I need some 10mm advice.

jonb96150 · 11-01-09, 11:22 AM

Kinda got the 10mm bug right now and am hoping for some owners to chime in.

I'm kinda looking at Glock 20s cuz I don't want a heavy pistol, but how is the recoil? I've had several 44mags, 357mags, 357sig, 40sw, so unless the recoil is brutal I'm prolly okay with it.
How is the accuracy.

I've never owned a Glock cuz I think they are fugly and I've been reluctant to give up my sa/da triggers. But my thinking is evolving, and it looks like a pretty good trail, trunk, tent gub. And a full house 10mm load looks quite effective.

Anyway, TIA for any opinions.

informationjunky · 11-01-09, 02:12 PM

Love mine, recoil is not bad IMHO. Ammo has become quite a PITA to find and $$$.

mjrsfj40 · 11-01-09, 02:43 PM

The 10mm is a great round. Greatly maligned because of perceived recoil and size frame used my S&W and th FBI.

I currently shoot the 10mm in a 1911 variant and a long slide (7", IAI Javelina). I am also building a 4" barrel and slide of the same gun. Recoil is stout, but not unmanageable.

If I were buying a Glock 10mm (and I own/have owned many variants - love my Model 37 in 45 GAP

), I would look at the 20SF (short frame). The grip size is smaller, but the magazine is still 15 rounds. You can also purchase a 6" "hunting barrel" from a number of different vendors. This can be ported or left unported.

Learn to reload, as store bought ammo is overpriced and not always available. Reloading will allow you to create "lite" loads as needed and experiment with what is best for your gun. Just remember, you cannot shoot cast bullets in the stock Glock barrel due to the polyginal rifling. After market barrels will allow lead to be shot.

Brian in Oregon · 11-01-09, 02:49 PM

I have a Colt stainless Delta Gold Cup.

Because I shoot full power 10mm loads the way God and Jeff Cooper decreed, I installed a full length guide rod, a Shok-Buf, and a 24 lb recoil spring. I then replaced the hammer spring housing (the "backstrap") with an semi-curved rubber one by Pachmayr, instead of the hard plastic straight style.

Recoil is quite manageable. The Shok-Buf prevents frame hammering. It is far more comfortable than a Glock 20, and recovers faster for follow up shots. And is more accurate than the G20. The only advantage to the Glock 20 is the higher mag capacity.

If you're planning to mainly shoot the 10mm FBI loads (also known as "10mm Lite") then you're better off getting a 40 S&W, because they're the same loading. This will save you money, because the cost of ammo is quite a bit more for 10mm.

The real irony of the 10mm saga is that many clamored for a magnum cartridge for an auto pistol that did not require a ginormous gun like the Desert Eagle or huge grips like the 357 Coonan or Grizzly LAR. And when they got it, from several makers, the complaints started rolling in about excessive recoil. Seems folks got spoiled on the 9mm. So the FBI, responding to complaints by some of its agents, had the 10mm downloaded. S&W then picked up on this, and figured that they could accomplish the same thing in a shorter case, coming close to duplicating the 45 ACP, but being able to chamber the round in a 9mm frame. The 40 S&W, more than anything else, all but put the coffin nails into the 10mm.

But the 10mm refuses to die, because there are some who still embrace the original concept - a magnum cartridge in a standard sized pistol.

(BTW, as for the Glock being a light gun compared to 1911 style, when comparing weight, also compare them with fully loaded magazines. You'll find there is not as much difference then.)

JayMilla · 11-01-09, 07:30 PM

The 10 is a snappy round in the Glock 20, but very manageable. I am very happy with mine.
The ammo is a little harder to find, and full house stuff even more scarce. Thankfully there is Double Tap. This is what real 10 mm ammo is supposed to be, 200 grain hardcast at 1350 fps.
Reloading is the true answer for this round.
The accuracy is excellent, and Glocks are as reliable as they are ugly. Mine is minute of woodchuck at 75 yards, plenty good enough for a side arm.
I am happy with mine for what I use it for, a hiking, camping, knock around gun.
That said, if I had it all to do over again, I would probably go to a .44 mag. Better ammo availability, and more power for hunting and woods defense.

jonb96150 · 11-02-09, 07:04 AM

Thanks for the excellent info! I'll be going to the big Reno gub show in a couple weeks and hopefully can handle some of the current 10s.

I'm not locked into the Glock, but the prices I've seen (600ish) and the reputation for accuracy and reliability are attractive.

Zimm · 11-02-09, 10:09 AM

i always wanted a dan wesson in 10. do they make a 10 in the bobtail? i bet that would point nice, and mitigate felt recoil a tad.

Brian in Oregon · 11-02-09, 06:25 PM

The ultimate 10mm was the Springfield Armory Omega. This was a 1911 platform with an entirely different slide. It looked similar to a 1911 slide, but that's where the similarities ended. The barrel was linkless, having a lockup similar to a SIG/Sauer P220 or P226. And it had dual extractors, both of which were beefier than some rifles. The slide was also heavier, a concept first started by the 10mm AMT Javelina, but the slide length was 5" or 6" (ported). If you can find one of these, you'll have what is probably the best 10mm ever made.

Springfield Armory Omega