45 ACP Versus 10MM

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July 23, 2024
By Jared Daub

45 ACP Versus 10MM

45 ACP VS 10MM: Which is king? This one might cause some friction and drama. Buckle up, take a seat, hold your 1911 close, and be prepared to have your dreams shattered.

Ok, it’s not that serious

Truth be told, I just wanted to write a quick blog to share my thoughts on 10mm and 45 ACP. I also figured I’d discuss why I decided NOT to build up my Glock 21 SF (45 ACP), and instead went with two 10mm pistols. I may poke fun at 45ACP, and I do have some valid points as well, just know it’s not that serious. Let’s get into it.

Why is 10mm a better option than 45 ACP?

Both the 45 ACP and 10mm are larger calibers that are offered in modern semi-automatic pistols. For that reason, they both exhibit much more recoil than the more popular 9mm pistols. 9mm is by far the most popular caliber for carrying of pistols. It has light recoil, it’s available readily, and it serves a viable role in defense of life. It hasn’t always been that way, though. Prior to modern jacketed bullets becoming available, your option for defensive bullets was to send as big of a hunk of lead as possible downrange. You wanted this bullet to be going as fast as reliably possible.

Additionally, you’d desire a flat nose to cut through and cause more damage to tissue. For this reason, larger bore calibers were preferred. You couldn’t rely on bullet technology to get the job done. You had to put big bullets exactly where you needed to on target to stop an attack or a threat.

The 45 ACP was viewed as the king for a long time. It is a popular caliber that many 1911 pistols are chambered in. Until bullet technology caught up, it may very well have been the best caliber for the job of defense of life in a sidearm. But bullet technology did catch up. It is now to the point where if you study a wound cavity from a 45 and a 9mm, they will be virtually identical. And with some offerings, the 9mm will actually provide BETTER wound cavity and penetration performance. I factored this into my decisions.

Watermelons can be “Science”

On a recent range day I brought watermelons just for fun. Now, I realize, what I am about to describe is FAR from a scientific experiment. It was purely for fun and entertainment. But I wanted to see: How does 9mm, 45ACP, and 10mm affect the watermelons. I linked a video in this blog, I’d encourage you to check it out. The 10mm with 180 grain Magtech HP ammo splits the watermelons in half. Sometimes it will explode the water melons. Crazy. The 45 ACP does….basically nothing. The 230 Grain Remington HP defense ammo made a simple hole in and out. No cool reaction or flying pieces. Bummer.

The 9mm also split the water melons in half, just not as violently as the 10mm. So think on that for a second: Just seeing the performance of the 9mm next to a 45 in a dumb non-scientific test does speak to the advancement of modern ammo.

If you are handling more recoil, use the better round

As I wrestled with two options (Outfit my Glock 21 SF for a red dot, build it up, or buy a 10mm), I started out with the ballistic performance of each round. MOST defensive 45ACP ammo is between 800-900 FPS. They are often 200-230 grain projectiles. 45 ACP is a VERY slow, lethargic round. When I looked at 10mm, I found that I could get ammo for defense from companies like Underwood that send 220 grain projectiles at 1250 FPS. Quite the difference in speed, energy, and penetration.

Interestingly enough, when shooting a 45ACP you will experience similar recoil to many off the shelf 10mm loads. I asked myself: “If I’m going to be handling more recoil, why wouldn’t I simply buy a pistol with better ballistics?”. One of my main priorities for this pursuit of a full size handgun was to have something with me in remote camping situations. I wanted a pistol that was semi-auto and could be loaded for larger game defense.

When looking for 45ACP bear loads, I found very few options and I found even fewer examples of 45ACP being capable for that role. 10mm was an entirely different story. There are ample stories of 10mm being used on everything from deer, to wolves, to moose, and bear. Hunters often use 10mm for hunting and defensive purposes while hunting, so there is ample data showing the efficacy of it on game. That made me more comfortable knowing that 10mm was the better option for me.

Cost of ammo, nearly identical.

One of my last considerations was cost of ammo. It was a relatively unimportant component as I knew these would not be pistols I shoot as much as my 9mm. What I came to realize is the fact that both 45ACP and 10mm are comparably priced. Defensive ammo across the board is nearly identical and training ammunition is close to the same price. Knowing it would cost me the same to train, it solidified my belief that 10mm would be the superior option for me.

Suppressed considerations

I’m sure I will get some questions from folks who want to know: what about suppressed shooting? The reality is I almost NEVER shoot pistols suppressed. If I do, it’s because I’m plinking. It is not for a larger/broader training purpose. I simply don’t see that as the most important thing for me to focus on. With that being said, I could see an advantage in hunting situations to run one of our suppressors. Folks will automatically give the 45ACP some favoritism because of the subsonic nature of the round, but I would argue that would still not be ideal. If I’m out putting down game, I don’t care about how quiet the round is. I don’t care about it being subsonic. I’m looking to put the game down as quickly and humanely as possible.

Standard 10mm ammo is what I will be using. Suppressing standard ammo will certainly take the edge off and achieve the purpose of shooting suppressed. If I do desire to shoot a whisper quiet pistol, I can run subsonic ammo through the 10mm as well. Plenty of it exists. Or better yet, My Glock 17 already has a threaded barrel, and I have AMPLE subsonic 147 grain 9mm ammunition. I also would have more confidence in the 147 grain subsonic ammunition over the 45 ACP ammo. I am simply unimpressed on all fronts with 45 ACP. It just isn’t a caliber I will ever choose for carry or use.

The Size of the guns Matching the Performance

45ACP pistols often have lower capacity and more weight than other options. While I have not weighed my Gen 3 Glock 21SF or my Gen 5 Glock 20, The Glock 21 feels much heavier when the mag is fully loaded. The 45ACP also has a capacity that is two rounds LESS than my Glock 20. For these reasons, I believe the 10mm is superior. I have witnessed the potential of this round. It offers better velocity, similar bullet weights, better penetration and more downrange energy than 45ACP. The cost of the ammo is very similar to 45ACP, but the performance is higher. Both rounds recoil more than 9mm. For that reason, I will stick to the one with the best energy and velocity. The 10mm also has better large animal defense loads vs the 45ACP. For me, 10mm is the answer.

I’m curious what you think: Which caliber would you choose? Are you into 45ACP, or are you more of a 10mm guy like myself? Which caliber would you take into bear country? Leave us a comment and let’s talk about it.