They don't have a siiick firearms thread so l volunteer. . .

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Hi Forum,
First post. I'm building two 1911 commanders, both 10mm. The sick one has an aluminum frame with barrel extension just because... Both are evil looking in phosphate/dull black hard-anodizing, but the nice twin also has an elegant damascus slide, and the evil one has a beefy slide from Fusion (in black, it has the lines of a Soviet limosine). Pre-build now, just waiting on the parts. So I have a few things to consider: I'm using a Colt stainless match barrel in the nicer twin (she's all steel) and I'm assuming that with good brass like Starline the lack of cartridge head support inherent in the classic Browning design won't be an issue with hotter commercial ammo and reloads. I mean, I don't much care if cases bulge and can't be reloaded so long as they extract and there are no blowouts. I assume the usual pressure signs would still be there to warn me I'm getting close to a risky situation, but I have no experience at all with 10mm---never fired one. It can't be any more interesting than my beloved 454 Casull, right? Does anybody have any ACTUAL EXPERIENCE that would suggest otherwise? Secondly, I intend to equip the evil twin with screw-in carbon steel bearing inserts on the hammer pin, and use a square-bottom firing pin stop to increase the recoil dwell. I'm thinking that stock 9mm or maybe even 45 commander springs will be all that's needed under those conditions, neh? Then I can stop worrying about recoil stop hole egging, although, frankly, if the aluminum frame ultimately can't stand up to that much evil, I'll just replace it more frequently, like once a year heh heh heh heh.
Cheers,
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[Zaydok Allen]

Welcome to the forum.

I'm using a Colt stainless match barrel in the nicer twin (she's all steel) and I'm assuming that with good brass like Starline the lack of cartridge head support inherent in the classic Browning design won't be an issue with hotter commercial ammo and reloads.

I wouldn't bet on that. A lack of case support will bulge any brass regardless of brass quality if the pressure is high enough. Commercial ammo isn't that hot in most cases though. Loading your own is a better option if you want real 10mm. However it's a moot point if all you really care about is function.

454 does recoil more but feels different due to the gun type.

Replacing a frame once a year? Seems a steel frame is a better option if that develops, for recoil mitigation as well.

 

[WestKentucky]

Yours is a lot sicker than mine, but I pulled some strings over thanksgiving and did my own Christmas shopping from my parents and from my wife. I’m getting parts to build a smith model 10 into essentially a target/race gun. I bought the gun cheap because it’s ugly. I’m going to drill and tap the top strap for a pic rail, bed that rail with a durable epoxy like jb weld, install a knockoff of a Bushnell First Strike, and paint it to look kinda like the gray revolver I keep seeing in the aimpro ads. I may stick with stock grips for now because I can’t make up my mind on where to go with grips, and I’m out of money to throw at it anyway. I am looking for a race/game type holster and will buy a few speedloaders for it when I get done with the build. I’m keeping my eyes open for a .357 or 9mm cylinder too.

I love a 10mm... I wonder how expensive it is to cram a 10mm into a k frame...

 

[Texas10mm]

There's a reason you don't see any of the custom houses offering an aluminum framed Commander sized 10mm.

If you have to replace a frame in a year that should be a sign that you're doing something wrong.

The usual pressure signs in pistols are show up way past the point where you've entered the danger zone. Many times a catastrophic failure can happen before you see the usual pressure signs. Those "usual pressure signs" were developed for rifles.

No brass can save your ass from stupidity. I've got a first generation, post frame cracking, Delta Elite. I don't shoot top tier loads in it due to the lack of case support. I reserve those loads for my two Dan Wesson 10mm pistols with better case support.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

 

[Popoff]

Yours is a lot sicker than mine, but I pulled some strings over thanksgiving and did my own Christmas shopping from my parents and from my wife. I’m getting parts to build a smith model 10 into essentially a target/race gun. I bought the gun cheap because it’s ugly. I’m going to drill and tap the top strap for a pic rail, bed that rail with a durable epoxy like jb weld, install a knockoff of a Bushnell First Strike, and paint it to look kinda like the gray revolver I keep seeing in the aimpro ads. I may stick with stock grips for now because I can’t make up my mind on where to go with grips, and I’m out of money to throw at it anyway. I am looking for a race/game type holster and will buy a few speedloaders for it when I get done with the build. I’m keeping my eyes open for a .357 or 9mm cylinder too.

I love a 10mm... I wonder how expensive it is to cram a 10mm into a k frame...

I like your style, WestKentucky

 

[Popoff]

There's a reason you don't see any of the custom houses offering an aluminum framed Commander sized 10mm.

If you have to replace a frame in a year that should be a sign that you're doing something wrong.

The usual pressure signs in pistols are show up way past the point where you've entered the danger zone. Many times a catastrophic failure can happen before you see the usual pressure signs. Those "usual pressure signs" were developed for rifles.

No brass can save your ass from stupidity. I've got a first generation, post frame cracking, Delta Elite. I don't shoot top tier loads in it due to the lack of case support. I reserve those loads for my two Dan Wesson 10mm pistols with better case support.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

"something wrong" isn't what I had in mind; try awful wrong, 'way wrong, just plain wrong, and Wrong Wrong Wrong!!!
I've read mixed opinions on this forum and elsewhere about the Delta Elite (congratulations, by the way, one of my bucket guns) but other than back and forth no real strong direction to my sense emerges on that one. I like your take on already being in the danger zone when you first notice pressure signs. For commercial ammo I wouldn't go anywhere heavier than SAAMI-spec Buffalo Bore hunting or Doubletap duty/SD offerings, but I mostly handload, and going by the manuals' recommendations I doubt I'll have a real 10mm. It would be nice to have a standard of measure besides "it froze up my gun" or "it tore off the rim" or "it blew out the magazine and shattered the grips---good thing I was wearing a glove!" but, oh, well.

I'm building the guns, I was just hoping I wouldn't also have to saw and swage some rifle brass to feed 'em. Of course, the evil twin will have the Fusion Ultra Match W/N ramped barrel; it's the nice girl I worry about.
Cheers,
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[Zaydok Allen]

It would be nice to have a standard of measure besides "it froze up my gun" or "it tore off the rim" or "it blew out the magazine and shattered the grips---good thing I was wearing a glove!" but, oh, well.

I bought a chronograph for a reason. Unexpected and excessive velocity may tell you there is a pressure problem before you see signs of case failure.

 

[Popoff]

I bought a chronograph for a reason. Unexpected and excessive velocity may tell you there is a pressure problem before you see signs of case failure.

That's a heck of a good idea, 460Shooter, and I've got a few months to embezzle the additional project funds from the family budget. I've no experience with chronographs; always considered them as extra buttons 'n bows on a work shirt, but in this case why not? I wonder if the energy spent bulging the case would mask an otherwise-obvious velocity spike?

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I've no experience with chronographs; always considered them as extra buttons 'n bows on a work shirt, but in this case why not?

To me, they are a useful tool for measuring consistency of loadings you have developed. Variations may indicate a poor bullet, powder, case, and primer combo. It may indicate a variance in your powder throw you aren't detecting while loading. It may indicate ONE aspect of your loads is not right. I've only been loading for a year, but 10mm is one I do load for. It's easy to load, but there is a tremendous combo of bullet weights and powders out there. To me a chronograph is a good way to figure out what your gun likes.

I wonder if the energy spent bulging the case would mask an otherwise-obvious velocity spike?

No. Equal and opposite actions and reactions would indicate that if the case doesn't burst and vent gases elsewhere, that those gases will be vented down the barrel and push the bullet. A bulged case would not provide an outlet for the gas. If you expect 1300 fps from a load per the load manual and the test barrel length, and you see much higher or lower, something could be wrong. In the case of lower than expected velocity, the charge is off or you have an incomplete burn for some reason. Maybe too light of a crimp. Maybe poor neck tension. The long term loaders with more experience can list more causes. If you have too high of velocity, you may have over charged it, and be overpressure. With some powders, both scenarios can be dangerous.

Poor case support just adds another complication to the detection of an issue as every case may show pressure signs.

Poor extractions is another thing to keep an eye on.

but I mostly handload,

I would think you would want to limit brass abuse.

I've heard many times over from Delta Elite owners that the case support of the older guns was poor. I have heard, but not verified, that the later guns are much better.