Josh
Well-Known Member
For years I've seen people talking about the 10mm Auto. I've seen it compared to everything from 22LR to 44 Mag and for years I've had a back and forth with myself on if I should get one. I played with the 45 Super and 460 Rowland loads when I owned a Blackhawk convertible and they didn't trip my trigger.
I kept saying "If S&W ever makes an M&P in 10mm I'll buy one." Then, like they heard my thoughts, they did. It was a shorter barrel than I wanted though and was really hoping for a threaded option, so I held out for another year. Enter the Performance Center 10mm. Once it arrived on the market, I knew it was the one, even if it didn't have the treaded barrel I was so hoping for.
So, off to the LGS I went to buy some Christmas shooting supplies for family and lo and behold, there it sat, the Performance Center 10mm M&P. Luckily right? So, I picked it up and ran home to shoot the thing. I bought one box of FMJ just so I could check functionality and sight in the optic. The Armscor 180 gr ammo ran 1130 FPS from my handgun and printed a respectable 3" group at 25 yds.
Now enter my search for a proper bullet mould. I needed something in the 180 gr weight as I feel that's the sweet spot for this cartridge. I went online looking and searching and nothing tripped my trigger. I was annoyed that no 10mm moulds were in my mould boxes when I remembered something, YEARS ago, I bought a Mihec 40 cal HP mould. I can't even remember why anymore. So I started searching, I found the bugger at the very bottom of my mould box, and right beside it was a Lee 6 banger 175 gr mould that I removed the bevel base from. I was ecstatic, my hoarding and stashing finally paid off!
So, with nothing more to do than wait on my dies to get here, I started to cast up some Mihec bullets. I settled on the cup point as I didn't want to initiate expansion too rapidly. I'm happy to say that it *once warm* rains bullets as fast as any solid nose design. I sized and lubed a few with LSL at 0.401" and am going to PC a few and size the same. My plan is to shoot them side by side with identical loads to see which nets me the better load. They're coming out of the mould at a very consistent 189 gr and even with such a large HP cavity, feed like poop through a goose.
I'm going to try and find a load that nets me 1250 FPS or close to it and run exclusively that in this pistol. Does it compare to my Ruger Blackhawk 41 Mag? No, not even close, but it certainly does hold a special slot in my handgun line-up. I can't wait until next year's hunting season to send some 10mm lead into a medium sized cervid.
I kept saying "If S&W ever makes an M&P in 10mm I'll buy one." Then, like they heard my thoughts, they did. It was a shorter barrel than I wanted though and was really hoping for a threaded option, so I held out for another year. Enter the Performance Center 10mm. Once it arrived on the market, I knew it was the one, even if it didn't have the treaded barrel I was so hoping for.
So, off to the LGS I went to buy some Christmas shooting supplies for family and lo and behold, there it sat, the Performance Center 10mm M&P. Luckily right? So, I picked it up and ran home to shoot the thing. I bought one box of FMJ just so I could check functionality and sight in the optic. The Armscor 180 gr ammo ran 1130 FPS from my handgun and printed a respectable 3" group at 25 yds.
Now enter my search for a proper bullet mould. I needed something in the 180 gr weight as I feel that's the sweet spot for this cartridge. I went online looking and searching and nothing tripped my trigger. I was annoyed that no 10mm moulds were in my mould boxes when I remembered something, YEARS ago, I bought a Mihec 40 cal HP mould. I can't even remember why anymore. So I started searching, I found the bugger at the very bottom of my mould box, and right beside it was a Lee 6 banger 175 gr mould that I removed the bevel base from. I was ecstatic, my hoarding and stashing finally paid off!
So, with nothing more to do than wait on my dies to get here, I started to cast up some Mihec bullets. I settled on the cup point as I didn't want to initiate expansion too rapidly. I'm happy to say that it *once warm* rains bullets as fast as any solid nose design. I sized and lubed a few with LSL at 0.401" and am going to PC a few and size the same. My plan is to shoot them side by side with identical loads to see which nets me the better load. They're coming out of the mould at a very consistent 189 gr and even with such a large HP cavity, feed like poop through a goose.
I'm going to try and find a load that nets me 1250 FPS or close to it and run exclusively that in this pistol. Does it compare to my Ruger Blackhawk 41 Mag? No, not even close, but it certainly does hold a special slot in my handgun line-up. I can't wait until next year's hunting season to send some 10mm lead into a medium sized cervid.
