10mm or .45ACP?

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SHAGGY101

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I know that this question has been asked many times but 10mm or .45acp? I am in the market for a wilson combat cqb le. This question has plagued me for about 2 to 3 weeks now. I plan on using this as a multi-purpose range, carry and home defense pistol for me (I have another for the wife). I want it to be able to stop just about anything in its tracks, animals included (family campouts), etc. Since I am planning on spending a pretty penny on this pistol i thought that i would get a second opinion as to what caliber i should have it chambered in.

My original feelings have always been for a .45acp just because it is a classic, proven, and hefty 1911 round. However, one of my friends owns a glock 20. I have also been looking at the ballistic charts and the 10mm seems to take the cake. But i just cant seem to discount that .45acp round!

Some input on this matter would be greatly appreciated!
 
For me - 10mm all the way. Factory ammo costs a lot for 10mm and isn't found in everywhere like .45 is. But if you reload you can reduce that to a tolerable cost easily. Plus reloading gives you the ability to go from a middle of the road target round to a hot loaded HD/SD round.

Nothing wrong with a .45, but my money went for a 10mm. 10mm isn't a wildly popular round, but those who shoot it seem to love it.
 
I want it to be able to stop just about anything in its tracks, animals included (family campouts), etc
Click to expand...

"Stopping anything in its tracks" and "semi-auto handgun cartridge" is an oxymoron, especially if we talk wildlife defence :D:neener:

However as cartridge for wandering in the woods, the 45 ACP should be out of consideration altogether.

The two rounds are not even in the same power class....some full spec 10 mm Auto loads are capable of breaking the 800 ft/lb muzzle energy mark out of a 5" barrel.....and with higher SD than any 45 ACP...you do the math...these numbers are in decent black bear medicine territory at short distances.


If you love the 1911 platform you have 2 excellent choices in 10 mm...Kimber or Dan Wesson Razorback.

Theoretically you could even swap barrels in 45 ACP for these..just ask the experts...
 
For a good carry gun, hard to beat the old Star PD .45. Last made in '87 so be prepared to chage the recoil spring and plastic recoil buffer, not big jobs.

It is very light weight with aluminum frame. Recoil and accuracy are decent.

May not be the thing for heavy duty range shooting but a good easily concealable carry piece with lots of punch. I got one with some holster rash but good internals for $300. May go up to about $400 for one with near perfect finish.

Some folks do not like the six round clip but this should be enough to settle most disputes. And you can get a 10 round backup mag.

Tom
 
Hello,
I own more then one handgun in both 10mm and .45acp ---- LOVE BOTH !!!
My advice is if you alraedy have a .45 --get anither one.IF NOT , I would get the 10mm,
I've owned 10MMs for about 20 years , the .45ACPs a little longer {LOL}
Beside the fact that the 10mm is a little higher powered , there is also the point that MOST semi-autos in 10mm have at least one more round then the same model
gun in .45acp.
Either way --- you should get set up to make your own reloads.
PS --- do a search on EAA Witness Elite Match ---- a GREAT GUN !!!
 
10mm: bad mofo, bad ammo availability. If you get one, run silvertips. they're effective.

.45 slow and heavy, hits reasonably hard, but I wouldn't use it on anything built heavier than a human.

7.62x25: small and fast. punches through things well. Will blow up a tin can. CZ52s are cheap, just get a slide release lever.
 
I suspect you will eventually end up with both if you are asking this question. I have had both, and eventually sold off the 10mm...

Most people think they want a 10mm for defense against animals. 44 mag is a better choice for that.
 
How solid are you financially?

Can you afford to regularly shoot a case of 10mm or a case of .45ACP?

Do you really expect your worst troubles to be "man" or "animal"? For 2-legged critters, .45ACP is probably enough as long as you do your job of placing the bullets (regular practice), but if you live high in the mountains with wildcats and brown bears, then 10mm makes more sense.

Get the chambering that makes the most sense right now. Then get the other one down the road.
 
Don't forget that the .45 ACP and 10 mm can usually be converted to .400 Corbon and 9x25 Dillon, respectively, with no more than a barrel change. I've never shot it, but on paper the .400 Corbon seems like the most underappreciated cartridge out there (for reloaders anyway).
 
Yes the 45 is classic and proven. But in this information-centered society, the 10mm has already become proven too, just not classic. I own several 45s and no 10s, but it sounds like your situation screams for a 10mm.

I will have one as soon as I get my ducks in a row. Probably the Glock 29 and an added G20 bbl.
 
I've carried a 1911 in the backwoods many times and didn't have too much concern with 8+1 rounds of 200gr Hornady JHP+P with one or two spare magazines. If I were to continue carrying a 1911 for hiking these days, I'd choose something along the lines of Double Tap 230gr FMJ-FP that offer 520 FPE from a 5" barrel for some usable penetration against a black bear or some such furry beast.

These days, I carry a Steyr M40 for the trails as I sweat like nobody's business after a few miles on a hot sunny day. I like to think there's less to worry about with a polymer frame.

If I were to purchase a "dedicated" trail pistol, I would certainly go with a G20SF. I'm quite certain 16 rounds of Double Tap 180gr FMJ-FP (720 FPE from a G20) will provide me with as much bear/cat-stopping confidence I could possible muster from a pistol.
 
If I'm traipsing around the woods with the chance of meeting up with a disgruntled bear, I'm carrying a 44 magnum. Period. Dot.
 
A coworker once cited all the theoretical advantages of the modern powerful 10mm and bought one. All the while I said I had made do with a .45 for years. A couple of years later, he said "Why didn't you MAKE me buy a .45?"
 
A coworker once cited all the theoretical advantages of the modern powerful 10mm and bought one. All the while I said I had made do with a .45 for years. A couple of years later, he said "Why didn't you MAKE me buy a .45?"
Click to expand...

Jim, why did he say that? Is he a reloader? If not I can see ammo availability as a reason. I own 3 1911s in .45 and was thinking DW 10 MM, so naturally I'm wondering if there was something else. I reload.
 
He never explained himself. He was an elementary reloader and should have been able to supply himself with 10mm. But he turned against it for some reason.
 
I don't know if anyone could ever, in a million years, get me to own a 10mm. It is not that I harbor some sort of contempt for the cartridge, or dislike Jeff Cooper. I admire him, and I think the cartridge is excellent. I just don't seem to own any firearms chambered in any cartridge that is 'younger' than about 50-years old. The only mm cartridge that I could bring myself to own is the 9mm simply because of its massively tested existence.
 
I find no problem with full power 10mm loads. My younger brother weighs ~150lbs and he doesnt have a problem with it either. Maybe its the fact that the G20 and especially the G29 are much lighter compared to the S&W 1xxx series, EAA's 10mm or any 1911. The 10mm is easier to shoot with a heavier gun that has a full length(5") barrel.
 
The O.P. never said where he is, or where/what woods he's
going to go hiking/hunting/camping.

??

I'd recommend a Dan Wesson Point 7 I think is the one with
the adjustable rear sight, in 10mm the extended range
and flatter shooting with the higher SD?B

Someone mentioned the .400 CorBOn. A couple of
points.
* .400 CorBon runs at the same pressure as .45 ACP +P
23,000, so besides a barrel swap a heavier recoil spring
should be considered.
* It's based on the dimensions of a .45 ACP rearward from the
bottleneck/shoulder but Starline brass starts with .45 ACP +P
brass which is thicker at the base and tapering forward, as well as
in 2000, 3 years after it's introduction it was switched to use a
small pistol primer.
* it headspaces on the 25 degree shoulder. If reloading after each
use the brass stretches so headspace can be an issue, as well as
trying to seat the bullet in the short neck
* and speaking of the short neck .400 CorBon can stay very close in
velocity with a 10mm auto up to a bullet weight of 155-165 gr. but
for 180 gr. or heavier bullets the short neck has less than a full purchase
on the bullet so bullet setbak could occur, also, the larger bullets will intrude
rearward and reduce case capacity for the powder/load.

FYI STarline brass new un-primed cases for 10mm Auto and .45 ACP are within a dollar or so of each other around $75 per 500. .400 CorBon runs
just over $100 per 500 - it takes several steps to get the bottleneck and less demand.

all that said, I have a BarSto barrel in .400 CorBOn
only loads I have are
155 gr. SPeer Gold Dots @ 1400 FPS
& 155 gr. Hornady XTP JHPs @ 1350 FPS

Any of the above are more than enough for the thin
skinned Cougar, I'd want a 10MM AUto full power 180 gr.
and a good penetrating bullet for Black Bear.

Randall
 
Don't understand why a 10mm is relegated to only use in the woods or considered to have unmanageable recoil.

A 10mm handgun is pretty much a semi-auto equivalent to a .357 Mag revolver. I think a 10mm makes sense in all the situations a .357 Mag does.

I moved to 10mm because it has the performance and versatility of the .357 Mag.
 
Older Witness 10 or a Dan Wesson 10mm.

The 10mm exceeds the .357 performance in my book.
People who have shots deer and hogs with the
bigger magnums like the .41 and .44 can tell
you that the 10mm does the job, too.


I prefer 10 deep penetrating hot .40 caliber 180 or 200s, over the
6 .44 cal 240s.

Would never carry a .357 for animal defense, but my 10mm
is very comforting.
 
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