 ft/lb neighborhood. I would shy away from AA9, however - I think it's a bit slow.
 
For hunting I heard 230gr hardcast several times over the years like the DoubleTab ammo. Muzzle Energy: 641 ft. lbs out of G20. 180gr would be more of a target round.
 
Congratulations on the newest purchase, you'll really enjoy the 10mm. I use mine for general shooting and woods carry when we're on camping, hunting, hiking, ATVing, etc. I shoot a lot of 180's and 200's, and my favorite powders are Blue Dot, Power Pistol, and Longshot.
 
Congrats on joining the '10 ring'!

I have a G20 Gen 4 that I load for, and I use 180gr plated HP bullets from Xtreme:

http://www.xtremebullets.com/10-40-180-HP-p/xc1040-180hp-b0500.htm

These are safe to 1500 fps since they have the 'Heavy Plating' from Xtreme, so should work great for a standard pistol barrel, even with a big charge.

I use these over 13.0 grains of Accurate No. 9 at a 1.260'' COL.

This load is quite accurate and a little spicy, too. I don't have a chronograph, so I cannot tell you exact velocity. Good luck finding No. 9 though. Another powder I have heard works great in 10mm is 800X, but I have no experience with this, other than I believe it is what Underwood Ammo loads their 10mm with. Underwood is great stuff, by the way. If you want to feel what a 10mm should be, pick some up. A problem I found with most of the store bought 10mm ammo is that it is little more than a hot .40, and to me 10mm should be a lot more.

I will note that I have a KKM Precision barrel in my G20, and if you are going to load some hot ammo for your 10mm, make sure that you have a fully supported chamber, as 'Glock Bulge' on these cases can get pretty bad. I am not sure if the EAA Witness has a fully supported chamber or not. The KKM took care of that problem for me though, as well as tightening up my groups.

I am not a hunter, so I cannot say what would be a good load for hunting. I will say that the Xtreme HP bullets are non-expanding and I use them only for target shooting. (I guess I use all of my bullets for shooting targets, and hope I never have to shoot them at anything else).

As always, be sure to use manuals when you reload. What works great in my gun may not work in yours, or even worse, be a danger. Stay safe, and enjoy the 10mm!
 
180gr

Powder.

AA #7
AA #9
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Go with what Steve said, and you will be a happy camper.

There are plenty of powders which will "work" well, then there are a couple which excel, and #7 & 9 are two of the best for this caliber. They both meter like water, and they will both give you plenty of velocity from the 180gr and up bullets.

My personal prefernce is to use AA-5 for 135 up to 150gr weights, then switch to #7 from there through around 180 and use #9 for 180 and up. My standard load is with the 180gr Gold Dot over a nice dose of #9, lit with the Win WLP primer which gives me 1350fps form my 7" Javelina.
 
I like the Sierra 190gr. Tournaments. No exansion; awesome penatration. Just the ticket for tough old hogs in a bad mood.
 
I probably don't need the stoutest loads
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Yes you do, haha!! 10mm is one of the best/most fun non magnum rounds to handload for and shoot. I have not hunted with mine so no help there, but for good fun I enjoy 180gr behind 11 grains of Blue Dot. Big bang, big flash and big fun! It gets attention at the range and packs a wallop for sure.

Lots of good powders out there to use, but I wouldn't go less than a 180gr bullet in a 10mm.

Let the big dog eat!
 
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but I wouldn't go less than a 180gr bullet in a 10mm.
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I agree with this for the most part. 180gn is definitely the native weight.

But I've loaded 165gn GDHP's with Power Pistol under them that were a lot of fun. Although not my first choice, they would definitely be a viable choice for SD.

The 158gn is the native weight for 357 Mag, but the 125's reputation for target neutralization is near legendary.

All that said, I circle back to the 180gn - that's what I personally have in both my Glock 10mm's right now - one gets carry duty; the other, nightstand duty. Both have the very potent HPR brand (a boutique company), using Hornady 180gn XTP's in their mags.

And 90+% of my 10mm handloads are 180's.
 
180gn is definitely the native weight.
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Actually, 200 grain is the true "native weight" bullet for the 10mm Auto. Norma loaded it for the Bren Ten to 1200 fps from the 5 inch barrel.
I load mostly 180's because they seem to be much easier to find thanks to their use in the 40 Short & Wimpy.

I tried Blue Dot but cold weather was not its friend.
Power Pistol is my go to for 10mm.

It's a great round. Have fun with it.
 
Actually, 200 grain is the true "native weight" bullet for the 10mm Auto. Norma loaded it for the Bren Ten to 1200 fps from the 5 inch barrel.
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Agreed! However, Norma also loaded the 170gr JHP to 1,350 FPS for the Bren Ten. I don't recall any evidence (either way) that one loading was more 'native' than the other.

The Bren Ten probably did really well with the first shot.
Follow up shots were horrendously difficult for anyone in North America however, what with all the magazines stuck in Italy, locked out of the USA. ;)
(sorry, I just don't care to miss a dig on that fiasco that should go down in history a a black eye on the industry)
 
I have been loading 10mm since 1992. I long ago settled on the 180 grain weight because that is what I seemed to have the best ability to find bulk bullets in over the years. And here is another hint that may not be obvious from the outset...

When loading any semi-auto pistol round, case mouth tension ('bullet pull' or the case's grip on that bullet) is of extreme importance to avoid unnoticed and/or unintended bullet setback. You may find that if you try to use R-P brass in 10mm, you will see varying degrees of success in this area.

A heavier bullet means a longer bullet, if all else is equal. The longer bullet tends to sit a bit lower in the cartridge case and you gain surface tension -- you gain bullet pull. This is a very good thing.

I know that some boutique ammo makers build some irrationally high velocity 135gr 10mm loads and I have no experience and no opinion on them specifically. But as a handloader, I have no interest in a bullet that light and this is mostly because I need and want all the bullet pull I can get.

My favorite powder for 10mm is Alliant Power Pistol. Beware that it is excessively flashy and IME, it offers more blast and (possible?) felt recoil than it probably "ought to" for the velocity it returns. Not to say that it doesn't send a 10mm slug fast (it does!) but my point is that it feels HARDCORE when you shoot it but a chrono will tell you that it won't match the speed you can gain with some other powders.

Hodgdon Longshot is a fine powder for chasing high velocity in 10mm and it is easy to work with. IMR-800X may be the velocity KING for 180's in 10mm, but I don't think there is a more obnoxious handgun powder to deal with in a volumetric measure, EVER. If you have an electronic dispenser, 800X is a decent option. If you don't, it is a hassle that you have to experience to appreciate. I recommend a one-pound can so you aren't saddled with it. :p

Blue Dot seems to be popular, but after eating through just over a pound of it, I'm done with the stuff. I don't care for the way it runs anywhere I have used it and it's not much fun through a measure either. Blue Dot also has the added joy of very cryptic warnings directly from Alliant. So I won't ever recommend it to anyone because there are so many more that will do so much better.

Accurate#7 is a pleasure to work with but it's not at all easy to find, IME. #2, #5 and #9 appear, #7 seems to be the redheaded stepchild.
 
Native Weight

Good post Sevens - as usual.

(Open statement; not directed at anyone): For the record, whenever I post regarding a chamberings "native weight," be assured that it is just my opinion.

My favorite powder for 10mm is Alliant Power Pistol. Beware that it is excessively flashy and IME, it offers more blast and felt recoil than it probably "ought to" for the velocity it returns.
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Mine too. And I agree to all of those mentioned characteristics - including the making bullets go fast part (that I omitted from the quote for brevity). Power Pistol is big fun stuff in a lot of calibers.

Accurate#7 is a pleasure to work with but it's not at all easy to find, IME. #2, #5 and #9 appear, #7 seems to be the redheaded stepchild.
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AA7 is great for 10mm Auto. And my more manageable range shooters that I load, have AA5 under them. I've even made powder puff 10mm's using AA2. But AA9 . . . I will stick to my guns on this one: I think it's too slow for all but the very hottest rounds with the heaviest (200's) bullets. I don't really consider it correct for the application. IMO

From my perspective, AA2, 5, 7, & 9 all seem very hard to find. I haven't seen them at any venue since early in the shortage (spring '13). I got all my AA stockpile during that time. Then it all dried up, and I haven't seen any since - anywhere.
 
Sevens said:
You may find that if you try to use R-P brass in 10mm, you will see varying degrees of success in this area.
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R-P is a no go for me in any caliber, I had one ruptured case with R-P in 10mm and that was enough for me. This was before I even started loading hot.



Sevens said:
Blue Dot also has the added joy of very cryptic warnings directly from Alliant.
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I understood this to be for 357 mag 125 gr and 41 mag only. Did I miss something?
 
I just bought an elite match few weeks back. Did you adjust the trigger any? Anyhow great shooting 10mm. Soft recoil for 10mm and very accurate. Did you know the barrel is polygonal? Take a peak when you get a chance. Looks like conventional rifling but notice the shape!

I have a few loads worked up already using (believe it or not) Red dot and Unique. I am fixing to try power pistol and autocomp as well. I'm hoping I can use up my power pistol on the 10mm, save the Unique for 45 Colt loads and keep my Red Dot for the 9mm and backup powder for either the 10mm and 45 colt since its the powder I have the most of. Man does it go a long way too.

I am loading my cast and coated 175gr SWC. Seems like the 175-185 gr is the most accurate round to fixed sights. The 200 not far off but get as low as the 155gr and they are too light IMHO.
 
re: Blue Dot and it's warnings from Alliant...

No, you didn't miss anything and yes, it is still in simply those two places. I suppose my point was directed not toward Blue Dot in 10mm specifically, but toward Blue Dot on the whole, it's use anywhere, and it's removal from my list of usable powders.

Those warnings and directives about Blue Dot came with no back story, no details, and were placed on a powder that has been offered since when... the 1960s or 70s?

What other powder had been in common use for the last 50+ years but now just happens to no longer be valid for one bullet weight in .357 and any/all .41 loads? My point is simply that it is very easy for me to cut ties completely with Blue Dot, and not specifically related to it's possible use in 10mm.
 
Copy, thanks I understand where you are coming from. I'm going to ask Alliant directly and see what I get as a response.
 
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No, you didn't miss anything and yes, it is still in simply those two places. I suppose my point was directed not toward Blue Dot in 10mm specifically, but toward Blue Dot on the whole, it's use anywhere, and it's removal from my list of usable powders.

Those warnings and directives about Blue Dot came with no back story, no details, and were placed on a powder that has been offered since when... the 1960s or 70s?

What other powder had been in common use for the last 50+ years but now just happens to no longer be valid for one bullet weight in .357 and any/all .41 loads? My point is simply that it is very easy for me to cut ties completely with Blue Dot, and not specifically related to it's possible use in 10mm.
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I used Blue Dot for a while but eventually gave up in favor of Power Pistol or Longshot. The way their warnings came out bothered me too, but the bigger issue for me was that it metered poorly compared to Longshot and Power Pistol and also exhibited too much temperature sensitivity for my taste. Lately I've been loading a lot of Longshot and have been really pleased with how well it's done for me, so it's my go to 10mm power right now. I still love Power Pistol though, especially since it is such a versatile powder in a lot of other cartridges as well.
 
Not Blue Dot Bashing

Blue Dot was the first powder I got ahold of for magnum (357/44) loads. I was a novice loader, but found it counter-intuitive at times and I never got comfortable with it - something just didn't seem right with it. It's been a lot of years and the memory has faded a bit, but I recall it just not wanting to run clean, then it all of a sudden it would; then when I thought I had a mild load, it would show signs of pressure; then the next higher increment round would run dirty - that sort of thing. And it was most persnikity with lighter slugs - which I was into at the time. It probably behaves more rationally under heavies.

Someone suggested to me trying W296 for my big magnums. I never looked back. My Blue Dot days were over.

Even during the worst of the shortage, I passed on Blue Dot. And as far as 10mm Auto goes (finally relating to the OP :D), I would use it if I somehow found doing so a necessity. Some good rounds could probably be made from it. Would definitely stick with heavy slugs though.
 
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