Fuel for the caliber wars
Is 10mm a Viable Self-Defense Caliber?
If the load is hot, you get a bit more out of it. But all of hotter loads I’ve shot have been a beast to hold on to.
8 Responses to “Fuel for the caliber wars”
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July 23rd, 2018 at 4:26 pm
As far as I’m concerned, any round that reliably punches holes in a attacker’s anatomy is viable for self defense.
July 23rd, 2018 at 6:53 pm
Even a sharp stick is better than harsh words.
July 23rd, 2018 at 7:13 pm
I’ve never shot anyone with mine and probably never will, but I reckon it would do the job. Kind of a dumb-ish question, isn’t it?
In the woods and hill country, the increased effective range makes it a slightly more viable hunting pistol compared to, say, the 40. I know a guy who killed a deer with his 40 S&W pistol, and it killed it right dead, thoughbeit at close range – as they say, shot placement, shot placement and shot placement are the three main issues here. Another guy I know carries a 500 Smith, 10”, for hunting, so there’s a couple of quantum leaps in power between the two. The 500 kills ‘em pretty dead, but more like to a big bore carbine than a pistol in that it’ll destroy a lot more meat. In both cases; one shot, one kill. I did kill a deer at close range (deader’n hell too) with one shot from an 1847 Colt Walker repro, burning charcoal, and so…
….it ain’t the gun so much as where the bullet goes after it’s left the gun.
So shut up.
With a ten, you get used to the “holding onto it” bit in short order unless the gun just doesn’t fit you for some reason. There are far more powerful handguns, which people seem to control OK. You are less likely to win a race-gun match with one, is all, if that’s your thing.
I’ve had a rough time getting my Glock 20SF to run reliably with the hotter loads, but I think I got it now. The recoil spring seems to be a hyper-critical part here. So make sure your 10, whatever it is, is reliable, then of course it’s a “viable self defense caliber”, if you don’t mind the extra bulk and weight, and if it fits you, etc.
On the other hand, a 10mm auto pistol is smaller and lighter, and can hold more rounds, compared to a big revolver. So if that is the comparison, then the ten may start to look like a great option.
July 23rd, 2018 at 11:19 pm
I bougt an STI EDGE in 10mm (one of the first from STI) specifically because I thought that the .40 S&W was a viable caliber … but poorly engineered.
The Shorth Forty had a bad reputation for KaBOOMS, and I suspect it was because most of the firearms provided in that caliber did not have fully-supported chambers.
(That was mostly evident in Glocks. I understand they have offered replacement barrels for 10mm with fully supported chambers. A bit late …)
I liked the 10mm, but in commercial loads the muzzle-flip (recoil) was was excessive to USPSA competition; which was my purpose in buying it.
So I loaded my ammunition down until they reached .40S&W ranges, and the larger pistol with the heavy barrel performed like a champion.
I’ve since retired from competition, so now the 10mm STI EDGE is my primary home-defense weapon. Using Frangible ammunition, I’m confident that the recoil is manageable, the downrange effect is optimal, and the very large profile of the Big Ten is daunting to anyone who might burst through my front door to be confronted by the large blast … for a spit second.
But I admit, even reloading my own ammunition, the cost is a bit daunting at 15 dents per round of brass. Until I compare it with the .38 Super which I use to use.
July 24th, 2018 at 8:48 am
We finally get to the point that a 9mm is considered viable and you ask this? Really?
July 24th, 2018 at 9:40 am
Hmmm. ‘Normal’ loads show 180gr JHP at 1150 fps, a clear 100 fps more than the .40 S&W and 1911s don’t kick bad at all (I have the 10mm DE as well as a Colt 1911 made in .40 S&W… a rare bird!)
Hotter loads show 200 gr at over 1200 fps.
Buffalo Bore shows a screamer.. 220 gr. Hard Cast – FN (1,200 fps/ME 703 ft. lbs.)
Hmm viable SD load… Oh yea, even with sedate factory loads I think so!
July 24th, 2018 at 1:22 pm
“Viable” would also perhaps include being “not overly powerful”.
July 26th, 2018 at 4:07 am
10mm has great external ballistics which make it a very viable self-defense round. That said, I enjoy shooting it much more in my old double eagle and my new SIG much more than in my G20.My index finger appreciates less abuse.