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Path: bcarh8ab.bnr.ca!bcarh189.bnr.ca!nott!torn!howland.reston.ans.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!news.kei.com!eff!news.umbc.edu!haven.umd.edu!cs.umd.edu!gun-control From: cb092@freenet.carleton.ca (Keith N. Murchison) Newsgroups: rec.guns Subject: re 10mm Auto History Date: 23 Jul 1995 22:04:56 -0400 Organization: The National Capital FreeNet, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Lines: 66 Sender: magnum@cs.umd.edu Approved: gun-control@cs.umd.edu Message-ID: <3uuv48$nuj@xring.cs.umd.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: xring.cs.umd.edu

The 10mm auto cartridge was a concept of Whit Collins who put the project
together while working with Peterson Publishing in Hollywood.  He was assisted
by John Adams and Irving Stone (of BAR-STO Barrels), as well as Jeff Cooper.
The goal was to develop a cartridge that would raise the power, range and
penetration of 45 ACP, while remaining manageable from a recoil perspective.

They wanted the round to work in a CZ-75 pistol, but since none was available
to them in the cold war era, the used a Browning P35 (High Power).  The first
attempt was to use a .41 cal pistol bullet, but it was too big to reliably feed,
so they went with the .400 cal bullet from the old 38-40 round (of old west
fame).  The case the chose to mate with this bullet was a cut-of .30 Remington
(essentially the rimless version of the venerable 30-30).  That prototype was
shorter than today's 10mm auto, due to the HP's tight mag dimensions.

The results where published in a 1970's vintage Guns and Ammo magazine.
Velocities of 1200 fps were logged.  This work inspired Tom Dornaus and Mike
Dixon to develop a CZ75 clone to shoot a slightly longer version of the round
The gun was called the Bren 10.  It was a 10 shot number which was much anti-
cipated by the many who ordered the gun months ahead of the time any were
produced.  Unfortunately for these buyers, D&D never seemed to be able to
deliver mags that worked properly.  Many orders were filled late and without
any mag at all. D&D failed (I think) and the round languished.

Fortunately (for we 10mm fans) Colt picked up the round and chambered the
1911 for it.  This gun was called the "Delta Elite" and featured a special 18-22
lb return spring and a plastic recoil buffer to handle the high energy of the
10mm round.  When the Delta was introduced, it got rave reviews for its power
& higher-than-45ACP accuracy.  Shortly thereafter, reports started to circulate
that the gun was overstressed and was likely to burn itself out in 2,000-4,000
rounds.  This is absolute horseshit, but was all that the 45 ACP gang could come
up with to discredit 10mm.  They were all having trouble sleeping at night with
the thought that their beloved (but moribund) 45 round was being up-staged
in the holy sanctum of the 1911 itself.

I have pumped 12,000 plus rounds through my Delta and it looks and shoots
like a new gun.

In addition to the Colt, 10mm Auto has found its way into a Smith & Wesson
semi auto pistol (the 1006), a S&W revolver (yes a wheel gun, which hold in
the rounds by means of little stamped steel clips), a single shot pistol (the
Thompson Contender), a Tommy Gun copy (the Auto Ordinance 1927),
and of course your Glock (a good gun).

The Ten's problem was hat the people who insisted on it wouldn't buy it.  They
all proved to be pussys who said they wanted a hot cartridge but then went on
to seek out limp-wrist alternatives; first the down-loaded 10mm "Fed-Lite"
round, and eventually the 40 S&W.  (If the 357 magnum had been created
first, these goofs would have subsequently encouraged the development
of the 38 special!).

Ironically the 40S&W is dimensionally similiar to the 10mm prototype round
which was a shorter-than-optimum compromise, allowing the round to fit
the Browning HP.  The 40 S&W has poor pressure curve characteristics
(relative to the 10mm) which means that it develops high peak pressures
to produce velocities which a light-loaded 10mm can effortlessly match at much
lower pressures (just as a downloaded 30-06 can match 308 ballistics at
lower pressures, due to the larger case).

Long live the 10mm auto!

Regards,

 Keith M.