Interesting 10MM brass

[10mmkid]

Found 359 pieces of 10mm brass, what caught my attention immediately was the markings on the brass, they are marked Bren 10. Pretty neat stuff, my real question is, what did it look like from the factory and what were the specs on it.
293954

[cwtebay]

That's a very cool find!!! When I actually owned a 10mm I purchased some ammo at a gun show with that stamp. It was VERY high quality if memory serves and I believe someone mentioned that it was made by Norma?

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[fc60]

Greetings,

Found a very detailed read on the development of the Bren 10...

https://rangehot.com/original-10mm-ammo-made-ffv-norma-ab-%C2%B7s-670-40-amotfors-sweden/

Cheers,

Dave

[zarrinvz24]

That is truly some vintage brass! Good find!

[ReloaderFred]

If it was the original loading, they were HOT. Norma pushed a 200 gr. bullet at an honest 1,200 fps with the original load.

My guess is that brass is collectable, as I don't think there was that much of it made. Bren had such difficulty sourcing magazines, those guns that were actually delivered didn't get fired that much.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Idaho45guy]

As a fellow 10mm enthusiast, I find that incredibly cool. Jealous!

[10mmkid]

I got a hell of a deal then! Just ran em thru the ultrasonic and they look FANTASTIC considering their age. Once I buy my tumbler tomorrow i'll know how good they'll look.

[Tar Heel]

That is, in fact, the original 10mm loading brass from Norma. I still have some of those original sleeves with the 170gr JHP cartridges at 1350fps. When I tell folks the original factory loading was that hot, they look at me in disbelief. The original Norma cartridges were in a 20 round (2x10) sleeve. It's no wonder the frames on the 1911 would crack with these loads before Colt's modified the 1911 frame cutout for the slide latch. The Bren-10 was beefy enough to handle the cartridge well. Now the 1911 frame can too with the slight mods made to the cutouts. Notice however that the published loads are NOWHERE near the original loads for the 10mm cartridge.

It is my understanding, although I have no documented proof, that Norma utilized Israeli made Accurate Arms propellant in these cartridges supplied by IMI. The industry water fountain gossip of the time indicated this was the case and I heard from an IMI rep that this was the case as well. Again, no proof, but the rep did suggest AA#7 as a fantastic propellant. For what it's worth, he was correct. Know however that there is no longer a company called Accurate Arms. It's just Accurate # whatever and the powder is no longer made in Israel.

Norma and Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises Inc. partnered up to make the Bren-10 and the ammo for it. Norma produced A LOT of ammunition for this gun but as you may know, the gun was never successfully brought to market. There are a few of them out there but only a handful exist. I have always wondered when the original sleeves of cartridges would start showing up for sale on the "historical" market. In the mid 80's the Norma ammo was on dealers shelves awaiting the gun from Dornaus & Dixon. I would love to have been a fly on the wall overhearing the discussions at Colt's regarding the 1911 in 10mm!

You have some wonderful brass. I would load it and shoot it. Like most users on here, we look FANTASTIC with age.

[Ithaca Gunner]

If it was the original loading, they were HOT. Norma pushed a 200 gr. bullet at an honest 1,200 fps with the original load.

My guess is that brass is collectable, as I don't think there was that much of it made. Bren had such difficulty sourcing magazines, those guns that were actually delivered didn't get fired that much.

Hope this helps.

Fred

You can still duplicate that load, with VihtaVuori N105 powder. Their start load is 9.0gr. for 1,070fps, max is 10gr. for 1,201fps. listed on their site. If it meets that velocity, I do not know.

[ReloaderFred]

It can also be duplicated with 800X, but I choose to keep my 10mm loads nearer to the SAAMI specs. It's easier on my guns, and as I get older, easier on my hands.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Ithaca Gunner]

VV published the load, they didn't publish pressure, but I would presume it's within specs. I only shoot 180gr. loads, cast and Hornady XTP finding peak performance between 1,150-1,200fps. from a SS Gov't model fitted with a ramped barrel.

[ReloaderFred]

I've got 10mm handguns in Witnesses, Colt, S&W and Springfield. I also have a 10mm AR. The hottest factory round I've found is the Nosler 180 gr. JHP. I have several friends who shoot 10mm, and all of us call that round a "hand stinger" in every platform we've shot it in. I haven't dragged my chronograph out to see what they're running, velocity wise, but the recoil is quite impressive. A friend carried a 10mm Glock as his duty gun, and has lots of 10mm downrange. I gave him some of the Nosler stuff to try and his comment was, "ouch, never again".

Hope this helps.

Fred

[ReloaderFred]

I've got 10mm handguns in Witnesses, Colt, S&W and Springfield. I also have a 10mm AR. The hottest factory round I've found is the Nosler 180 gr. JHP. I have several friends who shoot 10mm, and all of us call that round a "hand stinger" in every platform we've shot it in. I haven't dragged my chronograph out to see what they're running, velocity wise, but the recoil is quite impressive. A friend carried a 10mm Glock as his duty gun, and has lots of 10mm downrange. I gave him some of the Nosler stuff to try and his comment was, "ouch, never again".

Hope this helps.

Fred