Wow! 10mm Hydra-Shoks are weak!

[Idaho45guy]

My dad used to own a gun shop and when he sold it a few years ago, he kept all of the unsold merchandise. My birthday and Christmas gifts ever since have been items from that unsold stock, LOL.

Last Christmas, he presented me with 6 boxes of Federal Hydra-Shok 10mm 180gr ammo.

I carry either my Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt or my Glock 29 in 10mm when in the woods.

For the Glock, I have developed a couple of 100mm loads using either a 180gr Hornady XTP or an RCBS 180gr SWC that actually weighs closer to 190gr.

I use 7.1 grains of WSF behind the XTP and that pushes it to around 1150fps for about 530ft lbs of energy. Perfect for thin skinned critters like wolves, angry moose, and drunk rednecks. It is a bit snappy but very manageable in the Glock.

Anyway, I was thinking that I would load up the Hydra-Shoks in my Glock and use them for woods carry since I really liked the bullet design and thought it would do pretty well against critters.

I fired a few rounds at the range and was surprised at the mild recoil; felt like a warmed up .40 S&W.

So I looked up the numbers and was shocked at how downloaded the Hydra-Shoks are; 1,030fps and 425ft lbs of energy!

They are nothing but a hotter .40 S&W! My own load, which is within acceptable limits, has over 100ft lbs. more energy than the hydra-Shoks.

Before I got the 10mm, I sometimes carried a .40 S&W in the woods with the XTP and those loads were hotter than the 10mm Hydra-Shok.

I had heard that some 10mm commercial loads were neutered, but I had no idea just how much.

[ReloaderFred]

Hydrashoks are pretty soft bullets, designed to open rapidly. I would imagine they would turn inside out at standard 10mm velocities. One of the few commercial 10mm loads that isn't loaded light is the Winchester 175 gr. Silver Tip load. It's still a respectable representation of what the 10mm is capable of.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[JSnover]

Yeah, when the 10mm was trimmed, downloaded and renamed 40S&W a lot folks called it the "40 Short & Weak"

[IllinoisCoyoteHunter]

Yep, most factory 10mm is a joke.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Double Tap is full power, but you don't find it the shelf at your LGS.

[bigboredad]

Sig Sauer also makes a 10mm hollow point at honest 10mm velocities

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[bdicki]

https://underwoodammo.com/product/handgun-ammo/10mm-auto-180-grain-bonded-jacketed-hollow-point/

[Lloyd Smale]

10mm was first toted as the ultimate law enforcement gun. They found recoil and blast was a bit much so it was down loaded to reduce recoil and most older ammo intended for law enforcement is at about 40sw level.

[nicholst55]

Buffalo Bore offers a 180 grain JHP at 1350 FPS, or a 220 grain cast load at 1200 FPS. They're spendy, but they should do the job.