Over the course of the past few years, I saw a lot of articles online loudly proclaiming the imminent triumphant return of the 10mm Auto cartridge to the mainstream. An exciting proposition which had excited both long-time fans of the cartridge as well as newcomers who simply liked the sound of it.
Articles on the 10mm Auto spread like wildfire, repeating the tale of the rise and fall of the mighty cartridge, how it had faded into obscurity, and how factory loaded ammunition was by and large just .40 S&W in a longer case, yet the cartridge was in the midst of a resurgence in popularity which would surely result in new pistols coming to market chambered in 10mm with ammo manufactures following suit by ramping up production and loading it up to its original specifications.
However, years have passed, yet the 10mm Auto really doesn't seem to be any more popular than it previously was. It definitely still has a strong cult following, but I wouldn't call it mainstream. No new pistols have been released for the cartridge, ammo still seems to be scarce, expensive, and largely loaded no hotter than its shortened counterpart.
So I've been left wondering lately, whatever happened to the 10mm Auto's highly anticipated comeback? Was it all just one big viral marketing campaign which failed to catch on or something? I just don't understand how something that was so hyped hasn't really seemed to have gone anywhere over the past few years, and am left wondering what exactly suggested it was coming back in the first place. Because honestly, looking back on some of the articles, none of them really explained the basis for the belief that it was making a comeback, save for minor things like Ruger chambering one of their 1911s in 10mm and a few companies offering pistol caliber carbines in 10mm.
Seriously, am I missing something? Because as far as I can see 10mm is no more popular than it was previously, nobody is offering any new handguns chambered in the cartridge, and the hype train appears to have come to an abrupt stop in 2018. It almost seems like it was just a viral marketing campaign which attempted to use the .40 S&W's decline in popularity as a springboard to promote the more powerful 10mm Auto cartridge which unfortunately failed to catch on because the actual sales numbers just weren't enough to convince manufactures to come out with new pistols, and just couldn't appeal to a market full of folks who already considered the weaker .40 S&W cartridge to be uncomfortable to shoot.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Articles on the 10mm Auto spread like wildfire, repeating the tale of the rise and fall of the mighty cartridge, how it had faded into obscurity, and how factory loaded ammunition was by and large just .40 S&W in a longer case, yet the cartridge was in the midst of a resurgence in popularity which would surely result in new pistols coming to market chambered in 10mm with ammo manufactures following suit by ramping up production and loading it up to its original specifications.
However, years have passed, yet the 10mm Auto really doesn't seem to be any more popular than it previously was. It definitely still has a strong cult following, but I wouldn't call it mainstream. No new pistols have been released for the cartridge, ammo still seems to be scarce, expensive, and largely loaded no hotter than its shortened counterpart.
So I've been left wondering lately, whatever happened to the 10mm Auto's highly anticipated comeback? Was it all just one big viral marketing campaign which failed to catch on or something? I just don't understand how something that was so hyped hasn't really seemed to have gone anywhere over the past few years, and am left wondering what exactly suggested it was coming back in the first place. Because honestly, looking back on some of the articles, none of them really explained the basis for the belief that it was making a comeback, save for minor things like Ruger chambering one of their 1911s in 10mm and a few companies offering pistol caliber carbines in 10mm.
Seriously, am I missing something? Because as far as I can see 10mm is no more popular than it was previously, nobody is offering any new handguns chambered in the cartridge, and the hype train appears to have come to an abrupt stop in 2018. It almost seems like it was just a viral marketing campaign which attempted to use the .40 S&W's decline in popularity as a springboard to promote the more powerful 10mm Auto cartridge which unfortunately failed to catch on because the actual sales numbers just weren't enough to convince manufactures to come out with new pistols, and just couldn't appeal to a market full of folks who already considered the weaker .40 S&W cartridge to be uncomfortable to shoot.
Correct me if I'm wrong.