Smith & Wesson’s recent introduction of their Military & Police pistol in 10mm Auto is but the latest proof this caliber is undergoing a reasonably strong regeneration today. To understand why, let’s go back to the genesis of this Lazarus round.
A Brief History
In 1983, years of experimentation by Whit Collins and Col. Jeff Cooper had created the wildcat .40 G&A cartridge. The project came to fruition with the introduction of the Bren Ten and its new 10mm Auto cartridge, first produced by Norma. Produced by Dornaus & Dixon (D&D), the Bren Ten was a scaled-up version of a European 9mm pistol which had gained the colonel’s favor in almost every respect save caliber — the CZ 75, a selective-system double-action pistol that could also be carried cocked and locked. The Bren Ten even bore the raven logo of Col. Cooper’s school, Gunsite.
It had the load Cooper specified — a .40-caliber jacketed truncated cone bullet with an overall cartridge length much like the colonel’s beloved .45 ACP, stoked to a ferocious 1,200 feet per second. Chamber pressure was approximately 38,000 pounds per square inch. The colonel proudly noted the 10mm had as much energy at 100 yards as the .45 ACP did right out of the muzzle.
D&D, perhaps undercapitalized, did not last long. Guns were shipped without magazines when the subcontractor didn’t come through with them on schedule. The company was taking orders with full price to be paid in advance and many shooters were smart enough not to fall for it. When Dornaus & Dixon went out of business, it looked as if the 10mm Auto was “out of business” too.
