45acp or 10mm For Hiking Carry?

WisBorn said:

With the increase of popularity of the 10mm is it a better choice for hiking the Eastern United States over 45acp?

I currently have a XDM 45 compact (+p capable) and enjoy shooting it, but only carry it once and awhile. With the increase of popularity of rhe 10mm is it worth trading off the XDM for a Glock 29?

I think I would carry it while hiking east of the Mississippi in place of my 41mag.

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Either caliber will do what you want. 45 brass and ammo is easier to find than 10mm. And most 45's throw their brass closer to the shooter than 10mm does. Get what you want and be confident that it will be adequate.

Get a set of 400 CorBon dies and a conversion barrel for 45ACP.

silvermane_1 said:

Get a set of 400 CorBon dies anda covnersion barrel for 45ACP.

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Interesting point. But on THR we throw all reason and logic to the side, and who wants to take the path of less resistance and just go 10 when you can go BIG!

Anchorite said:

Interesting point. But on THR we throw all reason and logic to the side, and who wants to take the path of less resistance and just go 10 when you can go BIG!

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Well you can also in vest in a 40 Super barrel if you to go even hotter than 10mm Auto, but the pistol has to have the ability to use a fully supported barrel

I carry a 10mm when in the woods. Biggest reason is the 16rd. capacity. The 10mm is hard to beat with 200gr. hard cast bullets......16 of them!

bangswitch said:

Personally, I wouldn't trade off an XDM of any caliber for any Glock, and I once owned a 2nd Gen G20 for 27 years. If you're looking for an excuse to buy a 10mm, look at the offerings in the 1911 chassis, it's perfect for the caliber. I have a Ruger SR1911 in 10mm as well as a Springfield in .45, and I like them about the same as far as shooting them goes. You won't get 14+1, but if you can't hit your target with 8 rounds, it might be better to throw the gun at it and then run like hell. I do agree with Reinz about 10mm auto's chucking brass out of your zip code.
And what's the matter with carrying the .41M east of the Mississippi? Don't have to chase the brass. Get yourself a nice chest/ low shoulder carry rig and haul it around. I take my M57 on some hikes in the Blue Ridge.View attachment 1025897

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Love my SR1911 10mm.

I carried a 10mm Glock for a number of years here out West and it suited my needs. Before that S&W 686 .357 Magnum. Last few years, sold the 10mm and am now carrying a Glock 19 with Buffalo Bore +P+ Penetrators with a back up mag of Gold Dot +P 124gr JHP's AND Counter Assault Bear Spray. Carry what you shoot the best and feel comfortable shooting.

It depends. For short day hikes in non-bear country, I carry my regular 9mm (which varies). For long day hikes in bear country, I carry a G20 with Underwood 200 grn hardcast. For long distance backpacking, I compromise for the weight penalty and carry an P365 with 10 or 12 rounds. FWIW, I'm in the Eastern US and only have to worry about black bears, predators, pit bulls and their owners, snakes and their 2-legged kin. All in all, I don't have to prepare much differently than if in Western Grizz country, I guess.
A Glock 20 in a Hill People Gear Kit Bag (Chest Pack).

WisBorn said:

With the increase of popularity of the 10mm is it a better choice for hiking the Eastern United States over 45acp?.

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It all depends on whether you can shoot the 10mm and can find ammunition to feed it. Either way, carry, (in a truly accessible spot), a canister of bear spray.

As to the 10mm, its add'l recoil might be the limiting factor for some. And for the most part, (disregarding the small number of bear infested regions of the Appalachian Trail), the .45 ACP will handle 99.9% of any life threatening social encounters. Some would say it would also handle black bears on the AT as well and they may be right.

General Hatcher, noted ballistician and author back in the 20's - 40's, once opined that the .45 ACP as fired from a 1911 was about the limit of controllability for the average man. Hatcher voiced this long before women joined the combat services and police forces...but I'd still agree with his opinion. Training is everything for successful use of a handgun in defensive encounters but I'd say that the 10's recoil would demand considerably more than the .45 to attain true mastery.

YMMv Rod

I prefer the 10mm , it's a case of being able to load up or down depending on situation . the equation was simple for me - higher capacity , flatter trajectory, more power. I still carry my g30 for social work but if I'm headed out of populated areas the extra capacity & power of a 10mm is preferred.

It's not really the 4 legged critters I'm concerned with, if that were the case a big revolver would get the pick every time. East or west, doesn't matter .

Will a 9mm, 40, 45acp take care of the vast majority of 2 & 4 legged varmints? Yep. Will 10mm do it better? Depends on where you hit them.

Just don't be under the impression that 10mm is a magnum. It's a bit more than the standard service cartridges but every little bit helps. A 22 short in the face is better than a 500 magnum to the pinky toe. Shoot what works best for you.

Good post Obturation....I've not shot the 10mm, relying instead on reports of its recoil, so my comments regarding increased felt recoil over say the .45 ACP may not be entirely valid. Too, I noted your comments on capacity and power and agree they are well taken. As you so aptly stated, "Depends on where you hit them."

Fishing earlier this year in the Smokies, just north of Fontana Lake, in an area frequently noted for the number of bear sightings, I packed a Smith M-69 with full house 240 gr LSWC's of my own casting. Never saw a bear, but scanning the streamside brush played hell with my back-cast. Must have lost $20 in #14 Pheasant Tail nymphs as a result.

Best Regards, Rod

My experience on trails is that you will encounter undesirables within a 1/4 mile of any road crossings. That's where you might need your pistol. Also in the east, carrying a rifle after hunting season is not an option in most states. A concealed pistol should make it past most backcountry persons cursory glimpses.

I have posted this a time or two before but find this article very informative:

https://www.ammoland.com/2019/08/ha...r-attack-73-cases-96-effective/#axzz5wtQI8UPC

It seems that practice is more important than a particular caliber. Don't get me wrong, I have a safe full of guns I bought for one reason or another, but it seems like using something that you are familiar with trumps a large caliber that you might miss with.

I have a 20 and a 21 slide to shoot both 10mm and .45 ACP. I like them equally and feel well armed with either caliber. I usually look at the ammo locker and take the caliber I have the most ammo for at the time.

Anybody have any experience with the EAA "Witness Polymer Carry" pistol, chambered in 10mm?

I know that when someone says money is no issue, they are lying, but I hate giving up a gun I like. If you can, keep the 45 AND buy the 10 mm. Or...., do what I did. Get an HK USP full size 45. Buy an 18 pound spring for it and you can shoot 45 acp and 45 Super. 45 Super has the same ballistics as a 10 mm. I reload so getting ammo is not an issue for me. My 10 mm is a S&W 610 so I do have it all covered.

Lots of myths surrounding the 10mm. The only advantage the 10mm has over the .45ACP is enough velocity for more reliable expansion but you're giving up diameter and mass to get it. It also shoots a little flatter so that in a hunting situation, shots are a little easier to place out to say 75yds. In a compact, you're giving most of that away and trajectory doesn't really come into play, so I really don't see the point.

CraigC said:

Lots of myths surrounding the 10mm. The only advantage the 10mm has over the .45ACP is enough velocity for more reliable expansion but you're giving up diameter and mass to get it. It also shoots a little flatter so that in a hunting situation, shots are a little easier to place out to say 75yds. In a compact, you're giving most of that away and trajectory doesn't really come into play, so I really don't see the point.

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But Craig, when considering the wounding effectiveness of a flat meplat on a non-expanding bullet such as hardcast or a mono solid, isn't velocity one of the main factors?

Veral Smith documented in his book a substantial difference in wound diameter from the same flat meplat bullet (LBT designs) from 1,000fps, to 1,200fps. Has this not been your own experience using such projectiles?

I finally got out of 10mm when I realized it didn’t serve any purpose (other than being something different to play with) that I couldn’t fill with .45 ACP or .357 Magnum.

WisBorn said:

I had the opportunity to handle the new XDM compact 10mm. I was not extremely impressed!!!???
The flared mag well is removable and with my hands it would have to go. I would like to shoot one before buying one so it dropped on my list of might need

I guess the other 10mm models will get another look.

My XDM 45acp compact will still be my go to semiautomatic.

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I had the same impressions. I wear medium size gloves, and that mag well was irritating. If I had big gorilla hands, it would pretty much be a no go I think…

And that hurts since I really wanted to like it.

WrongHanded said:

But Craig, when considering the wounding effectiveness of a flat meplat on a non-expanding bullet such as hardcast or a mono solid, isn't velocity one of the main factors?

Veral Smith documented in his book a substantial difference in wound diameter from the same flat meplat bullet (LBT designs) from 1,000fps, to 1,200fps. Has this not been your own experience using such projectiles?

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It does and I think a lot of people downplay the role of velocity with cast bullets. In fact, I've been in several heated discussions as of late with the "all you need is a 250gr at 900fps" crowd. In this case I think the larger meplat of the .45ACP is going to win. It's worthy of note that any semi-auto cartridge gives up meplat diameter for reliable feeding. Beartooth has a 200gr LBT for the .38-40 that would be measurably better than anything out of the 10mm.

CraigC said:

It does and I think a lot of people downplay the role of velocity with cast bullets. In fact, I've been in several heated discussions as of late with the "all you need is a 250gr at 900fps" crowd. In this case I think the larger meplat of the .45ACP is going to win. It's worthy of note that any semi-auto cartridge gives up meplat diameter for reliable feeding. Beartooth has a 200gr LBT for the .38-40 that would be measurably better than anything out of the 10mm.

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Yeah, looking at some of the Montana Bullet Works offerings, the .45acp does have a large meplat diameter. There is a 10mm LBT that is pretty close, but how reliable the feeding would be is impossible to say without testing (I may do so in future).

I think, on balance, with appropriate bullets, it would be very close. And would largely depend one what a person could safely get out of a given cartridge in a given gun. And also, where we'd draw the line in terms of pressure. Because we know it's possible to take .45acp above and beyond +P and into Super territory, but then we're considering gun modifications of one sort or another.

However, in stock guns with commercially available loads, I put my money with 10mm.

Edit: I also agree with you on what comes down to revolver versus semi-auto. A revolver will always handle an appreciably larger meplat, even on a small diameter bullet. There's no contest there. It gives the .357 Mag vs 10mm debate another factor to consider. And I think it makes .357 Magnum the winner.

Good discussion points folks.

I think folks get pretty wrapped up with ballistics over reality. I like 10MM, but I also like .40, .45, .357 mag, .41 mag, .44 spl and mag, and .45LC. In a gun I’m confident with and proper ammo, I’d be pretty comfortable with any of them most places.

And I also think folks with a .45ACP who think they need more horsepower, look into what it would take to make their gun able to use the .45 Super caliber.

Good article on it here:

http://www.marksmanshipmatters.com/comparing-the-10-mm-450-smc-and-45-super-for-predator-defense/