10mm RESURGENT

1. I’ve noticed that lately the gun industry has gotten a little stale. Same old thing, just gussied up some with a few frills to sell a few more guns. With the resurgence of the 10mm maybe that will breathe new life into the industry. The gun mags are starting to write about air rifles and pistols it has gotten so bad. Hell, I got excited the other day when perusing AH, at least I think that was the gun mag, I got all excited that someone came up with a new shape for a 1911 hammer.
   I don’t understand Glock coming out with a new model. I have been waiting 2-3 months for my 30s. Santa brought me some magazines for it but Glock hasn’t seen fit to give birth yet.
   I don’t know if the 10mm will be a success or not. Everyone wants the fastest biggest and baddest, but will the recoil put the kibosh on the enthusiasm? I got bit by the bug 1 time and purchased a 44 automag and I wish I still had it. Recoil wasn’t all that bad but the functioning was atrocious, especially in cold weather. Conceal-ability was a factor too!

   If I went to the shot show I would have to have my wife push me around in a shopping cart. A place to sit and rest your dogs are usually in short supply.
   Mas, If you are going, would you talk with the Alliant and Hodgdon people on availability of powder suitable for handguns?

   Oh, one other thing, I know you’re a nice guy and would never think of such a thing, but, if the protesters are out there, would you flip them the bird for me?

2. Marketing it as an anti-bear gun makes the most sense to me. It’s the niche that the other popular semiauto handgun rounds can’t fill.

   Maybe it’ll be better received now that info on optimal grip technique is more widespread compared to the 1980s.

3. I have a Dan Wesson PM-7 10 mm and it is the most accurate pistol I have ever had the pleasure to fire. It fires tame Federal loads, and proprietary loads up to 800 lbs. FPE with equal aplomb. Drops deer like a stone, and with hard cast bullets in the 220 range I would carry this in Alaska…love to see new entries. Hope they all have ramped barrels or they will NOT be able to handle the heavy loads…

4. I was at the range with my M1 Carbine in 1988, two men at the far end of the firing line had a brand new, box on the shooting bench S&W 41 Magnum. Seems like they may have fired 2 rounds each, total. As I walked past on the way to check targets one of them asked me if I’d like to fire his Smith. It was a shorter barrel, heft was good and the kick was brutal. My round went through the middle of the X. That was my ONLY shot. He asked if I’d like to trade my Carbine for his Smith, box, tags, booklet and all. No, thank you.
   So far I have not tried a 10MM. If it is as brisk in the recoil department as the 41 Mag was, thanks but no thanks.

5. Recoil perception is largely based on individual perception, Lew, but I can tell you that the hotter 10mm loads don’t kick as much as full power .41 Magnum, FWIW.

6. The top end ballistics of the 10mm pistol are just about on par with a .38-40 or .44-40 rifle powered by a case full of FFFg. This means a good 10mm pistol is a near ballistic twin of the Winchester 1873 rifle – that you can comfortably wear on your hip!

7. Oh how I wish Glock would make a single stack version of the model 26. That would truly be, imho, “Glock Perfection.”

   I will admit that the model 40 long slide 10mm has piqued my interest 😉

8. Another thing to consider with 10mm vs. .41 Magnum: you can put a recoil reducer (from DPM or Springco) in a semiauto pistol. Can’t with a revolver.

   The effect is roughly a 20% reduction in muzzle flip and it eliminates wear on the frame from shooting +P or +P+. It does make the slide require more strength to rack, but otherwise I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with them in my pistols.

   You can see a test/comparison here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBxYoNVFz90

9. Another possible solution for a bear handgun would be a Glock 21 with a 460 Rowland conversion kit drop-in. I don’t have any personal experience with the 460 Rowland but it is advertised as having 44 magnum ballistics. With 13 rounds in the mag and possibly less recoil than a revolver (depending on weight), you would have more firepower for a charging bear than with a 6 round revolver. I think I would rather go that way for bear protection, than the 10MM.

10. This thread will be more about 10mm semiauto than the endless defense-against-bears arguments, I hope. Let me hypocritically mention, though, that I have spent many years too close to aggressive bears in the subarctic (see Stephen Herrero about northern bears) and pretty much agree with JJ Hackiewicz that 240-grain expanding bullets (JJ has preferred HP’s as deterrents) are minimum for black bear, and 300-or-plus-grain HC’s are indicated for (good luck!) grizzlies and browns. The black bears that have killed have usually succeeded by slyly stalking one or two people (see Stephen Herrero again). I have used heavy rifles when alone to shoot a few black bears with good results, but several times I was nearly mauled because stealthy black bears actually got under my rifle barrels. I was saved once by an ND over the back of a sow bear that intimidated her, was rescued at least twice by my God-sent malamute-mix, and survived again because a large, cubless sow that woofed on the back of my neck apparently wasn’t too hungry. In CONUS black bear country at least, I now believe in a stout hiking stick for stability in one hand, and a heavy revolver for possible close work in the other, with pepper spray handy in friendly weather, plus a convenient back-up revolver, holstered but handy.

    Handguns are as much about bullets as caliber and platform. I like my single-action Ruger with 7 1/2″ bbl in .45 Colt, with hot and heavy Corbon JSP”s and Alaska Backpacker-type 335-gr HC’s. I prefer the single-action because I can carry it quite securely with finger on the trigger, hammer uncocked of course, without having an ND if I trip or fall, and the Blackhawk is strong, light, and controllable. For contingencies, I also carry a light-but-perforating, spurless, DAO .357 Ruger SP101 loaded with JSP’s and HC’s. Dual wield is an option, possibly with pepper spray in hand first. In any event, having the right tools for the job, as safely ready as possible, is essential. If you see fresh sign, definitely have gun in hand and look around, because you are under bear surveillance. I personally wouldn’t ever shoot out of doubt, but I would also err on the side of caution. Above all don’t be scared, but remember that you are preparing for the infrequent-but-100%-immediate crisis that is a violent bear encounter. 10mm or pepper spray may be adequate, although having a shoulder-spine shot available with a heavier bullet than 10mm allows, appeals more to me. I would like to hear about REAL 10mm vs. bear EXPERIENCE, especially from anyone who used a 10mm on a grizzly or brown and survived, and about terminal effects on the bear. Comments from deceased folks not expected. Thanks.

11. I’ve been a huge fan of 10mm ever since the Glock 20 was first developed for it. It’s not just a great hunting caliber, it’s also a great self-defense caliber. I bought one of the very first 10mm Glocks when I studied the ballistics & realized the potential of what I was looking at.

    With CorBon 135gr. JHP ammo at 1450 fps, the Glock 20 becomes the equivalent of a 16 shot .357 Magnum semi-auto in a normal-sized, easy to handle handgun!!! It’s actually even better than that because it shoots 135gr. .40 caliber bullets instead of 125gr. .357 caliber bullets at the same published velocity, & with other bullet weights it can be loaded closer to the equivalent of a .41 Magnum. Furthermore, the recoil of the Glock 20 feels about the same to me as the recoil of the Glock 21 in .45 ACP, which is the softest shooting .45 ACP handgun that I know of.

    I’ll be very interested to see what these new 10mm handguns have to offer. I’m also a huge fan of the Sig P220 in .45 ACP, so I might be interested in a 10mm one, although I doubt if it will be as desirable as the Glock 20. It won’t have the magazine capacity of the Glock & it will probably have more felt recoil due to a lighter slide & a higher bore axis than the Glock. It will also be a lot more expensive. Nevertheless, it should be a very nice gun.

    I anticipate that the main complaint most people will have about these 10mm handguns will be that the grip is too long. That doesn’t bother me because I have large hands, but 10mm is longer than most semi-auto cartridges, which is one of the primary reasons that .40 S&W was developed to replace it. Glock solved this problem a few years ago with the short framed Model 20SF. It will be interesting to see how other companies deal with it.

    I’m pretty excited to hear about this resurgence of 10mm handguns, even if I’m not tempted to buy any new ones, because it’s one of the most under-appreciated calibers I can think of & I would like to see the ammunition become much more available than it is now, as well as to see it reach it’s full potential with the shooting public.

    Now if we can just get KRISS to bring out a Vector in 10mm at the SHOT Show…….

12. 10mm’s real place is in SMGs. The 10mm in the good old MP-5 makes much more sense than 9mm ever did.

13. Maybe, with the resurgent interest in 10MM, someone will produce a .30 carbine-sized rifle for it, preferably with a good folding stick. I’m sure it would work better in a 10-12 inch barrel than a 16 inch (a short barrel with a suppressor would make an excellent “house gun”) but, lacking interest in the 10MM Magnum, I’ll settle for a 10MM carbine that uses 20 round double stack magazines.

14. I believe there is such a thing as an MP-10, a 10mm version of the MP-5. Or at least Tom Clancy included such a thing in one of his books. He usually got gun things right.

    I had a 10mm S&W, the 1006 if I recall correctly. Recoil wasn’t out of line. The slide wouldn’t lock back after the last round a couple of times, but I found and fixed that problem, which lay in a poor design issue. I never shot anything live with it, but I did take the top off a deer’s heart with my .41 mag Smith revolver. He just flinched when it hit him and kept after the doe he had his sights set on. The bullet shed it’s jacket under the skin on the off side and the lead kept on going. I’m not too sure about relying on any pistol for bear defense. It’s easy to discuss from your armchair, but when things get real, that’s another story. Pistol vs. grizzly? No thanks. Except if you put all but one into the bear and save the last one for yourself.

15. Two-gun Steve, sounds as if you have had more bear encounters than most. Over the years I’ve had several conversations with folks that had lived in Alaska Brown/Grizzly bear country and all agreed that trying to stop a charging/attacking bear with a sidearm was almost always destined to fail. This brings me to my concern, if you are probably not going to stop an enraged bear from getting to you, would not a short barrel revolver in a heavy caliber be the better choice? I love my semi-auto pistols, but I feel they would be much more likely to malfunction in a close contact struggle than would a revolver.

    I live in black bear country and encounter them occasionally, usually seeing only their backside as they flee. Normally I carry my Taurus 5- shot, 4″ .44mag. when hiking, but don’t feel under-gunned when carrying my Sig 239 in .357 Sig. I don’t see any reason the 10mm. would not be a better choice than my Sig, but I’m at the point in my life that it’s doubtful I will make the upgrade. The 10mm. is to the .40 as the .357 Sig is to the 9mm.

16. I know this bunch will probably jump on my simplistic comparison of the 10mm/.40 and .357 Sig/ 9mm. I’m talking boost in ballistics with comparable bullets, not cartridge configuration (bottle neck with the Sig / straight walled on 9mm.,10mm.,.40) Got to be on your toes with this audience.

17. If you like a 10mm, you should love Johnny’s .460R. One of the main diferences, and improvements, over any of the stock higher power pistols available, is the inclusion of a good muzzle brake in the system, which keeps the power of the cartridge from beating the weapon (Many 10mm pistols I am aware of suffered from split frames, or other damaged parts, due to fast travel speed of the slide during recoil, although several recoil spring devices have been offered to hopefully cure that?) to death, as well as the shooter.

    That muzzle brake is the key to the shootability of the .460R/.464R conversons over all of the other hot factory, and wildcat, pistols on the maket. It adds an inch to M1911 autos, but aids it sighting, recoil control, recovering sight picture, but most of all it prevents physical damage (assuming it”s not an old pre-1950s made, or junky foreign M1911 clone), doesn’t inflict recoil shyness, even on smaller, more sensitive shooters. The only drawback might be trying to find holsters, as the muzzle brake extends the .460R/.464R M1911s to the same length as a Long Slide M1911.

    I have included a letter that I wrote a number of years ago, in response to an article toting the vertues of the then new, relatively unknown, 10mm offerings by the gun industry.

    Re: Your review of the Rock Island Armory 10 mm M1911 on Page 28 of the Current Issue.

    Reading your review, and your wish for a 6” barrel, took me back to the Johnny Rowland kits I installed on two of my M1911s over 10 years ago.

    First I built up one M1911 myself, using the Clark Custom Guns .460 Rowland kit, that I bought in support of Johnny’s development of his modification to the .45 ACP version of the M1911, to get more velocity, and power, out the stock M1911 pistol (See John Taffin’s article in the Sept. 2009 issue of Guns Magazine for details of the .460 Rowland conversion).

    Shortly afterwards I learned that he was also experimenting with another version of the .460 Rowland, necked down to .40 cal./10 mm size, that he called the .464 Rowland, using the .400 Corbon loading dies to neck down the Starline (Only, due to wall thickness, and increased pressure rating) .460 brass to the proper case dominions, then loading it to something in the 1,400 plus fps velocity area.

    So, I immediately ordered the .464 Rowland conversion kit, from Clark as well, and tried to assemble it, in a manner similar to the .460 Rowland kit, however, I just couldn’t seem to get it properly fitted. At Johnny’s suggestion, I finally sent the pistol, and the .464 kit, back to Clark Custom Guns, where Johnny told me that it was assembled, and test fired by Mr. Clark Sr.

    Upon its return, of course, it was correctly assembled, and mechanically as tightly fitted as any match grade M1911 I have ever used too. My next problem was to load up ammo to use in it, so I ordered 500 .460 Rowland brass from Starline, a set of .400 Corbon loading dies, and batch of CCI magnum primers, and a few pounds of Accurate #7 powder (Czech Republic), and set about developing a usable load, since Johnny had already decided to drop development of the .464R, as it’s velocity, and power levels, were too close to those of the .460R, and required the use of different dies, and more extra loading steps, than his .460R did.

    I eventually developed, and tested, the following loading (www.realguns.com/hlbuilder/printhl.php?custcartridge_id=1059) for the .464R, using the Nosier 135 grain JHP bullet (HP 44838), a powder load of 17.0 grains of Accurate #7 (Czech Republic mfg. only), primers CCI 350 LP Magnum. These loads Chronographed at 1,850 fps (+/- 5 fps), and slightly over 1,025 pounds of initial muzzle energy, without more felt recoil than that of a hot .45 ACP loading.

    Hope this adds to your data on 10mm loadings, provides a way to have a M1911 with more barrel weight, and quite a lot more power, and velocity, than existing 10mm M1911s as well.

18. PS: I forgot to include Johnny’s .460R website (http://460rowland.com/), as it has been a long time since I have keep myself current on new inovations, or changes, that Johnny may have made over the years since I built up my .460R/.464R conversions.

    Additionally, some of you all might also be interested with listening to Johnny’s Patriotic Talk Radio shows (http://www.toginet.com/shows/johnnyrowland) too?

    Finally, with the .460R you don’t have to hand load, or develop your own loads, as ammo is available, factory loaded, from Starline, and through Johnny’s .460R website, I think as well.

19. Back again. Hickok .45 made a good video of a stock Glock 20 and a 29 with BB 220 gr HC and some 180gr FMC. Both bullets undoubtedly will penetrate well, even on big animals. The Glocks operated flawlessly. My feeling, though, is that people generally think of spraying and praying away at a charging bear from 35 yards away until its head disintegrates. My experience with aggressive bear is that your first shot must either be disabling or felt hard enough to turn the animal. You will be very lucky in dense brush or timber even to see a predatory bear before it shreds you with paws, claws, and teeth. We are assuming pretty much that you will see the animal early enough to take action, or you likely won”t survive. You may not be able to turn a grizzly or a brown with anything, and the surviving woods loafers in Idaho and Alaska that I know don’t carry any handgun less than a .454 Casull. I would generally recommend pepper spray in one hand, hand-cannon in the other.

    I know of one assistant geologist in western Canada, however, who made a lucky spinal shot through the side of a charging grizzly with a single round of just 9mm ball that likely saved the life of both the chief geologist and the assistant. A point I would make here is that even with a semi-auto, there was only time for one effective shot on a bear heavier than a big Harley, going 30-plus mph. If I did carry a 10mm semi-auto, and I still might, for various reasons, I would carry two of the same model if at all convenient. I would have a gunsmith check them over, too. Thanks again, and happy hiking.

20. Alien, Some years back I ran across a M-1 Carbine conversion in .45 Win Mag. As I recall it consisted of a barrel and bolt conversion and no gas port making it essentially a bolt action (straight pull back on the bolt handle to cycle). I’m sure this was to mitigate the greatly increased pressures. The standard magazine was retained, but became a single stack due to increased diameter of the cartridge. I see no reason why a 10mm conversion would not be possible, maybe even in semi-auto configuration, but would probably have to be in a new manufacture due to the increasing value of the original carbines. Maybe something Ruger could think about with their Mini-14 platform?

21. Many years ago, I had a Ruger Deerslayer .44 Mag. carbine that I used to hunt Javalina at a place we called “Pig Hill”, south of Tucson, AZ., almost to the Mexican Border.

    This carbine was short, fast to get on target, easy to carry up, or down, the rugged hills there, and would knock down one of these “Porker’s” like a bowling pin.

    Their only limitation was a tubular magazine that was slow, and hard, to reload in a hurry. Worse yet, neither Ruger, nor anyone else, figured out how to up-grade/modify them to take a detachable, double stack, ten, or better yet twenty round magazine, before Ruger ceased production of them.

    I don’t know how many of them are left out there, but if some good gunsmith could still find a way to modify them, I would sure buy one.

    Alternatively, I hoped one of the U.S. M-1 Carbine clone makers might come out with something similar in the .44 Mag. cartridge, but I haven’t seen one yet?

22. After giving this topic some more thought;
    I fail to see the usefulness of the 10 mm. For police and SWAT that can handle them and qualify with them, it probably would be handy. However, for ccw, over penetration would be a problem. Remember the police have the government backing them up, the citizen is on his own. Better to use the shorter .40 S&W.
    If looking for backup on a bear hunt, I would not trust a semi-auto. Weather conditions are too variable. Your piece will have to be out in the open to weather conditions. Better to use a ,44mag or .460 in a holster across the chest, revolvers rule.
    I noticed that Mas, in his famous helio-hog hunt, used a ,44 in a Dirty Harry rig!

23. Mas;
    I saw a promotional flier that Glock’s new line of optics ready pistols will include a 6 inch (Glock 24 length) 10mm as well. Advertised as a hunting gun. That is even more intriguing to me than a G34/35 length 10mm.

24. First I have to say Mas the more I read your writing the more I want to read your writing. I am without doubt going to buy some of your books. That is something I do not usually do, most people write books to make money and because of ego. I think you have something to say and are a clear thinker. I also read you on the Glock forum. I am NOT into hero worship but if anybody deserves the highest respect and admiration it’s you. You are the most un-full of shit guy there is.

    Last week I shot this guys big old Glock with an extended barrel in 10mm. I’m guessing his handloads were lower power and the long barrel made it very easy to shoot. The same day I finally got to try my Colt Lawman MKIII with 158 gain .357 Gold Dots, now I know why people get Pachmayr grips for them, wow. But the 10mm was great, the mag had 15 rounds and if I had to go into Bear country without a doubt that’s what I would be carrying on my side. Do they even have Bears in Texas?

25. @ Randy:

    You have an extremely valid point regarding carrying a semi-auto pistol out in the elements.

    When I entered on duty as a Border Patrolman, at Yuma, AZ., in 1966, I had just spent the previous 11 years in the U.S. Navy, where I fired the M1911 hard ball match pistols regularly in bullseye matchs, while on several ships, and stations.

    Due to my greater familiarity with M1911s, over the .38 Spl. revolvers then issued to Border Patrolmen, I requested, and it was approved, for me to do so.

    Yuma, most of the time, is quite dusty, and after carrying my M1911 match pistol only one day of pulling sign cutting road drags behind my scout, and signcutting in the east desert, and irrigated orange, and grapefuit, groves my match pistol became a “single shot” M1911 when I fired it at passing coyote.

    I basically had to loosen all the tight match tolerances back up to the very loose tolerances of an issue service pistol, and even then, it was a good idea to completely disassemble, and clean it, on a daily basis, or risk an ammo feeding malfunction, when firing it.

26. I agree with Randy that the 10mm is best reserved for hunting and defense against large animals instead of for two legged goblins.

    I have a Glock 20 SF and think it’s the best 10mm pistol for the money. A long slide model 20 SF with 6″ barrel would be even better. On a side note, beware of Double Tap 10mm ammo as I have two boxes of their loads which claim to be loaded with a 180 grain bullet at 1350 FPS from a 4.6″ barrel and my Glock 20 SF’s barrel is that length, but I could only get 1132 FPS velocity at 15′ using my Oehler model 35 chronograph. A friend’s Glock 20 with the same load using his PACT chronograph showed slightly less velocity. Recoil of my Double Tap ammunition is quite mild.

    According to my Speer #12 reloading manual, their 10mm 180 grain bullet with a max load of 11.0 grains of Blue Dot powder makes 1295 FPS. I could not get anywhere near that velocity, and using a much higher charge of Blue Dot which I will not give out, the best I could get was 1220 FPS before the spent primers showed signs of excessive pressure. The recoil of that 10mm load out of a light Glock 20 SF was difficult to control for fast followup shots.

    In a heavier pistol like an all steel Night Hawk custom longslide 1911, it should be easy, but I don’t have the $3000+ for something like that. I live thousands of miles from big bear country, so have no need for a 10mm for grizzly defense, although my Freedom Arms 454 Casull or .475 Linebaugh would do even better. For large animals that bite, I would prefer to have a custom Ruger Redhawk with 5″ barrel in .500 Linebaugh launching 400 grain flat nosed, hard casted lead bullets. The S&W .500 Mag is cheaper.

27. Addenda: Will you be one of the 2 or 3 that bears kill this year? Good odds, bad exceptions. Most black bear are bluffing and don’t require shooting, but WATCH THEM! You may see a sow, but not her cub(s), a very dangerous situation. The sow may circle, attack you soundlessly from ambush, and rip you apart. The most lethal black bear, though, have been the predatory, stalking animals, especially males in the wilderness Up North. You really need to have an effective deterrent completely ready, in hand, when in close cover. I have “been there” multiple times. At point-blank range, you won’t even have time to toss your hat, or to draw from a holster, or to withdraw from the bear enough to get a better shot. The right companion dog will keep bears away from you and can be a lifesaver, but you will need a rifle for protecting the dog, and some bears will get shot because they find dogs to be provoking. The wrong dog will flat-out get itself or you killed. If you are a dogless hiker with a hiking stick in one hand, your choice for the other hand may be air horn, oil-based pepper bear spray, hand gun, long gun, or sacred text for invoking divine help. Long guns just tend to be too long for intimate bear contacts. YOU MAY HAVE LESS THAN A FULL SECOND TO THINK AND ACT. Much like hitting a fast pitch in baseball. Again, my primary default of choice in the CONUS is a 7 1-2″ bbl RBH single-action .45 colt with heavy loads, partly because other actions tend to be less safe to carry with finger on trigger. Indexing a handgun while carrying it for a long time is inconvenient and can lead to dropping it, so you will tend to keep a DA in its holster. Notice that certain cowboy-action shooters say they like the SA, 7 1-2″ bbl because they level it quickest. Opposition of trigger-finger and cocking-thumb with single action give an especially quick, sure shot. A best first shot can take a bear clean out, or buy you time to bring a backup double-action revolver or semi-auto into double-wield. Head shots may be necessary, hopefully to be fired at the bear. Not very many intentional, point-blank warning shots have either been tried, or reached posterity. I practice shooting with a tight grip from a fighting stance. I holster before meeting other hikers. I like hiking most with a happy woman who grew up in wild country, can shoot, and will watch my back.

    A reliable 10mm semi-auto is clearly capable of readily dispatching at least a black bear, given adequate time and distance for pistol presentation. The impressive volume-of-fire potential also obviously adds to one’s general security. Sheep-dogs rule! Hearing more from 10mm-bearing woods loafers would be great. Thanks again.

28. Do any readers have personal knowledge of the S&W .500 Mag that Tom spoke of? Links to any shooting videos, etc. – would be greatly appreciated.

29. Don, the .500 Mag is big fun. There should be several videos on YouTube.

30. Mas – there are videos – the .500 looks awesome. Thanks for the tip. After watching those, I was reminded of a fella I met at a gun show last year who claimed to have a S & W .500 Magnum as his nightstand piece! Talk about shock and awe!

    Due to its dimensions and singularity of purpose, it will remain a dream weapon for me. I would dearly love to shoot one, though.

31. Don-Pa, if your thinking of getting into large caliber bone crushers (the target and your own body), you might consider the .50ae(action express). I repaired an AMT AutoMag V (broken ejector) for a neighbor who had lived in Alaska bear country who swore by it as bear medicine. He said he bought it after a charging grizzly absorbed ten rounds of .44 mag fired by himself and his companion before it turned and ran off, only to be found close to 1/4 mile from the initial encounter.

    http://www.genitron.com/Handgun/AMT/Pistol/Automag-V/50-AE/Variant-1

    Don’t believe it is still being made, but Desert Eagle is making their pistol in this caliber. Has some very interesting ballistics.

32. Hey Mas!

    Great article! I’ve been a 10mm guy for many many years and have harvested my last three deer with a 10mm in one form or another. I picked up a G40 MOS Hunter 10mm a few weeks back and have a Burris Fastfire mounted on it and a KKM 6″ aftermarket barrel from my last G20 that I kept since I shoot a LOT of cast and enjoy the added accuracy and case support for hot handloads.

    The 10mm is the single most versatile autoloading caliber on the market. I can shoot powder puff 135gr minor loads (or even slow, 800 fps 180-200gr loads for target. I can also load for power loads like 135 Nosler HP at 1700+fps, 155gr XTP or GD at 1500fps, 200gr XTP at 1350fps or a 200-220gr WFNGC hardcast flat nosed hunting bullet at nearly 1400fps (from my handloads and G40 setup) for deer, hog or whatever else I need to make sure is REALLY dead after I Pull the trigger.

    Great cartridge, great pistol! Glock NAILED it with this one. As if the G20SF wasn’t already the best overall service pistol package ON THE MARKET, then they drop the longslide version with MOS — Glock did it!! I’m super happy with my G40.

    Take care,
    Nick

33. Late comment from a longtime 10mm user in Anchorage… Lately on the forums I have seen people recommending this “.460 Rowland” cartridge as though it is the greatest thing. And it may even be, but I have never seen .460 Rowland ammo for sale in any store up here. It may be available as a factory load somewhere, but that’s not useful at all, since it is next to impossible to have ammo shipped to AK as an individual. 10mm is all over the place here… Even the grocery store a couple miles down the road from my house carries it. And the selection of loads has never been better. I am given to understand from people down south, that 10mm is one of the few calibers where we are better off up here due to the demand for it.

    The question was asked above, about field experience from people who have killed brown bears with the ten. Not sure if it has happened yet or not, but give it a few years as the caliber is taking off here in a big way. It will never replace the big revolvers for people who simply find it too difficult to carry a long gun in their activities (sport fishermen, etc), but for those of us who normally carry a long gun as our primary anti-bear device, the 10mm makes a nice backup that is a little easier to carry, and still packs a nice punch when loaded intelligently.

    A final point, is Alaska isn’t all bears. If you want ONE all-around carry pistol that is good for both the city and the bush, the G29 and G20 are where it is at. It should be noted that several times I’ve had moose walk up my driveway and across my front step, in the city, so the 10mm is certainly not excessive even when you remove bears from the equation (though really, they are sometimes around as well).

34. Does anyone know anything about survival creek tactical, I ordered a holster for my Glock 40 10mm over 40 days ago, they have not sent the holster but did take the money for it. They also have not responded to multiple emails and they do not have a listed telephone number. Their website says they are located in Jacksonville Florida.

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