10mm or .45

[brianinarng52d]

I have been looking at some guns to carry and want the most knockdown power I can get, but I cant decide between the 10mm or .45acp. Anyone have any input?

 

[seawolfxix]

If you look at ballistics charts, 10mm is going to have more energy than .45 ACP. It's a hotter round (more pressure), so technically it has more "knockdown power."

Good luck finding any though. 10mm isn't nearly as common as .45 ACP, and who knows what it will be like in the future. There's enough demand for .45 ACP that it will always be around, but I'd be skeptical of 10mm catching on.

Plenty of people bet their life on .45 ACP, so I think it is probably sufficient for most defense applications (unless you're worried about bears). Personally, I'm comfortable using 9mm +P.


Here's some threads from other forums:
Terminal Balistics - 10mm vs. .45ACP - 1911Forum
10mm vs 45 auto

 

[Lock n Load]

The 10mm is a monster for an autoloader.... hits very hard w/ great ballistics. The .45acp is slow, steady and a proven performer. I had the best of both worlds in a Colt Delta Elite 1911 in 10mm.... sadly thats one pistol that I do regret selling off.

Alot depends on the shooter, if you practice enough and are willing to put the time in and the rounds down range (should be done w/ any carry firearm, but alot more important in the 10mm) and cost is not an issue then 10mm may be the way to go.

But w/ todays ammo unavailibilty even in .45...? Reloading is even more expensive and components are harder to find now then 6 mos ago.

I hope this confused the issue for ya!!!

But overall, I loved the 10mm but the cost and lack of ammo took me down to .22, 9mm & .45 for pistols (.44mag for hunting). I also supply 2 shooters: my son and I so I have to figure that in the cost equation too.

 

[Redskinsfan]

I have one of each

For the 10mm versus .45ACP issue I have one of each so that I can decide what I want on that particular day. I waited a long time to save up the money to be able to do that though.

The 10mm is certainly more powerful than the 45, no doubt about it.

I reload the 10mm because ammo is so scarce and expensive. Reloading for the 10 is really worth the trouble as it saves so much money.

Have fun making your decision,

Terry

 

[NHT3]

I would think that you could get a 10mm for considerably less that a 45. 10mms are great but like the 45 G.A.P. round they have few followers. Most shops don't want to take them on trade because there isn't much interest in them. If it's what you want and can handle a little extra recoil I think it's a great choice. Again just MHO.

 

[shooter@5(4)life]

I own a G-29 10MM and a G-20 10MM + G-30, G-21 .45ACP + 2 Springfield Armory 1911's and a Sig P-220 .45 ACP and I like them all. 10MM isn't a big deal if you reload? It costs about the same as .40S&W except the large pistol primer! The 10MM is nasty and is like a .40S&W+P if you use the real man loads? I still really like the .45 ACP and wouldn't sell the handguns I have chambered for it!

 

[shooter@5(4)life]

Did you know the late great Jeff Cooper (Mr. 1911) was one of the driving forces in the development of the 10MM? 10mm Auto - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Split]

Don Johnson used a Bren Ten in Miami Vice...therefore I've wanted to carry one in a Miami rig for basically my entire life.

One day...

 

[blue2golf]

.45. Tens of thousands of dead fascists, commies and islamic terrorists can't be wrong.

 

[mike8170]

.45. Tens of thousands of dead fascists, commies and islamic terrorists can't be wrong.

Amen to that, 45 ACP and 230 gr ball rounds have worked out well since WW1. Can't go wrong with that combination, though I would love to have a 10 mm to play with.

 

[paddling_man]

10mm (fully loaded, not down pressured to 40S&W levels) is an amazing auto round! Flat shooting and lots of energy. However, have money to burn or reload for it. I sold mine due to ammo expense.

45acp. Slow but makes a big hole! Readily available, under normal climates, and reasonably affordable. Still own a .45acp (along with 9mm, .40S&W, .357, .38sp, .380, .38S&W, .32acp, .32S&WLong, .22, and .25.)

I never felt a huge advantage to the 10mm over the .45acp with urban/suburban carry. For double duty in the woods I would MUCH rather have a 10mm. Again, I would never buy another unless I bought reloading dies at the same time.

 

[antsi]

I don't think it makes a lick of difference. 9mm, 40SW, 357 SIG, 10mm, or 45 acp - none of them is different enough from any of the others to make the difference between saving your life or not.

Find a reliable gun that you can carry comfortably and shoot well. Get some professional instruction, and practice regularly. Those things will matter a heck of a lot more than what caliber you choose.

 

[mwilson]

10mm

i own a thompson 10mm 1911 and had a delta. if you handload ammo price is no different than .45. i personally like the 10 for all around use. good for protection and enough power for anything in the woods around here. including deer in a pinch

 

[kingnereli]

I am a .45 guy, but I was recently curious about 10mm. I knew going in the numbers were better for the 10mm and that it wasn't near as popular. My experience was that my control went down because of the extra recoil. .45 is the perfect balance of power and controllability. Although if your double taps and such don't suffer then go for it. I would look into any potential over penetration issues though. You just have to try it and see. I'm looking into getting a delta anyway just for fun, not for carry.

 

[rhino]

I have been looking at some guns to carry and want the most knockdown power I can get, but I cant decide between the 10mm or .45acp. Anyone have any input?

Contrary to what Larry Potterfield spews during his infomercials on Outdoor Channel on Wednesday nights, there is no such thing as "knockdown power."

The 10mm can certainly be loaded to exceed the ballistics of the .45ACP in just about every way. The problem is, you don't get something for nothing. Any load you shoot that significantly exceeds the terminal ballistics of the .45ACP is going to have more felt recoil and muzzle flip. That means follow shots will be slower.

There is no gun you can hold in your hands that can guarantee a "one shot stop." Regardless of the caliber you shoot, it is almost certain that you will need more than one (probably several more) hit to eliminate a threat's ability to harm you. That means shooting until the job is accomplished. A gun with excessive recoil and muzzle flip will compromise that objective.

That's one reason why .454 Casull, .500S&W magnum, etc. are not great choices for personal defense. Too much recoil and muzzle flip.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

That's one reason why .454 Casull, .500S&W magnum, etc. are not great choices for personal defense. Too much recoil and muzzle flip.

Speak for yourself, Nancy.

 

[shooter521]

there is no such thing as "knockdown power."

THANK YOU.

10mm has the potential to be an impressive round, but everybody I know who shoots it, handloads; most of the factory 10mm loads on the market are fairly watered down (a few notable exceptions are Cor-Bon, Norma and the Winchester 175gr Silvertip).

10mm ammo has the advantage right now of being available since fewer people shoot it, where .45ACP may not be. I've said it before, but now is a good time to be shooting an oddball round like .45GAP, .357SIG, 9x18 Mak or 10mm - seems to be plenty of ammo on the shelves. Prior to the buying frenzy, 10mm ammo was more expensive to shoot than .45ACP, but prices are much closer now.

One of the big advantages to the .45ACP is that it's got good power and you can get it in some absurdly small guns for CCW purposes. Pretty much anything in 10mm is going to be fairly large; the G29 is the most compact 10 I'm aware of.

Good luck!

 

[PwrCruz]

I have both 10mm & .45 acp and load for both. I was strictly a 10mm guy till I bought my first .45 and reallized that I like that round also. I also do not notice one being more accurate over the other and second follow up shots are so close I do not see a diffrence.
I feel comfortable knowing that either is a great stopper but I still prefer to carry the 10mm due to the fact that if you compare the same size frames you usually get 1-3 more rounds and since I do not like to carry an extra mag I like the extra capacity that the 10mm provides.
The only reason I would recommend the .45 over the 10mm is the ammo issue unless you reload because very few stores carry 10mm ammo.

 

[ChalupaCabras]

IF your looking for "knockdown power" get a baseball bat. In all honesty its just a catch phrase with little basis in reality.

IF your looking for a handgun with solid ballistics and a strong ability to stop an attacker, then either the 45 or 10mm would be wonderfull choices when loaded with proper defencive ammunition. Instead of choosing the caliber first, you should choose your intended platform first: find a pistol that you like, and then get it in wichever caliber is availible.

 

[roysecup]

The 10mm definately has the edge as far as stopping power, but like others have said the problem will be finding ammo, since it is not nearly as common as 45acp