10mm Auto

The most common load for 10mm ammunition would be a 180-grain projectile for transportation or home defense. I tested a stack of excellent Springfield Armory 1911 Range Officer Elite Sig Sawyer V-Crowns and measured an average actual speed of 1,186.3 feet per second.

This translates to an impressive 562.6 ft-lbs of muzzle force, 150% better than most 9mm or 0.45 ACP loads. After much debate and testing, the agency standardized 10mm in 1989. Special agents carrying Smith & Wesson 1076 pistols were the final ammunition product.

The 10m Fed did not last long because the recall was somewhat stiff, and the gun size was too large to meet the agency’s goal of standardizing one pistol for all.

Oh, and the ammo was like a minus 10mm. The FBI wanted the unloaded cartridges to fire 180-grain bullets at 950 feet per second instead of the full velocity specification of 10m.