| 10mm Auto | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 10mm Autojacketed flat point cartridge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Pistol | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of origin | United States/Sweden | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Used by | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1983 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Produced | 1983–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Variants | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | .30 Remington[5][6] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Case type | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rim thickness | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Case length | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall length | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Case capacity | 1.56 cm3 (24.1 gr H2O) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rifling twist | 406.40 mm (1 in 16 inches)[7][8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primer type | Large pistol | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (C.I.P.) | 230 MPa (33,000 psi)[9] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (SAAMI) | 37,500 psi (259 MPa)[10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test barrel length: 117 millimetres (4.6 inches)[11] Source(s):Underwood Ammunition XTP-JHPRBCD Performance Plus Ammunition | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The10mm Auto (also known as the 10×25mm, officialC.I.P. nomenclature:10 mm Auto,[7] officialSAAMI nomenclature:10mm Automatic)[8] is a powerful and versatilesemi-automatic pistolcartridge introduced in 1983. Its design was adopted and later produced byammunition manufacturerFFV Norma AB ofÅmotfors,Sweden.[12]
Although it was selected for service by theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1989 in the aftermath of the1986 FBI Miami shootout, the cartridge was later decommissioned (except by theHostage Rescue Team andSpecial Weapons and Tactics Teams) after their Firearms Training Unit eventually concluded that its recoil was too excessive for training average agents and police officers,[12] and that the pistols chambered for the cartridge were too large to grip well for some small-handed individuals. These issues led to the creation of and following replacement by a shorter, less powerful version of the 10mm that exists today as the.40 S&W. While the 10mm hasn't attained the mainstream success of the .40 S&W, it has an enthusiastic group of supporters and users. There are currently more manufacturers offering firearms in this caliber than ever before.
WhenFFV Norma AB (nowNorma Precision AB) designed the cartridge at the behest of Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises, Inc. for theirBren Ten pistol (a newly developedhandgun with a design inspired by theCZ 75), the company decided to increase the power overJeff Cooper's original concept. The resulting cartridge—which was introduced in 1983 and produced since—is very powerful, retaining the flat trajectory and high energy of amagnumrevolver cartridge in a relatively short, versatile rimless cartridge for asemi-automatic pistol.[12]
Quality control issues plagued early acceptance of the caliber, as a result of rushed production to meet numerous (some even defaulted) pre-orders of the pistol it was originally—as well as then being only—chambered for: theBren Ten.[13] An example is the peculiar circumstances surrounding the pistol's distribution at its primary release, leading to a number of initial Bren Tens sent to dealers and customers without magazines (the magazines themselves had complications).[14] The relatively high price of the Bren Ten compared to other pistols of the time (manufacturer's suggested retail price was $500 in 1986, the equivalent of $1,200United States dollars in 2021[15]) was another factor in its demise, and the company was eventually forced to declarebankruptcy, ceasing operations in 1986 after only three years of inconsistent, substandard production. Had it not been forColt making the unexpected decision in 1987 to bring out theirDelta Elite pistol (a 10mm Auto version of theM1911) and later, the FBI's adoption of the caliber in 1989, the cartridge might have sunk into obsolescence, becoming an obscure footnote in firearms history.[16]
Due to media exposure in the television seriesMiami Vice, whereone of the lead protagonists hadused the pistol as his primary signature weapon, demand for the Bren Ten increased after manufacturing ceased. In the succeeding five years, prices on the Standard Model rose to in excess of U.S. $1,400, and original magazines were selling for over U.S. $150.[17][18]
TheFederal Bureau of Investigation briefly field-tested the 10mm Auto using aM1911 pistol and aThompson Model 1928 submachine gun[19][20] as an "urban carbine" before adopting theSmith & Wesson Model 1076 in 1990; a short-barreled version of theModel 1026 with its slide-mounted decock/firing pin block safety supplanted by only a frame-mounted decocker. A contract was signed withHeckler & Koch to produce a quantity of the specializedMP5 utilizing the cartridge, designatedMP5/10 for use by theirHostage Rescue Team andSpecial Weapons and Tactics Teams. Since 1994, both units still field the weapon and caliber to this day.[1][2]
The 10mm cartridge was selected forFederal Bureau of Investigation use after a Wound Ballistics Seminar at the FBI Academy in September 1987, which managed to agree what a good cartridge would do, but couldn't agree if 9mm or .45 ACP could meet FBI requirements.[21] In the same year, an informal test was conducted using a variety of available 9mm and .45 ACP handguns. The test indicated that only the type of 9mm round, described as "147 grain subsonic hollow point round produced by Winchester" had acceptable penetration.[22] The test seemed inconsistent or contradictory to future observers, and it was accused of heavy .45 ACP and American handgun bias.[23]
According to the latter 10mm report, it was decided: "five shots were fired in each of the 8 penetration tests, providing a total of 40 shots for each caliber or bullet type tested". The first selected was the 9mm described above. The second was a ".45 round, Remington 185 grain hollow point". The Wound Ballistic Workshop participants had a "consensus" that hollow points with "superior penetration" was what was needed.
The 10mm was picked as a "halfway" between the other two options, in terms of size. The "commercial loadings" had "high chamber pressures", which resulted in "heavy recoil" and "muzzle blast". A 180 grain hollow point bullet was "acquired and handloaded to a velocity of 950 feet per second". Later on, factory-loaded ammunition was acquired that met their requirements. During the trials, the 10mm was found to be comparable to the .45 ACP (Not surprising as the bullet weight and velocities were now so similar), but the 10mm was found to take up less space and produce shot groups on targets that were half the size.[21]
As the FBI was adopting a 10mm cartridge closer in bullet weight and velocity to the .45 ACP, there was a need for large amounts of newly built ammunition of this type. This requirement was later submitted toFederal Premium Ammunition for production and further review. This became known as the "10mm Lite", or "10mm FBI" load, or attenuated 10mm, remaining common from various manufacturers today. With some pistol reliability problems increasing in this lighter load,[18]Smith & Wesson observed that a version of the 10mm case reduced to 22 millimeters in length from the original 25 mm could be made with the retained performance parameters of the "10mm Lite". This altered cartridge was named the.40 Smith & Wesson. The shorter case allowed use in pistols designed with similar dimensions to those chambered in9×19mm Parabellum, with the advantage that smaller-handed shooters could now have smaller-frame semi-automatic handguns. Colloquially called the "Forty Cal" and other synonyms, this innovation since became a common handgun cartridge amonglaw enforcement agencies andcivilians in the United States, while the parent 10mm Auto remains fairly popular and has shown a resurgence in recent years particularly among hunters.[12]
Colt re-released theirColt Delta Elite series as generation 2 starting in 2009 where it ran until 2015. From 2016 to present, generation 2.5 has been in production. In 2015,SIG Sauer entered the 10mm marketplace with theirP220 model chambered in 10mm.Ruger introduced a 10mm auto model to their popularSR1911 line in mid 2017, followed by their Blackhawk, Redhawk and 10mmGP100 Match Champion and Wiley Clapp models in 2018. TheSpringfield Armory XD-M series added a 10mm offering in late 2018.[24] In November 2021, Smith & Wesson introduced 10mm Auto models in theM&P 2.0 series.[25][26][27] In 2022 SIG released the 10mm AutoP320-XTEN in the P320 series.[28] In 2024Taurus released their first 10mm pistol, the 10mm Auto TH10 pistol in the hammer-fired TH line.[29][30]
The 10mm Auto has 1.56milliliter (24.1grainH
2O) cartridge case capacity.
10mm Auto maximum CIP cartridge dimensions[7]
The commonriflingtwist rate for this cartridge is 406.40 mm (1 in 16 inches), 6 grooves, Ø lands = 9.91 mm (.390 in), Ø grooves = 10.17 mm (.4005 in), and land width = 3.05 mm (.120 in). A large or small pistolprimer is used.[7][8]
The CIP rulings indicate a maximum pressure of 230 MPa (33,000 psi). In CIP-regulated countries, every pistol/cartridge combination is required to beproofed at 130% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to consumers.[9]
The SAAMI maximum pressure limit for the 10mm Auto is set at 37,500 psi (259 MPa).[10]
At mid-range potential, the 10mm Auto produces energy higher than an average mainstream.357 Magnum. The 10mm is slightly less powerful than the .357 Magnum with high-performing commercially-available ammunition, or hand-loaded .357 magnums, and well below standard.41 Magnum rounds. The cartridge is considered to be high-velocity, giving it a less arcing flight path upon firing (also termed "flat-shooting") relative to other handgun cartridges. More powerful loadings can basically equal the highest performing .357 Magnum loads, and retain more kinetic energy at 100 yards than the.45 ACP has at the muzzle.[12]
The 10mm outperforms the .40 S&W by 150–300 ft/s (46–91 m/s) for similar bullet weights when using available full-power loads,[31] as opposed to the "10mm FBI" level loads still found in some ammunition catalogs.[32][33] This result is due to the 10mm Auto's higher SAAMI pressure rating of 37,500 psi (259 MPa),[10] as opposed to 35,000 psi (240 MPa) for the .40 S&W,[10] and the larger case capacity, which allows the use of heavier bullets and moresmokeless powder.[34]
The 10mm Auto is marketed for hunting,[35] defensive, and tactical use[36] and is one of the few semi-automatic, rimless cartridges that is legal for huntingwhite-tailed deer in many U.S. states.[37][38] The round makes the "Major"power factor ranking in theInternational Practical Shooting Confederation, even in lighter loadings.[39]
The FBIHostage Rescue Team,Special Weapons and Tactics Teams, and various other law enforcement agencies continue to issue or authorize the use of 10mm, including: theCoconut Creek Police Department, Glasgow, Montana Police Department,Weimar Police Department,[40] and theSan FranciscoBay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department.[41]
In military use, the government ofDenmark has issued the Glock 20 to theSlædepatruljen Sirius (Sirius Sledge Patrol) headquartered inDaneborg,NortheastGreenland.[4] The pistols were issued as a last resort defence againstpolar bears which the unit encounters during patrols.[42][43]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Rainey said BART officers typically carry a 10 mm Glock or a .40-caliber Sig Sauer semi-automatic handgun, although some are authorized to carry other weapons.
Most Danish units use 9mm automatics like the CF but the Sirius Patrol learned through hard experience that 9mms had insufficient 'stopping power' to deal with angry adult polar bears. As a result, Sirius Patrol members carry a more powerful 10mm pistols for self-defence, employing the 10mm Glock 20 automatic.
The weapons carried also reflect the harsh conditions. Only bolt-action rifles (M17/M53) performs reliably. The standard SIG210 Neuhausen sidearm was recently replaced by the 10mm Glock 20, as the stopping power of multiple 9mm rounds proved to be insufficient against a polar bear.
