Been thinking for a while about a full sized pistol. I have an SR9C that I shoot weekly.  I have only shot the 45, and I don't know if I have shot it "full-house".  I like the idea of the .45 as ammo is plentiful, the bullet stays subsonic, and I would like a can and a 458 socom.





On the flip side. the 10mm seems to have more power, be highly recommended as a "woods" pistol, and I know that PPU 10mm ammo is supposed to be about .40 power, and cheap for plinking.





Now for the and/or.  I know that in the Glock platform the .45 and 10mm can both be used with the change of mags and barrels. But I don't know how simple/useful/ it is.  Is anyone swtich barreling a Glock that can comment on this?  Or make suggestions on any of the above?

 

I think you need to breakdown your requirements into priorities.

What is the main purpose of the gun?  "just to have" is perfectly valid FYI.

What dangerous critters would not be stopped by a good, strong .45ACP +P with a modern projectile in KY or surrounding states?  

How much do you plan on shooting it?

If rarely, 10mm kicks ass.

If you like to shoot, .45ACP is a much better deal.

Do you reload?  Are you an experienced Reloader?

A .458 socom can is likely going to be too heavy and long to use with any tilting or browning link pistol barrel.  It might be possible, but I'm almost positive it would throw off reliability.   I would nix this requirement, and just get a dedicated pistol can for a pistol and not let this be a deciding factor.

A glock 21 can accept a Glock 20 slide, and vice versa.  Barrel swaps are possible, but it is recommended that you change the extractor too.  You'll be in for $250-$400 for any practical conversion, which is the point I just think I'd get the rest of the pistol to go with it, rather than trying to make my gun into Mr. Potatohead.

You really can't go wrong with a Glock 21/20.  They are just damn easy to shoot well.  Most people approach them from another gun and dry fire it saying "oh this is never going to work", and then they put a mag through it, and shoot the damn thing better than a 1911 or Sig.

Personally, I'd go with a .45ACP unless you have a specific need or desire to play with 10mm.  But consider the above and we might get you closer to what is best for you.

10mm certainly has the cool factor going for it, but I'm not sure if it's 2x as cool as 45 ACP, which is how much more you'll pay for 10mm ammo.

Ammo here is the same between the two. Winchester white box in .45acp is about $25 for a box of 50 and 10mm is about $30 for the same size. And you can get the best damn sd ammo made for 10mm for $37 in boxes of 50rd (referring to 155gr XTP at 1500 fps from Underwood).

Heavy loads in a 10mm will make any other autoloader that you've ever fired feel fairly soft by comparison. In a Glock 29, heavy stuff feels like a magnum revolver.

Just do a 45 and be done with it.

I don't limit myself to buying locally, not sure why you would either.  A little bit of smart shopping online and your 45 ACP rounds are close to half what 10mm would cost. Don't get me wrong 10mm is most certainly a more "bad ass" cartridge, but if he wants to do a lot of shooting and has a budget to consider, 45 ACP is probably the smarter choice.

I dunno, I have been G20 hunting for a few weeks. Going with 10mm. I can't hunt big game out here with .45, so it's the obvious choice for me.

See if you can buy a cheap used (~$600) USP 45.  

JW what "big game" you would hunt with a 10mm in CO?  

 

As a owner of a 10mm and a 45 ACP, I suggest  the 45ACP.
It's just to plentiful of a market in the 45 ammo area.
The 10mm is still to me a little of an exotic round.

As a owner of a 10mm and a 45 ACP, I suggest  the 45ACP.
It's just to plentiful of a market in the 45 ammo area.
The 10mm is still to me a little of an exotic round.

That's not entirely true.  You can swap a 10mm barrel and mag into a Glock 21, but you cannot use a 45 barrel in a Glock 20.  The breach face is smaller on the 20 slide.  You can, however, swap the entire "upper" on the 20 and shoot 45.

Comes in both 10mm and 45acp

EAA Witness Hunter

I didn't know you could do that...

Link to 45 ammo for 25 cents a round?

I don't shoot all that much so ammo costs don't really concern me.

10mm is my choice. G 20 and 29. Just watch for a good sale on ammo and stock up, maybe 500 rounds at a time.

A Glock should eat most anything you feed it so I wouldn't worry about what I bought as long as I bought something. I don't have any issues with recoil and my wife can and does occasionally shoot both without problems and she's not a big girl.

For SHTF though, 45 is definitely the way to go just for ammo availability.

It all depends on your purpose for the weapon.

http://www.gunbot.net/ammo/pistol/45acp/

I said "close to half" but that first source is actually right at .25

In contrast, here's the 10mm listing.

http://www.gunbot.net/ammo/pistol/10mm/

OK, I have both.  If I could only have one, it would be the .45 ACP.

.45 ACP is cheaper, more available, and plenty of pumpkin for any critters in KY.

10mm is a bit more versatile, especially if you handload.

You can rebarrel your 10mm Delta Elite to 9mm, if you want to shoot cheaper ammo.

It requires 9mm mags, a 9mm barrel and recoil spring, but it can be done.  Good enough for range work.

There really is no better solution than buying a G21 .45acp and a Glock 10mm barrel/mags.  Yes, a complete 10mm slide would be "best" but there are more than enough folks swapping the barrel only and mag to prove it works.  If I had the money I'd buy a G20 slide to go on my G21 and that is actually on my list of "to do's".

Matt Hard Core.





I would like to have a bigger gun for the house, and for woods hunting in central ky, and texas.  Meaning black bears, hogs, and mountain lions.  I shoot my 9 every week, but I don't think I would be shooting the full size nearly as much.  I haven't shot my father's 1911 enough to know how accurate I am with it, but as long as it's the 5"+barrel model (sorry for not knowing the moniker), it doesn't bother me.  He bought a Kimber pro carry, and I shot it once and put it down.





I do not reload.  Only really shoot .22, 7.62x39 and steel 9 right now.





I have no problems stocking up.  I have 4K of 9 for one pistol, 10K of .22 for one bolt action, and only 1700 for the bullpup SKS.



I have considered a 7.62x39 pistol or the 458 Socom and leaving the 18-20" Grendel in the stand.  Just feel more comfortable right now with a pistol.

Glock 21 SF,10mm conversion barrel,recoil spring,and some mags.You can have both that way.

I think .45ACP Glock 21SF or Gen 4 Glock 21 would serve you well.

You would still have the 10mm option later on if you wish to try it out via slide swap or barrel/extractor conversion.


You seem to stock up ammo well.  .45ACP will be in your local Wal-Mart, hardware stores, and sporting good stores with a wide selection of loads.  10mm will only be on the shelves of gun stores or online.  I like picking up a box of 9mm or .45ACP every time I'm at Wal-mart because the ammo shelf fills up fast that way.  I bet you would too.

5" 1911's are generally referred to as "Government Models".  About the only thing on this planet where the term "Government Model" means something significantly good.

I'd rather use a 40 conversion barrel in a 10mm.

I converted my Springfield "NM" 1911 to .45Super with just a 23lb Wolff recoil spring swap and Wolff extra power magazine springs to keep up with the slide velocity. It works really well with Buffalo Bore 255 grain hard cast moving @ 1100 fps. It recoils no more than .45acp+P with an all steel pistol and 23lb recoil spring and the BB 255 grain lswhc is the most accurate round I've shot out of a .45... In my opinion, it kicks 10mm's ass...

If your looking for a USP, I suggest a heavier recoil spring and stiffer magazine springs as well. An extra $15-17 and your gtg... The HK series and Springfield 1911's are the only factory pistols that are rated to shoot .45Super out of the box but I had 100% reliability with the recoil and magazine spring swaps in the 1911...

Wish granted: Here

$24.90 / 50 rounds = $0.498/round

Math is stewped.

THIS!! I have a Glock 20 and use a Wolf .40 S&W conversion barrel. It's cheaper than .45 to practice with and I only need to swap the barrel. The spring and mags work with both the 10mm and .40.

185gr 45 super - 688ft.lbs @ 1300 FPS


In 10mm the 155gr from buffalo bore is doing 774ft.lbs @ 1500 fps.  I'll take the 10mm.