EXCELLENT
10MM
AMMO
AVAILABLE
The fi rst question when choosing
ammunition for a semi-auto must be,
“Is it reliable?” The Hornady 155- and
180-grain XTP loads have proven accu-
rate in the Ruger 10mm handguns, both
revolver and automatic. The 155-grain
load expands more quickly and o ers
an excellent balance of penetration and
expansion.The 180-grain load is a good hunting
load for taking thin-skinned game. I like
the Critical Duty 175-grain load for gen-
eral use. Designed for those agencies
that issue the 10mm, this is a fi rst-class
service load. A relatively new choice
is the Speer 200-grain Gold Dot. This
load has a good balance of expansion
and penetration. Feed reliability and
accuracy are excellent.For those desiring to deploy a load for
protection against the big cats and feral
dogs, one of Bu alo Bore’s hard-hitting
all-copperhollowpointsfillsthebill.For
protectionagainstbears—andthisisa
stretchforanyhandgun—Bu alobore’s
hardcastbulletso erextremepenetra-
tionthatjustmaydothebusiness.FederalCartridgeCompanyintroduced
oneofthemostpowerfulfactory10mm
loadsarefewyearsago.The180-grain
bondedcoreloadbreaksasolid1,275
fpsinmosthandguns.Thisisanex-
cellenthuntingloadthathastakenits
shareofdeer.Forthosewishingtolimit
penetrationinhomedefense,Honor
Defense,makeroftheHonorGuard
pistols,o ersaspecialcomposition
bulletthatrapidlyfragmentsingelatin
testingbuto ersgoodpenetration
againstlightcover.is fast and positive if the moon clips
hold the cartridges fi rmly in place
without much wiggle. Keep the fi nger
tips near the front of the cartridge
and guide them into the chamber
then press the six cartridges home.
.40 S&W TOO
Using moon clips, the GP100 allows
the use of .40 S&W ammunition
too, making the revolver even more
versatile. I found accuracy with the
.40 S&W wasn’t quite up to the 10mm
but was still good. Ruger’s newly de-
signed moon clips are superior to any
previous design. They are secure, have
a bit of spring in them and are easily
loaded and unloaded.
In .40 S&W, the Black Hills 180-grain
JHP breaks 970 fps in the Ruger and
the 155-grain JHP breaks well over
Top: For hunting the
long slide 10mm is a
good choice. Kimber
photo
Left to right: 9mm,
10mm and .45
pistols from Kimber.
Each is useful.1100 fps. These loads allow for excel-
lent control. While wound potential
is high, recoil is not and these loads
make a reasonable choice for personal
and home defense. Few if any hand-
gun cartridges will provide a better
balance of wound potential and con-
trol than the .40 S&W in this revolver.
The ballistics are basically those of the
old .41 Special, an expensive custom
proposition. Pistolsmiths rebored an
L frame or GP100 .357 Magnum to a
special shortened .41 Magnum. The
GP100 10mm is superior in every
regard.SEMI SPRINGS
When a semi-auto pistol is chambered
in 10mm, there can be a signifi cant
difference in handling and recoil
impulse between two pistols that can
be traced to the recoil spring.FALL 2019 CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUNS 67