Why did the 10mm Auto make a comeback?

[14 GT-500]

Well I take it the other way, if Glock was the only 10mm out there I would have over look it But Thanks to Colt and Kimber and all the other fine 1911s being made for the 10mm, thats what got me into it 

[4949shooter]

I think Colt saved the 10mm from drowning with the Delta Elite.

But I also think Glock kept the 10mm out of the water with the G20.

[fasteddie565]

I think that after the 40 S&W emerged the victor of the 40 caliber wars of the late 80's, the 10mm had a bit of an image as a bully. "We gave you a chance to play nice, but you hurt the star athlete so you cannot play with the rest of the  cool kids. People looked at it as a niche cartridge perhaps, and with little or no social media outside of magazines, that reputation could not be easily rebuked. This was compounded by the fact that the only 10mm offerings each had their own issues to deal with. The Bren 10 was hard to find and expensive, the Glock 20 was fighting the "You are a little thick in the waist, aren't you, Bro?" While the Colt was yet another 1911 in a world of cool new double stack autos.

Fast forward 20 years to the great ammo shortage of 2009. No 9mm, 45 ACP or .22. The 40 caliber pistols were in the limelight as many LEA's had adopted the 40 Smith and ammo was available. Couple that with men growing beards to separate themselves from the gender-disabled and a demand for "different and new" in a world where "standard and everyday" was just not available; the 10mm was an obvious choice. Round 2 for the old class bully showed through social media that it could be tamed or terrifying or anywhere in between.  I think this is where we are today. Ruger is definitely on their game as well as Kimber while Glock is putting pretty on plain jane girls anyone can date and Smith and Springfield stand on the sidelines watching with their jaws agape thinking "She sure has a pretty mouth". That's my take on it.

[gandog56]

Ahhh, but the ammo shortage never bothered me since I reload. While powders were hard to come by in the Obozo years, I had a large stash the first time he got his butt elected. Before his second election I loaded up on powder and primers again figuring he would do it again, and he did. .40 cal bullets have never been really hard to find, and I was using Precision Bullets coated ones. If they were running low, they pretty much ran off another batch. The longest I had to wait for them to fill an order was 1 month, so I ordered well in advance. Now I almost have too much Blue Dot powder, and Large Pistol Primers, if there is such a thing as too much.

[fasteddie565]

Absolutely, and the 10mm is a great round to start with or add to your reloading. But what about John Q, Weekend Range shooter that swings by Wally World for a few boxes of ammo?

[TonyRumore]

.40 cal bullets have never been really hard to find

You obviously weren't shooting 10mm in the 80's.

Tony

[ragsflh]

can remember buying  my fisrt one,delta elite. ammo was pricey,hard to find,started to reload,was no reload info at that time,so figure my loads.then 10 mm went gone.now fast foward,every manufacturer is getting on 10mm bandwagon.i like it.they are here to stay

[gandog56]

.40 cal bullets have never been really hard to find

You obviously weren't shooting 10mm in the 80's.

Tony

Well, I'm too young? I didn't get into 10mm until the 90's some time. I am not even really sure why I did. But I owned a Ruger KP944DC before I owned any 10mm. I traded in that pistil for a SIG P229 with both the .40 cal and 357 sig barrels. At some point I guess I wanted more power than the .40 cal provided, and I bought my first 10mm, a Dan Wesson Razorback. I loved that gun so much I later got a custom built Fusion Firearms long slide Hunter. Later I added an RIA, a Tanfoglio full steel Witness, A Mechtech CCU to make my Dan Wesson a 10mm carbine, a TWN Aero Survival rifle in 1omm, and now the Ruger Super Redhawk in 10mm. I do love the caliber, and I reloaded for it from day one. So yeah, I never had a problem getting .40 cal components...UNTIL the first time Obozo got himself elected. Then it was more powder and primer shortages rather than not finding .40 cal projectiles. Even during the shortages I was using Precision Bullets 10mm projectiles. If he had none in stock, he would run off a new batch. The longest I ever had to wait for new bullets was about one month, and I always reordered WAY before I actually ran out.

[my_old_glock]

I just wish that 10mm brass didn't fly so far! or I wish it was as popular as .45 or 9mm and there was lots of brass to be picked up. having to buy brass for reloading really increases my ammo costs.

http://10mm-firearms.com/general-discussion/40-sw-deep-throat/

I see Glock's continued supply of models chambered for 10mm as a positive for the continuation the 10mm cartridge/ammunition as an enthusiasts intro, for reasonably prices 10mm guns.  Glock's model 20 Sec Gen had been in production fairly early on and the updated models and generations that followed all played a roll in sustaining our favorite cartridge.  Glock 20, 29, 40 fill a good niche of the market with their platforms.

I would not own a 10mm if it wasn't for Glock. I have no desire to own any other 10mm guns except maybe an AR Carbine or a revolver, but I don't want to pay a lot for either, so I will not be getting one anytime soon.



.

[NuthinButMagnums]

That G20 lead me down the 10mm garden lane with light weight and capacity.
I'm glad the 10 is here

[blaster]

I just wish that 10mm brass didn't fly so far! or I wish it was as popular as .45 or 9mm and there was lots of brass to be picked up. having to buy brass for reloading really increases my ammo costs.

http://10mm-firearms.com/general-discussion/40-sw-deep-throat/

I see Glock's continued supply of models chambered for 10mm as a positive for the continuation the 10mm cartridge/ammunition as an enthusiasts intro, for reasonably prices 10mm guns.  Glock's model 20 Sec Gen had been in production fairly early on and the updated models and generations that followed all played a roll in sustaining our favorite cartridge.  Glock 20, 29, 40 fill a good niche of the market with their platforms.

I would not own a 10mm if it wasn't for Glock. I have no desire to own any other 10mm guns except maybe an AR Carbine or a revolver, but I don't want to pay a lot for either, so I will not be getting one anytime soon.

very interesting, thanks.
.

[Kenk]

Not to mention, it's just a gassy rd to shoot, my wife and daughters even think it's an incredible rd : )

[Buckeye63]

I think it has made a comeback for a few reasons , Ammo companies like Underwood... produceing top of the line true 10mm ammo ..
The 10mm is a true crossover pistol cartridge... Self defense and hunting/ woods carry..
Glock .. They never waivered in the production of 10mm pistols .. Also the Glock 30 & 21 that can be easily converted to 10mm ( my 21c is a partime 20)
Now Hipoint has produced a carbine at a very affordable price.. Which with the right ammo will futher put the 10mm in the woods and home defense rolls .. I really like my 10mm HP carbine...

Now if ammo manufacturers will produce true 10mm ammo !!!

[dakota1911]

Colt and Glock helped keep it alive and it seems like now it is back big time.  When I saw the Ruger SR1911-10 then the Ruger DA revolver in 10mm and then the Ruger Blackhawk SA revolver in 10mm/40S&W I finally realized it is really going main stream.  I am happy.

[Trapper6L]

I was always told the 10mm had a vicious recoil and most folks couldn't shoot it. After chatting with a guy at the local gunshop, he convinced me to take a look at one. He has the Colt Elite and claims recoil is no issue. Depends on what you call bad recoil and that's governed by the ammo. After looking at it for a while, it looks like you can pretty much name your game with a 10MM. You can shoot light bullets, like a 120 or 135gr, and load them down or you can push them into 357 mag territory. I found that attractive. You can load the the typical 180gr and load it down to comfy yet deadly ammo. Or you can push it into and past 45ACP territory. You can almost get to 41 mag specs with one, all in one platform. If you need a gun with a lot of versatility, the 10mm is the pick of the litter. I think it just got a bad rap with the tender hands people with the Gov't that couldn't handle any kind of recoil at all. Some of those folks really need to not pack a gun at all. But I'm glad it survived. While I was looking for a long slide 1911 platform when I bought my first one, now I'm looking at a regular 1911 platform and it'll be a 10mm. With light bullets, you can push them into the 1500'+ps range. That's a lot more gun than a puny 9mm by a lot. From my experience plinking with the Rainier 135gr HPs, there's little recoil for those that may be sensitive to recoil. That I can push a 135 Nosler into 357 mag territory makes it a better choice than the Pythons for a carry gun. I doubt the receiving end will know the difference between a 135gr and a 140 which is what I shoot from a 357. I think the resurgence is due to the versatility of the cartridge and because many have found out, it's not bad on the hand like I always thought.