Plans for the primary sidearm...

Choices in 10 mm are pretty slim. The most reliable are the Glock and S&W. My preference would be with the S&W as i don't like the ergonomics of the Glock. The Glock is also a lighter gun (if I remember correctly) which makes it a bit harder to shoot in a hard recoiling cartridge like this. glock service is pretty decent and S&W should still have plenty of support for years to come and even independent, non-factory support should be good down the line.
As for other choices, that is about it. The Bren 10 is scarce as you mention and very expensive. If one can afford one of these, cost of parts is not a factor. The Colt Eagles are much the same as far as price and there were reliability issues as the frame was not really designed to stand up to the battering this cartridge dishes out. I had a Double Eagle in 45 ACP and even it was not reliable. Many others had problems too, there was no single common one which could point to a design or manufacturing flaw. This is one reason they did not last long on the market.
I am not fond of the Witness either, I had one in 45 ACP back when they were an EAA import (maybe they still are) and the frame eventually cracked. Others had similar problems in the bigger calibers which did not ingender trust in the product. Many speak highly of them but it they often seem to be in 9mm. Star products seem to be a pretty good value for the money but I still don't think they are much past mediocre in the quality department. I had a PD in >45 ACP for several years and it served me well in that time. It finally cracked its alloy frame but it was much my fault as I did not replace the recoil springs as often s I should have. That was an expensive lesson.
So, to recap, your best bet is with the Glock or S&W, the others are either suspect in quality and/or are expensive due to collector interest.

Glock, get the Glock. I know a lot of people dislike the Glock because of it's fame and don't want to conform or feel as if they are part of a FAD. As in it's not cool anymore cause everyone is doing. BUT the Glock happens to be one of the best if the best gun you can get within that price range.

I myself prefer 9mm Luger, .357 Sig & .45 Auto Colt when it comes to automatic pistols. When considering Revolving pistols I've always liked .357 S&W Magnum, .44 Remington Magnum and the Classic .45 Long Colt.

Anyway.. the Glock 20 is what you must be looking at. The Glock 17,19 & 25 impressed me. All 9mm variants. The 25 is a short 9mm. 9mm Browning more commonly known as .380 Colt. All happen to be great automatics. I considered buying the 21 several times, but I already have 1911 that I don't really need so the G21 is just want which canceled out by the lack of need.

Quality guns are pricey and a Glock is cheap in comparison to others. You rely on this thing not to to discharge anytime other than when you intentionally engage the firing mechanism so don't pinch too many pennies. A lot things are sacraficed with cheaper guns, including safety. The recent Glocks are much more safer than they use to be. They have had some serious malfunctions in the past, but the engineers have corrected all of that.

The only issue anyone should have with 10mm would be economics, but it's not issue currently ammunition, the kind that rips em a new gaping hole, is the same as .40 Smith and .45 Colt.

The Use of 10mm is limited and the use of it has been fading for a long time. I would assume it should cost more due to lack of popularity which would cause a low production of ammunition, but that doesn't seem to be effecting cost. So somewhere 10mm is popular.

The 10mm is not a popular gun for several reasons. One, it is much more powerful than needed for typical defensive usage; like the 41 and 44 magnums it exits the object being fired at and creates a hazard down range. This excessive power also not transfered to the target as well and is actually less effective than some lesser cartridges for defensive work. Semi auto pistols are not popular for hunting bigger game either, partly as they are not as accurate as an equivalent revolver not are the cartridges typically powerful enough for this use either. The length of the cartridge is also a factor, it is quite long which can make for difficulties holding it which is not conducive to accurate shooting. It also does not make for a good gun for concealed carry and is even fairly heavy with an outside waist band holster. A very talented gunsmith can reduce this by a little bit but it is not much. It is also expensive, nearly the cost of a second gun. The FBI soon realized the above after their adoption of the 10mm in the late 1980s which resulted in a reduced power load. This helped a little as far as recoil went but it still was a large and difficult gun to hide and control. Reducing the length of the 10mm cartridge while keeping the same pressures is what lead to the development of the ..40 S&W cartridge, one that is much better than the 10mm for defensive use in my eyes.

As I recall the 10mm's history is shady. It was NEVER populuar from the go. It was kind of a failure. No one liked it then nor do they like it now, but S&Ws 10mm short (.40 Cal) took off like the newest and coolest thing on the block.

I don't like to venture between 9mm & .45. The mediums never appealed to me.

Being a cop is like being a yanitor with a gun. They are there to baby sit or watch over the place and occasionally break up fights. And they just don't give a damn. Much like a yanitor they become pissed when they get a work order cause that means they have to get up. If it wasn't for the fact that they get to carry a gun they would probably quit.

Besides the LE job market is flooded. The criteria and schooling to get the job is so easy the only worry is getting shot or stabbed and that's no big deal, not unless your affraid of injury or inevitable death.

Some people like 10mm. He's just using it to blow a hole is someone if he needs to. Might not perfom the best, but when your just using it to blow a hole in someoneso comparing which has optimimized trajectory and muzzle energy is just splitting hairs.

NeverAgain,

Way to go. You just managed to insult the entire LE community, including me (retired). Your comments are neither true or close to being accurate. So what was the reason they didn't allow you to become a cop?


tenmilli-master,

When I first started messing with handguns I shot a M19 and I too didn't have much use for a 45ACP, thinking they were much to do about nothing. I then started shooting bullseye and was forced into a 45. In the '80s I shot some IPSC in both revolver and auto. I had a Les Baer comp gun built and also shot a 45ACP revolver. I then really came to appreciate the 45ACP for it's versatility, low recoil, power, affordability, fun to shoot factor, etc.....but it did have to grow on me. I shoot mostly .22s today, but when I get the urge to shoot something bigger I always reach for the 45. I have numerous guns in multiple calibers, but the 45ACP is my favorite centerfire. Don't rule it out entirely. Give it another look and do so with an open mind. Get out and shoot... join a club... learn by doing. Likewise, don't limit yourself to a gun simply because it has high capacity, which means very little in the real world.

You won't appreciate this, but... There are those out there whose sentiments follow this line of thought, ".45 ACP is king"/ "M1911 is king". In some respects, I agree. It almost is king in cost vs. expansion. I agree, it IS a good cartridge for... well, anything.


That's not why I dislike the M1911, or the .45ACP. Suppose something new, possibly better than either of these two things. Many of their supporters, either disliking change, unwilling to have to train around a new round/pistol, or simply denouncing the other pistol/rounds' superiority, will be biased in their opinion, and not want to give it a try.

This "Old is best" mentality is what infuriates me, and whenever I pick up a '45, I just get to thinking about it again.

I should feel the same about hardline glockers, but I don't. Maybe because I suspect they feel much the same as I do about the M1911.


Now, I might feel much better about the M1911 once I actually get my hands on own (or on a glock, for that matter). I'm just a kid, Hardnose. No money. No car. No job. All I have is a promising future, and a few .22's. (and a supporting mother). So it won't be a few years until that happens.