What is the future of the 10mm auto?

[Greg8098]

Is the 10mm experiencing a resurgence, or is it currently on it's death bed? Will it remain as mostly a reloader's cartridge or will ammo manufacturers finally begin offering a variety of loads, including full power in multiple bullet weights that will be competively priced with .45 acp. This is just a thread for speculation, ( ALL OPINIONS WELCOMED). Even though I am a 10mm fan. G-20, G-29.

 

[Autolycus]

I hope it gets more popular. I think the cartridge is excellent. However I dont see it getting more popular as .40 filled the gap that people wanted from 10mm.

 

[MTMilitiaman]

I don't think the 10mm Auto will ever see mainstream popularity on the same level as say, the .45 ACP, but I do think that it will continue to have a good, solid, and devote fan base for a long time.

People said that it was dead when the FBI dropped it. Almost twenty years later, here we are. The 10mm Auto is a versitile cartridge with a lot to offer. It has performance in spades, and you can usually find someone who wants performance.

What the 10mm Auto lacks is all the advertising hype, the military history, and the gun company endorsements to make it famous. It doesn't have "Colt" or "S&W" on its case head, so it probably won't ever acheive that level of popularity. That doesn't mean it is dead. If not being one of the popular ones meant you were dead, how many of us would have made it through high school?

Around here, the 3 closest places I can get ammo all sell some sort of 10mm Auto ammo. Most of it is watered down stuff, and some of it is a little pricey, but I can get it. I can go to a gas station and pick up Silvertips. Maybe it is more popular here than elsewhere. I don't know. The 10mm Auto deserves more popularity than it has. There are good choices for pistols and ammo out there, but I would like to see more of them. An XD in 10mm Auto would rock. A stainless P220 would as well. More ammo choices are what it needs most of. Not watered down FBI-Lite stuff. At least moderately loaded, and preferrebly full power stuff. Like Double Tap. Put a mag of Double Tap through a Glock 20 and behind that big grin you'll be thinking "Yeah! Now we're getting somewhere!" Or at least I did. Whether we will get all this stuff, I don't know. In the meantime, I handload anyways, and I know that at least with that capability, the 10mm isn't going away, and will probably stay right where I need it, right on my hip, for a long time.

 

[cyco668]

The second thread in the General Discussion forum is a sticky for 10mm threads. That should indicate to you some of it's (10mm) popularity. Everytime someone says 10mm is dying, another manufacturer introduces a a new model.
BrenTen-AMT-Colt-S&W-Ruger-Glock-Tanfoglio-Dan Wesson-Kimber and so on...

 

[defiant73a]

It'll probably hang in there right about where it is now. Like the .41 Magnum, it is a niche cartridge with a core a dedicated fans. It is a good general purpose calibre in that it is the only autoloader cartridge that can reasonably be used for defence and hunting, but the service calibres are as well or better suited for LE/personal defence, and there are certainly better hunting calibres available.

Compared to the service calibres, there are very few handguns currently chambered for it: the G20/29, the EAA Witness, and some limited-run 1911-types. If Glock ever drops the G20/29, it could very easily dry up and blow away.

Ammo can be hard to find locally (and expensive). After some of the stunts I've seen UPS, FedEx, etc. pull over the past several years and watching shipping charges skyrocket this year, I have severe reservations about any calibre that leaves my ammo supply at the mercy of shipping companies--and for the most part, you are very much at the mercy of the shipping companies when it comes to 10mm ammo.

 

[NMGlocker]

You are at the mercy of shipping companies no matter what caliber you shoot.
How do you think the local gunstore gets its ammo....... ammo fairies? The big brown truck delivers their ammo as well.

 

[Myself]

I feel that the 10mm has experienced a small resurgence in recent years due to the availability of ammo loaded to (or even slightly beyond) the original Norma specs. With Texas ammo (sadly gone) then Double Tap making ammo that finally reveals the potential of the round more people started paying attention.

I do not think it will ever become a main stream cartridge but I feel it will continue at increased interest. Now we need gun companies to produce some new platforms for the cartridge!

 

[defiant73a]

I understand that, NMGlocker, but only takes the stroke of a manager's pen to change to policy to no ammo deliveries (ORM-D) to residential addresses (or discover a "pilferage problem" and demand overnight rates, etc., etc., etc.). Already, depsite current UPS guidelines, there have been instances of local UPS offices refusing to accept handguns from non-FFLs.

I just don't have a lot of warm fuzzies when it comes to UPS and FedEx anymore (and just look at the games e-bay and PayPal have paid with gun owners). I refuse to become dependent on UPS/FedEx for ammunition--and when it comes to 10mm, you are largely dependent on them.

It may not ever happen. I hope it never happens, but based on recent history, you have to acknowledge it could happen. How long do you think companies like Double Tap, Georgia Arms, etc. could stay in business, if UPS and FedEx decide to restrict delivery of ammunition to business addresses (or even FFL addresses) only. I prefer the capability of buying locally if the need arises. It's just a point to consider when your primary (or sole) source of ammunition depends companies that have already proven less than friendly to gun owners. YMMV.

 

[Vitamin G]

I've personally turned three people onto 10mm, each of which has purchased at least one 10mm pistol.
I think the PIA of 10mm, is that factory ammo is so expensive, which causes many of the 10mm fans to reload... The problem is that since most of the 10mm fans reloading, the ammo costs stays higher...

 

[bakjr]

I'm a recent convert. Bought my first 10mm, a Glock 20, in January of this year and now have 9 different pistols chambered in 10mm.

I don't think that the 10mm will ever become a mainstream caliber, but I do believe it is experiencing a resurgence of some extent. I frequent 6 boards and the number of 10mm threads has risen quite a lot in the last 10 months. Additionally, look how fast the 10mm handguns are selling when they come up for sale. The prices, especially on the S&W 10xx series have increased quite a bit in the last several months as well and even with the increase, they are selling as fast as they get posted up.

 

[pinotguy]

I believe that 10mm is experiencing a resurgence of sorts. It is small and slow but that's OK - when dealing with 10mm, any sign of progress is considered good. I can recall four things that seem to support this in the last 12-18 mos. (in no particular order):

1.) Dan Wesson, already producing two models in the caliber, re-introduced the Razorback/RZ-10. This is after CZ had acquired them. I can't imagine a company like CZ approving RZ production if they did not feel it would be a money maker. Makes you hope that CZ will start producing their own 10mm pistols.

2.) Bob Serva, formerly of DW, launched his own company and plans on producing some models in 10mm. He is clearly a 10mm devotee as evidenced by his time with DW. Have heard unsubstantiated rumors that Fusion will be making a Longslide in 10mm (think DW Global Hunter) - Along these same lines, have heard DW will be adding to the model line next year as well.

3.) Wilson Combat has made 10mm an option for the CQB model. Interesting that a semi-custom firm like that would choose this caliber.

4.) Fiocchi has started making a 10mm load - 200 grain FMJ at ~ 1050 FPS. It's so new that it hasn't even hit the market yet. That's fairly pedestrian performance but, to me, Fiocchi is the last company that I'd expect to begin offering 10mm. Maybe there's an Italian connection with Tanfoglio?

As other posters have noted, 10mm will remain a fringe caliber. It will never enter the mainstream - unless someone like Colt, S&W, or SIG takes a chance and begins offering guns in it again. Don't see that happening so us 10mm fans will keep being a very vocal minority.