10mm 1911 setup — input?

[the pistolero]

Hey y'all. As you may remember, I recently started rolling my own for the mighty 10mm Auto. Been a real fun ride so far. As of yet the only handloads I've put through it are around 200 rounds of 155-grain Hornady XTP, at about 1340-1350 fps on average. My question is for you, fellow 10mm 1911 shooters who feed your weapons the hotter ammo, such as Double Tap, Buffalo Bore, Georgia Arms, and your own warmer handloads.
How do you have your guns set up to handle those loads? My bone-stock Kimber ST II handled my loads very well, but I am wondering how it would fare with a steady diet of them, or maybe a steady diet of 180-grainers @ 1150-1250 fps. I know some say just shoot it & don't worry, but I'm a bit wary about going that route. Any input?

 

[Bob R]

After I had my Delta Elite worked over by Ted Yost I tried some DT in it. It *seemed* to do fine until the last shot in the magazine and then wouldn't lock the slide back.

It worked fine with Winchester Silvertip and some other 10mm factory loads.

I called and talked to Ted and he said the slide was probably moving too fast when using the DT and that if I wanted to feed the Delta a steady diet of DT I really should change out both the mainspring and the recoil spring to a heavier one.

So, IMO, and some others, if you want to shoot a steady diet of full power or a little over loads in a 1911 platform you should do a minimum of 3 things. A heavier mainspring, a heavier recoil spring and something every 1911 platform can benefit from......a flat bottom firing pin stop from EGW.

Most people will run a 22# recoil spring over a 25# mainspring. It seems to protect the gun from excessive battering while allowing you to load up some fairly stout ammo.

YMMV

bob

 

[DHart]

pistolero... I can't speak from much experience with DT-type loads as I don't shoot the maxed-out DT loads... mostly because most bullets in 10/40 aren't designed to perform well at those speeds, being designed for .40 cal velocities. Exceptions include Winchester's 175 gr. Silvertip (designed for 1290 fps) and Hornady's XTP line of bullets, which tend to perform as designed (controlled expansion and deep penetration without disintegration)at full 10mm velocity. But I do shoot regularly with 180 gr. bullets at 1150 to 1200 fps. And that loading is a mid-range load for 10mm... about 125-175 fps faster than .40 cal. I haven't found the need for heavier than standard springs when shooting the 180 grainers at 1150-1200. Bob R makes a good suggestion with the flat bottom EGW firing pin stop... slows the timing a bit without heavy springing. Do be careful about heavy springing as it can cause more wear than the load when the slide slams home with more force than needed. I've found that the sweet spot *for me* in 10mm is the mid range 10mm loads which are amply stouter than .40, but not so heavy as maxed-out 10mm ammo... I like that it's a little easier on the gun and on me, but still packs a powerful punch. I would definitely, however, go with full charge 10mm loads and heavy bullets (as long as the bullets are designed for it, like the 200 gr. XTP) for hunting or defense against four legged creatures!

 

[the pistolero]

Many thanks for the advice. The 10mm Kimbers come stock with an 18.5-lb. recoil spring and 21-lb. mainspring; I am guessing those would be good at least over the short-term with midrange loads. I will be changing the springs before I even think about putting any hotter loads through it, but then again, that 155-grain XTP at about 1375-1400 fps was very comfortable. I know well that just because you have that Ford GT doesn't mean you have to drive it at 205 mph all the time. But it sure would be fun every now and then...

 

[DHart]

I know well that just because you have that Ford GT doesn't mean you have to drive it at 205 mph all the time. But it sure would be fun every now and then...

pistolero... very well put! Your analogy is perfect for how I feel about my 10mm guns... I rarely drive them at warp speed (enjoying something less than all-out speed most of the time) but it is fun to "floor it" from time to time! Thanks for that!