Personal experiences with the 10mm?

[LAK Supply]

I'm looking for personal experiences anybody has had with the 10mm in regards to taking down game..... preferably large game. I usually pack my G20 with 6" Jarvis barrel and Double Tap when I'm out in the sticks.

I can pull 1400 fps out of the 200 gr Beartooth flat-nose hardcasts, and 1225 out of the 230 gr beartooth rounds. Both are in the 800-900 ME range out of the 6" pipe. That's mid-range .41 magnum and I can control it very well with fast follow-ups.

I'm thinking about stepping up to a Redhawk .44 mag for sticks carry, but I'm not all that sure I need it. Mike McNett (owner of Double Tap) says the 200 and 230 will penetrate 25+ 3/4" pine boards in a baffle box out of the 6" barrel.... also that his customers have taken 2K lb bison and 1k lb + moose with his loads. This seems more than adequate for taking down anything in the lower 48.

Does anybody have any personal stories of large critters they're taken down with the 10mm... preferably full-house stuff? I'm interested in hearing about your experiences so I can better judge my situation.... I'll be spending some time in the Big Horns now that I'm living in Wyoming again. There are bigger critters here than back in the Sierras. I've always been a big fan of the 10mm as I can get magnum performance and control it well.... with 16 rounds to boot. The extra capacity won't come in handy in most dangerous animal experiences, but for survival in the aftermath extra ammo can be invaluable.

Any thoughts?

 

[Tokugawa]

If it is legal to carry an exposed weapon , and bears (griz) are prevalent, a high powered rifle or shotgun loaded with Brenneke slugs would feel more reassuring to me.

 

[Will Fennell]

Deer and Hogs

I've killed a LOT of deer and wild hogs with 10mm. Works great...generally much better than .357 mag in my experience. Most of the kills have been with either handload with 200 grain XTP's, or recently Doubletap's 200 grain XTP. That is my bullet of choice....usually over 1200fps somewhere depending on the load and the gun.

I have had good luck with lighter bullets.....180 XTPS's and GoldDots, but overall penetration and general "damage" has been consistantly better on animals in the 100-350 lb range with the heavier bullets.

I have some Doubletap 200 hardcast Beartooth's.....and I probally with give them a try on something this season. I'm not sure if they can offer anything over the XTP though.

I don't carry a 10mm because I think it is BETTER than a .44 wheel gun, I carry it because I like semi-auto's more, and want a handgun that is EASY TO CARRY. My 10mm 1911's fill that need for me. My 10mm 1911 longslide is my hunting handgun of choice.

 

[tantrix]

I'm thinking about stepping up to a Redhawk .44 mag for sticks carry, but I'm not all that sure I need it. Mike McNett (owner of Double Tap) says the 200 and 230 will penetrate 25+ 3/4" pine boards in a baffle box out of the 6" barrel.... also that his customers have taken 2K lb bison and 1k lb + moose with his loads. This seems more than adequate for taking down anything in the lower 48.

Mag capacity is the only thing a 10mm is going to give you over a .44 Mag, period. My 9.5" Super Redhawk .44 Mag can push a 340gr bullet at over 1600fps. About the heaviest 10mm load will be a 230gr at around 1100fps. No comparison.

If you're serious about handgun hunting go with .44 Mag and up, leave the rest of the calibers on your hip for back up.

 

[LAK Supply]

If it is legal to carry an exposed weapon , and bears (griz) are prevalent, a high powered rifle or shotgun loaded with Brenneke slugs would feel more reassuring to me.

I don't stay long in brown country without a long-gun.... either a 45-70 or a 12ga with .50 sabots are my choices. The sidearm is for protection/survival/backup in case of my being in the middle of a stream or something where rifle carry just isn't feasible.

Mag capacity is the only thing a 10mm is going to give you over a .44 Mag, period. My 9.5" Super Redhawk .44 Mag can push a 340gr bullet at over 1600fps. About the heaviest 10mm load will be a 230gr at around 1100fps. No comparison.

If you're serious about handgun hunting go with .44 Mag and up, leave the rest of the calibers on your hip for back up.

I am aware that the .44 will do a hell of a lot more than the 10mm..... with my 6" Jarvis that 230 gr Beartooth flat nose cast bullet will do 1225 or better; usually more than adequate for most things. The 9.5" thing is a problem.... I have no desire to pack something that large on my hip. If I started carrying a .44 it would be a 4-5.5" barrel in Redhawk or 629.

I do not have any interest in hunting with a handgun; I was more interested in what the 10mm was capable of taking down in the real world.

 

[tantrix]

I am aware that the .44 will do a hell of a lot more than the 10mm..... with my 6" Jarvis that 230 gr Beartooth flat nose cast bullet will do 1225 or better; usually more than adequate for most things. The 9.5" thing is a problem.... I have no desire to pack something that large on my hip. If I started carrying a .44 it would be a 4-5.5" barrel in Redhawk or 629.

I do not have any interest in hunting with a handgun; I was more interested in what the 10mm was capable of taking down in the real world.

Ah I see...so you weren't actually hunting with it but wanting to know what it was capable of taking down. Realistically you could take a bear with it if you had to, it's not too shabby for an autoloader cartridge.


But..


If you're wanting to know if it's worth switching from a 6" 10mm to a 5.5" .44 Mag, even a 5.5" Redhawk is going to be more potent than a 6" 10mm. If it's bears you're worried about, I'd personally switch to .44 Mag. Anything smaller than that the 10mm can handle with your DT loads for sure. I myself though would carry a minimum of .44 Mag against bears.

 

[agtman]

More Double Tap 10mm Fun ...

Just FYI for the OP to consider, but here are a few additional 10mm loads, assuming DT & McNett still offer them:

(Note: McNett indicates that these fps/fpe stats are as chronographed from his G20's 4.6" stock tube) ...

* 10mm/230gn Hardcast @ 1120fps/641fpe;

* 10mm/215gn Wide Flatnosed Gas-Checked (WFNGC)
@ 1225fps/716fpe;

* 10mm/200gn WFNGC/Hardcast @ 1300fps/750fpe;

* 10mm/200gn Hornady FMJ-FP @ 1275fps/722fpe;

* 10mm/200gn Hornady XTP-HP @ 1250fps/694fpe;

* 10mm/180gn Hornady XTP-HP @ 1350fps/728fpe.

Early on, DT offered a heavy-weight 10mm "hunting" load using a 220gn Poly-FP bullet. From McNett's G20 it launched at 1125fps/618fpe ...

... - but out of my 6.5" S&W 610 revolver, this load does 1240fps/751fpe.

Yes, it defines "heavy & fast" in 10mm.

Heh, heh, ... I have several boxes left and am planning on thinning out the local deer herd.

 

[agtman]

(My bad, double post).

 

[Desertscout]

10mm, one - mule deer, zero.

Another mulie succumbed to the awesome power of the 10mm at 0700 on the morning of 6 Nov.
I was bound and determined to get my deer again this year with my G20. I passed on several within rifle range in hopes of getting within range with my pistola. I had planned to hold out until the last day and then go get one with a rifle if I couldn't make a pistol shot. This unfortunate little fork-horn wandered a little too close. 180 gr. Hornady XTP traveling at 1300 fps at 112 yards through both lungs. He walked around for a minute then went down. I was sure I had made a good shot but I was still approaching him slowly. A dang pheasant jumped right out from under me and scared me and the deer both. He jumped up and started running and, as sure as I was that my shot was good, I didn't want him to get into some thick brush so, from the holster, I shot again as he was running away at about 25 yards. The 2nd shot entered his left ear and came out his left eye. Sure enough, that anchored him



Second shot...

 

[agtman]

Nice deer and nice shooting!