Why 10mm in a revolver?

Like nearly all other "semi auto rounds in a revolver" the intended market is people who already own a pistol in that caliber, letting them use it in a revolver, with a revolver's advantages.

Doesn't always work that way, everyone's different, but that the general idea behind it. I bought a Ruger .45 Convertable, back in 83. Didn't know anything much about the .45 Colt round, but I did have a .45 auto, and felt the SA revolver combo would let me plink with my ACP ammo, and not have to hunt for my reloadable (and therefore valuable) brass in the weeds.

I made one SMALL "mistake", :D I picked up the gun from the shop, and on the way home realized that I didn't have any .45 Colt ammo, so a stopped at a store and bought a box. Winchester, 255gr the standard stuff they've been loading forever.

My "mistake" was firing that ammo first, :eek::D:D:D it was GREAT! Roar, blast and the barrel pointing to the sky!! I loved it!!

By comparison, when I shot the ACP ammo, it seems wimpy and weak, and I was firmly hooked on the .45 Colt for that gun. In the 40+ years since then, I think I've shot 300 rnds of ACP through that gun, but several thousands of .45 Colt.

I like the idea of the convertable SA revolver, swap cylinders and you're good to go.

Never really saw the point to a dedicated semi auto round DA revolver, other than something to shoot the ammo you have for your semi without having to hunt for the empties.

I'm sure a 10mm in a revolver will do fine for many things, but it does have slightly lower performance on lighter game because it doesn't use an SWC bullet.
 
Why is the loading gate on a single action a problem for .40 rounds?
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It’s not.

But pistol cartridges in a single-action revolver headspace on the crimp, like a Blackhawk’s 9mm cylinder; .40 S&W would drop too far into the chamber in a 10mm revolver.

The same is true for a double-action Smith 610 – it will function with 10mm cartridges absent a moon clip; but .40 S&W will function only with a moon clip.
 
->Just Because<- I had an early 5" 610, a 38-40/10mm Blackhawk and 4" and 5" Ruger 10mm GP100s. Can't say the 10 is better than someone else's choice, but I've always liked the 10mm cartridge. I initially shot the old Norma load in a Bren Ten, and began loading for the 10 as soon as I could get dies. Much as I like the 10, I don't think the 10 does anything more in a revolver than might be accomplished with a .357..YMMV
 
But pistol cartridges in a single-action revolver headspace on the crimp,...
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'case mouth' I think is the better term. The crimp here is just a taper crimp, not a rounded crimp like on a 'normal' revolver cartridge ;) .
 
Originally posted by rclark
The crimp here is just a taper crimp, not a rounded crimp like on a 'normal' revolver cartridge.
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There are actually a few "semi-auto" cartridges that can be, and commonly are, roll crimped like "revolver" cartridges. Probably the two most common would be .25 ACP and .32 ACP as these are "semi-rimmed" cartridges that, like "revolver" cartridges rely on their rims for headspacing (though their rims are smaller in diameter as compared to their case bodies than true rimmed cartridges). However, most "semi-auto" cartridges have to be taper crimped, or not crimped at all, because a squared-off case mouth is necessary for proper headspacing. An oddity arising from a "semi-rimmed" cartridge is that .32 ACP can actually be fired in a revolver chambered for .32 H&R Magnum or .327 Federal Magnum (it's probably possible to do so in one chambered for .32 S&W or .32 S&W Long as well, but that would be potentially dangerous as .32 ACP operates at higher pressure that those cartridges). The small semi-rim of the .32 ACP will prevent it from going too far into the chamber though, due to it's thinner rim, misfires are more likely and, due to the smaller diameter of its rim, it's more likely to "jump" the extractor when the shooter ejects the cases.
 
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I don’t have a 10mm six gun but I do have a 625 JM.
I have long been a fan of the 45 AR and have a good quantity of brass but I will say 45ACP is a good option especially with cheaper ammo for fun shooting and I’m being too lazy to reload.
I wouldn’t mind a 5” 10mm as a mate for the 45.
 
Webleymkv said:
Buying ammo online really only makes sense if you're buying in large quantities or looking for something that's difficult to find in a brick-and-mortar store. If you're just buying one or two boxes of commonly-available ammunition, the savings from buying online are quickly eaten up by shipping costs. A lot of people don't buy ammo in bulk but rather just buy a box or two when they want to go to the range, those people I think are much more likely to simply go to a brick-and-mortar store than buy online, pay the shipping costs, and wait for their ammo to be delivered.
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Possibly, but most of the local retailers mark up their non 9mm ammo so much that it's cheaper to biy one box of ammo AND pay the shipping. The last box of .32 ACP I saw at a store was $60 for 50 rds of Winchester FMJ.

For 10mm I think I paid around 25 and tax a few months ago, but if I feel the need in the future to buy more than one box it will be online and I will find a place that doesn't hit me with tax.
 
I think rc in post 4 nailed the reason why 10mm revolvers are being mande and IMO will continue to be for some time and it's that the traditional revolver calibers are waning in popularity with modern and future shooters because the revolver has lost popularity to autos. This in turn drives demand for auto calibers like 9, 40, 45, and 10mm to be produced in higher quantities and the supply improves to lower costs while less is produced for the .38 and .357, yet the same number of existing firearms for those calibers remains. This creates a shortage and for years after Covid we saw plenty of auto calibers (mostly 9) being made while the revolver calibers just... stopped.

It has gotten better lately, but it downright sucked for years and if I wasn't a reloader I wouldn't ever dare consider a revolver that couldn't shoot a rimless caliber. In fact every revolver I've bought this year has been a 9mm to scratch the itch.

10mm benefits from .40, there's still significant demand for that ammo by LE and civilians, thus it gets produced and because all it takes to change lines making the ammo over to 10mm is raising the presses the fractions of an inch and upping the powder charge, it takes no time to changeover and that savings is reflected in 10mm costing so much less than .357 does. Given the major increase in power that 10mm has compared to .38 it's kind of a waste to spend the same amount of dough on something weaker and when that same revolver could possibly shoot .40 which costs even less (it's probably the second cheapest centerfire to 9mm, maybe .380 is less but lol .380, really?) The benefits of a 10mm revolver really come thru for a majority of people, especially the average casual gun owner.

That is to say if they want to buy a revolver bigger than a 22.

Now, the J frame snub isn't going to die and .40/10 is too big for that, so there will always be some demand, but now that .32 is making a comeback specifically because of the J frame sized snubs, it's questionable if that once solid backbone of the .38 will start to crumble.

I'm not saying that the .38 and .357 are done, but there are several factors occurring simultaneously that are going to affect the revolver market in the future because the consumer who buys them today is different than those of the past. They have different needs and above all price is usually the most critical factor. If it's cheaper for someone to shoot a 10mm revolver than it is a .357 and .40 is cheaper than .38, they will chose that over the traditional option.
 
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Pumpkin said:
If what your saying is true we are to be getting a buttload of 9mm revolvers.
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We already have a bunch of 9mm revolvers, other than Colt, every major revolver maker makes a 9mm revolver. Now extra large frames like an N frame or a Redhawk in 9mm doesn't make sense because the power just isn't there with 9mm like it is with 10mm and with 10mm they can't fit in anything smaller than an L frame, but at whatever size the 10mm is in for a revolver it's hugely more powerful than 9mm and power is a top reason people buy revolvers.
 
and power is a top reason people buy revolvers.
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Which we are now back to revolver rimmed cartridges for revolvers ;) . .41 Mag, .44 Mag, .45 Colt, .454, etc. Not semi-auto cartridges. Just saying ...
 
rclark said:
Which we are now back to revolver rimmed cartridges for revolvers ;) . .41 Mag, .44 Mag, .45 Colt, .454, etc. Not semi-auto cartridges. Just saying ...
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Sure, but now you're not factoring in the cost, running any revolver over 10mm is going to become very costly, double or triple, and then you can't use that ammunition in your semi auto.

Look, there's a lot of factors involved, but price to performance makes a 10mm revolver very appealing. If gretaer power were desired, there's always 10mm Magnum, but I don't think the industry or the general public is ready for a revolver that can shoot a rimless caliber with power almost ( I am not saying EQUAL) near that of .41 Mag and be chambered in a 686 or GP100 sized frame, yet can also shoot .40 and 10mm Auto for cheap, lower recoil practice.
 
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Just checked on Midway, Federal (50 rnd box), .40 S&W was $29.99.
.357 Magnum was $33.99 and 10mm was $39.99.

So, sticking with one brand for a fair comparison, .40 was $4 a box cheaper than .357 and 10mm was $6 a box more expensive than .357.

That doesn't hold well with the statement that 10mm is cheaper than .357.

Now, mind you this was basic grade ammo, the premium stuff in all calibers was much more expensive, sometimes nearly double the price.

None of which really impacts me, as I am no longer the buying public, I am the bought public, meaning the pistols I have I bought some time ago, don't plan on getting any more, really, and I also handload, so while the price of components matters to me the cost of factory ammo isn't a big factor for me.

The only rimless rounds I shoot from revolvers is the .45ACP. Ruger Blackhawk SA (no clips) and a 1917 Webley converted to use .45acp BRASS with Webley level loads, in half moon clips.

I shoot .357, .44Mag, and .45 Colt from revolvers and single shots. I also shoot .357 and .44 Mag from semi autos, too.

If a 10mm revolver floats your boat, get one and enjoy! If that is what comes to dominate the current sales market, so be it. Won't bother me any, the rounds I use have been around a lot longer than I have, and even if they're not topping the sales charts, they're going to still be around after I'm gone.
 
44 AMP said:
Just checked on Midway, Federal (50 rnd box), .40 S&W was $29.99.
.357 Magnum was $33.99 and 10mm was $39.99.

So, sticking with one brand for a fair comparison, .40 was $4 a box cheaper than .357 and 10mm was $6 a box more expensive than .357.

That doesn't hold well with the statement that 10mm is cheaper than .357.

Now, mind you this was basic grade ammo, the premium stuff in all calibers was much more expensive, sometimes nearly double the price.

None of which really impacts me, as I am no longer the buying public, I am the bought public, meaning the pistols I have I bought some time ago, don't plan on getting any more, really, and I also handload, so while the price of components matters to me the cost of factory ammo isn't a big factor for me.

The only rimless rounds I shoot from revolvers is the .45ACP. Ruger Blackhawk SA (no clips) and a 1917 Webley converted to use .45acp BRASS with Webley level loads, in half moon clips.

I shoot .357, .44Mag, and .45 Colt from revolvers and single shots. I also shoot .357 and .44 Mag from semi autos, too.

If a 10mm revolver floats your boat, get one and enjoy! If that is what comes to dominate the current sales market, so be it. Won't bother me any, the rounds I use have been around a lot longer than I have, and even if they're not topping the sales charts, they're going to still be around after I'm gone.
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Midway's pricing is pretty awful for ammo. Sometimes they have a good sale, but general pricing has been bad for years, so I wouldn't use them as a source for ammo prices.

Nor would I compare brand to brand because that's not what consumers do when shopping, they will buy whatever the cheaper brand is that's decent and Federal 10mm is some of the worst on the market for 10mm, very underpowered.

So, focusing just on price, here's what we're getting:

357
https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/076683052070

https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/812285020075

10mm
https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/754908210916

https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/754908500918

$20 for New Republic .357 is the lowest I've seen for .357 in a long time, but I can't find that brand at any other retailer so that may be a sale price while the Armscor is a more general price at $25. The $19 for 10mm is pretty common and I know not to be a sale price, so we're looking at over 10 cents less per round for 10mm vs .357 Mag or 20% less.

.38
https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/741569070102

.40
https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/741569070454

19-20 for .38, 17-18 for .40 so again, the rimless auto caliber is coming in cheaper than the rimmed revolver caliber and the .40 is also more powerful than the .38 is.

I'm not going to bother with premium or defense ammo as all of it is priced the same unless you're going with Hornady who puts 25 rds in a box if it's 9mm/.357 or smaller. Still, most people buy a box of that stuff maybe once a year, so that cost is negligible compared to what is shot the most, which is range practice ammo.

These prices focus only on online sellers, for the local LGS or mom n pop shop that price can fluctuate wildly. The trend tho is that the second and fourth/fifth most popular auto pistol calibers are coming in cheaper than the two most popular revolver calibers and that is a trend that is likely to continue for a very long time.
 
Midway's pricing is pretty awful for ammo. Sometimes they have a good sale, but general pricing has been bad for years, so I wouldn't use them as a source for ammo prices.
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They sell ammo, and therefore are a valid source for prices. Their prices, sure, perhaps not the cheapest you can find, but their prices do reflect the general trend, if not the identical amounts.

Nor would I compare brand to brand because that's not what consumers do when shopping, they will buy whatever the cheaper brand is that's decent and Federal 10mm is some of the worst on the market for 10mm, very underpowered.
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Some do that, others are looking for specific things in their ammo and if the very cheapest stuff doesn't have them, they don't buy the very cheapest stuff.

I have, in the past bought the cheapest ammo I could find in a specific caliber, not because it did what I wanted, but as a way to get brass for reloading. A (one) box, usually, to slake my thirst while waiting on finding brass. Not all consumers follow the same patterns, just as finding one kind of ammo cheaper at one place does not mean it is always cheaper everyplace.
 
I’m not shooting the cheapest ammo I can find in my $800-$1200 handgun.
Many years ago I felt compelled to buy something at a local gun show.
I found a box of non-name brand (not reloads) 38spl 148gr HBWC ammo to shoot in my S&W M66 for cheap.
About half of them ended up with pierced primers. Not saying that they were overcharged but something wasn’t right and I never bought “cheap” ammo again.
This gun had never done this previously or since.
 
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