44 magnum vs 10mm heavy bone hard cast test

[SDGlock23]

The G29 is harder to shoot than the G20, recoil from 10mm isn't that bad overall but there's more to hang on to with the G20/G40. The 45 Super would do well but unless you handload and run a comped barrel, most people won't ever use it (to it's full potential). I'd prefer the 44 Mag over the 10mm but as always it depends on what's out there, for deer and hog cartridges like the 10mm and even .40 or .45 work fine. If it's a bigger animal, use a bigger bullet.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Interesting.
44 Mag is more powerful, but 16 chances (Glock 20) to hit something versus 6 (revolver)
Bear can move 30 MPH, hitting, or trying to make good hits on a moving target makes additional rounds seem advantageous.

Just how many rounds do you think before Big Bruin turns you into hibernation fuel?

6 shots is more than enough. The sheer reliability and devastation of a .44 revolver beats the 10mm autos every time for bear defense. Even a hotly loaded .357 from a long barrel easily smokes 10mm ballistics.

Limp wrist, catch the slide out of battery, or experience a misfire with the Block and you’re a dead man.

I’d rather 6 for sure than 15 maybe.

 

[BreechFace]

Just how many rounds do you think before Big Bruin turns you into hibernation fuel?

6 shots is more than enough. The sheer reliability and devastation of a .44 revolver beats the 10mm autos every time for bear defense. Even a hotly loaded .357 from a long barrel easily smokes 10mm ballistics.

Limp wrist, catch the slide out of battery, or experience a misfire with the Block and you’re a dead man.

I’d rather 6 for sure than 15 maybe.

If we are talking hypotheticals...

Catch the hammer on clothing and get snagged up, out of time cylinder, bullets moving forward under recoil locking the cylinder or left your Smelt & Welded at camp because it's too heavy to carry you're a dead man.

I'd rather 16 chances at hitting vitals than 6 chances.



I like revolvers but I have to fall back on how often I've limp wristed, had a slide slightly out of battery and experienced misfires in my shooting.

Misfires, I've had a few; but those have been in range fodder type of ammunition.

I think a better advantage of the 44 mag is one well place shot has a more profound effect than one well placed shot of 10mm. However, I bet I could get 3-4 shots out of my 10mm for every one of a 44 mag.

 

[Lennyjoe]

All I know is that steel 1006 felt like a cannonball on my hip.

 

[CDW4ME]

Interesting.
44 Mag is more powerful, but 16 chances (Glock 20) to hit something versus 6 (revolver)
Bear can move 30 MPH, hitting, or trying to make good hits on a moving target makes additional rounds seem advantageous.

Just how many rounds do you think before Big Bruin turns you into hibernation fuel?

6 shots is more than enough. The sheer reliability and devastation of a .44 revolver beats the 10mm autos every time for bear defense. Even a hotly loaded .357 from a long barrel easily smokes 10mm ballistics.

Limp wrist, catch the slide out of battery, or experience a misfire with the Block and you’re a dead man.

I’d rather 6 for sure than 15 maybe.

If you like your revolver, you can have your revolver.

0% chance I give up quicker follow up shots and 16 rounds to handicap myself with just 6 (makes no difference to me if it is a bear or human attackers).
If I'm attacked by a bear in the parking lot of Publix, or Walmart the bear has unwisely chosen someone bringing 16 rounds (+spare mag) to the party.
That said, if I'm attacked and mauled by a bear and survive despite scoring hits with 10mm (or 40 S&W) I'll post online that @JCooperfan1911 was right.
(However, I'm hardheaded and would still carry a semi (10mm) thinking it very unlikely that I'd be attacked by a bear in a parking lot a 2nd time)
If I'm killed by a bear in a FL parking lot with a empty Glock 20SF (or 22.5) in my mauled hand it should make the news, then you can think I told him so.

 

[WrongHanded]

Just how many rounds do you think before Big Bruin turns you into hibernation fuel?

6 shots is more than enough. The sheer reliability and devastation of a .44 revolver beats the 10mm autos every time for bear defense. Even a hotly loaded .357 from a long barrel easily smokes 10mm ballistics.

Limp wrist, catch the slide out of battery, or experience a misfire with the Block and you’re a dead man.

I’d rather 6 for sure than 15 maybe.

I'd prefer to be able to control recoil well enough for quick follow up shots, and to be able to shoot one handed without the recoil compromising my grip. So yes, 6 shots is likely more than enough, providing you can make hits with them, and make those hits in time. So if you have 6 shots of .44 Magnum 300gr hardcast at 1200fps, and 6 shots of 10mm 200gr at 1200fps, which 6 can you put on target faster?

As far as the ballistics of 10mm and .357 Magnum goes, I'm not sure .357 exactly "smokes" 10mm. They're very similar. And I do wonder where exactly you're getting this information.

As far as limp wristing and other malfunctions go, if you can't reliably shoot a 10mm one handed without limp wristing, don't carry one. Have you ever experienced crimp jump with a revolver? It can literally lock the cylinder in place and prevent it from rotating or opening. It's particularly likely to happen with heavy bullets and hot loads, exactly like the kind of .44 Magnum loads you might choose for bears.

So if you really want to carry a .44 Magnum for bear defense, just be sure to practice enough that you can shoot all 6 quickly, accurately, and with reliability, from the draw, and with the load you're planning to carry or one similar to it. That sort of performance is certainly achievable, but it doesn't come for free.

 

[WisBorn]

Well as this neat test from @beeenbag is turning into a auto versus revolver discussion. And how much recoil can you control. I just want to shout out to our friends at Smith & Wesson asking how the new L frame 41mag is coming and when will it be introduced

For those of us that like the 41mag cartridge and its capabilities. This would be a awesome woods carry revolver.
And I agree with @CDW4ME. Walmart is the most dangerous place that I regularly go.

 

[crestoncowboy]

Just how many rounds do you think before Big Bruin turns you into hibernation fuel?

6 shots is more than enough. The sheer reliability and devastation of a .44 revolver beats the 10mm autos every time for bear defense. Even a hotly loaded .357 from a long barrel easily smokes 10mm ballistics.

Limp wrist, catch the slide out of battery, or experience a misfire with the Block and you’re a dead man.

I’d rather 6 for sure than 15 maybe.

I'd prefer to be able to control recoil well enough for quick follow up shots, and to be able to shoot one handed without the recoil compromising my grip. So yes, 6 shots is likely more than enough, providing you can make hits with them, and make those hits in time. So if you have 6 shots of .44 Magnum 300gr hardcast at 1200fps, and 6 shots of 10mm 200gr at 1200fps, which 6 can you put on target faster?

As far as the ballistics of 10mm and .357 Magnum goes, I'm not sure .357 exactly "smokes" 10mm. They're very similar. And I do wonder where exactly you're getting this information.

As far as limp wristing and other malfunctions go, if you can't reliably shoot a 10mm one handed without limp wristing, don't carry one. Have you ever experienced crimp jump with a revolver? It can literally lock the cylinder in place and prevent it from rotating or opening. It's particularly likely to happen with heavy bullets and hot loads, exactly like the kind of .44 Magnum loads you might choose for bears.

So if you really want to carry a .44 Magnum for bear defense, just be sure to practice enough that you can shoot all 6 quickly, accurately, and with reliability, from the draw, and with the load you're planning to carry or one similar to it. That sort of performance is certainly achievable, but it does come for free.

In 20+ years of walking fences and deer hunting with handguns ive went back and forth on 44 and 10mm. Started with a Redhawk. Then a bren ten, then a Blackhawk or three. then a Glock 20 and 1006. Then a 4 inch 29. Sig 220, new anaconda, delta elite...And so forth and so on for years. I still have them all so I'm not one of those "what I have now is better" types. With 44 you carry a lot of weight for 6 rds. I have a couple light weight 44s (329PD etc) but then split times are awful and the guns shoot loose in quick order if using mags. Split times are faster by a good bit with the semiauto. Even for Miculek and especially so with magnums. So don't kid yourself. Ive fired hundreds of thousands of rounds through mostly 10mm and 44 Magnum. How many rounds can you fire at a charging animal? In my experience an animal at least stumbles and slows when shot in the head, even if the bullet fails to do any real stopping. So you may get more shots off than you think. And if you don't hit the head of a charging animal then your dead or hurt before the lungs/vitals can stop anything anyway regardless of 44 or 10mm. Again just in my experience

I also have 454/480/460/500 revolvers. I use every one on occasion. For hunting ive never lost a single deer with any gun from 10mm up to 460. They all do ample damage on an Appalachian whitetail. Ive also put down plenty of beef with a 10mm with a headshot. The round has enough power and on whitetail size game an xtp or a hard cast bullet makes little difference. If I were hunting bigger animals then the 41/44 would be the minimum.

So is a double barrel Diablo loaded with two 12 guage slugs better for defense because it's more powerful? Is a 6 shot 44 just not enough but a 7 shot 357 is perfect? Maybe if you needed that 7th shot. Is the Glock 20 the only choice because there may be a need for 11 or more rounds? Idk. Its case by case. Ive shot moving targets and ive shot charging targets. I do better with my 10mm by the timer and by the group size on a charging target. I shoot revolvers at 100+ yards far better than semiauto. You may well see me in the woods with a 44 or a 10mm. Like I said, I've gone back and forth between the two and I feel just fine with my chances either way.

I carry a smaller round for my ccw so I'm speaking strictly woods/farm carry


I've had crimp jump. Ive had shotshells break and lock up a cylinder (carrying 3 xtp and 3 shotshell at the time). Ive had hands break. Yoke break. Ive had a cylinder release break off....All said ive had more revolvers fail and become useless than I have semi auto by far despite having shot revolvers a bit less BUT the revolvers being magnums with more power, 41mag-500 mag. (And not a single one was a Taurus either. Lol. All colt, Smith, Dan Wesson, and Ruger etc BTW)

Ive had far more semiauto fail to go boom on a round but never had one actually fail until it was fixed either. Clear it and keep shooting even when they have cracked frames and slides so which is more reliable.....idk. again its a wash in my experience.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

In 20+ years of walking fences and deer hunting with handguns ive went back and forth on 44 and 10mm. Started with a Redhawk. Then a bren ten, then a Blackhawk or three. then a Glock 20 and 1006. Then a 4 inch 29. Sig 220, new anaconda, delta elite...And so forth and so on for years. I still have them all so I'm not one of those "what I have now is better" types. With 44 you carry a lot of weight for 6 rds. I have a couple light weight 44s (329PD etc) but then split times are awful and the guns shoot loose in quick order if using mags. Split times are faster by a good bit with the semiauto. Even for Miculek and especially so with magnums. So don't kid yourself. Ive fired hundreds of thousands of rounds through mostly 10mm and 44 Magnum. How many rounds can you fire at a charging animal? In my experience an animal at least stumbles and slows when shot in the head, even if the bullet fails to do any real stopping. So you may get more shots off than you think. And if you don't hit the head of a charging animal then your dead or hurt before the lungs/vitals can stop anything anyway regardless of 44 or 10mm. Again just in my experience

I also have 454/480/460/500 revolvers. I use every one on occasion. For hunting ive never lost a single deer with any gun from 10mm up to 460. They all do ample damage on an Appalachian whitetail. Ive also put down plenty of beef with a 10mm with a headshot. The round has enough power and on whitetail size game an xtp or a hard cast bullet makes little difference. If I were hunting bigger animals then the 41/44 would be the minimum.

So is a double barrel Diablo loaded with two 12 guage slugs better for defense because it's more powerful? Is a 6 shot 44 just not enough but a 7 shot 357 is perfect? Maybe if you needed that 7th shot. Is the Glock 20 the only choice because there may be a need for 11 or more rounds? Idk. Its case by case. Ive shot moving targets and ive shot charging targets. I do better with my 10mm by the timer and by the group size on a charging target. I shoot revolvers at 100+ yards far better than semiauto. You may well see me in the woods with a 44 or a 10mm. Like I said, I've gone back and forth between the two and I feel just fine with my chances either way.

I carry a smaller round for my ccw so I'm speaking strictly woods/farm carry


I've had crimp jump. Ive had shotshells break and lock up a cylinder (carrying 3 xtp and 3 shotshell at the time). Ive had hands break. Yoke break. Ive had a cylinder release break off....All said ive had more revolvers fail and become useless than I have semi auto by far despite having shot revolvers a bit less BUT the revolvers being magnums with more power, 41mag-500 mag. (And not a single one was a Taurus either. Lol. All colt, Smith, Dan Wesson, and Ruger etc BTW)

Ive had far more semiauto fail to go boom on a round but never had one actually fail until it was fixed either. Clear it and keep shooting even when they have cracked frames and slides so which is more reliable.....idk. again its a wash in my experience.

The reliability and dependability of a proper revolver such as a Ruger or Smith in no way compares to any automatic.

There is never any discussion as to weather a revolver will feed this or that bullet, if the round is too powerful, if it will outrun the slide, if feed lips are appropriate, if recoil spring/guide rod assemblies are properly set up for this or that ammo, etc. when speaking about wheelguns none of these issues apply at all.

I have started to carry a 6” half lug GP100 for woods use. I’d rather have 6 for sure than 15 maybe, and the GP100 is more accurate than my Glock 20 especially with the single action capability. This makes a huge difference in placing the rounds where they need to go, which at the end of the day trumps firepower.

I carry Buffalo Bore 180 grain JHPs which scream from the 6” barrel at over 1500 FPS, generating an incredible 900+ ft-lbs of muzzle energy. No 10mm load can match that in a similar length barrel. Loads in the 750 ft-lbs range are attainable with lightweight bullets but bump up to 180 grains and it’s not even close.

And again, ask the people in bear attacks if they even had time to fire off more than a handful of rounds. The additional capacity of the Glock is moot. The reliability of the revolver is a huge benefit. Just keep squeezing the trigger and it will work. No limp wristing is possible, a misfire is cleared just by squeezing the trigger again, and pressing the revolver barrel into the target and firing won’t knock it out of battery like it will on the slide of an auto.

For social work, the Glock may have a slight advantage but again look at all the data on civilian justified shootings and you’ll find the average number of shots fired is generally from 0-3 in all but the most extreme cases. And with practice and good speedloaders the revolver can be back in the fight very, very quickly.

 

[BreechFace]

The reliability and dependability of a proper revolver such as a Ruger or Smith in no way compares to any automatic.
There is never any discussion as to weather a revolver will feed this or that bullet, if the round is too powerful, if it will outrun the slide, if feed lips are appropriate, if recoil spring/guide rod assemblies are properly set up for this or that ammo, etc. when speaking about wheelguns none of these issues apply at all.

Why would I be using ammo, recoil spring guide rod setups that aren't tested in my self-defense firearm?

I have started to carry a 6” half lug GP100 for woods use. I’d rather have 6 for sure than 15 maybe, and the GP100 is more accurate than my Glock 20 especially with the single action capability. This makes a huge difference in placing the rounds where they need to go, which at the end of the day trumps firepower.

15 maybe? (actually it's 15+1 but who's counting) Because I have malfunctions with ammo that has been tested in my Glock so often? Nope, a small enough amount that there is such a thing as inducing malfunctions. Anyone who doesn't function check their weapon with self-defense ammunition is asking for Murphy to take up residence.

I carry Buffalo Bore 180 grain JHPs which scream from the 6” barrel at over 1500 FPS, generating an incredible 900+ ft-lbs of muzzle energy. No 10mm load can match that in a similar length barrel. Loads in the 750 ft-lbs range are attainable with lightweight bullets but bump up to 180 grains and it’s not even close.

220gr at 1,200fps generating over 700ft/lbs is nothing to sneeze at. And 16 of them, nice bonus I would think.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=160

And your suggestion of JHP on bears? Nope, non-starter for me, it's hardcast or monometals only in big bear country.

And again, ask the people in bear attacks if they even had time to fire off more than a handful of rounds. The additional capacity of the Glock is moot. The reliability of the revolver is a huge benefit. Just keep squeezing the trigger and it will work. No limp wristing is possible, a misfire is cleared just by squeezing the trigger again, and pressing the revolver barrel into the target and firing won’t knock it out of battery like it will on the slide of an auto.

You know what, I keep squeezing the trigger on my Glocks, and guess what they keep firing as well. I guess I'll just play the odds on having a misfire in my Glock and not being able to malfunction rack it. The amount of times I've had a misfire on reputable centerfire ammunition is very very small when compared to the sheer number of rounds down range with no issues. I guess I'm just a risk taker.

Some revolver malfunctions that "don't happen"

About the 24 second mark he loads a speed loader and one round doesn't get set completely in it's chamber causing a malfunction.


Another malfunction.

I'm in no way saying that revolvers are unreliable, I would agree that in my mind the reliability of a revolver trumps an autoloader (and really I'm not so sure about that). But by how much? And when do the cons of a revolver start to play a role in the decision?

I get it you like revolvers for backwoods defense, good; they are a great option. But they are not the only option. I like revolvers myself used to own a Ruger in 454Casull, it got replaced by a Glock 40MOS or a Glock 20. Why, because it was heavy as a tank, only gave me 6 rounds and I wasn't even close to as fast with it as I am with my Glocks. And in my mind counting on one single shot on a charging bear started to not sound that enticing when I can get probably 3 rounds off in the same time.

What if a person misses with that one shot? I know make it count and all that, but when the adrenaline dumps one falls back on the training that they hopefully did previous to this encounter. As far as my training with my handguns, if I'm pulling it for a self defense scenario it's round after round until the magazine is empty or the threat is neutralized. With that engrained into my head, I'll take additional shots at a moving target all day over a single chance at connecting.

 

[CDW4ME]

And I agree with @CDW4ME. Walmart is the most dangerous place that I regularly go.

I went there today, its in a fairly rough area. I'm 6'1 / 205# and one guy there made me look small; he was bigger than many black bears.
I go to the gym and there are definitely guys there that make me look small.
If I envision some of these large guys as a enraged, armed, meth fueled attacker be as dire as trying to defend against a bear; Nah, ... worse.

 

[WrongHanded]

When people start making comments like "six for sure", and then suggest that a Glock is less reliable than a revolver by any measurable amount, I gotta wonder how much they've shot either.

My experience with the dozen or so revolvers I have owned (mostly Rugers but some S&W) is that they do have hiccups every now and then. And occasionally, they just fail. Either a part breaks or they lock up.

Conversely, my experience with the half dozen Glocks I own, has been that they rarely fail to feed, fire, or extract any ammunition I put through them. 10mm, 9mm, .357Sig, .40, .380acp. And when they do fail to work correctly, it's easy to fix right then and there. And before anyone accuses me of being a Glock fanboy, I believe the same probably holds true for most other modern striker fired semi-autos.

The days of the revolver being the superior choice for reliability, are over.

 

[scaatylobo]

Interesting.
44 Mag is more powerful, but 16 chances (Glock 20) to hit something versus 6 (revolver)
Bear can move 30 MPH, hitting, or trying to make good hits on a moving target makes additional rounds seem advantageous.

BINGO !

My reason for carrying a 10MM in place of the .44 magnum is HITS !.

I reason that under perfect conditions,a charging bear [ why would I choose a pistol otherwise ] will close on me FAST.

That being the case,I cannot recover fast enough with any .44 M to get more than 2 shots ,possibly 3 before I am run over.

With the 10MM I fully expect to get off somewhere between 5 to 8 shots on target.

So whats your preference, 3 possibly shots off [ hits ,thats on you and lady luck ] or twice as many rounds off ..

But a lighter and smaller round,just more of them.

 

[Choctaw]

Just how many rounds do you think before Big Bruin turns you into hibernation fuel?

6 shots is more than enough. The sheer reliability and devastation of a .44 revolver beats the 10mm autos every time for bear defense. Even a hotly loaded .357 from a long barrel easily smokes 10mm ballistics.

Limp wrist, catch the slide out of battery, or experience a misfire with the Block and you’re a dead man.

I’d rather 6 for sure than 15 maybe.

No one is going to get off six controlled rounds of 44 mag in the same amount of time I'm getting off six 10mm. It isn't going to happen.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I have a 5” 629 in pristine shape and I’d rather keep it that way. I’ll stick with my plastic 10MM’s for woods carry….

 

[crestoncowboy]

I have a 5” 629 in pristine shape and I’d rather keep it that way. I’ll stick with my plastic 10MM’s for woods carry….

I have a few nice ones too. But you can always buy an ugly one for woods carry. Lol. It's a scratch going to make this 329 ugly or better looking.... lol



But again, I've had Ruger, Smith and colt break down and be out of service. The smith pictured broke the yoke and cylinder release took a few weeks to get it back. Id have been bear poop of it had been during a charge. Niether of my 10 or so Glock have done that despite some having round counts in the high tens of thousands (been out of use completly) . The Glock 20 in that picture did eventually have to have a mag release and spring. But it was never out of service either. I carry the 329 pretty regular but the round count is rather low, for my guns at least. The Glock 29 in the picture was my "best of all worlds" gun until I got it. It's easily my least favorite Glock. Lol. Too big and fat for ccw compared to 26/27. Too slow for follow ups compared to the 20 for woods carry etc etc.

The red dot is long gone too BTW. Ive mounted several on handguns and always hate them. Lol

 

[SDGlock23]

There's a place for 10mm but even when talking about semi auto's there are even better choices like the .45 Super or 460 Rowland. I know with a G21 Gen4 w/KKM 4 port comped barrel and Starline 45 Super brass I could run .452" revolver style bullets out of it with some authority, up to a 300gr hardcast at 1150 fps. That said, I see why 10mm is popular, which is that you don't have to reload anymore to get max performance out of it, you can buy ammo from Underwood and have it shipped to your door and it will run in otherwise unmodified 10mm's. But if you do reload and don't mind running a comped barrel there are more serious loads out there than 10mm. On a side note concerning 10mm, I'm not sure a person wouldn't be just as well off with a .40 or .45 instead.

The 44 Mag is a beast and yeah I get that capacity isn't that great, but performance per shot is better by a good margin compared to 10mm and the 44 is plenty gun for what most people would ever realistically need. I guess if I felt the need for more I could grab my 3.5" Performance Center .500 S&W, and if you reload you can run them on the "soft" side and still have big time performance.

 

[Switup]

Great comparison and a nice vid.

 

[Arctic Linebaugh]

Dunno about you all but after humping a 1006 10MM on my hip along with backpack, rifle, binoculars up and down mountains in elk county around 9,000 feet, any small weight reduction is a blessing. One reason why I shed the 1006 and went to the Glock 20.

If you’re carrying a rifle, a handgun is just extra weight.

Wearing a handgun is for when you’re not carrying a rifle

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I'm curious if the 200gr 10mm stuff is actually reliable. Those AK guys have to have it all shipped at extraordinary cost and a lot of stuff isn't available. Pretty much everyone I know that has high round count tests of the 200gr stuff says they're not reliable through really any of the available plastic guns. Has anyone here put 500-1000 perfect rounds of 200gr through their gun? Several times I've considered a 10mm for woods use but I haven't been convinced yet that any of them are dependable enough to trust with my life (in this context, around 1500-2000 rnd MTF).

 

[WrongHanded]

I'm curious if the 200gr 10mm stuff is actually reliable. Those AK guys have to have it all shipped at extraordinary cost and a lot of stuff isn't available. Pretty much everyone I know that has high round count tests of the 200gr stuff says they're not reliable through really any of the available plastic guns. Has anyone here put 500-1000 perfect rounds of 200gr through their gun? Several times I've considered a 10mm for woods use but I haven't been convinced yet that any of them are dependable enough to trust with my life (in this context, around 1500-2000 rnd MTF).

This is an excellent point. And brings up a bigger question: How large of a meplat can reliably cycle in a semi-auto? There are some pretty wide nosed hardcast bullets out there for 10mm, in some cases the meplat diameter is in excess of 0.30", on a 0.40" bullet. But we see that Buffalo Bore opted for a smaller meplat on their mono solid dangerous game 10mm load, of around 0.25", which is actually pretty standard on a .40 cal bullet.

A smaller diameter meplat means less wounding potential, which is something I wrestled with and ultimately compromised on with my G20 loads.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

It's a running joke on some forum I'm on that some of the reviews of ammo go, "I fired three rounds to test it so I'm ready to carry it for bear defense" or some variation of that. Generally I start testing a new auto pistol with 200 rounds of ball under the assumption that if it won't run that there's no point in trying HP ammo. If it runs 200 rounds of ball without issues, then I will run 200 rounds of my intended carry ammo. At that point I'll tentatively consider it reliable. Obviously that's a spendy proposition with boutique ammo.

 

[WrongHanded]

It's a running joke on some forum I'm on that some of the reviews of ammo go, "I fired three rounds to test it so I'm ready to carry it for bear defense" or some variation of that. Generally I start testing a new auto pistol with 200 rounds of ball under the assumption that if it won't run that there's no point in trying HP ammo. If it runs 200 rounds of ball without issues, then I will run 200 rounds of my intended carry ammo. At that point I'll tentatively consider it reliable. Obviously that's a spendy proposition with boutique ammo.

I get you. I've never run that much SD ammo through a gun as a test. But I've also rarely had an issue with any ammunition not cycling provided it wasn't something of poor quality, or oddly shaped. I don't think I've had any failures with my G20 to be his point, but all the ammo I've run has been very similar dimensionally.

But I have had some issues with other cartridges and guns. The lobes on Winchester Ranger .40S&W were a problem in one gun I had. A WFN hardcast in .45acp was a little too wide to cycle completely reliably through load work up. Speer 125gr .357Sig Gold Dots have a particularly wide nose and don't run well with the stock barrel of my G33. Just a few examples.

 

[BreechFace]

If you’re carrying a rifle, a handgun is just extra weight.

Wearing a handgun is for when you’re not carrying a rifle

What do you do while your rifle is leaning against a tree and your field dressing your elk?

 

[BreechFace]

It's a running joke on some forum I'm on that some of the reviews of ammo go, "I fired three rounds to test it so I'm ready to carry it for bear defense" or some variation of that. Generally I start testing a new auto pistol with 200 rounds of ball under the assumption that if it won't run that there's no point in trying HP ammo. If it runs 200 rounds of ball without issues, then I will run 200 rounds of my intended carry ammo. At that point I'll tentatively consider it reliable. Obviously that's a spendy proposition with boutique ammo.

Agree, any firearm whose use could save your life and is carried with that possibility should be wrung out pretty well at the range and find any concerns with reliability.