I've had both Glocks in 10mm (29 and 20), a Dan Wesson CCBT, and a S&W 610 revolver. I like the caliber, but it's not for everyone. The Dan Wesson is currently my carry gun. The Glocks were great guns but they were just to thick for me to comfortably carry in the IWB holsters that I like. The Dan Wesson is great and conceals well. It's not light, but it's lighter than a full size 1911. If you can find a 4" model 610 for a reasonable price you'd be set. Mine is a 6.5", so concealed carry is pretty much out of the question.
The power that the 10mm can offer is the obvious pro for this caliber. The cons would be recoil, muzzle blast, ammunition availability, and gun availability. If you handload you can pretty much eliminate the ammo problems, but this caliber still makes a lot of noise and spits a lot of fire when you light it off. The gun availability is only a problem if you don't like either Glocks or 1911s.
As for recoil, it can be snappy. It takes a lot of practice to make quick, accurate shots with one. I certainly can't do double taps with it. I'm actually planning to sell my Dan Wesson in part because of the recoil. A recent trip the to doctor revealed some significant damage to my wrists and hands from shooting a steady diet of large caliber handguns. While the 10mm didn't do the most serious damage (that's mostly from the Contender and 45/70 BFR
) the sharp recoil from the 10mm in an auto loader is a little less fun every time I shoot it. It's really not bad in the revolver though.
If you're thinking about getting one I say go for it. It really is a great caliber that packs a lot of power into an auto loader. But you may want to try shooting one before you take the plunge.
Andrew
