.40 cal or 10mm

[GlockRyan]

I have a 4th Generation Glock 20 and (2) 3rd Gen .40 cal Glocks (27 & 35). I love the .40's, but the power of the 10mm is unmatched. It's like taking one of my .357's out and shooting .38 spl through it and then switching to the hotter .357's! 10mm is the way to go!

 

[Hohn]

You can always download the 10mm if you want it to shoot softer (or get commercial 10mm loadings at the LGS).

But you can't crank up a .40 very far.

The main appeal to me of 10mm is the ability to load heavier bullets of higher sectional density. 200gr and 220gr loadings can't properly be done in a .40.

So, even if you never load up the mighty 10mm to nuclear levels, you can still run a 200gr JHP at the 1000 FPS range and have arguably the most effective SD loading available in terms of penetration in a JHP.

Or, you can run a 200gr in a really hot loading and still get over 16" penetration:
http://youtu.be/KFUAmIgR918

 

[Harley46982]

I'd go 10 more versatile, however if it is going to be a SD gun and I had smaller hands I may stick with .40

 

[Sniper 79]

I would go with 10mm and have some fun hunting with it. Definatly hogs down south!

 

[Harley46982]

Or black bear in Maine!

 

[MolonLabe7]

.40 is more readily available and cheaper. Personally I would skip both the 10mm and .40 and just get a .45acp. But if I had to choose, I would probably go with either a 10mm glock or a 10mm 1911... not a big fan of .40.

 

[Adamz04]

I shoot 9mm and 357sig a lot and I recently picked up a new glock 20 in 10mm. Wow what a sweet shooter. I was really surprised on how soft of a shooter it is. One of my new favorites.

Go 10mm and skip the short and weak

 

[dtkw]

I believe from the deadly result of the FBI shootout in Miami that prompted the 9mm needed to upgrade into something more powerful and be a man stopper. Then the birth of 10mm was out. But unfortunately, many agents could not handle the recoil of the 10mm. So after a little while, they looked again. I think the result is the .40 S&W or 10mm short.

 

[rugertoter]

I'm looking to buy another gun within the next month. Im torn between a .40 cal and 10mm. I do not have either one nor have I ever shot either one. I know that the ammo for the 10mm is more expensive than the .40 cal. Which one is more powerful? I have heard some say its the .40 and others say its the 10mm. Heck i have heard some say the 9mm is more powerful than the .40. With so many different opinions how is one to know who to believe? This is why I like INGO, there is a lot of knowledge here. Hopefully there is more knowledge than ignorance. Just kidding.

The 10mm Auto (10x25mm) is more powerful than the .40 S&W (10x22mm). The .40 came from the 10mm Auto. On average, the .40 carries more muzzle energy than the 9mm (9x19mm).

 

[warren5421]

What I carryi n my STI 10mm: Underwood Ammo: 10mm Auto 200 Grain XTP Jacketed Hollow Point. Let’s see a .40 S&W put that much powerdown range

 

[jeberle40]

I shot the my XDm .40 3.8" and compared it to a Tanfoglio 10mm at the range. Honestly, I couldn't tell much difference between them as far as recoil or anything. But the 10mm is definitely the more powerful load, however there is nothing wrong with a .40. If you are going to get a 10milli though, I hear G20 is the way to go.

 

[edporch]

I shot the my XDm .40 3.8" and compared it to a Tanfoglio 10mm at the range. Honestly, I couldn't tell much difference between them as far as recoil or anything. But the 10mm is definitely the more powerful load, however there is nothing wrong with a .40. If you are going to get a 10milli though, I hear G20 is the way to go.

A Glock 20 is definitely a good 10mm.
But the Glock 29 is also a good 10mm when you need to carry something more compact.
I have both and like them both.

 

[shibumiseeker]

I believe from the deadly result of the FBI shootout in Miami that prompted the 9mm needed to upgrade into something more powerful and be a man stopper. Then the birth of 10mm was out. But unfortunately, many agents could not handle the recoil of the 10mm. So after a little while, they looked again. I think the result is the .40 S&W or 10mm short.

Unfortunately this is a very common misperception and is not really true. The FBI's nixing of the 10mm had nothing to do with handling and everything to do with internal politics of the FBI with regard to gun contracts with S&W and the like. The information for which comes directly from people who were involved with the process back then and there's some good write-ups on the net to be found with a little searching.

 

[LEaSH]

A Glock 20 is definitely a good 10mm.
But the Glock 29 is also a good 10mm when you need to carry something more compact.
I have both and like them both.

Ed or shibumseeker, do you reload 10mm?

Do you find a big loss or any negative aspects from the shorter barrel?

I'm considering a Witness P Carry, but have not found information (online) if 3.6" barrel is what I want to watch giant flames or reduced velocity from a pricey cartridge.

Probably not an issue, but wanted to get your experience. Thanks.

 

[sig1473]

Unfortunately this is a very common misperception and is not really true. The FBI's nixing of the 10mm had nothing to do with handling and everything to do with internal politics of the FBI with regard to gun contracts with S&W and the like. The information for which comes directly from people who were involved with the process back then and there's some good write-ups on the net to be found with a little searching.

Per an article found on the interweb:
The subsequent FBI investigation placed partial blame for the agents' deaths on the lack of stopping power exhibited by their service handguns. The FBI soon began the search for a more powerful caliber and cartridge. Noting the difficulties of reloading a revolver while under fire, the FBI specified that agents should be armed with semiautomatic handguns. The Smith & Wesson 1076, chambered for the 10mm Auto round, was chosen as a direct result of the Miami shootout. The sharp recoil of the 10mm Auto later proved too much for most agents to control effectively, and a special reduced velocity loading of the 10mm Auto round was developed, commonly referred to as the "10mm Lite" or "10mm FBI".
Soon thereafter, Smith and Wesson realized the long case of the 10mm Auto was not necessary to produce the decreased ballistics of the FBI load. Smith and Wesson developed a shorter cased cartridge based on the 10mm that would ultimately replace the 10mm as the primary FBI service cartridge, the .40 S&W. The .40 S&W became more popular than its parent due to the ability to chamber the shorter cartridge in standard frame automatic pistols designed initially for the 9 mm Parabellum. Other than a .142" reduction in overall case length, resulting in less gunpowder capacity in the .40 S&W; the 10mm and .40 S&W are identical in projectile diameter, both using a 0.400" caliber bullet.
In addition to the changes made at the FBI, this incident contributed to the increasing trend of law enforcement agencies switching from revolvers to semi-automatic pistols across the nation.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Per an article found on the interweb:.

Which is the "official" story that's been repeated so often it's taken as truth. But it's not the whole story, because the back-scenes maneuvering paints the FBI in a bad light as there were shennanigans going on between them and S&W at the time. I probably shouldn't have said "nothing to do" but rather "excuse used."

I don't have the links to the materials off-hand, but it's out there with some digging.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Ed or shibumseeker, do you reload 10mm?

Do you find a big loss or any negative aspects from the shorter barrel?

I'm considering a Witness P Carry, but have not found information (online) if 3.6" barrel is what I want to watch giant flames or reduced velocity from a pricey cartridge.

Probably not an issue, but wanted to get your experience. Thanks.

I mostly only shoot my handloads. Generally speaking between my G20 and G29 barrel I lose about 40-50fps for my 180gr loads which is still hotter than the most potent .40. This is using Power Pistol. I don't specifically load for short barrels because most of mine are either full size or longer, but a load could be tweaked to maximize the potential out of the shorter barrel.

 

[JasonB]

Unless you plan to reload your own (and hopefully if lucky find brass) 40cal will be a lot easier to find ammo for...

40cal gets beat up by some but still very good shooting rounds.

 

[edporch]

Ed or shibumseeker, do you reload 10mm?

Do you find a big loss or any negative aspects from the shorter barrel?

I'm considering a Witness P Carry, but have not found information (online) if 3.6" barrel is what I want to watch giant flames or reduced velocity from a pricey cartridge.

Probably not an issue, but wanted to get your experience. Thanks.

I was gearing up to reload 10mm, and have 500 pieces of brass, bullets and primers.

When the panic hit, I still needed powder, and had decided what I wanted, but it isn't available.

But I will be reloading 10mm when the panic backs down enough.


As to the barrel, I got a Storm lake barrel for my Glock 29, when I saw chrono tests that showed increased velocity.

But Glock 29 is definitely more powerful than a Glock 27 in .40SW.

 

[Whitey1]

Buy the Glock 10mm of your choice and an aftermarket conversion barrell for it. Best of both worlds. 29 and kkm for me. 40 is a *****cat after full power 10