The Top Five 10s – The 10mm Roundup

The 10mm is one of my favorite rounds. It’s a very versatile load that finds a way to mix both power and capacity at a level we don’t commonly see. A true 10mm load beats most .357 Magnums and can reach .41 Magnum levels of power. Yet, because the bullet is a .40 caliber, you can still stack 15 of them into a duty-sized handgun. The 10mm as a round can be sued for defense against two-legged vermin and animals as big as bears.

Hunting medium game isn’t out of the question, and the round provides a fairly flat shooting round out to 100 yards or so. The round can be downloaded for training and practice and loaded hot for real tasks. It can be as low-powered as a 40 S&W should you so choose. The 10mm has a cult following, and to this day, we have new guns popping up in the caliber. Today we are going to look at the top five best 10mm guns on the market.

Glock 29

I’m giving a slot to the Glock 29 and, by extension, the Glock 20. Glock has never abandoned the 10mm, and I respect that. They also were one of the first companies to produce a subcompact 10mm pistol platform and to keep producing it throughout the years. The Glock 29 is easily one of the most concealable 10mms still on the market.

That being said, it is a handful. It takes some training to control a Glock 29 loaded with full-powered 10mm. If you choose to master this platform, you’ll have a very versatile defensive firearm that doesn’t tip the scales or make concealment difficult. With ten rounds of 10mm, you’ll be more than capable of dealing with whatever threat comes your way.

If I had a wish, it would be for Glock to make a Glock 19-sized 10mm in the MOS platform. Then I’d have my dream carry gun.

SIG P320 XTEN

The SIG P320 is one of my favorite platforms. It’s a very modern modular pistol design with excellent ergonomics and tons of modern features. If you wanted a ten 10mm home defense or duty pistol, then the XTEN fits the bill. It’s a full-sized P320 and comes equipped with a five-inch barrel and full-sized grip frame. This gives you 15 rounds of 10mm and enough velocity and sight radius to make it count.

Don’t forget that SIG made the XTEN optics ready, so slapping on a red dot will make it even easier to shoot at longer ranges. SIG redesigned the grip module to deal with increased recoil. It’s based on the 45 ACP grip module but has been redesigned with extra texture to keep the gun locked in hand. The XTEN is the most modern 10mm currently on the market.

S&W M&P 2 10mm

Remember when I said I wanted a Glock 19-sized 10mm? Well, S&W must’ve heard me when they produced the M&P 2 in 10mm with a 4-inch barrel. The grip is a bit more on the full-sized side with 15 rounds in the magazine. It’s beefy but powerful and a bit easier to hold onto than the Glock 29-sized pistols. The M&P 2 series feature an excellent and aggressive grip texture too. This keeps the gun locked into your hand and prevents it from bucking away under full-powered 10mm loads.

The M&P 2 also comes with an optics-ready slide which is a nice touch for a compact firearm. Additionally, S&W also includes co-witness height sights with their guns to deal with the just-in-case situation when the optic fails. It’s a well-put-together gun that’s a great compromise between size and controllability. It could pull double duty for both concealed carry and home defense.

Dan Wesson Specialist

The 1911 was one of the original platforms to adopt the 10mm. Companies like Colt produced the Delta Elite in 10mm. Ever since then, the 10mm has become one of the more accepted 1911 calibers. With that in mind, the Dan Wesson Specialist represents one of the more modern 1911 designs. It was specifically designed for law enforcement agencies who still carried the 1911 and wanted a more modern take.

The Specialist features a Picatinny rail for lights, front strap checkering, an undercut trigger guard, an ambi safety, an extended magazine release, and even a magwell. It’s the complete package, and it comes in the hard-hitting 10mm. You can enjoy that wonderful single-action trigger while launching centimeter-sized projectiles downrange.

Ruger GP100 Match Champion

I always like having one wildcard in the bunch, and today it’s a revolver chambering the 10mm. It’s an odd combination, but once you shoot it, you’ll understand. This revolver is aimed at the competitive market and is a joy to shoot. It’s low recoiling, with a great trigger and a power of 10mm. It’d be a solid choice for hunting, especially with some full-powered 10mm in the cylinder.

The GP100 Match Champion is service revolver size, and the 10mm makes sense if you like power. It’s more powerful than the .357 Magnum but not as odd as hard to find as .41 Magnum. It’s a hard-hitting round in a proven platform.

10mms For All

The mighty centimeter is one helluva round. It hits hard, flies far, and can be loaded to a wide degree of power levels. It’s one of those cartridges that aren’t likely to fade away, and while it might never be 9mm big, it will always have a cult following. What is your favorite 10mm? Let us know below!

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed in 2009 to Afghanistan and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU(SOC) during a record-setting 11 months at sea. Travis has trained with the Romanian Army, the Spanish Marines, the Emirate Marines, and the Afghan National Army.

He serves as an NRA-certified pistol instructor and pursues a variety of firearms-based hobbies.

 

 

 

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