Advantages/Disadvantages of the 10mm

[OneLungMcClung]

OK, I am a relatively seasoned shooter, but one of the calibers that I have never fired is the 10mm. I am going through a current and mildly disturbing strong attraction to the S+W 1006, of which one is for sale (used, obviously) down at Philly Archery and Gun.

I am aware of the history - it was an FBI cartirdge, very powerful, flat trajectory, Agents complained about recoil, it is the forbearer (sp?) of the current .40 S+W.

Who I want to hear from are shooters/owners or anyone who has fired a 10mm: What do like/hate about 10mm? How's the recoil compare to a .45acp (my fav) or a .357 or a .44 mag? Is your 10mm your carry gun, your competition shooter, or is she a safe queen because of the cost of ammo?

Jaybell, you have a 1006 (and a pretty one at that! ) which I read about in another post.

I appreciate any input - this is gun rapture of the dangerous kind - the kind where you want the firearm whether or not you have shot it - and I know better than that!! Lol

Thanks,
-OneLung-

*kOfF*

[Skuggi]

I have yet to find one to shoot, but if i was in your shoes with the little extra cash, I would get it no matter what, and then try and find ammo for it, its a win / win even if you dont like shooting it, you can add it to your collection

[JustinM]

It costs too much to shoot.

[Karys]

I own three 10mm's. My Colt Delta Elite is now a safe queen. It's packed in silica gel and will probably never see the light of day again.

My other two are a Glock 29 and a Glock 20. I carry the G29 daily and the G20 is my new trail gun for when I'm archery hunting. I put about 5000 rounds through my Glock 29 each year. All of them are my own reloads. I haven't shot the G20 much because I just got it.

As far as recoil goes, it does have more recoil than the .45 ACP but not significantly more. If I had to rate the recoil of a 10mm I'd put it between the .45 ACP and hot .357 magnum load. I would think recoil in a 1006 would be even less than a Glock or even a Delta Elite because the Smith is all steel and significantly heavier. I've never shot a 1006 but I'd like to and I could easily see myself owning one if I found it for the right price.

Yes, ammo is expensive but it's significantly cheaper if you reload. For concealed carry, there aren't too many companies that load the 10mm to it's full potential. Most of the carry ammo out there is loaded to .40 S&W ballistics. Right now I'm carrying a 180 grain Speer Gold Dot loaded to about 1350 FPS by Double Tap ammo. Cor-Bon also makes full power loads as well as Winchester with their Silvertip. Most FMJ range ammo is loaded kind of warm but not smoking hot. The cheapest range ammo out there is the aluminum cased CCI Blazer. I believe they load a 200 grain FMJ at about 1000 FPS. I haven't bought 10mm FMJ's in several years so I have no idea what prices are like.

The 10mm is the most versatile semi-auto cartridge. Even if you don't reload, there is ammo out there that is loaded throughout the range from smoking hot to very mild.

The 1006 would make a great home defense gun. There's tons of power there and plenty of mag capacity. Mags are available and relatively inexpensive.

Disadvantages? Well, the 1006 is all steel and quite heavy. It's not a gun I'd like to have to lug around all day. All 10mm's are going to be rather large size wise which makes them less comfortable to carry, but if you can comfortably carry a 1911 or a Glock, you can carry a 10mm. As mentioned above, ammo is not as common and is more expensive than other calibers. Finally, recoil could be an issue, but if you can shoot .45 ACP with 230 grain hardball or a 158 grain full powered .357, the 10mm will not be bad.

Buy the 1006. You won't regret it. Just don't be surprised if you start looking for other 10mm's a few years down the road.

Welcome to the dark side.

[LittleRedToyota]

i have a glock 20. it's my carry gun in the woods. i really like it. it is pretty expensive to shoot, though, so i shoot my glock 17 (which is my daily carry gun) much more often. i do shoot my g20 a couple times a month, though.

for defense against 2 legged predators, i am fine with 9mm (and would be fine with .45 or .40 also). in the woods, though, i feel much more comfortable having the penetration offered by a 10mm. 10mm is the only *common* (not counting stuff like .50AE) semi-auto round i feel comfortable with in the woods.

let me preface my thoughts on the recoil by saying that i find perceived recoil to be more of a function of the particular gun than the caliber.

i don't find the recoil of my g20 to be bad at all.

i can't really compare it to a glock 21 (which would be the proper .45acp to compare it to) as i've only ever shot one once and don't really remember what the recoil was like. relative to an all steel 1911 in .45acp, it has a snappier recoil, but i wouldn't say it has a whole lot more recoil over all.

i find the recoil of my g20 to be more noticeable, of course, than that of my g17 (9mm), but frankly, not terribly so. in a nutshell, for me, at least, the recoil of a glock 20 is not an issue at all.

compared to a .44 magnum, it's like shooting a squirt gun...but i don't really find any revolvers comfortable to shoot--they just don't ever seem to fit in my hands.

speaking of fitting in my hands, the g20 grip is huge. i like it, but many people don't.

another plus to the 10mm is that it has a very flat trajectory...not that i personally shoot pistols far enough for that to really matter.

the only thing i don't like about the 10mm is the cost of ammo. but, that's why i have a 9mm also.

(ETA: regarding ammo, i use double-tap 200 grain FMJ which is about $25 per fifty for carrying in the woods and CCI Blazer 200 grain TMJ which is about $18 per 50 for target shooting)

[sgh]

I am a big fan of the 10mm. I have a Glock 20 as my bedside gun. I have fired / own most variations of the 10mm and the Smith 1006 is a fine weapon. It is fairly heavy for carry but strong as heck and soaks up recoil great. The thing I most enjoy about the 10 is the large range of bullet energys avialable, from weakest to most powerful is almost 1:2. Bullet weights range from 135 to over 200 grains.

The 10mm has greater sectional density than the .45 and higher energy levels. My favorite load is the 180gr gold dot from double tap ammo. Warning, shooting the 10mm can put a huge silly grin on your face and make you want to buy another.

[OneLungMcClung]

Good info from all of you - much to consider.

Now watch, I'll go down there (Probably on friday) and it'll be sold...

Thanks for all the input, everyone!

-OneLung-

[luckyned7]

I don't have a 10mm anymore but I still have Dillon dies! Trades? I owned a S&W and I loved it but it was a large gun and I'm all about concealable carry guns after the initial thrill wears off. It was crazy accurate though.

[TravisBickle]

Any ammo that can't be found on the shelves of just about any sporting goods store or Wal-Mart any day of the week for relatively cheap is not viable, IMO.

That's why I stick with 9mm/.45/.38spl/.357/etc. and avoid 10mm/.357SIG/.32 magnum/etc...

[OneLungMcClung]

Lol the 1006 was sold when I got there.

O well! That's fine - Ill use my $$ for something else.