10mm vs .40 S&W

[Johnny420]

Hello all,

New here, greetings! I have owned many hand guns, wheel and semi-autos, here I'll concentrate on the 40's. To start, I owned a Glock 10mm that could door no wrong, despite it being a bit large for my hands. -2'' groups at 25 yards was easy using hot loads. And it was too large to conceal easily- but it was kick-ass powerful, and I hated to see it go...
Enter the .40 S&W, a very compact Star PD bought for it's size, thankfully in all-steel, as the .40" had snappy recoil. Single action as per 1911, with tritium sights and a spare mag <$250! (the Glock was $800+!).

 

[ku4hx]

Both the 40 and the 10 are good rounds. This is especially so for the 10 if you hand load.

Is there a question you meant to ask or some specific feedback you're looking for?

 

[sarge83]

I have both and carry the Glock 29 even though I had a kaboom with it. But that being said it wouldn't bother me in the least to carry my G27 or G23 either. I shoot the .40's more because in my area 10mm ammo is hard to come by and I currently do not reload the 10.

 

[bannockburn]

Johnny420

I wasn't aware that the Star PD came in .40 S&W or that it was ever offered with a steel frame. Every one I ever saw was in .45 ACP and had an alloy frame. Do you have any photos of it that you could post on here?

 

[ATLDave]

Thanks for sharing?

FWIW, I don't think there's anything that makes the 10mm inherently more accurate than a .40S&W. I say this as someone who shoots a lot of 10mm and doesn't mess with .40S&W. Both are capable of being loaded to very, very good accuracy in the right gun.

 

[Olympus]

Don't know where you're paying $800 for a Glock, but that's WAY overpriced.

I see no need a .40 caliber. The 10mm can be downloaded to .40SW levels or loaded almost nuclear hot for ballistics the .40 could never achieve. 10mm is way more versatile, especially if you're a reloader.

 

[Zerodefect]

....because 10mm won't fit in a Glock 23. And that, folks, is plenty of reason for .40 to exist. A Glock 19 with mo power. Nuff said.

 

[X-Rap]

Had 10mm's but don't anymore, still have quite a few 40's, and carry a 9, I guess that's my opinion FWIW.

 

[jmr40]

..because 10mm won't fit in a Glock 23. And that, folks, is plenty of reason for .40 to exist. A Glock 19 with mo power. Nuff said.

But a G29 is virtually the same size as a G23. In fact ever so slightly smaller. And you can shoot 40's or 10mm from the same pistol. But you are right, 10mm wont fit in a G23.

I've and em all. I don't dislike the 40 S&W. It is a good round, but after having both, I see no reason to continue to do so. My primary SD guns are all 9mm, if I need something bigger I skip straight to 10mm.

 

[Zerodefect]

We tried that. The 29 wasn't the same, sold it. There's just something special about the size/shape of the 19/23/32/38 that makes it so effective for us.

 

[TruthTellers]

Originally when I put together a list of Glocks I wanted to buy, the Glock 20 was first on the list. Then I saw that the 17 and 22 had a much larger aftermarket parts selection to chooose from, not to mention extended magazines and cheaper, more readily available ammo to shoot. Decided the 10mm wasn't of interest to me after all that.

10mm is a great big predator pistol roung, but so are other revolver rounds. If 10mm were to become more popular, I'd consider getting a G20, but it seems that it will never be an issued sidearm in any law enforcement department in the US ever again, nor a military sidearm caliber.

 

[agtman]

I have owned many hand guns, wheel and semi-autos, here I'll concentrate on the 40's. To start, I owned a Glock 10mm that could door no wrong, despite it being a bit large for my hands. -2'' groups at 25 yards was easy using hot loads. And it was too large to conceal easily- but it was kick-ass powerful, and I hated to see it go... Enter the .40 S&W, a very compact Star PD bought for it's size, thankfully in all-steel, as the .40" had snappy recoil * * *

Okay, Johnny dude, soooo, ...did you have a question, ... or were you throwing out a foopaw, ...

... or maybe just running laps?

 

[Olympus]

10mm is getting more popular. There are more models chambered in 10mm now than ever before.

Don't forget about the Glock 40.

 

[TruthTellers]

There are more models chambered in 10mm now than ever before.

Yeah, all seven of them. Lot of choices on the market for 10mm.

 

[Olympus]

You're way off.

 

[Ron James]

I'm so confused, You can't compare a 10MM to a 9MM ( and the .40 is just a super 9 with a light bullet ). Apples and oranges, two different animals, both have a scheme in life the only thing they have in common is they are firearm cartridges.

 

[Monac]

Ron James, I thought the 40 S&W was a shortened 10mm. At least that's why I thought people were comparing one to the other, like comparing 38 Special +P to 357 Magnum.

 

[Ron James]

Your are so right, I had in my mind the 357 Sig so that's what I typed, Still two different cartridges it would be like comparing the Ford Mustang to the Ford Pinto. Both are cars but way different. Sorry about the above mix up,. up, maybe that is why I'm so confused , Mr. Kotter isn't to set me straight .

 

[Monac]

I can see your point, Ron James. Getting something radically different but using an existing cartridge as a base is exactly how both 40 S&W and 357 Magnum were created. 44 Magnum too, now that I think of it.

 

[PabloJ]

The 10mm cartridge is basically a failure. It has not been adopted by military or police and has done nothing to deteriorate popularity of the .357 Magnum. For personal defense both .40S&w and .45ACP are better choices.

 

[atblis]

Eh. Trolling hard there. I wouldn't call it a failure. It's a niche cartridge that currently seems to be growing in popularity. Very versatile.

As far as 10mm v. 357 magnum, that is more of a revolver v. automatic thing. People who are in to 10mm don't give a crap who adopted it. Chances are they handload, so the ammo price argument doesn't work here.

 

[X-Rap]

10 mm is a decent cartridge for hunting and probably one of the best choices for hunting in a semi auto.
Having had a couple I am skeptical of them being practical for defense due to controlability.

 

[PabloJ]

If I was to guess about origin or 10mm it would have to come from desk warriors who have not consulted those who were intended to use such weapons.

Recent example is the Colt M45A1.
If I was in Marine Recon I would want something lighter, easier to use and maintain like G21 for example. I'm guessing whoever chose the weapon for the Marines must have at least shoe box of 100s under their desk.

Most handgun hunters would pick .44Mag or .454 revolver. Hunting ammo cost is very similar to 10mm auto. I don't really see a niche for the 10mm cartridge unless one expects to engage opponents hiding behind "fenceposts".

 

[bangswitch]

I see no need a .40 caliber. The 10mm can be downloaded to .40SW levels or loaded almost nuclear hot for ballistics the .40 could never achieve. 10mm is way more versatile, especially if you're a reloader.

10mm is a lot of cartridge for a compact pistol, both in recoil and magazine size. I have a compact .40 (Ruger SR40c) and a full size 10mm (G20) and reload for both. I download 10mm rounds for IDPA and use the bigger pistol mainly for mag capacity, but the .40 is a lot nicer for CC.

I think there is a "home" for 10mm, it's dang near as powerful as a .41 Magnum and is a real cannon when max loads are used.

 

[Zerodefect]

The 10mm Glock 40 is the nicest 10mm I've shot yet, and one of the nicest pistols I've shot.

But 10mm doesn't fit my needs for defense. Those pistols are too big. And I'm trying to limit my playtime to pistols I'll actually carry. And .40 is usually the hottest round I can squeeze into my CCW sized pistols. I pick out the type of gun I want to use, then try the largest caliber available for it. If I don't like the caliber, like .357SIG, then I drop down one caliber. In this case a .40.

Hey, cheaper .40 for me if everyone goes to .45 and 9mm.