10mm goodness

Ok.

Everyone that has ever owned one has nothing but good things to say about 10mm. I kept holding off until now. I decided to pull the trigger on a 10mm 1911. I kept looking around trying to hold off until the right one came along. Of course with all the craziness, even 10mm semi's are not as ubiquitious as pre COVID times. Nonetheless, Grab-a-bgun received a number of Magnum Research Desert Eagle 1911 in 10mm. I hummed and hawed so much that when I finally decided to make the purchase, they were sold out. Three days later the same model showed up at Buds gun shop. I quickly made the purchase, even thoughtthey didn't have a picture available. Before the day ended, they were sold out.

I just took it out to shoot today. I will say, that now I get why folks like the 10mm, and I like it. I have to move the rear sight a tad, but otherwise it shot well. There is a tad more kick, but it's definitely manageable. It's nothing like what I expected, and it feels good.

Overall, Magnum Research's 1911 offering in 10mm is an excellent choice if you come across one.

The only niggle -and it seems to be like that for a number of 10mm 1911's- is the reverse plunger eliminating the need for the barrel bushing. This requires one to put tension on the spring and insert a small wire or paperclip. I guess the 10mm spring requires more tension than other caliber 1911's. Still overall very impressed with it.



I took the pictures below.

LoonWulf said:

Watch out they also multiply......View attachment 983275

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Is that a 6" barrel RIA? That one on the right looks long. I have a 5" 1911 RIA 45acp. Love it. The only thing I've ever done to it is replace the grips for some blue/black GUUN grips. As a matter of fact, the RIA 45acp was my first 1911.

CH

LoonWulf said:

Those are both RIA 2011s, or 1911 a2s whatever you want to call them lol.

The slides are actually swapped but yeah one's a 5-inch the other is a 6.
The 5-in was originally a 40 that I added a 10mm barrel to.

My FFL buddy has a single stack 10 mm RIA, and a 9 millimeter 22 TCM double stack also. so far I've been very impressed with the quality of the guns

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Yeah. I have some ATI's. Love the compact and 9mm. The 45 commander ATI would be good, but tere are things I don't like about it. One is the GI sights. The other much more annoying issue is that the 45 commander will fling spent brass 180 degrees back and got me in the forehead 1 out of 8 rounds.

Eventually I'll probably be getting the sights replaced for novak sights on both ATIs,, but RIA has those stock.
Now that I have more experience, I'll go with RIA over citadel or ATI because of the sights. Nothing wrong with any of the guns manufactured in the Philippines, they are all pretty solid, now it's just about the cost and the little things.

I will say that last year I obtained a Kimber in 9mm. That was my first foray into 1911's a step above (MR was my second). It is super nice and light. The sights are nicer and the barrel is a match barrel. Between that and my ATI in 9mm, there Kimber is much better. But it was also more expensive-until you consider the sights. I'm thinking once I get the sights upgraded on my ATI It'll be near the same price as the Kimber. Ah well live and learn.

Last thing, I started looking for a RIA 9mm TCM, but it was right after the panic. Now, they are about.as hard to find as a unicorn. That's what let me to the Kimber in 9mm. Enjoy yours


CH

tuckerdog1 said:

That's the 1st I've seen of a MR 10mm 1911. Must be a new offering. I have a MR 1911C in 45ACP. Excellent gun. Fantastic trigger, even for a 1911. I expect yours would have the same great trigger. I like the clean small markings on the slide. What's it like on the flipside?

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It's clean. The only thing on the other side is the S/N, that's why I only pic'd the side of the photo. I saw the MR 45acp on the internet, but haven't seen them for sale anywhere online. The one good thing about the 45acp is that it has the traditional barrel bushing. The 10mm MR has the reverse plunger. This makes it a bit more difficult to take apart. The trigger on the 10mm is nice and crisp. Overall very happy with the purchase.

Maybe one day in the future I'll be able to acquire a MR 1911 in 45acp (based on availability). You know it is good when you cannot find any in stock at gun stores.

CH

Monac said:

I'm glad the OP likes his 10mm. Personally, I think that having a pistol the size and weight of an all-steel 1911 doesn't make much sense any more for cartridges like 45 ACP. To me, they make much more sense in 10mm or 9x23mm. Of course, I have never fired a pistol chambered for those rounds, and if I did, I might find out why people prefer 45 ACP in their 1911's - the same reason I like 38 Special a whole lot better than 357 Magnum in a K-frame.

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To me, it feels more satisfying when pulling the trigger.

I am no recoil junkie, but to try in comparing it to 38 spc/357 magnum. If the gun is heavy and you shoot 38 special, even +p, it almost feels like a let down. I have a GP100 and when I shoot 38spc bullets, it feels underwhelming. So I go back to 357 magnum loads. The opposite would be your example, me firing +p out of a Taurus 85. It hurts the hand, but 110gr Speer bullets at regular 38 loads, feels good. Plus, for me, it's more accurate.

I'm not saying that 45acp is underwhelming, it definitely feels good when being fired out of an all metal 1911. But I think there's a balance that varies between shooters.

I do reload, so I tailor my loads to strike the right balance between velocity and recoil. Maybe I have just spoiled myself.

The 10mm bullet weights are 180gr while the 45 acp is 230 grain. I have made (and keep) some 200gr bullets with an estimated velocity of 1000fps. They do have slightly more kick, but they work really well in my PCC. In my 1911's, they surprised me, but the all metal 1911 soaked up the recoil really well.

I haven't loaded for the 10mm yet. The manufacturer ammo I used was Sellier and Bellot. With 9mm & 40 S&W bullets, Sellier and Bellot bullets seem a bit light on recoil when compared to my reloads or other manufacturers such as Federal, Winchester, or Magtech.

I'm looking forward to reloading some 10mm rounds to see how they function. For Alliant, on their website, they only list Power Pistol loads for the 10mm, so I'll be looking at some of my reloading books to see what they have. I have enough PP, but it is a loud powder. I would much rather prefer Sport Pistol.

But, now I see what all the fuss was about and it is warranted.

CH

jeffreybehr said:

That's a beauty; congrats.. I had three Glock 10s but they wore out my hand with their big, squarish grips and rough surfaces.. Eventually bought a Tanfoglio Witness Polymer...
View attachment 983504
...that felt great in my hand--notice the forward indentation below the beavertail.. The full-power factory loads were a bit too much for me, especially the Federal Trophy Bondeds, but I developed a 180g. Fed. HST* load at about 1100FPS--just subsonic--that shot VERY well and wasn't too too in the noise and recoil departments.. I believe those cartridges, assembled with StarLine nickled cases, the HST180**, and HS-6 powder*** are in this pic.
View attachment 983506

Do enjoy yours.


* The BEST popularly priced PD bullet made, IMO.
** which I pulled from Fed. 40S&W cartridges
*** a VERY-low-muzzleflash powder

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Wow, that is nice.

I did see the Tangfolio available, but I hesitated as I couldn't find much information on it, plus it was not all metal.

I figured that all metal would help with the recoil. Which, if you read information on the net, is one of the reasons the FBI moved away from the cartridge.

The Tangfolio does hold more rounds plus it has niceties such as the magwell and picatinny under rail for a light.

In the end, the 1911 being an American Classic won me over.

Still, that Tangfolio sure looks nice in your photos compared to what the internet sellers have pictured.

CH