new to 10mm hunting and have some questions.

[bearaholic]

so I just bought my self a rock island (rock ultra) 1911 in 10mm. I bought the gun because I have always wanted a 1911 and also wanted a backup bear gun. the more I shoot the gun the more I want to use it as my primary weapon. my application Is black bear in western n.c. with dogs. the furthest I will be shooting is 30 yards with most shots being less than 10 yards or closer. now, my questions. am I expecting to much from this weapon? an injured bear is fatal to my hounds and I do not want to get my dogs killed. shot placement I am sure is key as with any weapon. my real question is has anyone taken larger game (bear, elk, stc) with the 10? and what ammo is the best for larger game. I am having a hard time selecting the right ammo. torn between heavy hard cast flat nose like the double tap. or a good heavy bonded hollow point? any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. and would love to hear any first hand experiences   

[Rojo27]

Welcome to the forum bearaholic!  Congratulations on your new 10mm! 

So to your question.....  NOT AT ALL, you're going to find your 10mm is more than capable of dealing with a black bear sized animal (with proper shot placement or course, but same is true of any handgun, bow & arrow or rifle for that matter).  There are many excellent ammunition choices that'll do the job your looking for.

If you paruse the posts on this forum, you'll find lots & lots of very good information about the topic you mentioned.  I've never taken a bear or elk with my 10mm however, I have taken several ferral hogs (even a 325lbs pissed off wild boar) and the 10mm was very effective.  I'll attach some hunting Videos of Razor Dobbs who taken more big game with his 10mm than anyone else I've ever heard of. 

Since you're asking for suggestions I'll start with my recommendations (what I might carry to hunt black bear).
1.  Buffalo Bore 155gr TAC-XP
2.  Underwood Ammunition 200gr XTP
3.  Underwood Ammunition 180gr XTP
4.  Underwood/Buffalo Bore 200 or 220gr WFN hardcast.
5.  Underwood Extreme Penitrator
6.  Hornady 175gr Critical Duty
7.  Sig Sauer V-Crown 180gr
8.  Federal Trophy Bonded SP 189gr. 

That list ought to be good starting point.

Half dozen Razor Dobbs 10mm hunting videos:  by the way he uses a Double Tap 155gr TAC-XP for all these. 

Impressive Nilgai Bull (a little Double Tap propaganda too).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0BQHa2VKBI

Real nice Whitetail buck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNyljP9SdG0

Another fabulous Whitetail buck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVldbr21cxs

Big buck DRT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoIiQvy0i2o

Couple of hogs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6uUSyuyZI0

Trophy Whitetail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWzjXG4TxVk

[bearaholic]

thanks for the friendly and helpful information ! I have worn the razor dobbs videos and several others out on youtube and after watching them again and again I get more and more excited about the new obsession I have for the 10mm. I have always been a avid shotgun hunter but I can now see myself leaving the long guns at home and perusing this new passion. currently picking through your ammo suggestions and will probably order a few boxes to try based on that. hopefully come October I can report back with a 400 to 500 pound bruin on the ground as a result!
on another note. pondering on the idea of a holographic mini sight. any suggestions? I fear that even expensive brands like trigacon will not take the punishment the 10mm will put it through for very long.

[The_Shadow]

Welcome to the forum bearaholic.  Congrats with the new RIA 10mm procurement as it should serve you well.
There are several good Hard Cast options from Underwood and Double Tap I would lean towards the UW in a 200 Grain weight.
Then there are the newer Brass Solids like the 140 Grain Xtreme Penetrator which would tend to punch hard and through a thick bone structure.
https://www.underwoodammo.com/collections/handgun-ammo/products/10mm-auto-140-grain-xtreme-penetrator?variant=7865928056889

What ever you choose have fun and be safe!  Best regards

[bearaholic]

Thanks Shadow! after reading multiple reviews on the underwood ammo, that will probably be what I end up with when I am looking down the sights at an old boar bear. But in the interest of science (or my love of shooting my new sidearm) I am going to try other brands as well.
I certainly appreciate the warm welcome to the forum as well ! I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say about this awesome round! 

[Grenadier]

Underwood's 200gr hard cast is a great load. I recently ran several of the higher energy factory loads over a chronograph. The Underwood 200gr hard cast delivered  1235 fps/677 ft-lbs from my 6" 1911. It also grouped better than any of the other loads I tested.

I have not yet hunted with my 10mm and I have never hunted big game with dogs. Therefore, I cannot offer any specific advice. But I have to ask whether complete penetration of the bear would be a concern with a pack or hounds and whether a bullet with an expanding hollow point that stays in the bear might be a better choice. Again, just asking.

[bearaholic]

complete penetration would be preferred. may just be my preference but my way of thinking is two hole bleed more than one.   9 time out of ten the hounds are not actually on top of the bear. most times they are within 8 or 10 feet either trailing or baying. but there are times when you have 8 or 10 dogs on a bear and they get it stopped, you have to get close enough to pull the dogs off the bear to shoot it. that would be the only time I would have to really be worried about a pass through. but at that range you are usually are shooting down on the bear and a pass through would hit the ground underneath.
but I would like to hear opinions and weather or not a hollow point expanding bullet that does not exit would be more effective in stopping the bear quicker. or a good placed shot with a hard cast bullet.
every bear I have ever killed up until this point has been taken with a .35 Rem. or my .375 H&H. neither of which lack in energy upon impact so I have never put much thought in it, always just bought the largest chunk of lead I could find and try to make the biggest hole possible.
and I will apologies in advance for my spelling and punctuation. to busy chasing bears and wing shooting to go to English class 

[Kenk]

Welcome bearaholic,
Because I m not a bear hunter at this point, others will likely have more intuitive thoughts, as well as considering the safety of your dogs. With my limited knowledge on bear hunting, yet knowing what others may use in this situation, my gut tells me that a 200, or 220 hardcast would be best, preferably by someone like Underwood, Plus if you re shooting downwards, pass through would not likely be an issue. As for Whitetail, I have had great success with 180, and 200gr XTP's from UW
Have fun an be safe

Ken

[erdyalx]

I have shot elk and deer with the 10. The xtp and hardcast can go clean through them and break bones (vertabrae).

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[bearaholic]

Sounds like underwood is going to be the choice for sure! Thanks for the feedback guys! Y'all are an awesome!

[ragsflh]

what ever load you  use ,shot placement is key .i use 155 gr on deer and hogs i roll my own.usually don;t go too far

[Kenk]

Absolutely, one of the things I like about the 180, or 200gr XTP, is that if your shot placement is a bit off, you will "quite possibly" have a better chance at a quick and human kill, just me thoughts on it.

[Mike D]

thanks for the friendly and helpful information ! I have worn the razor dobbs videos and several others out on youtube and after watching them again and again I get more and more excited about the new obsession I have for the 10mm. I have always been a avid shotgun hunter but I can now see myself leaving the long guns at home and perusing this new passion. currently picking through your ammo suggestions and will probably order a few boxes to try based on that. hopefully come October I can report back with a 400 to 500 pound bruin on the ground as a result!
on another note. pondering on the idea of a holographic mini sight. any suggestions? I fear that even expensive brands like trigacon will not take the punishment the 10mm will put it through for very long.

For the same reason you mentioned about electronics and how they will hold up to the recoil I elected to use the Trijicon RMR (Model RM05) which has no electronics; just fiber optic and tritium for light sources. The dot is a larger 9MOA which will be easier to pick up in a fast situation and it's plenty bright in the daytime and not overbearing in low light.


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