10mm Vs. .45ACP

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

miller1209

Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2009
Messages
1
I'm a fairly new handgun enthusiast, and I was wondering which would be better for a home protection weapon, a 10mm or a .45?
 
Truth is those are both fine, you really wouldn't regret one over the other.
Performance wise it's close enough to not matter for self defense use.

10mm is gonna cost you more to shoot if that's a factor.

10mm is gonna give you 1 or 2 rounds more per magazine.

10mm is the tiniest bit harder to control in a full power load if you don't practice much.

.45 is so widely available it's not even funny, 10mm is much more scarce in the retail environment.


But really you're down to personal preference.

More guns out there in .45, and cheaper ammo. Even with that I prefer 10mm but that's simply because I wanted the extra rounds in the mag.
 
By your question and honesty about your shooting experience may I suggest you go to a reputable shop/instructor and get some experience with several handguns and different calibers as firearms and the rounds are subject to your personal taste. Also if you can't hit your target or are not comfortable with your purchase you will not enjoy the shooting. Shooting can be a joy and not just for defense. Best to you, Anthony
 
.45 acp

given the choices the poster gave, I would choose the 45 acp. (home defense) however, I happen to own both, but thats because I happen to like to collect.
 
Whether a handgun points naturally for you is at least as important as caliber so you should find that out first before making up your mind about anything else.

Since 10mm and .45 ACP are pretty closely matched you'll find that there aren't a lot of arguments making one "better" than the other for self defense. Round count can be higher in a handgun shooting 10mm, but not more than a couple of rounds more than .45. Grip size may be a bit slimmer in 10mm, so that may be a deciding factor depending upon whether a larger or smaller grip diameter is desired (again, get the gun that fits).

As to "better" home protection firearm, shotgun. Most bang for the buck.
 
Wow ! Two reasonable replies and a phish.

Seporith has it right. Get instruction and something you can shoot and shoot a lot. A bullseye with a .22 means a lot more than a near miss with a .500 S&W.

Have fun,,,goldy
 
I have a couple of stainless Colt Gold Cups, one 45acp the othe 10mm auto.

Honestly the 10 is by far the most accurate. I have had some problems with commercial ammo in the past, PMC in fact, that was so hot loaded it was bulging and occasionally blowing sidewalls out of cases. I threw the rest away and have only shot reloads since with no problems. It is much flatter shooting than the 45 and will shoot accuratly at much longer ranges.
 
Both are fine but as a new shooter I would suggest 45 between the 2. Actually a 9mm would be a better choice for new shooter.
 
The 10mm has more kinetic energy, has a flatter trajectory, will likely allow for more rounds in a magazine, and is also more expensive, has more recoil, and less selection of firearms chambered for it.

For a new handgun shooter I'd recommend the .45ACP for practicality/economical reasons. By all means if your budget is unlimited, though, check out 10mm as well.


edit; for what it's worth I'm a huge 10mm fan. I just know that it's not the most practical cartridge in the world.. :)
 
The .45 ACP is a duplicate of the .45 round developed by Smith and Wesson. S&W wanted to sell the Army their No. 3 "Schofield" revolver, but the Army wanted it in .45. But the Schofield cylinder was too short to chamber the .45 Colt. So S&W developed a "short" .45 that could be used in both the S&W and Colt.

The Army (which manufactured it's own ammo in those days) decided to issue only the .45 S&W development -- and the troops loved it! It had less recoil, but was just as effective in combat.

The short version of the .45 developed indentical ballistics to the later .45 ACP -- in fact, the .45 ACP was developed to meet those ballistics.

Bottom line is, the .45 ACP is probably all the average shooter can handle when the chips are down. While there are those who can handle more, added power and recoil (above what the .45 ACP produces) tends to be a handicap for the average shooter.
 
10mm packs a slightly bigger punch, while .45 is more common and a little cheaper. I recommend .45 because I prefer it, but you will be in a good place no matter what you choose.
 
If you can handle it the 10mm is the best self defense round out there (in a semi auto). The thing is, most people cannot, so in that case the 45 is better, but keep in mind that many folks have a hard time with a 45acp. If that is the case then a 9mm that you practice with a lot beats either one.
 
I've been thinking about a DW 10 MM, and was wondering if the commonly available 10 MM ammo is downloaded from it's original issue to the FBI, and if it is, would the DW Razorback handle loads that duplicated the original?
 
AZ v Fish, 10mm, .45acp

For general use, I'd get a .45acp in 200 JHP +P or a 230gr +P JHP. Speer Gold Dot, CorBon or Remington Golden Saber should do well. :D
The 10mm is very powerful but does not feed well in all regular pistols and it is not as common as the .45acp or 9mmNATO.
See AZ v Fish, a court case where a retired teacher used a 10mm 1911a1 and it was a major factor to the jury, :uhoh:.

RS
 
AZ v Fish was the result of a failure of the defense to do anything even remotely similar to a passable job of refuting claims made by the prosecution.

I am unaware of consistent feeding issues the 10mm has. It fed great in every 10 I have owned or shot. That pretty much covers the spectrum of 1911's, Glock's and CZ clones.

But, it really is preference for home defense. If you don't reload, I would suggest the 45, as you are more likely to buy a box of rounds locally and practice when the 10mm may be harder to feed. If you plan to reload, or are willing to buy 1,000 rounds at a time online and keep them in stock, it is back to a complete draw.
 
IMO, you need to find the gun that fits your hand and shooting style. Each type has subtle and not so subtle differences and after fondling as many as you can at the counter, or renting them at the range, you will find one that is meant for you. You may find that the manufacturer of the gun you want does not offer a 10mm, which could make the decision for you.

Regardless, a bad guy would not want to be hit square by either round so I don't think you can go wrong choosing between the two.

A few people brought up education, and that is more important than the round or the gun. Learning how to handle the firearm you own the proper way can bring years of good times and the associated peace of mind that comes with it.
 
AZ v Fish was the result of a failure of the defense to do anything even remotely similar to a passable job of refuting claims made by the prosecution.
Click to expand...
Thank you! It's nice to hear somebody say this. I listened to an interview with one of the jurors, and she said that the fact that he carried hollow point ammunition really disturbed her. :barf: I can't imagine how ideas like that were not smashed down by the defense.

Back on topic...I agree with pretty much everyone so far. If you were a reloader and wanted a gun you could also take hiking in the wilderness, I'd say the 10mm in a heartbeat. But in the confines of a house, and especially on 2 legged critters the 10mm just doesn't have much of an advantage. Or better said, the .45acp is plenty. It's also cheaper, more common by FAR, easier to shoot, and available in just about every auto pistol design. All of this, and it really doesn't give up much for thin skinned light boned bipeds.
 
As to "better" home protection firearm, shotgun. Most bang for the buck.
Click to expand...

+1 But if you're talking pistol, I say....9mm! I kid, I kid - for reasons that others have stated, I'd take .45. Personally I have a 9mm but that is more from financial factors than anything else, so much cheaper to shoot with and thus I get more practice time in. Just like oldgold said
A bullseye with a .22 means a lot more than a near miss with a .500 S&W.
Click to expand...
So I go with what I can more easily get my hands on.
 
If you have a local range that rents hand guns go there and rent the one they have in 10mm and any one of the ones they have in 45 and shoot them side by side. Then rent a 40 and pick the one that puts the holes in the paper where your aiming in the smallest group. I don't think many bad guys will know the diffrance if you make a good solid hit with any of them. IMHO
 
"Home defense" implies indoor shooting. Both are going to hurt, but the 10mm would more likely give you permanent hearing damage.

I'd go .45, and get a big (high-capacity) one while you're at it if this will only be a HD pistol.
 
It all depends on what suits your shooting comfort best both for caliber and platform.

Since I am usually accused of approaching life from a "black or white" perspective, I like and carry 9mm (a Glock 17) and .45 (a HK USP45). Sometimes I want a medium caliber; sometimes I want a large caliber.

If I found myself in the position of having a 10mm as my only means of self defense, I'd hardly waste a minute worrying about it.

Any solid service caliber; 9mm, .40 S&W, 10mm, .45 ACP...they'll all get the job done.

Pick what pleases you.
 
The 10mm is very powerful but does not feed well in all regular pistols
Click to expand...
Huh??? My Glock 10MM has thousands of jam free rounds 10MM rounds thru it. Granted my Colt Delta 10MM 1911 had many issues but is was a POS from the start. Best thing I did with that Colt was traded it in on a Glock 10mm.

For a new handgun enthusiast I would not recommend a 10 MM. Not even sure I would recommend a 45 Auto for a new shooter. Most beginning handgun shooters do far better with the 22 LR and 9mm over the 45 from my experience.
 
I'm a 45acp guy myself and not only because the ammo is so much more available and inexpensive than the 10mm.

More importantly, the 45acp gives you ALL KINDS of choices both in autoloaders and revolvers. (And some carbines.) Not true with the 10mm - there are some nice guns, but very few to choose from.

Why limit yourself? Both calibers made nice big holes and the 45 is less likely to go into your neighbors house.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top