10mm vs .45ACP

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 6/26/2018 | J Hines

[w1n1]

If you're looking for a powerful cartridge for your semi-auto handguns. Then it boils down to a couple of choices.
The 10mm and the .45 ACP.
Both of these are widely popular so many will have a difficult decision to choose. Some folks that have the money will get both. However, for this scenario we need to choose one.
Even if you do own both a 10mm Auto and a .45 ACP handgun, how do you know which one is best for certain task?
Both of their capabilities overlap each other but their characteristics and traits differ.
Each has distinct strengths and weaknesses.
Anyways, we'll keep this un-biased and help you decide which one is best for you.

Brief History
.45 ACP: John Browning's Masterpiece
John Browning .45 ACP is the iconic cartridge for over 100 years.
His thinking was on designing a cartridge to shoot a big full metal jacket, slow bullet that has knock down power, alias "man-stopper".
It was a highly popular among gun enthusiasts.
Typically a .45 ACP load is a 230-grain bullet that fires at 830 fps for 355 foot-pounds of muzzle energy.
This was the gold standard for short range with knock down power in a handgun, this ruled for many decades.

10mm Auto: Jeff Cooper’s Conception
During the 1970s and 80s shooter only had 2 choices for the semi-automatic handgun cartridges, it was the 9mm Luger and the .45 ACP.
Legendary gun trainer Jeff Cooper wasn’t satisfied with the two cartridges. So, he teams up with the Swedish ammunition company Norma A.B. to build what he considered the ideal combat handgun cartridge.
The result was the 10mm auto: its a medium-bore cartridge that really has a "kick ass" punch.

Which Cartridge is Best for You?
So which one should you buy?
Just like with everything, it’s really a matter of what you intend to use your handgun for.
On the 10mm side of the fence they like to point out that it has more energy at 100 yards vs the .45 ACP does at the muzzle.
But, the .45 ACP counters that it is bigger at 100 yards than the 10mm at the muzzle. Read the rest of this 10mm vs .357 magnum here.

[yarddog]

My first good pistol was a Browning Hi-Power. I bought it in 1969 at Kings Hardware in DeFuniak Springs. It cost $104.50. Browning back then controlled pricing and it would have been the same price anywhere.

Beautiful blue job. Came with a nice rug. About as well finished as a gun can be. Inside there were a few distinctive tool marks where the feed ramp and unlocking cam were machined.

The Argentine made ones were licensed by FN and have the exact same tell tale tool marks. The were clearly made in the exact same way. I put Hogue grips on both and nothing feels better in my hand tho some of the CZs feel as good.

Around 1971 I got a Colt series 70 in .45 auto. Just as well finished as the Browning. After that, I probably had maybe a dozen Colts, maybe more. I can’t understand all the people who have gotten ones which jam because none of mine did.

[Lurker]

“My first good pistol was a Browning Hi-Power.“

Same here. Still kicking myself for selling it.

“I can’t understand all the people who have gotten ones which jam because none of mine did.”

I have a Kimber which was a little finicky for the first couple hundred rounds. But thorough cleanings and just shooting it took care of that. Now it eats everything it’s fed with th exception of wadcutters. So I just don’t use them.

Had a stainless Colt Commander which was absolutely flawless in functionality. After we bought our Kimbers a guy made me an insane offer for it. So he now has it. Turned out he had the matching full size made the same year and wanted to round things out.

So I got a couple hundred over market for it. That money went into a big pile of ammunition and a membership to a local private shooting range.

Everybody walked away happy.

Funny you mentioned CZ. I grabbed a couple of 82s from a C&R dealer for around $200 a copy. Great little pistols. The Mrs uses one as her EDC. 13 rounds, the 9 Mak is roughly equal to a .38 Spl ballistically speaking and she shoots it well.

Fine little guns.

Best,

L

[Jack Hammer]

When the SHTF, the arm you’re carrying is the best one, not the one that’s home in the closet.

[Manly Warrior]

Forget the drama, get one firearm you use and carry all of the time, practice and carry it. There’s truth to the old saying “beware the man with one gun, he probably knows how to use it”.

[Manly Warrior]

My sidearm is to help ne get out of the beaten zone while out and about, at home it is to help me get to my rifle.... I am very happy with either 40 SW or 45 acp in the sidearm.