Big Job...Help a Senior Citizen make a decision!

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Timothy

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Retired, fixed income, no more quarterly bonuses...life’s a bummer when it comes to spending money on guns! After you finally decide to buy, it is like looking at the menu in a restaurant, everything looks good and now you’re not sure what you are hungry for.

Here’s the dilemma: I’m not looking for some exotic caliber but something less popular than 9mm or 45ACP. I’ve narrowed it down to 10mm, 40mm, or 357 SIG, all full size. I was pretty set on a SIG in 40 so that sometime later I could get a 357 barrel then I started reading on THR how many guys like the 10 and how great a caliber it is. Now I’m afraid that if I go with the 40/357 combo. idea I’ll never get to drive the “Corvette†and will always wonder what it would have been like. If I get the 10, the scenario would be reversed.
Since I can get only one or the other, what do you feel, taking everything into consideration, is the smaller sacrifice?
I reload, so ammo is not a concern. I just want to come home from the range and feel that the load I worked up was great and I enjoyed shooting the pistol. I realize that all three are a little “beefy†but that is okay unless one or the other is so uncontrollable that it takes all the fun out of it.

Hope you can help. Thanks
 
10mm.

You reload? Great! 10mm.

A 40mm is a bit big for a handgun, and I'd worry where you could buy the warheads for it as well as how anybody could handle the recoil. In fact, I've never even seen one! The near ones I'm familiar with are 37mm and 57mm. :D
 
10 mm is a blast!

Pun fully intended! What gun would you get? Glock 20 is a nice platform for the 10mm but it is bulky. Some folks with smaller hands end up not liking the G20 & G21. I really enjoy shooting it (I also load) and it is a great woods gun. The Smith & Wesson Model 610 is a 10mm revolver and (if you are into that kind of thing) reloading allows you to "push the evelope" a bit. Very close to .41 magnum. I load for both and can recommend both as very fine platforms for 10mm. I''m also retired and can't buy guns as often as I once did so understand your decision. Let us know what you choose! Good shooting:)
 
Well, it is hard to go wrong with the 10mm. It can be loaded to a point that is slightly greater than 357 Magnum, but not quite 41 Magnum, or downloaded to 9mm/40 S&W levels. With a 10mm semi-auto, there may be the possiblity of buying barrels in 40 S&W or 357 Sig.
 
I have a 357sig (glock 31), and a 40s&w barrel for it which i rarely use. If i had it to do over again, i believe i would go with 10mm (and be wanting the 357sig).

The 10mm has a more robust frame. Although i cannot name any specific models it seems that many 10mm firearms should do 357sig with just a barrel change, as well as 40s&w.

For realistic self defense, the speed of either 357sig or 10mm is likely to be more of a liability than an assett. 45ACP (if you don't mind the weight) or 9mm makes more sense.

The bottleneck 357sig takes more time and attention to reload than a straight wall cartridge (which does not need to be lubed, and gets a bell to make bullet setting easier). I use the same bullets (rainier plated flat point) as 9mm, and the bullet cost is certainly less than .40 or .45.

If you are just looking for something different, with a bit more snap i think the 10mm, with heavier frame, will cost more for the firearm but provide most flexibility.

However as you move up in velocity you must leave lead bullets and go to plated and then jacketed. Operating cost will go up with speed and with caliber regardless if you reload or not.

just my opinion.
 
3 guns in 1.


If you get one of the 10mm Glocks (20 or 29), you can get aftermarket barrels from KKM or Federal Arms and shoot .40S&W and .357 Sig too. They're prefit "drop-in" barrels for whatever 10mm Glock you buy.

All you need are these extra barrels, which if bought together still cost less than the price of a new or used gun chambered in .40 or .357Sig.
 
As long as you handload, go for the 40/10 combo and start with loaded 40's and only cases and components for the 10. Then, work up loads a little at a time beginning with 40 loads in the 10 cases and increasing powder drop until you get to your outer limit.
Then it will be your specification of 10mm and not somebody else's idea, and you will know you can handle the recoil and muzzle flip because you have increased gradually until you get to your limit. That will be your 10mm load from then on.
 
Take it off of full-auto, dude!!!:p

I guess this is kind of moot, since you reload, but I don't anymore, as I find it A) Boring and B) unnecessary, depending on the cartridge.

For limited income, I recommend a new Ruger P95 (low cost, great reliability, strong like bull) or a used K-frame S&W revolver (low cost, great reliability, strong like bull).

Either 9mm or .38 new ammo (W-W white box or generic new or reloads) can be obtained through the internet or at gunshows for $5-6/box. I just bought a pile of W-W white box 115 grain 9mm FMJ for $5/box and 115-grain JHP white box for about $6/box.

You can't reload it that cheap.

Additional note-I'm sure you probably know this already, but there is a great deal of debate on the issue of using reloaded ammo for self-defense. I'm not sure if that's your intent from your initial note and I am not trying to ignite such a debate, but I personally recommend against this practice for a variety of reasons which need not be debated here. I use fresh factory hollowpoint ammo in autos and factory hollowpoint or frangible ammo in revolvers for personal defense.

Bob
TFL# 8032
 
Sorry, guy. Looks like the server is in multiple brainf**t mode, as it did the same thing to me!!

Bob:what:
 
Here's a twist to the 10mm

Take a look at the 1911forum.com and go to the Dan Wesson site. There, a group of the 10mm fans, are working along with DW to design a new 10mm platform using a 1911 design. This is called the Razorback and it's being fabricated from the ground up. Very interesting comments there.

Personally, I'm waiting to see how things work out. The pistol will be released for sale very soon. I purchased one of their new Patriot 1911's and it's a winner in .45 ACP. I wanted to see the 10mm with external extractor like the Patriot but it has the internal design.
 
off topic

What is it with triple and quadruple posts today? I've seen 3 or 4 of them in the last 3 threads I've looked at. Is the server messing up, or is there an epidemic of The Stupids going around?
 
Multiple posts of same message

The technical types on staff are working on this problem. I don't have enough computer savvy to undeerstand it myself. I did clear out some of the multiples, though.

Johnny Guest
Your friendly neighborhood moderator
 
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