Heavy bullets in .40/10mm cal

[MTMilitiaman]

I am interested in the prospects of finding some heavy for caliber loads for the 10mm Auto. Right now I am mostly interested in woods carry in bear country, but I was also intrigued by the possibility of developing a subsonic load for use with a suppressor. I was wondering if anyone knew of a 220 gr jacketed or plated bullet with preferably a flat meplat, available for reloading for these purposes.

 

[Lennyjoe]

I ran 200 gr Hornady XTP bullets over 800X out of a G20 for field carry. You can really push a 200 gr bullet pretty fast with 800X but it meters like crap. I went a bit above max until I started seeing signs of over pressure so work up slowly. Need to increase the recoil Syria’s well so you don’t launch brass I to the next county.

Also was using a Storm Lake barrel instead of the stock barrel to help support the case a bit more.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The heaviest I've loaded in 10mm is a 206 gr. cast bullet from a Saeco 200 gr. RNFP mold. It hit hard and was exceptionally accurate in all my 10mm pistols and my S&W 610 revolver. I haven't tried it in my 10mm AR, so I can't offer any help there.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[horsey300]

I am interested in the prospects of finding some heavy for caliber loads for the 10mm Auto. Right now I am mostly interested in woods carry in bear country, but I was also intrigued by the possibility of developing a subsonic load for use with a suppressor. I was wondering if anyone knew of a 220 gr jacketed or plated bullet with preferably a flat meplat, available for reloading for these purposes.

The only 220 I know of is from Rimrock but not jacketed or plated, sorry.

 

[Rule3]

Is 220 gonna do much more than a 200 gr??

Lots of hard cast 200 grain bullets out there.

 

[mcb]

Like others in this thread I have topped out at Hornady 200gr XTPs and Montana Gold 200gr CMJ in my 10mm Auto/S&W 610. I have some polymer coated SNS casting 220's and some Xtreme plated 220's. that @ALTDave gave me to try but I am embarrassed to say I have not had a chance to load them up yet.

I would not feel under-gun with my 610 loaded with 200gr bullet in bear country but then again I am not in bear country very often.

 

[ATLDave]

I have loaded a lot of 220's in 10mm, although mostly for the purposes of getting a very soft-shooting major PF load (which would be consistent with your suppressed use case). I use Xtreme's and SNS.

The Xtreme 220's plateds are here: https://www.xtremebullets.com/10-40-220-RNFP-p/xc1040-220rnfp-b0500.htm You get a rounded shoulder/flat meplat profile.

The SNS ones are here: https://www.snscasting.com/40-s-w-220-grain-flat-point-red-coated-500ct/ You get a conical profile with, again, a flat meplat.

 

[Rule3]

What ammo do these guys carry??

https://laststandonzombieisland.com/2015/09/22/the-glocks-of-greenland/

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I am just a heavy bullet kinda guy. I run 200 gr XTPs from Grizzly Cartridge Co for defense and hunting use, and a 200 gr FMJ handloaded to similar velocities (~1200 fps from a 4.6 inch KKM in a Gen III G20) for practice and woods carry.

I was debating with a friend whether the 10mm Auto could do everything the .45 ACP can do better than the .45 ACP, and he brought up the use of sound suppressors. The .45 ACP being low pressure and subsonic makes it a pretty good suppressor host, so I began questioning what I would use if I was suppressing a 10mm Auto. With velocity pegged at no more than about 1000 fps, it makes sense to use the heaviest bullet possible. So while a 200 gr could be loaded to .40 S&W velocities and still serve functionally as a suppressed round, a 220 gr bullet loaded to the same velocity would obviously be better. The round would still be higher pressure than the .45, and therefore not a quiet, but all things considered, a 220 gr .40 caliber round at 1000 fps is probably going to be at least as effective as a 230 gr .45 cal round at 850 fps.

Then I began questioning whether, having obtained a supply of non-expanding 220 gr projectiles, it wouldn't be prudent to find a full power load pushing this at or above 1100 fps for service in bear country. That would obviously depend on how hard the bullet was and a bunch of other factors that would be brought up in testing.

Anyways, thanks for the input!

 

[Rule3]

You are asking about two different uses. One for "bear country" another for "suppressed" unless you want a "suppressed bear load"??

The end result of a "bear load" of 200 vs 220 grain is insignificant. The 200 in theory would achieve a slightly faster velocity. The 220 would be slower with a bit more mass. It's all a trade off in calculating the total energy achieved.

The most important factor is shot placement. I doubt a bear would know the difference in a 200 or 220 bullet. But I have never shot one and asked.
The odds of having to shoot and actually get a shot off, are pretty remote also.

 

[Herman B]

Why plated or FMJ? Plated bullets are not known for their durability beyond punching paper and steel. They separate (thin plating) and deform easily (soft lead) and most cannot be fired over 1,200 fps as their mnfrs suggest. A proper FN FMJ provides better terminal performance. Even better, if terminal performance on bears is the numero uno priority, is a WFN HC. Montana Bullet Works has it in a 200 gr plain base and GC.

If I were roaming down south where bears are generally smaller than those found in MT/WY/ID, an FMJ would be fine. But for larger, northern bears, I'll go with the 200 gr WFN HC charging hard at a solid 1,200 fps or more.

 

[ATLDave]

Here are some 220 hard cast. https://rimrockbullets.com/xcart/10mm-220-gr-fp-per-500.html

One might reasonably load plated or coated for target shooting, and then run a duplicate load in hard cast for high sectional density penetration.

 

[sparkyv]

Is 220 gonna do much more than a 200 gr??

Lots of hard cast 200 grain bullets out there.

Yup. I like the 200gr DoubleTap WFNGC Hardcast. I also use PC cast 195 grainers with great satisfaction.

 

[jmr40]

The 200 gr DT hardcast bullet @ about 1300 fps has been successfully used against brown bear in a defensive situation. As well as cape buffalo while hunting. Of course 9mm and 45 ACP has been used successfully to stop brown bear attacks too. I don't know that a 220 would be any better.