Desertscout
Revolvers:
We seem to be agreed with regard to revolvers. Yes, there is an option, the Smith 610, and no, neither of us would apparently buy one.
Accuracy:
I didn't mean to imply the 10mm was inherently inaccurate. The ability to which I refer is that of the shooter, not the gun or cartridge. This is due to flinch that is common as recoil, report and muzzle blast increase.
There are a number of complaints of this type. The largest was probably the FBI, which downloaded the 10mm to overcome this issue. This, of course, lead to the creation of the 40S&W.
By the same token, neither is over penetration inherent to the cartridge, but to bullet selection at a given velocity. This is best shown by the FN 5.7X28 and it's ability to defeat body armor at approximately half the energy level of the 10mm.
Game and hunting weapons:
I am no hunter and was here merely regurgitating the opinions of those I respect (and that make sense to me). Yes, I am aware a properly placed shot from almost anything will do under the right conditions. I have put down many a bovine with a 22lr in the barn yard.
I grew up in Indiana. White tail is the about the largest game regularly hunted in that area, and 10mm would be a great option (if legal). I do not see people in the mountain west where I now live using the 10mm for 75-300 yard shots that I am told are common on mule deer and elk.
I would agree that mule deer are about the largest game animal commonly hunted in North America that could be classified as medium game. However, their typical habitat makes hunting them with a 10mm difficult proposition.
Incidentally, whitetail deer are on average more than twice the size of a coyote. The
largest coyote on record (75 lbs.) is still 15 lbs short of the low average for a
whitetail doe (90 lbs.).
I did not use the word traditional in my post, although you also took exception to it's use. The word I did use was conventional. It was an adjective modifying hunting platform. While handguns may not yet be traditional, there certainly is an established convention to use them as a hunting platform and for their use within that platform. Within the handgun hunting platform the conventional handgun is either a single-shot weapon or a revolver.
Per Chuck Hawks "Semi-automatic hunting pistols are few and far between."
Perhaps I have mis-interpreted the tone of your post, but it certainly felt as if I were being called out to defend my statements. If I have mis-interpreted your tone, then clearly we are in agreement, despite my perception to the contrary.
The 10mm is a great cartridge, that gets overlooked all to often, and is improperly maligned. It is presently and for the near future the ONLY large caliber I plan to own in a handgun. Were I to get involved with handgun hunting, I would almost certainly choose the EAA Witness Hunter in 10mm as my weapon.
I've taken two deer with a .357 Blackhawk and a 158 grain SWC at 760 ft lbs, about 10mm territory. It produced full penetration at slightly over 50 yards and gave a nice wound channel. Neither deer went very far. If the .357 can do that, I see no reason the 10 can't do even more, considering bore diameter and bullet weight. Thing is, you gotta hit it in the right place. If you can do that, be assured that the caliber of the gun is plenty for the job of hunting mid sized game. It is the ONLY round in a decently sized autoloading handgun (even my contender is light and small compared to a Desert Eagle) that should be called a magnum.
