Ballistic gelatin test results : 10mm Auto

[Brass Fetcher]

Special thanks to JohnKSa for supplying the ammunition

Cartridge : Remington 180gr JHP (part # R10MM4)

Firearm : Colt Delta Elite with 5" barrel length

Block calibration : All depths corrected (From 12.5cm @ 581 ft/sec)

Shot 1 - Impacted at 1065 ft/sec, expanded to 0.669" average diameter and penetrated to 14.1" plus. The 'plus' is because the bullet exited the back of the block and penetrated ~ 4" into the polyester bullet arresting box. The bullets actual penetration should be well over 15".

Shot 2 - Impacted at 1124 ft/sec, expanded to 0.647" average diameter and penetrated to 12.7".

Shot 3 - Impacted at unknown velocity (chronograph malfunction), expanded to 0.664" average diameter and penetrated to 13.1".

 

[ArchAngelCD]

It seems like the 10mm is a nasty round....

Thanks for the photo and teat results.

 

[hexidismal]

Neat ! Thanks for posting.

 

[The Law]

Thanks for the results!!

I gotta get me a Glock 20!!!

 

[atblis]

Was

Was this what everybody was voting for. I'd be curious to see some of the lighter 10mm stuff, 155gr XTP and the 135 (loaded hot).

 

[daysleeprx]

Nice stuff.

Any idea why the first shot penetrated so much? (Even though it entered the block at a lower velocity than shot #2?)

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

The scary part.


that sounds like a slow load.


We gotta get you some DT stuff.

 

[Plink]

Lower velocity will often result in greater penetration, even though the final diameter is similar. That's because the bullet doesn't expand as early during it's path. The expanded bullet acts like a parachute, slowing it down. The later expansion lets it penetrate further.

That's a trick that some of the bullet makers use to make us think a round expands great AND penetrates great, when often it does most of it's expanding later in it's travel and misses the opportunity to damage more tissue on the way through.

The opposite is also true. Loading the same bullet up faster can cause it to open larger and sooner, thus limiting it's penetration. Something the velocity addicts need to consider when picking ammo. Actual results are what matters, not paper numbers.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

Shot 1 was a head-scratcher

I think that it has a lot to do with the method used to measure the 'average diameter' of an expanded bullet. This is done by measuring one or more of the furthest points of the jacket/core and averaging it with one or more measurements of the smallest distance across the face - that of the space between the 'petals' of the jacket. A jagged piece of lead (and some fell off when I was washing the bullets) can slightly skew the results.

I'm looking at the general performance of the three rounds to get an idea of what a light 10mm looks like (and I like what I see - go 10mm! )

 

[Iggy]

Thanks for the test and information.
It bears out what I have been saying for years.

I have to use it on occasion to dispatch injured wildlife and livestock.

The 10mm is what I carry everyday and the 180 JHP provides deep penetrating and effective clean one shot kills when they are needed.

 

[corey006]

DoubleTap's Ballistic Gelatin Tests AGREE 10mm Is KING!

Here are official gelatin results for all of the DoubleTap loads!
All of these tests were done using 10% ballistic gelatin provided by Vyse gelatin using all FBI protocols and 4 layers of denim and two layers of light cotton T-shirt in front of the gelatin.

DoubleTap 9mm+P
115gr. Gold Dot JHP @ 1415fps - 12.00" / .70"
124gr. Gold Dot JHP @ 1310fps - 13.25" / .70"
147gr. Gold Dot JHP @ 1125fps - 14.00" / .66"

DoubleTap .40 S&W Penetration / expansion
135gr. Nosler JHP @ 1375fps - 12.10" / .72"
155gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1275fps - 13.00" / .76"
165gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1200fps - 14.0" / .70"
180gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1100fps - 14.75" / .68"
200gr XTP @ 1050fps - 17.75" / .59"


DoubleTap .357 Sig
115gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1550fps - 12.25" / .71"
125gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1450fps - 14.5" / .66"
147gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1250fps - 14.75" / .73"

DoubleTap .357 Magnum
125gr. Gold Dot JHP @ 1600fps - 12.75" / .69"
158gr. Gold Dot JHP @ 1400fps - 19.0" .56"

DoubleTap 10mm
135gr JHP @ 1600fps - 11.0" / .70" frag nasty
155gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1475fps - 13.5" / .88"
165gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1400fps - 14.25" / 1.02"
165gr Golden Saber JHP @ 1425fps - 14.75" / .82"
180gr Golden Saber JHP @ 1330fps - 16.0" / .85"
180gr XTP @ 1350fps – 17.25” / .77”
180gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1300fps - 15.25" / .96"
200gr XTP @ 1250fps - 19.5" / .72"
230gr Equalizer @ 1040fps - 11.0" and 17.0" / .62" and .40"

DoubleTap .45ACP
185gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1225fps - 12.75" / .82"
200gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1125fps - 14.25" / .88"
230gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1010fps - 15.25" / .95"

DoubleTap 9X25
115gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1800fps - 10.0" / .64" frag nasty
125gr Gold DOt JHP @ 1725fps - 15.0" / .74"
147gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1550fps - 17.5" / .68"

 

[Brass Fetcher]

+1 on the Double Tap in 10mm. Those look like some nice numbers.

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

Look at those sexy 357 SIG and 10mm numbers.



and people wonder why those rounds are around?

 

[atblis]

Awesome

I think I might be purchasing a 9mm barrel for the Witness and reaming it out to 9x25.

 

[corey006]

Quote:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think I might be purchasing a 9mm barrel for the Witness and reaming it out to 9x25.atblis


1800 fps is pretty impressive isn't it I am surprised the jacket doesn't seperate...WOW

 

[Soybomb]

I thought you were about out of the gelatin testing business?

If you do some 10mm again I'd like to see the doubletap stuff, especially the 180gr golden saber. Past that the remington jhp's are known for being a little slow, the winchester silvertips are pretty decent for factory ammo though.

 

[pinotguy]

DoubleTap 9X25
115gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1800fps - 10.0" / .64" frag nasty
125gr Gold DOt JHP @ 1725fps - 15.0" / .74"
147gr Gold Dot JHP @ 1550fps - 17.5" / .68"

9x25 Dillon is one hell of a round. It would be cool to have one but I think it's strictly a custom proposition these days. It kind of reminds me of the .38 Casull - except (slightly) slower.

 

[Scottmkiv]

9x25 is 10mm necked down to 9mm, not just a super long 9mm like 9x23 is.

 

[nitesite]

Thank you very much for all your hard work. I'm always fascinated with this kind of information. Great job!

Shooting into water is usually a pretty harsh test on a hollow point, and certainly doesn't mirror calibrated gelatin. Water usually causes more havoc on a bullet than gelatin and is not a definitive assertion of a bullet's performance in flesh and bone, or gelatin for that matter. I would trust good gelatin tests far more than water. But I don't have the knowledge nor the ability to perform certified gelatin testing.

That being said, here is what a 10mm 180-gr Gold Dot does when fired into water @ 1185-fps from a 3.8" Glock 29.



That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is over 1.00" of expansion and near 100% weight retention.

Damn, I love this little gun!

 

[Brass Fetcher]

You're welcome... it is my pleasure. Water is quite a good medium, like you said though, more harsh than gelatin on expanding bullets (by a small margin due to the difference in density IIUnderstandC). Down to a certain velocity, it even mimics gelatin in terms of resisting penetration. But, of course, the downside is that it is not like gelatin in the 'non-cavitating' flow regime (low bullet velocities at end of penetration).

I would like to explore the 'Real 10mm Auto' ammo more.

 

[Plink]

1800 fps is pretty impressive isn't it I am surprised the jacket doesn't seperate...WOW

The jacket on a Gold Dot is essentially just think electroplating. It's bonded to the core and can't seperate. That's a big part of why I prefer those bullets to any other that I've worked with. Not only are they usually very reliable expanders, but they hold together very well too.

Double Tap's loads have impressed me enough that I switched to them in .45ACP for concealed carry. I get more velocity from their 230 grain loads from my 3.5 inch barrel at standard pressure levels, than the other companies are getting from 5 inch barrels at +P levels! Mike McNett knows what he's doing. He has raised the bar for the entire ammo industry. It still amazes me that people will pay such high prices for Cor-Bon ammo that doesn't perform nearly as well, and operates at much higher pressure levels.

 

[atblis]

Well

I have a 10mm Witness so as far as I can tell it is basically a matter of reaming out a 9x19 barrel. I can get a 6" polygonal barrel for it from the factory.

I figure Hornady XTPs will help with the jacket seperation issue.

 

[possum]

thanks for sharing, i like these test!

 

[JohnKSa]

Kinda disappointed in the ammo. I expected a little higher velocity from that barrel length.

Not exactly high-tech bullets either...

It should be very instructive to see the results from some better 10mm ammo for comparison.

For reference, the R10MM4 was Remington's hottest ever 10mm loading. They discontinued it not long after I bought my supply. I can't remember the exact specs, but it was supposed to be around 1200fps. Looks like that was an overly optimistic advertising claim.

Neat test and useful. I'll admit that my motives were somewhat selfish--that's what's in my nightstand gun.

 

[CPshooter]

I love seeing these performance tests.... thank you to everyone who is responsible for these awesome gelatin tests!

With that being said, i realize after seeing all these ballistic tests that there really isn't much of a difference between calibers these days.

The tests done w/ the 9mm 124g +P gold dots impressed me the most. They were easily the most consistent and I loved how they looked after expansion... like perfect little razor blades. Considering the 9mm is much easier to handle in terms of recoil than the others AND the guns are usually lighter and smaller while holding more ammo, I see no reason to shoot any other caliber for self defense. I'm definitely switching to a 9mm for carry purposes. The numbers for all the bigger calibers are definitely impressive though. I'd be scared of any of the DT stuff in larger calibers...the 10mm would go right through you and make a big mess... the .45 would just straight up blow a hole in you! Scary stuff!