As stated above, a 10mm in a pocket rocket is a pretty snappy rig. I'm still chuckling at the P220 comment about throwing the gun If you miss - they are HEAVY! The P220 is also the only 10mm I have ever enjoyed shooting for that exact reason.
If you plan on carrying the 10mm around like a grenade only for use in an emergency, a small gun is a good plan! If you want to shoot it (so you don't have to miss and throw the gun), getting something more shootable is probably smart.
The macho guys will say it's not that bad, but the person who wants to own a shooter will reconsider.
FWIW, the FBI dropped the idea of 10mm as their service caliber because the agents complained about it being too much punishment to shoot. (They were shooting Bren 10s and Colt Delta Elites, both big full-size all steel pistols.)
Also worth considering is the fact that the 45 ACP is nearly as good as the 10mm ballistically, and it is far more reliable as an automatic round. I'll take the 15% reduction in recoil energy, ~150 FPS drop in velocity, and nearly identical ballistic coefficient of the .45 ACP. Add on the prolific ammo availability, endless options for form factor, and, when all is said and done, a bigger hole with the .45, and the 10mm is less attractive.
I love the 10mm personally, and would never try to dissuade someone from picking one up, but when I pay mega-bucks to get my gear as light as possible, there are far better options in a light pistol. In my business, I have bought back (at the sellers loss) enough tiny guns with massive chambers to know this story well. Buy a 9mm you love, learn how to load your own ammo or research some +P+ ammo and have a gun you can actually use.
Matt
If you plan on carrying the 10mm around like a grenade only for use in an emergency, a small gun is a good plan! If you want to shoot it (so you don't have to miss and throw the gun), getting something more shootable is probably smart.
The macho guys will say it's not that bad, but the person who wants to own a shooter will reconsider.
FWIW, the FBI dropped the idea of 10mm as their service caliber because the agents complained about it being too much punishment to shoot. (They were shooting Bren 10s and Colt Delta Elites, both big full-size all steel pistols.)
Also worth considering is the fact that the 45 ACP is nearly as good as the 10mm ballistically, and it is far more reliable as an automatic round. I'll take the 15% reduction in recoil energy, ~150 FPS drop in velocity, and nearly identical ballistic coefficient of the .45 ACP. Add on the prolific ammo availability, endless options for form factor, and, when all is said and done, a bigger hole with the .45, and the 10mm is less attractive.
I love the 10mm personally, and would never try to dissuade someone from picking one up, but when I pay mega-bucks to get my gear as light as possible, there are far better options in a light pistol. In my business, I have bought back (at the sellers loss) enough tiny guns with massive chambers to know this story well. Buy a 9mm you love, learn how to load your own ammo or research some +P+ ammo and have a gun you can actually use.
Matt