Friday, January 10, 2025

10mm: Reservations

 


Back when I was just getting into the centrefire pistol game my first gun was a bust - a bobbed S&W 59 in 9mm. I HATED it and decided early to swap it off on the first chance I got. This was about the time that Colt was rolling out their heart throb 10mm Delta Elite pistols on the 1911 platform and I fell head over heels in lust for them. Fortunately I couldn’t afford it - they were top tier pistols with price tags to match, and as the first of their breed, they were prone to problems. In short - the power of the cartridge was too much for the gun and it literally beat itself to death trying to digest the high powered rounds. If I recall my lore correctly Colt and other manufacturers solved the problem by doubling up on the recoil springs.

But still…that’s a helluva lot of power to pack into a service sized semiautomatic pistol. I could get away with it because I hand load and I’d run patty cake target loads through it for the most part. Aside from that… it seems that the initial teething problems have more or less gone away…

Or has it?




The thing of it all is… if ya want more power… why not just do it right and get a big bejeezus revolver that is built from the ground up to handle high powered ammunition? We see this nonsense going on with the AR15… they’ve come out with all kinds of blistering hot proprietary and boutique calibres that push the design to its very limits and arguably beyond (I’m lookin’ at YOU, Nosler)…but they are not the only ones. Why not just wipe, call it a chit…and get an AR10? Or a more robust bolt gun?

I’m a huge fan of the 10mm… but also of the 41 magnum. By my reckoning should have the following that the .357 does… Elmer Kieth was one smart cookie.

In my next life… I will some serious thinking to do about my armament…🤔


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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 10, 2025 at 5:36 PM

    I bit the bullet in 1989-1990 and got a pair of Deltas, Combat Elite and Gold Cup. Added custom double spring/steel guide rods to both, also the rubber buffer ring offered at the time by various outfits. Used them in casual competition with pals and bums.

    The rubber thingy made the brass hit me in the forehead, so eventually dropped those.

    Still have both pistols and load 'em easy for the most part. They are a joy to shoot. Understand they are making them again.

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    1. FilthieJanuary 11, 2025 at 9:34 AM

      What kind of accuracy are you getting with them, A?

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 10, 2025 at 7:56 PM

    Can I borrow a grand to buy a Ruger SFAR in 6.5 Creedmoor?

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  3. Don CurtonJanuary 11, 2025 at 5:48 AM

    By the time you add all those doo-hickeys to the pistol, it's gotta weigh 10 lbs or more. At that point why not just carry a freaking rifle? The old saying that a pistol is just a weapon used to fight your way to your rifle and all that.

    And everyone I know that owned a 41 mag revolver loved it. Except they could never find any ammo. If I happen to see one, maybe I'll buy it. As a reloader the ammo issue shouldn't be a problem. I'd prefer a Ruger Blackhawk for mine.

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    1. FilthieJanuary 11, 2025 at 9:17 AM

      I can see a super compact laser/flashlight set up, Don. But … yeah. Not knocking them… but nobody outside the door kicking special forces NEEDS a can. And I’m not sure red dot sights are all they’re cracked up to be.

      But I have enough problems on my shooting bench to be sticking my nose onto others…

      Friggin Wirecutter had the Blackhawk in 41 mag a long time ago… I wonder if he still has it? Buddy of mine had the S&W double action years ago and let me shoot it… and no matter how much I offered or begged, the fag wouldnt sell it to me. I have not forgiven him to this day…

      Delete
  4. Tree MikeJanuary 11, 2025 at 8:27 AM

    Glock got the 10mm right. AND it holds 15-16 rounds. That's serious horsepower for 5, 6 hundred bucks. POWER to the People!
    Glock for 9-10mm. 1911 for 45. So it is written, so shall it be!

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    1. FilthieJanuary 11, 2025 at 9:08 AM

      They sure did Mike… credit where credit is due…and it looks like they put it in a long slide format too… it almost makes me want to take back all the rotten things I say about Glocks…

      Almost. 🤣👍

      Delete
  5. WL EmeryJanuary 11, 2025 at 3:32 PM

    I've got the S&W Md. 59 in 9mm. Hi cap mag, DA autoloader. I bought it for the hi cap mag and the DA feature, but it is not an easy pistol to shoot. I can hit the target now, but it took practice. For one thing, the thing has a nasty snap to it, and if you don't tie down on it it's prone to stovepipe on you.

    Good choice on the .41, by the way.

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    1. FilthieJanuary 11, 2025 at 5:22 PM

      There’s nothing wrong with the 59 WL. I’m just like that with guns… it felt like a chunk of awkward metal in my hands and the ergonomics just disagreed with me. If I recall correctly JL carries one on duty and he loves it.

      It’s the damnedest thing too. I was set on the Sharps for my retirement BPRC gun and I was astonished and heart broken to find the same thing… it just felt “wrong” in my hands. Worse… the only rifle that felt right was the scabbiest of all the buffalo guns - the Remington rolling block.

      I don’t have much experience with the plastic fantastic… all I know is I hate Glock, but love the Sigs, FNs and HKs. Ya go with what feels right and if Glocks does it for ya - smile and use it. Ditto for the 59, Sharps, or anything else…

      Delete
  6. AnonymousJanuary 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM

    Elmer did wonderful in the .41Mag.
    These can be a great carry (657 2in), or hiker (57 6in), not forgetting Marlin's and now Henry's lever in the same, nor DE's pistol from the wayback machine.

    As for 10mm, a Kimber is concealable, but looking to do so with Sig's XTEN when I locate a decent shoulder rig.

    Have fun, play safe.
    David

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