Thoughts on 10mm 1911

[wojownik]

So, I'm thinking of a Colt Delta Elite in 10mm, which I can get NIB from a friend who is downsizing.

He wants to focus on 45acp. My 1911s are all in 45, and I had been starting to think of a 9mm 1911 and/or Dan Wesson. But a Colt 10mm is intriguing me, though it is an expensive whim.

What say ye all about the 10mm in a 1911. Pros, cons, indifference ??? Should I take the plunge?

 

[ATLDave]

What age/gen is that Colt Delta Elite? Look carefully at the issue of chamber support if you're planning to run full-power loads.

 

[WestKentucky]

I would skip the delta elite (I sold one at a loss) because of an unsupported chamber. If you really want a 10mm 1911 look elsewhere. There are other companies who actually reingineered their guns to properly support the chamber, and they are usually similarly priced or even cheaper than the colt.

 

[Iggy]

I have carried DW 1911 10 mms in Govt and CCO configuration since 2003. Got lots of rounds through both of them without any hitches and my wrist ain't broke either.View attachment 779717

 

[Charliefrank]

I've owned a Delta Elite since 1998. Never experienced a single issue with it.

 

[Slamfire]

It has been a long time since I saw someone shooting a 10mm. I never got to shoot one, but from what I saw, they kick. Brass was ejected a country mile. Probably a great round as it seems to be making a come back.

If you can get a real deal on a Colt 10mm, I would go for it.

 

[CDW4ME]

My EDC is a Delta 10mm


Got used for more than carry.

 

[Charliefrank]

It has been a long time since I saw someone shooting a 10mm. I never got to shoot one, but from what I saw, they kick. Brass was ejected a country mile. Probably a great round as it seems to be making a come back.

If you can get a real deal on a Colt 10mm, I would go for it.

I never found the recoil to be as stout as I've heard others claim. Certainly no more than my 357 revolver. My 10mm. oops

 

[Rio Laxas]

I like 1911s and I like 10mm, but I never held on to either of my 10mm 1911s for some reason. I had a Colt Delta Elite that I had customized and a Dan Wesson PM7. They were both good pistols, and I didn't find either unpleasant to shoot, but I prefer the Glock 20.

 

[tommy.duncan]

I have a Colt DE and a Ruger 10mm 1911.

I have had the Colt customized (Thumb Safety, 70's Trigger). Although the Delta is not barrel is not fully supported I still
shoot this pistol quite often. I usually stick to over the counter ammo and sometimes Buffalo Bore.

The Ruger has a fully supported barrel. I shoot Underwood ammo and my own hand loads.. The only changes I made to the
Ruger are a Wilson Shok-Buff and a dab of my daughters orange finger nail polish for the front sight.

They are both really good shooters. I would never get rid of either of these pistols, but I am a huge 1911 fan.

I am also a huge 10mm fan. I also have 2 Glocks, 2 Sigs, a Ruger SRH, and an EAA Witness in 10mm.

If you are getting the Colt at a good price I would jump at it. If the price isn't that good you can get the Ruger 10mm 1911
for around $800. I would recommend the Ruger if you are only going to have one 10mm 1911.

 

[bannockburn]

wojownik

I agree with what tommy.duncan just posted: if you're getting a great deal on a Colt Delta Elite then I would go for it. But if not and I still wanted a 1911 in a 10mm. I would probably be looking at a Ruger SR1911.

 

[dr3d]

The DE is a fine pistol. Chamber support is less than ideal - most notably, for someone that uses brass more than once. However, if you are shooting Sammi spec'd ammo - it is absolutely safe. If you dream of loading to maximum possible velocity with careless disregard of specs, starting loads and published max loads: a pistol with the absolute best chamber support you can find is a good idea.

10mm is my absolute favorite cartridge. I had a RIA 10mm and currently have a Dan Wesson Silverback and Mechtech Carbine. It is not the stoutest round I shoot from 1911s, but it is the stoutest pistol cartridge I fire without a honk'n brake attached. I should mention that recoil is very manageable even when flirting with disaster.

 

[TEAM101]

I'd avoid the Colt DE unless it is recent mfg and cheap.

 

[CDW4ME]

It has been a long time since I saw someone shooting a 10mm. I never got to shoot one, but from what I saw, they kick. Brass was ejected a country mile. Probably a great round as it seems to be making a come back.

If you can get a real deal on a Colt 10mm, I would go for it.

My Delta and 10mm Ruger 1911 eject brass with enthusiasm and thats with a 23# spring in the Delta and 22# in the Ruger.
Handloading allows me to make loads that suit me, more KE with about same recoil as 45 acp depending on loads compared.

10mm Handload 180 Gold Dot @ 1,152 fps / 531# KE - recoil energy 8.1 - PF 207
10mm Handload 180 Nosler @ 1,228 fps / 603# KE - recoil energy 9.2 - PF 221
10mm Handload Nosler 150 JHP @ 1,402 fps / 655# KE - recoil energy 9.4 - PF 210

45 acp Federal 230 HST @ 891 fps / 406# KE - recoil energy 7.8 - PF 205
45 acp Winchester 230 Ranger T @ 915 fps / 428# KE - recoil energy 8.2 - PF 210
45 acp Remington Golden Saber 185 +P @ 1,157 fps / 550# KE - recoil energy 9.0 - PF 214

 

[cowboy77845]

Had a DE Gold Cup for a while. Never had a problem. It was accurate and not unpleasant on recoil. It was not a 22 long rifle though. Put a 22 lb. spring in and away you go. If you get a good price, take it.

 

[RecoilRob]

Is there a date when DE's were made with unsupported chambers? Mine is from '87 and in thousands of rounds it's never bulged a case even running 180 Sierra JHP's at 1250 which is a full power type load (10.5 Blue Dot in Starline cases). If someone wanted to push even farther...I don't know how it would do...but going over any loading book maximum is not where I want to be.

 

[ATLDave]

Rob, there's a lot of discussion and information about this online. See, e.g.,

Whether this matters to anyone is... well, I suppose it depends. I reload 10mm. I have gotten cases from various people. I can certainly tell a difference between cases fired in different guns in terms of where the base of the case expands and how much. If I were running full-tilt loads through 2nd hand brass, this would matter a lot to me. That's not what I use that brass for, though, so it's NBD. I know my Tanfoglios allow comparatively little bulging, and case life with good brass is extremely long.

I can tell you, with great confidence, that the #1 gun for destroying 10mm brass is not a Colt Delta elite, nor is it an early Glock 20 (though both of them can be pretty bulgy). It is an H&K MP5 in 10mm! The fluted chamber guarantees neck splits within 1-2 more firings! If someone with access to a law enforcement range for an agency that had or has those guns ever tries to sell you a bucket of "once fired" 10mm brass, beware!!!!

 

[wojownik]

Still waffling on it - would be trading a p220 for the DE. Just find the p220 to be too chunky.

pro - love 1911s, love Colts, trading off a dust-gathering p220
con - yet another caliber ...

 

[Crowman]

Recently bought a Ruger SR1911 in 10 mm. Delighted with it. Very easy shooter with Buffalo Bore 220 grain hard cast RNFP Outdoorsman loads. I like the design better than the Colt. Here’s mine in Condition 3. Preferred carry is Condition 1. Holster is a Diamond D Guide’s Choice chest rig.





I replaced the front sight with a tritium night sight and put an old satin nickel Colt arched mainspring housing on it that I had in a parts box to naturally raise the point of impact. I also replaced the grips with Pachmayr wrap around grips to improve handling. Sweet shooter. Loads are heavy B.B.

 

[WestKentucky]

Still waffling on it - would be trading a p220 for the DE. Just find the p220 to be too chunky.

pro - love 1911s, love Colts, trading off a dust-gathering p220
con - yet another caliber ...

Not just another caliber. 10mm is special. It's powerful but not ridiculous. It's just about the only semiauto traditional type handgun that can come close to 357mag, and it's fast enough to make good hits at distance without too much figuring for elevation change.

 

[wojownik]

Well, if it's special, I gotta get one. just kidding. I'm going to do the trade though. Will post pics when its done.

I've shot 10mm this week at the range, and while its "peppy" I'm not sure why people seem to think its like its some kind of .454 casull. The post that compared it to a .45+P seems to be right on the mark.

 

[Robert101]

I think the Colt DE is a good gun as well. I've not owned one though. I do have a Dan Wesson Pointman 7-10MM and reload frequently. The gun performs well and I love the 10MM. I shoot more 45 Automatic and my SA Loaded is a workhorse. You will enjoy the 10MM and have fun shooting.

 

[Sean Smith]

I got really deep in the weeds with custom 10mm 1911s like 10 years ago and learned some things from talking to various gunsmiths (Dane Burns, Ted Yost):

1) Most factory 10mm 1911s have TOO MUCH recoil spring weight. Realize that the recoil spring doesn't make the recoil force go away, it just stores X amount of it and then sends it back the other way. I had good luck with a 20# variable rate, and I shot hot stuff a lot back then. I toyed with the idea of going down to 18.5# but never tried it.
2) Neat little trick that's cheap is a flat bottom EGW firing pin stop. Not much $$$ but it delays unlocking and can produce a noticeable reduction in recoil. It will make the gun even harder to rack though, since it reduces the mechanical advantage of the slide pushing against the hammer (or something to that effect.)
3) IIRC it was Dane who liked using AFTEC extractors for high pressure rounds in 1911s like 10mm and 9x23. People have done just fine with conventional extractors of course.
4) Ramped vs. unramped is more important if a) you care how "reusable" your brass actually is, and b) you are running very hot handloads. Some people have gotten "smileys" on their BB/DT hot stuff in unramped 1911s though.

 

[RecoilRob]

Well, if it's special, I gotta get one. just kidding. I'm going to do the trade though. Will post pics when its done.

I've shot 10mm this week at the range, and while its "peppy" I'm not sure why people seem to think its like its some kind of .454 casull. The post that compared it to a .45+P seems to be right on the mark.

Much of the commercially available 10mm IS about the same as +P 185 45 ACP...velocity wise. There are some companies offering the full potential 10mm's and they're WAY hotter than 45's. The 180 @ 1250 is about 'full power' and gets a bit snorty in a 5" Colt where much of what you'll find barely breaks 1100 from what I've seen. Good luck with the new gun...pretty sure you're going to like it.

 

[highlander 5]

I've had a flat bottom fps put in my Ruger 10mm and it cuts the distance my brass is thrown by 1/3-1/2 the normal distance of 12 ft or more.