Colt 1911 Delta Elite 10mm: how good are they?

[el Godfather]

Dear THR:
I want to ask fellow Delta owners of their experience? Also i would like to know how effective is 10mm compared to 40sw and 45acp?

Another question
Can 1911 colt .45 mag work in 10mm if we slightly close it from the top?
Thanks

 

[EmbarkChief]

FWIW I really like mine, but to be honest I haven't shot it enought to give a real "review". On paper true 10mm loads look pretty darn stout. However you run into an issue these days with most production 10mm being on the .40 cal side of the power spectrum.

 

[Torian]

I've heard the newer production 10mm is improved over the original. Underwood is my exclusive supplier of 10mm ammo.

 

[ATLDave]

Anyone planning to shoot full-tilt 10mm needs to understand case support. The Colt Delta was notorious for having a very unsupported chamber. Underwood, an ammo maker who works at the upper end of 10mm power, has special, downloaded Delta-suitable ammo.

 

[el Godfather]

Anyone planning to shoot full-tilt 10mm needs to understand case support. The Colt Delta was notorious for having a very unsupported chamber. Underwood, an ammo maker who works at the upper end of 10mm power, has special, downloaded Delta-suitable ammo.

I have heard this before.

Was this problem with all Delta or initial ones? How do we tell the year of make by looking at the serial numbers?

 

[tarosean]

Was this problem with all Delta or initial ones? How do we tell the year of make by looking at the serial numbers?

The early versions were blued. Modern ones are SS

 

[el Godfather]

How does Delta in SS finish ie the newer ones handle hotter loads?

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Stupid question, but what is the velocity gain and power gain over say a 40 or 45? And how is the recoil? I have honestly never shot one. It is one of the very few 1911's I never shot. I almost bought one until I seen the price tag at Hyatt's in NC. They were asking close to $1300 for it. I just could see it at the time. This was a couple of years ago.

 

[tarosean]

How does Delta in SS finish ie the newer ones handle hotter loads?

No experience with the new ones.. I believe they still incorporate the relief cut in the frame for them....

While I love my 1911's, nothing beats S&W's 10xx's in 10mm semi auto.

 

[ATLDave]

el', here's a THR thread with lots of pics of barrels and the support (or lack thereof) they offer in 10mm. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=671004&highlight=what+is+an+unsupported+chamber

 

[Osageid]

Stupid question, but what is the velocity gain and power gain over say a 40 or 45? And how is the recoil? I have honestly never shot one. It is one of the very few 1911's I never shot. I almost bought one until I seen the price tag at Hyatt's in NC. They were asking close to $1300 for it. I just could see it at the time. This was a couple of years ago.

The velocity and power of 10 mm over .40 and 45 so dependent on ammo manufacturer. Underwood operates at a much higher velocity and KE. These loads sound more like a rifle compared to other rounds, Big bark! Check out website at underwood and see some of offerings. I have some 180 tmj rated at 1300 fps!! At 676 ft lbs muzzle energy! They offer 155 gr TMJ at 1500 fps and 776 ft lbs muzzle energy! As. Previously mentioned they have ammo loaded at specs per various weapon manuf. recoil in my Glock 20 SF is very manageable .

 

[ATLDave]

Stupid question, but what is the velocity gain and power gain over say a 40 or 45? And how is the recoil?

A couple hundred FPS at the upper end over a .40 (IIRC, don't have my loading manuals at the office!). For a given powder and bullet, starting (listed) charges of powder will often be higher than the max in .40. And the speed/KE advantage over the .45 is big.

Now, there's the question of what that extra speed is worth. It flattens trajectory, if you're doing lots of 100 yard shooting with an autoloader. It's currently out of fashion in the terminal ballistics world to believe that speed in handgun cartridges has any special benefit in and of itself, but if you believe in hydrostatic shock in the 1300-1500fps range, then there's that. And with an appropriate bullet, you can get more penetration - useful for hunting more than "social" applications.

The longer case also means that a 10mm is better than .40 when it comes to heavy bullets (e.g., 200 grains). It just has more case capacity to spare. That spare case capacity also may provide a margin of safety against/for bullet setback, long discussed as a particular bugaboo of .40 rounds.

And if you really like a pistol format that works better with longer rounds (such as, for example, the 1911), then you may get better/easier reliability with a 10mm than a .40.

Recoil is subjective, but I don't find it punishing. If you can shoot .357 magnums, or soft .41 mags, without complaint, then you'll find the 10mm easy to handle. Recoil will generally be snappier than a .45, but with the lighter bullets (155 or even 180), the overall push may feel less "big" than .45 hardball.

Of course, if you handload, you can run up and down the power spectrum, from very soft plinker loads all the way up to KE's that overlap with .41 magnum levels.

 

[mavracer]

The early versions were blued. Modern ones are SS

Not all early ones were blued. I love 10mm and had both a SS and Blued early 90s manufacture guns, the blue one was built into a comp gun and I kept the SS one mostly stock. When I decided I wanted to do some upgrades to the SS one a couple years ago I had a deal I couldnt pass up fall into my lap and sold the SS Colt and bought a Dan Wesson PM7 with $$$ to spare.
Anyway I never had any problems with either Delta and the Blued one has seen some nasty 10mms (135s@1600+ and 180s@1300 )of course it has a ramped barrel.

 

[CharlieDeltaJuliet]

Thanks guys... Perfect answer...

 

[el Godfather]

Thank you guys

Another question
Can 1911 colt .45 mag work in 10mm if we slightly close it from the top?

 

[Olympus]

I shoot a lot of 10mm. The Delta Elite has poor sights and I prefer a more modern beaver tail safety. So by the time I priced replacement sights and a new beaver tail and added the cost for gunsmithing, I could have bought something else that was exactly what I wanted.

Cheapest option is the Rock Island 10mm for around $530ish. I own one and it's been a good gun. I also bought a Kimber Stainless Target 10mm for $975. And I have 2 Dan Wesson 10mms, but those are a lot higher.

Kimber 10mm


Dan Wesson CBOB 10mm


Dan Wesson Razorback 10mm

 

[tommy.duncan]

I have a newer Delta, and I love shooting it. This one comes to the range every time I go. I have changed the main spring housing, Grip safety, hammer and trigger with Wilson parts. I really like this pistol and carry it quite often. I did not know so many manufacturers still made pistols in the 10mm platform.
The 10mm is one of my favorite rounds and the 1911 is my favorite pistol design.

 

[Torian]

I love the 10mm in a 1911, but I wanted a double stack 10mm. I ended up with a EAA Elite Match. Great gun. Changed out the guide rod and had to reinstall a new trigger pin...but otherwise my most accurate shooter.