I always look at the FPS ratings. Just buying junk 10mm kind of negates the reasons we have this caliber. JMHO of course.
Rem. UMC green box runs 1150 FPS with decent muzzle. It is my plinking round with the 10mm's
Underwood has some really serious stuff reasonably priced that stops the clocks at 1550 out of a 5" barrel and better from my 6"
Make sure the pistols you are looking at are up to the job at hand. 10mm is a serious round.
If this is for a Glock 20, you could also consider buying a 40 cal conversion barrel and shooting cheap 40 ammo. That's what I have done since cheap 10mm is barely a tick above cheap 40 (see above). No new magazines, extractor, etc. needed.
Rem. UMC green box runs 1150 FPS with decent muzzle. It is my plinking round with the 10mm's
Underwood has some really serious stuff reasonably priced that stops the clocks at 1550 out of a 5" barrel and better from my 6"
Make sure the pistols you are looking at are up to the job at hand. 10mm is a serious round.
I'd probably shoot some of it through the 20 but it's mostly for the Vector. I don't need 1500fps for the range (I don't think) so I'm looking for something inexpensive to sight in a new red dot and use the hot stuff if SHTF.
Out of curiosity, when does a round change from being weak to average to hot for 10mm?
Thanks CM!
When comparing different options, is it better to compare the FPS or the muzzle energy?
For instance, the Sellier & Bellot 180gr is rated at 1164FPS & 543 lb-ft, according to Target Sport USA. Liberty Ammunition has a 60gr round that is rated at 2400FPS & 780FPE (Joules). Wildly different FPS, but the energy (when converted to the same units) should be quite close to each other.
I have some of the Liberty insanely fast offerings for my ACPs. They are pretty awesome when touched off in the last stall against the wall indoors. I do not know the formula's involved but the seriously light round my not carry the muzzle like the 180 gr. I have no real answer here. I am sure some more knowledgeable than I will chime in with the right math.
Thanks CM!
When comparing different options, is it better to compare the FPS or the muzzle energy?
For instance, the Sellier & Bellot 180gr is rated at 1164FPS & 543 lb-ft, according to Target Sport USA. Liberty Ammunition has a 60gr round that is rated at 2400FPS & 780FPE (Joules). Wildly different FPS, but the energy (when converted to the same units) should be quite close to each other.
Energy is a a function of the mass of the bullet and the velocity. The basic formula is bullet mass times velocity squared divided by two. Higher velocity, lower mass rounds lose energy quicker than lower velocity, higher mass rounds especially in tissue. The heavier bullet load will penetrate more deeply, possibly too deeply and the lighter one may not penetrate enough depending on your intended use. As a general rule, it is probably best to avoid ammo that is too far to either extreme(velocity or mass) for serious work. Solid copper bullets like that in the Liberty ammo mitigate that to some extent.