10mm recommendation for the fairer sex

[Wrench]

I handload berry's hybrid 147s in my 9mm. My testing satisfied my needs. I am not in brown bear country, but we have legit 7 foot plus bears as a potential.

The follow-up on a 9 us so much faster if you're anything less than perfect.

 

[Greyinggrayling]

Hey, great thread. A couple things to consider/look into:
Do some research on shooting .40 S&W out of a 10mm Glock pistol. (But not the other way around!). Good way to practice with lower recoiling rounds (.40 S&W) while getting to know your 10mm. When it comes time to carry, use the 10mm rounds. Glock.

Same approach with the .357 magnum and 38 special. (The 38 Special cartridge can be safely fired in guns marked 357 Magnum, but not vice-versa.)

Now that’s interesting. That’s how I started with the .44 mag. Husband had me run .44 specials first to get consistent, then later mixed in surprise magnums so I wouldn’t know what to expect during practice. Had to be ready for anything.

 

[WKR]

Don't just take someone's word for it, go shoot a 10mm and see if it feels good to you and if you can get follow up shots on target. Everyone handles recoil differently and if you have proper grip and technique it doesn't matter if you're male or female. A 9mm isn't the best option.

 

[MattB]

Good 9MM ammo will penetrate more deeply than good 10MM ammo, so I would consider looking at 9MM pistols as well. A Glock 19 is a great gun for that purpose.

 

[deadwolf]

Every Gen 4 and Gen 5 G20’s are SF grip sized and they are still pretty big.

S&W, Sig, Springfield and FN 10’s all have a smaller grip radius than a G20 but with varying levels of holster availability and reliability.

You can reduce the effective grip size on a G20 with a overwatch precision DAT flat faced trigger. That’s what I did on my Gen 4 G20.

Sweet, I was unaware they changed that up on the newer glocks


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[WKR]

Good 9MM ammo will penetrate more deeply than good 10MM ammo, so I would consider looking at 9MM pistols as well. A Glock 19 is a great gun for that purpose.

Can you show some statistics to back this up?
I dont see how if you use the same bullet for testing in each cartridge, with the added case capacity and power charge in the 10mm, how would it not penetrate deeper.

 

[MattB]

Hey, great thread. A couple things to consider/look into:
Do some research on shooting .40 S&W out of a 10mm Glock pistol. (But not the other way around!). Good way to practice with lower recoiling rounds (.40 S&W) while getting to know your 10mm. When it comes time to carry, use the 10mm rounds. Glock.

Same approach with the .357 magnum and 38 special. (The 38 Special cartridge can be safely fired in guns marked 357 Magnum, but not vice-versa.)

How reliable is .40 S&W ammo in a 10MM chamber? Both cartridges use the same bullet diameter, but those rounds headspace on the case mouth so it is not an analogue for the .38 and .357 as both of those cartridges headspace on the rim. I would surmise that you are wholly reliant on extractor for the .40 to work in a 10MM chamber.

 

[MattB]

Can you show some statistics to back this up?
I dont see how if you use the same bullet for testing in each cartridge, with the added case capacity and power charge in the 10mm, how would it not penetrate deeper.

You would need to ask Buffalo Bore. I am basing my comment on penetration depths cited on their website. Penetration generally has way more to do with the bullet than powder charge.

 

[Formidilosus]

Can you show some statistics to back this up?
I dont see how if you use the same bullet for testing in each cartridge, with the added case capacity and power charge in the 10mm, how would it not penetrate deeper.

There are readily available gel shots and papers that show hard cast and flat nose copper solids compared. It has little to do with “power”, and everything to do with frontal diameter. 9mm heavy hard casts penetrates deeper on average than 10mm, 40s&w, or even most 44 mags, etc.

 

[Marbles]

Which 10mm handgun would you recommend for a medium-framed woman with medium size hands?
I want something for big critter protection that is easier to get back on target than my SW .44 magnum and lighter weight. Kinda intrigued with the Glock 20 Gen5, but the grip is rather cumbersome on the stock 20s.

Thoughts?

Edit to add: I am the medium frame woman, the gun is for me, yes I can handle a 10mm

I appreciate the edit, my wife can handle a 454, so not because I doubt a woman can handle it, but because too many men try bying guns for women that don't really want them.

A 1911 in 10mm will give you the most trim grip, it will also probably be a lot heavier.

Porting the 44 mg could help. Or a 357 mag with a 3 to 4 inch barrel might be an option. I really wish S&W made a 340 PD or 360 PD in that length.

Personally (and plenty of people disagree) I think a double action wheel gun is the best for big critters. The primary reason is they don't come out of battery if the muzzle is pressed against something. Secondary reason is that they are less likely to became a single shot if fired while tangled up in clothing, fur, and flesh.

A light 44 mag load will still hit harder than a hot 10 mm.

Garrett Cartridges Inc.

HEAVY 10MM OUTDOORSMAN Pistol & Handgun Ammunition

HEAVY 10MM OUTDOORSMAN Field Proven Pistol and Handgun Ammo. Maximum firepower ammunition. Best Ammo for pistols and handguns for sale. Buffalo Bore. Strictly Big Bore, Strictly Business.

www.buffalobore.com

Good luck finding something you like.

 

[Tmac]

Can you show some statistics to back this up?
I dont see how if you use the same bullet for testing in each cartridge, with the added case capacity and power charge in the 10mm, how would it not penetrate deeper.

Garrett Cartridges has some good info on penetration and velocity. He also has quite a bit of info on other aspects of that style of bullet. Randy did quite a bit of testing early on and was one of the key players in popularizing hard cast bullets in pistols and some older lever action cartridges.

Garrett Cartridges Inc. 44 mag .45-70 .44 ammo ammunition bullets african hunting cartridges

We are specialized builders of ammo, building only for the 44 Magnum and 45-70. Through the exclusive use of our highly evolved SUPER-HARD-CAST bullets, we produce 44 Magnum ammunition capable of shooting through elk (broadside), and 45-70 ammunition capable of shooting lengthwise through any...

www.garrettcartridges.com

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

There are readily available gel shots and papers that show hard cast and flat nose copper solids compared. It has little to do with “power”, and everything to do with frontal diameter. 9mm heavy hard casts penetrates deeper on average than 10mm, 40s&w, or even most 44 mags, etc.

What’s a good source for hardcast 9mm loads? Wife and I carry g48s if that matters.

 

[Maverick1]

How reliable is .40 S&W ammo in a 10MM chamber? Both cartridges use the same bullet diameter, but those rounds headspace on the case mouth so it is not an analogue for the .38 and .357 as both of those cartridges headspace on the rim. I would surmise that you are wholly reliant on extractor for the .40 to work in a 10MM chamber.

Glock. And Glock

 

[PNWGATOR]

It’s for me. I am the female in question.
I want a lighter weight pistol with less recoil so it re-acquires the target faster and can kill a 10 ft grizzly sow that is coming at me because her cub is standing behind me and my pants are around my ankles because all I wanted to do was pee and my rifle is leaning against a tree and I can’t scooch over to my rifle without falling over
And my current bear-defense revolver is too heavy at this point in my life. Time to trade it in for a lighter model.

Got it!

Shot placement.

Depth of penetration.

Multiple hits on target in a controlled fashion as quickly as possible.

Personally, I’ve approached this problem just as I did with the .223 for deer, bear, elk and moose journey. Objectively.

Line or thinking is contrary to EVERYTHING you’ve read! That’s fair. Hit rates and depth of penetration matter. Handguns suck for terminal ballistics and killing efficiently, so it depends on some basics.

Please give the problem some critical consideration and I appreciate you asking!

 

[Formidilosus]

What’s a good source for hardcast 9mm loads? Wife and I carry g48s if that matters.

Buffalo Bore is the most readily available.

However, once the realization that head shots are the only thing that will stop a bear, most good blind to barrier ammo will do just fine.

 

[NSI]

I think a sig p365xMacro has a lot of advantages in this use case.

1) Full grip for controllability and easy draw.
2) Light to carry.
3) Compensator without barrel drilling is reliable but still pushes the nose down aggressively to keep the sights on target. Combo of compensator, full grip, and 9mm lower recoil than 10mm makes this super controllable (shoots as flat as my much larger competition Glock).
4) 9mm heavy hard casts are good bear medicine, especially since penetration and shot placement matter more than energy.

-J

 

[Greyinggrayling]

Got it. I think I have enough to run with at this point, all excellent view points and worthy of serious consideration.
One other thought which determines selection - what is the minimum number of rounds you would carry in this situation? Yes, if you’re really good all you need is one, but like an empty bear spray can, an empty gun doesn’t do ya any good walking back to camp.

 

[Axlrod]

Got it. I think I have enough to run with at this point, allexcelkent view points and worthy of serious consideration.
One other thought which determines selection - what is the minimum number of rounds you would carry in this situation? Yes, if you’re really good all you need is one, but like an empty bear spray can, an empty gun doesn’t do ya any good walking back to camp.

I carry the gun full and enough for 1 reload.

 

[missjordan]

Female shooter here. My husband and I have the Kimber camp guard 10mm.

While i feel the gun fits my hands just fine, I’m not a fan of how much punch the bear loads have. Loads that are less hot are fine however.

Definitely more of a fan of a 357 but that’s just me.


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[B23]

what is the minimum number of rounds you would carry in this situation?

Personally, I think to much is made of the capacity thing. I think we often get to focused on higher capacity handguns for these kinds of situations because it gives us a bit more of a warm fuzzy feeling knowing you have 15+1 but in all likelihood, for most shooters, it's a false sense of security and we should be far more focused on selecting something we can draw and easily shoot well in a variety of circumstances. Focusing more on something that is comfortable for you to shoot then shooting it often and getting very proficient with it, IMO, is far more important then the number of rounds it holds.