10mm HANDGUN MANUFACTURERS: A to R




COLT (link)
COLT was the second company and first major manufacturer to chamber a handgun in 10mm. The single action semi-automatic 1911 design was strengthened in critical high stress areas. The "redesigned" "O" frame 1911 is called the Delta Elite. COLT updated their entire line of "O" frame handguns from Series 70 to Series 80. The difference between the two series is that the Series 80 incorporates a firing pin safety, higher visibility sights and a solid barrel bushing. Externally, the two series look the same. In the early 1990's, COLT introduced the Enhanced "O" frame which incorporated a lowered ejection port, beveled the magazine well, ribbed slide, angled slide serrations, relieved trigger guard, polished feed ramp and some models using polymer parts. The Delta Elite comes in blued, stainless steel and ultimate bright stainless steel. The Delta Elite is also available in a Gold Cup target model. Recently, Lew Horton's offered a limited run of 250 blued and 250 stainless steel "Delta 10"s. The Delta 10 essentially is a COLT 1991A1 copy in 10mm. There have been several limited production 1911 10mms from COLT, with most prodcution runs under 500 guns.
COLT has produced several limited runs of the Delta Elite in 10mm. Some of the Models are listed below:
Delta Elite "First Edition" stainless steel: Found with a fitted case with "COLT" emblem mounted in black wood grips. Pics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Delta Elite "First Edition" blued steel: Found with a fitted case with "Delta Elite","First Edition" and COLT emblem in gold plate on the slide. Pics: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Custom Combat 10: COLT Custom Shop limited run in 1988 of 400 that is nickle plated. Pic: 1, 2, 3

Elite Team: COLT Custom shop blued Delta Elite that has been lightly customized. Pic: 1

Combat Delta 10: Distiguished with a stainless frame and hammer, with the rest of the gun blued. Pic: 1

Gold Cup Elite: Stainless steel with adjustable sights, front serrations and lightly customized. Pic: 1

Gold Cup Ten: COLT Custom Shop limited run of 500 in stainless steel with adjustable sights. Pic: 1

Combat Elite Ten/Forty: A dual caliber offering both .40S&W and 10mm barrels in an attractive two tone (blued slide/stainless slide) package. Pic: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ultra Ten: COLT Custom Shop with blued slide and stainless frame, adjustable trigger and spur hammer. Pic: 1, 2, 3

Match 10: COLT Custom Shop all blued with adjustable trigger and adjustable Millet sights. Pic: 1, 2, 3



COLT also initially introduced the Series 90 Double Eagle (pic) in 10mm, but was discontinued in the 10mm chambering shortly after. Colt has since discontinued the entire Double Eagle line. The Double Eagle is a double action semi-auto design that has the familiar slide assembly of the 1911, slightly modified, and a new double action receiver. The Double Eagle has a different feel compared to the 1911 design, and has taken some unfair criticism from the gun press (who seem to be infatuated with the 1911 design). COLT did have to update the trigger mechanism due to the trigger pinching the ball of the trigger finger of many shooters. The updated Double Eagle is designated Mark II. This being said, my Double Eagle has a fabulous double action that exhibits a smooth no take up pull and crisp single action. The only concern for the Double Eagle design is that parts of the trigger mechanism is held in place by the grips, which would make the firearm useless if one broke or lost the grip panels. The Double Eagle is available in stainless steel only.

Other 1911's
There are a few 1911 manufacturers that have or had a 10mm in their line up. IAI/AMT made stainless steel 1911's in 5" Government Model and 7" Javelina (pic). IAI also made a 10mmMAG based on the 1911 design. It was the IAI Mark IV 10mm Magnum (pic) model. AUTO ORDNANCE offered ts Government Model in 10mm but also had it's Pit Bull offering in 10mm too (anyone have one? I'd like to hear from you!). STI (link) offers a single column, polymer frame, highly modified 1911 in 10mm also. Here's a pic of the HUNTER 6.0 (pic). A modified 1911 style from L.A.R., the Grizzly (pic), has an elongated grip to accommodate the various large cartridges it can fire. PARA ORDNANCE (link) showed off a 10mm P16 10 (pic) at a SHOT Show one year, but I don't believe any were sold to the public. In 2003, Dan Wesson (link) produced a limited run of 650 1911 10mms with custom touches in stainless steel called the Razorback. Also in 2003, Kimber America (link) produced a limited run of their Stainless Target II in 10mm. available only in stainless steel with custom touches such as front slide serrations, target trigger, match grade barrel and a host of other goodies.

DERRINGERS
There have been various manufactures that have made derringers in 10mm. Although I do not have personal experience with any derringers in 10mm, I have heard from a number of tenmen that the American Derringer (link) Model 1 in 10mm is well crafted and reliable.

D-MAX
The D-MAX carbine was also made as the D-MAX pistol (pic). Like the Carbine, the D-MAX Pistol is magazine fed from the left side of the tubular receiver. Barrel lengths included 6", 8", and 10". Magazine capacities included 5, 10, 15, and 30 rounds. The D-MAX had a horizontal magazine and the appearance was that of a Sten gun on steroids. It had a fixed barrel and was quite accurate. The D-MAX was also marketed by Pacific Gun Works and Storm Lake Machine. I am not sure if this firearm is still being manufactured.

DORNAUS & DIXON
The infamous BREN TEN (pic) semi-automatic, manufactured by Dornuas and Dixion, had a short but very eventful life. This was the first production gun offered in 10mm. This handgun followed the CZ 75/85 design principle, which included inverted slide rails and a double action trigger mechanism. Manufacturing and distribution problems eventually sunk the BREN TEN. The major problem for this handgun was that magazines were not available for the gun even when sold new. Other than the magazine problem, the reports say that this handgun was pleasant to shoot and was reliable. in addition to the frame mounted thumb safety, there is a unique crossbolt firing pin block safety incorporated into the slide. Standard barrel length is 5", but compact versions were cataloged with 4" barrels. The 5" models included the 'Standard', 'Military/Police', 'Dual-Master' (with .45ACP conversion slide), and 'Jeff Cooper Commemorative'. 4" models included, 'Special Forces Model' (pic), and the 'Pocket Model'. The Pocket Model is a seperate design incorporating much of the original design, but uses a different shorter frame that uses a 9 round magazine. The BREN TEN had a frame made of stainless steel and had a blued slide. The BREN TEN was in production in 1984 for about two years with only about 1500 guns being produced. The claim to fame of the BREN TEN is that it was Detective James "Sonny" Crockett's (actor Don Johnson) sidearm in the hit TV show "Miami Vice" in the first two seasons.
There was a VERY brief revival of the BREN TEN design as the Peregin Falcon, but this bird never flew either due to a number of problems that plagued the BREN TEN. Bad management and horrible marketing strategy, with addition of copy right infringements because of the logo (looked too much like RUGER's logo). The Peregine Falcon (pic) was identical to the BREN TEN, but with the addition of a slide mounted decocker/safety. No Peregine Falcon's were ever shipped to the best of my knowledge. I have an informative article link to a reprinted article on the Peregrine Industries Facon (pic).

EUROPEAN AMERICAN ARMORY (link)
EUROPEAN AMERICAN ARMORY's has revived and reintroduced to North America, the Witness 10mm semi-automatic pistol. The EAA handguns are made in Italy by TANFOGLIO (link) The Witness in 10mm is a redesigned CZ 75/85 design beefed up to handle the 10mm and .45ACP and accept a double column magazine. I believe that the 10mm model was available for a very short time in North America but was sadly discontinued. It is still available in Europe, and as of January 1999, we 10mm fans convinced EAA to bring in the Witness in 10mm! There are two frame sizes available, the Standard frame (11 round mags or 10 round mags for N. America) and the Compact frame (8 round mags). The Standard slide barrel length is 4.45" and the Compact slide barrel length is 3.66" long. Only the Standard and Compact slides will be available intially from EAA. There is also a very interesting model called the Carry Comp that has a one chamber compensator with an overall barrel length of 4.45" and uses the Standard frame. There is also a long slide available with a barrel length of 4.76" and fully adjustable sights. Hopefully, EAA will bring in these two slide models. Two finishes are available from EAA, blued and Wonderfinish. Wonderfinish is a tenifer type finish, similar to Glock's finish, that penetrates the surface of the metal. Wonderfinish is silvery in color. An email about the Witness 10mm from Tanfoglio:
Dear Jay,
We received your message and we thank you. The Wonder finish is a special surface hardening; it helps to protect the pistol from the wear. We have made endurance tests with the Witness in cal. 10mm and during these tests we have used all the different ammunitions available in the market. We have fired more than 5.000 rounds in different samples and we didn't have any problem. The Italian Proof House tests all the pistols with two high pressure rounds (30% more than the standard pressure) but we never did an endurance test with these rounds and we don't know how long the pistol will resist.
Best regards. Fratelli Tanfoglio s.r.l.
(04/26/99)
Read Jay's review of EAA Witness 10mm (link).

GLOCK
The innovative people at GLOCK came up with a handgun that could handle the powerful 10mm. The large frame GLOCK comes in two trim levels. The only manual safety that this handgun has is a tab incorporated in the trigger. The GLOCK "safe action trigger" design is incorporated into both the 20 and 29 and requires proper finger placement on the trigger for the gun to fire when the trigger is pulled. The steel slide is finished in Tenifer (a super hard finish that is easy to maintain). All in all, the GLOCK handguns in 10mm are very good and comfortable to shoot. One note of caution, do not attempt to put a Model 20 barrel in a Model 29 slide, it will cause you needless grief.

The full size GLOCK Model 20 (pic) holds 15 rounds and is a large handgun. The 20 has a 4.9" polygonal barrel that helps increase velocity a little bit over the conventional land and groove barrels. The heavy slide runs along four sets of short rails, two on each side, embedded into the polymer frame. The Model 20 is a wide gun, due to the double column magazine, and sometimes creates problems for the smaller statured individual.
Still on the Model 20, a new frame was introduced that incorporates some features introduced from the Model 29. There are finger grooves and thumb rests on both sides, and can be ordered with either the compensated or original slide configurations. The new frame was initially available just with the finger grooves, but the frames are now available with the accessory rail for lights and lasers. For those interested in mounting a white light onto the integral rails, SUREFIRE (link) has a new mount that is very tidy. An even more handy light mount for the Glock 20 is the ITI (link) M3 and M6 (with integrated laser sight). the ITI model is easily removeable and is a very handy little unit that puts out blinding light, as does the Surefire units. The ITI units can also be found at Streamlight (link), who also markets the M3 and M6. Also available is a 6" factory barrel for hunting.

The GLOCK Model 29 (pic) is the little brother of the Model 20 and is described as a compact. The 29 IS THE SMALLEST semi-automatic 10mm handgun made. Although there may be derringers smaller than the 29, none can match it's 11 round capacity. The double column magazine holds 10 rounds of potent 10mm. This 3.67" short barreled snorter recoils lively in the hand, but does not feel that hard in the hand when shooting full load 10mm. This is probably due to the polymer frame that seems to absorb some of the recoil impulse. The frame has dimples or thumbrests incorporated in the design. Whether this feature helps recoil control is, IMHO not appreciable, but it's different and looks good! hehe... The 29 uses a double spring recoil rod buffer system that seems to work. The only concern an individual may have is the circumference of the grip. To control the stiff recoil that the 29 produces, a very helpful addition is the PEARCE grip extension that allows the shooter to have the whole hand control recoil. Here's a pic (pic).

As some of you know, my G29 had malfunctions that were pinpointed to the EJECTOR. I received the new parts, a new ejector, plastic plunger (oliver green in color), and a new extractor (just for good measure). All the parts were retrofitted by a Glock armourer (for liability sake) and was test fired. I am pleased to report that the new parts helped clear up any problems that were occuring before. After over 150 rounds fired, no malfunctions to report. The major part that was suspect was the ejector. The new ejector (part #8196-1) is about 5 to 6mm longer than the old ejector (part #4340, same as the G20 ejector), has a pointy end, and curved inward slightly. If you do have malfunctions and have the old ejector, then this is your solution. (Special thanks to Mr. Matthews and Mr. Vogen for helping me out.) (11/06/98)

I recently purchased a folding shoulder stock for my G20 which is legal in Canada. Attaching shoulder stocks to modern handguns is illegal in the USA without a special tax stamp. I advise anyone wanting to purchase this type of accessory to please contact the B.A.T.F. for further regulations and information. There are two models out there that I know of. I purchased the model produced by G.R.S., and a non-folding stock from Global Tactical Supply (link). Another interesting stock for the Glock is from Fobus (link), which incorporates a sliding adjustable stock and skeletonized cheek piece. The G.R.S. #4 Glock Stock (pic) is mainly manufactured from aluminium with steel parts. The stock simply attaches to the hollow part of the grip behind the mag well through a spring loaded button. While folded, the stock can accept mags and doesn't interfere with normal operation of the G20, but I don't recommend holding on to the folded butt stock as a forward pistol grip because it is not designed for that application. The stock does add a little weight, but not as much as you would think. The stock is extended by depressing a button on the left side of the stock and locks into place. There is no cheek weld on the Glock Stock (none on the fixed model either) which takes a little getting used to. Felt recoil is negligable and follow up shots are very quickly achieved. With the stock attached and extended, my G20 is capable of one hole groups at 25 meters. All in all a very nice accessory for long distance and accurate shooting. (04/04/99)

A new Model 20 is out from GLOCK. The new Model 20C (pic) incorporates a compensator system that reduces the recoil, or muzzle flip, of the Model 20. The compensator is incorporated into the barrel and slide with cuts in the barrel and slide. The two cuts are trapazoidal in shape and situated on the front left and right of the slide. This system is used on GLOCK's other compensated models (except on the 19L and 24C). The benefit of this type of compensator system is that it allows the Model 20C to use the same holsters as the Model 20.

GONCZ
The GONCZ High-Tech pistols came in two models, the GA and GS. The best way to describe what the GONCZ looks like is that it kind of looks like a cross between an UZI and a STEN/STERLING. The bolt is a telescoping design. The GA was a target model with a 9.5" barrel, tuned trigger, and adjustable sights. The GS model has a 5" barrel threaded barrel for a flash suppressor. The magazines, which held 10 and 20 rounds single stack, fit into the pistol grip. The gun was loaded via a bolt handle. A picture of the GONCZ GA (pic).

From Germany, KORTH made an experimental (I think) 5 shot revolver. The most unique feature of the KORTH revolver (pic) is the extractor, which extracts the 10mm rounds without moon clips. The only way to describe the system is that it is that it is an off-center, spring loaded extractor that holds the web of the cartridge in place. The only extractor system that compares is the PHILLIPS & ROGERS Medusa revolver (link) [Link Not Working]. This particular revolver was manufactured in carbon steel, but KORTH firearms are also available in stainless steel. The barrel length is 3 inches and has the unique cylinder release by the hammer. A 6" barreled "Target" model was also shown at several firearms shows. KORTH firearms are top quality and ask premium prices in North America. I would love to purchase one of these beautiful handguns. If anyone out there knows whether KORTH ever or still does offer this 10mm revolver, please contact me through email.
According to Oliver in Germany, Korth did not make the 10mm revolver a production item. The 10mm revolver was an experimental thing that never flew. Too bad.
As a personal point of interest, I have addtional pictures of early an production Korth .357MAG and a promotional ad. Old Korth (pic), Current Korth (pic)

PETERS STAHL USA
PETERS STAHL USA had a web site up early in 1999, but the US distributor and PETERS STAHL couldn't come to an agreement for the distribution of the OMEGA pistols. Peter Stahls does have a European based web site at Peter Stahl (link). The site does have 10mm top ends and it looks like they have a lot other things to look at. There are two general models available in 10mm. The Model 07 and the Model 92 are the two models. Several variations on both model are suppose to be available. SPRINGFIELD ARMORY (link) offered an interesting Linkless 10mm (pic) that incorporated a Peters Stahl inspired design and also offered, among a number of distributors in the past, the OMEGA handguns that are now the Model 07 and Model 92. The Stahl design has several innovations that try to improve the Browning 1911 design. First and foremost of the changes is the use of a "linkless" system for locking up the gun for controlling the recoil. The barrel and slide are modified to achieve this and the result looks like the lock up of a GLOCK or a SIG/SAUER. Also incorporated in the Peters Stahl linkless slide assembly are dual extractors, and the ability for multicaliber adaptations with only the change of the barrel, recoil spring assembly and magazine. The frame has the same feel of regular 1911's. These guns go for a premium so expect to pay over $1500. For that price, you do get a custom grade handgun though. The 10mm slides are only available in blue steel. Slide and barrel lengths come in 5" and 6". If you have a Peter Stahl 1911 or a Springfield Linkless 10mm and are looking for replacement barrels, JARVIS (link) has a barrel lockup system that looks very similar.

RUGER (link)
A rare revolver that was commissioned by BUCKEYE SPORTS was the RUGER Single Action Revlover in 38-40 and 10mm. This interesting and desirable cowboy type handgun had two cylinders, one for the old 38-40 and a second one for the 10mmAuto. The revolver Buckeye's RUGER Blackhawk revolver (pic) came blued with a 6.5" barrel. I sure would like RUGER to build their new Varquero revolvers in this configuration.