# 40s&w or 10mm which ones better?



## AIM RIGHT

I was recently on a site and there was a big debate between the 40s&w and the 10mm. Me personally I really like the 40s&w caliber as my personal choice. But I never used the 10mm round, so to the ones that will like to respond which one do you prefer? And why?


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## berettatoter

I voted the .40 S&W. Nothing wrong with the 10x25mm mind you, but I think the 10x22mm will serve you just fine for self defense against humans. The 10mm Auto, in my humble opinion, is just a little on the heavy side for self defense against a human attack. Too much chance for a blow thru.


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## denner

10mm is a good hunting round for hogs and deer sized game. It's more powerful than the 40 cal, but cost's more in ammo. I'd say the 10 mm is a better option for hunting.


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## Packard

A lot has to do with how much money you have.

The 10mm will do everything the .40 will do, but at a higher cost.

It will do a lot more at the high end than the .40 is capable of.

A lot of 10mm ammo is loaded to near .40 levels. If you are shooting a Glock 29 you will have the best of both worlds. A lighter shooting gun when you want personal defense, and a heavier shooting one when you need the extra power.

However the Glock 29 is substantially larger than the Glock 27 which is the small version of the .40.

If I were considering buying a Glock 23 in .40 caliber (midsized weapon), and I had LOTS of money, then I might have a go at buying the Glock 29 in 10mm which is nearly the same size as the G23.

But for most personal defense requirements, the .40 is a more economical round and is available in smaller weapons than the 10mm.


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## Packard

berettatoter said:


> I voted the .40 S&W. Nothing wrong with the 10x25mm mind you, but I think the 10x22mm will serve you just fine for self defense against humans. The 10mm Auto, in my humble opinion, is just a little on the heavy side for self defense against a human attack. Too much chance for a blow thru.


I believe that Double Tap loads a 10mm round in .135 grain that pushes out the barrel at about 1500 to 1600 fps. The round is purported to literally explode into pieces once it hits the target; no blow thru at all.

If you are shooting a more normal loading of 165 to 180 grain I would tend to agree with you. But overall I think you can get a 10mm to do everything a .40 can do (but for a lot more money spent on ammo).


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## rgrundy

The FBI used the 10mm for awhile but had to dumb it down to 40 S&W power levels so they could shoot it.


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## Packard

rgrundy said:


> The FBI used the 10mm for awhile but had to dumb it down to 40 S&W power levels so they could shoot it.


They didn't have to dumb it down for all their shooters; they had to accommodate the entire staff. Some of them could not handle the recoil from the 10mm.

I thought that the FBI should have kept the 10mm and offered the agents the option to choose the .40 if they wish.

The 10mm did much better on the FBI protocol tests than any of the other rounds. The FBI places a high emphasis on penetration; much more so than other departments.


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## jakeleinen1

I'll take the 10mm

Thats a fucking gun...


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## ozzy

.40 is fine. More choice of ammo by the way. Your not specifying whats the purpose? If you want a make my day pistol get a taurus in .454 casul. If you want a CCW get the .40 and practice. With the 10mm you also have less pistol options, something to consider.


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## Lateck

ozzy said:


> .40 is fine. More choice of ammo by the way. Your not specifying whats the purpose? If you want a make my day pistol get a taurus in .454 casul. If you want a CCW get the .40 and practice. With the 10mm you also have less pistol options, something to consider.


Can't argue with this logic...... (at least not to much :mrgreen: )

Lateck,


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## danattherock

AIM RIGHT said:


> I was recently on a site and there was a big debate between the 40s&w and the 10mm. Me personally I really like the 40s&w caliber as my personal choice. But I never used the 10mm round, so to the ones that will like to respond which one do you prefer? And why?


Apples and oranges. You hunting crack heads or black bear?


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## jakeleinen1

danattherock said:


> Apples and oranges. You hunting crack heads or black bear?


What about a crack head black bear? jk lol

Although I did read a police report from Louisiana years ago about a crack head who was shot with several .40 caliber pistols and the bastard still wouldn't go down. An officer with shotgun came and finished dude off with 2 shells... So 10mm against a crackhead??? Not a bad idea


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## danattherock

Can't argue with that


I have several 40's and love them all. My standard carry, car, and plinking gun. I have a Glock 20 (10 mm) that I take to SE Alaska on remote fishing trips. Many black bear in that area. Also take the 10 mm to more populated areas of Alaska when fly fishing as I can wear it under my fly vest in the galco shoulder rig. Don't want to freak out all the tree huggers. When doing remote float trips in SW or NW Alaska, I take my 4" 500 S&W and prop my Marlin guide gun 45-70 in the raft and against the camp chair. Point being, there is no one gun. Thankfully. Some are just more suited to tasks than others. Home protection, 40 S&W. Black bear and general woods gun, 10 mm. Big brown bears, 500 S&W.


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## berettatoter

Packard said:


> I believe that Double Tap loads a 10mm round in .135 grain that pushes out the barrel at about 1500 to 1600 fps. The round is purported to literally explode into pieces once it hits the target; no blow thru at all.
> 
> If you are shooting a more normal loading of 165 to 180 grain I would tend to agree with you. But overall I think you can get a 10mm to do everything a .40 can do (but for a lot more money spent on ammo).


Well, at 135 grains, yeah I can see the bullet coming apart and stopping inside the target. Holy Bat Crap Robbin, thats around 700 ft/lbs of energy! :buttkick:


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## danattherock

Never considered the 10 mm for 2 legged critters. I use the Double Tap 200 grain hard cast for woods carry and black bear. Good stuff and 750 ft/lbs. Tried the 230 grain but had 3-4 light primer strikes out of 100 rounds and never could get a good answer as to why. Switched to 200 grain at Mike's (at DT) suggestion and never had another issue. Mighty potent ammo in a semi automatic.


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## OldCurlyWolf

I have both and prefer the 10


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## Stonekold

10 mm is good for hogs but if you use it for home defense you have to worry about over penetration and hurting someone you were not shooting at.. Good round but there are better options!!!


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## DepOne

Packard said:


> The FBI places a high emphasis on penetration; much more so than other departments.


They learned that lesson years ago in Miami. Whatever idiot had them carrying 9mm subsonic rounds should have been shot himself. Those rounds hit where they were supposed to but couldn't penetrate enough to cause damage capable of stopping the assailants. Subsonic 9mms are designed for suppressed machine pistols

I spent a day with the FBI HRT guys a few months ago and found it interesting they were almost all carrying 1911s in .45 ACP.


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## danattherock

Stonekold said:


> 10 mm is good for hogs but if you use it for home defense you have to worry about over penetration and hurting someone you were not shooting at.. Good round but there are better options!!!


Agreed. By it's very nature, the 10 mm is a perfect woods gun. I don't consider mine for in home protection. Sig 229 40 S&W takes honors in my house. Speaking of which, just got a stainless guide rod from Steve for that Sig. Steve Bedair Stainless Guide Rods for Handguns if I recall. Awesome product and he makes them for many guns. I am not a fan of the plastic guide rods myself.


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## DWARREN123

I have both, G22 and G20, and it is really a toss up for me. I reload for both and carry both. The 10mm has more power when loaded up properly and the 40 S&W is a little smaller.
Both good setups in my opinion. :mrgreen:


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## AK_Maine_Iac

10mm it is bigger and rules. If you want a 40S&W just shoot lighter 10mm loads. Easy for me because i roll my own.


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## Jeremy55

I think the 10x22mm will serve you just fine for self defense against humans. The 10mm Auto, in my humble opinion, is just a little on the heavy side for self defense against a human attack.


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## Jeremy55

Nothing wrong with the 10x25mm mind you, but I think the 10x22mm will serve you just fine for self defense against humans. The 10mm Auto, in my humble opinion, is just a little on the heavy side for self defense against a human attack.


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## AK_Maine_Iac

Yes the 10mm auto may be on the heavy side. I can under stand that if you live in a warm state, something else may work for you. When you live in a Cold state and the temps are well below 0 and the bad guy has on heavy carharrt coveralls and heavy winter carhartt jacket. You will need something with a little more oomph My second choice would have been 357sig.


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## BCGUNCOLL

10mm imho. cost= not that much of a difference. as one fellow said previously....i roll my own so it doesnt really matter.


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## Bisley

I couldn't answer your poll because a .40 S&W and a 10mm are the same caliber.

However, if you meant which chambering do I like better, I guess I'll take the 10mm, since it is a somewhat unique chambering. It has power approaching the .41 magnum, but in a semi-auto platform. Something about a 16 shot .41 magnum makes me feel all warm inside. 

The .40 S&W, on the other hand, is less useful to me than the .45 ACP which has been around for a hundred years, has a pleasant recoil, and outperforms the high pressure .40's, with less wear and tear on the gun and the shooter.


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## denner

DepOne said:


> They learned that lesson years ago in Miami. Whatever idiot had them carrying 9mm subsonic rounds should have been shot himself. Those rounds hit where they were supposed to but couldn't penetrate enough to cause damage capable of stopping the assailants. Subsonic 9mms are designed for suppressed machine pistols
> 
> I spent a day with the FBI HRT guys a few months ago and found it interesting they were almost all carrying 1911s in .45 ACP.


The FBI was not carrying sub-sonic 9mm rounds in the Miami Fiasco. 115 grain Winchester Silvertips were used, the 9mm subsonic rounds were introduced much after the Miami Fiasco. I believe you got your facts backwards, the early 147's were known to over penetrate and not expand fully or not at all. Generally in any caliber the heavy end of the spectra will penetrate deeper than the lighter faster sibling at least in a properly functioning hollow point; the exception being perhaps some +p+ 9mm chamberings. Likewise, it's not optimal to be facing a murderous highly trained combat Vietnam Vet armed with a MINI 14 chambered in 223 with any pistol, even a .10mm.


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## yeti

I voted for 10mm. The 10mm is one seriously awesome round! It does cost more to shoot unless you are a handloader, but the capabilities are much greater than the .40


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## dman

A lot of this depends on what you want it for ? I would be very nervous about shoot a 10mm. in my home if I have a family.
Where is that round going to stop after it goes through the BG because it's not going to stop in the bad guy.
A 40 , frag hollow point ,ok , I feel a little better.


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## Bisley

dman said:


> Where is that round going to stop after it goes through the BG because it's not going to stop in the bad guy.


I tend not to make over-penetration a deal-breaker for me when selecting a self defense chambering. In reading about police and civilian gun fights, the one thing that really stands out about them is that most of the shots fired, miss. This is true, even at very close range. That being the case, it seems counter-intuitive to worry excessively about firing rounds that might over-penetrate, since they would probably be less lethal than the missed shots.

The more important concern to me is actually being able to hit the target, under extreme stress, and having the discipline not to shoot in a direction where there are innocents in the background, with whatever round you intend to fire. That is a very tall order, by itself, if your life is being threatened.


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## berettabone

If you look at ballistics charts, with all kinds(manufacturers) of ammo, between the .40 and the 10mm.....using 180 gr. and 200 gr. respectfully..the only major difference is ft. lbs. of force, and cost.


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## papahawk

berettabone said:


> If you look at ballistics charts, with all kinds(manufacturers) of ammo, between the .40 and the 10mm.....using 180 gr. and 200 gr. respectfully..the only major difference is ft. lbs. of force, and cost.


Study the 2 different rounds in a reloaders manual: .40 dont even come close to the 10mm. I shoot and load for both, and there is NO WAY IN HELL i would try to push a 180 gr bullet at 1400 ft/sec out of my .40. my handloads for the .40 run 975-980 ft/sec. my 10mm loads run 1430-1440 ft/sec. both using 180 gr XTPs. OH yea I voted 10mm


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## berettabone

Like I said...........


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## TGS2

.40 on steroids = 10mm

10mm is my preferred carry round.


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## stlbob

A .40 is to a 10mm,what a .38 special is to a .357 Magnum.

10mm every-time.


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## Arney

Price and availability of the 10mm is my only concern. As far as over penetration, for what is worth, for defense purposes I use hollow point ammo.


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## g32767

I'm new to all of this. Having said that, it seems to me that .40 cal is slightly bigger, and I'm wondering why everyone says 10 mm is bigger? Doing the math: 1 cal = 1 inch. There are 25.4 mm in one inch.

.4 Cal x (25.4 mm / Cal) = 10.16 mm. So, 40 Cal is .16 mm bigger than 10 mm, right? What am I missing?

I found the answer to my own question (after posting the above) on another web site. The short answer is that 10 mm ammo is slightly longer, uses a larger pistol primer, has a higher SAAMI maximum pressure, and comes in heavier weights. So, generally speaking, the average 10mm bullet generally uses more propellant and has more mass. 

To lay it out completely

10mm uses large pistol primers
40S&W uses small pistol primers

10mm has a SAAMI maximum pressure of 37,500psi
40S&W has a SAAMI maximum pressure of 35,000psi

Both fire a 0.400inch diameter bullets (0.401inch cast bullets)
10mm has a typical bullet weight range of 135gr to 220gr
40S&W has a typical bullet weight range of 135gr to 180gr

Case dimension are very similar with the 10mm being 0.142 inches longe


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## hammer1

I have a smithand wesson 1006, I love the 10mm. Ive experimented with everything from 135s to 220s. With power pistol you can get a 135 moving over 1700. I took a whitetail doe with it at about 35 yards. It was a large through and through wound.


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## Cait43

FYI: 10mm equates to 0.393700787402 caliber..... Just as 9mm equates to 0.3543307086618 caliber........

What handgun and caliber is best suited all comes down to personal choice.... There is no handgun that is the best one for all to use........


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## MaxResponse

I am a 45 acp fan myself but when I had a FFL, I carried and pushed the 10mm. When most guys asked me why I prefer the 10mm, I explained, for me; it is just a tough round to ignore. If confronted in cold weather and your assailant is wearing multiple layers, the 10 can handle this without issue. Warm/hot weather, a 9mm is fine and the 40 is better. 
For a different comparison but one that will help explain my thinking. I know most will disagree with my thoughts above but I remember when we bought a Grand Cherokee with a 318 V-8 several years ago over a Dodge Durango with a 360 V-8. At the time, we had a 16 ft. pleasure boat we trailered 40 miles nearly every weekend. When we were offered a great deal on a 22 ft. we jumped at it. The Gran Cherokee struggled with this larger boat and at times I didn't know if I was driving or the 22 ft. boat behind me was. I then had to go get the Durango that I should have bought in the first place. 
I had much rather have too much weapon than not enough.


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