The Ruger 10 Mil

Just as everyone is down-chambering 1911s to 9mm, the sr1911 goes 10mm ... For when follow-up shots aren’t an option.
 

I am a massive fan of the 10mm Auto. Sure, my go-to, all time favorite handgun cartridge is the 9x19mm, because it’s so versatile. But my pet round—which I am required to have in my line of work as a gun magazine editor—is the 10mm, hands down.

I believe the 9x19mm is a better all-around fighting round. The recoil is mild, which makes for fast follow-up shots. And while that’s a very true statement, and I agree with it, many of us gun scribes love to write and talk about “the low recoil and fast follow up shots of the 9mm.” However, not all situations allow for multiple shots; sometimes, you might get time for only one, maybe two.

Case in point: I have a cabin in the Wisconsin Northwoods. I have captured on my game cameras nine different bears on my property. Have you ever startled a bear? Have you seen how fast those suckers move? If you haven’t, go to youtube.com and search for “bear charge.” Under optimal conditions—at the range, staring at your target, ready to draw at the beep—a trained shooter can draw a gun from an open-carry holster in about one second, getting one shot off. A charging bear can cover 16 yards in one second … except not everyone is a trained shooter, staring at their target and waiting for the beep to draw from an open-carry holster. That doesn’t leave very much time for a whole lot of shooting.

If you have time for only one shot, do you want it to be 9mm?

This is where the 10mm Auto comes in. To many, the be-all and end-all is the .45 ACP. Standard factory .45 ACP loads of 230-grain FMJ are going to have around 360 to 370 foot pounds of energy, and JHP self-defense loads are going to be around 360 to 395. Plus-P loads are going to bump it up to about 520 to 540 foot-pounds. Full-power 10mm loads approach 690—a substantial increase.

THE SR1911 10MM