Can You Handle the 10mm TRP?

By Dan Thurs

The 1911 has been around for more than a century, and over that time it really hasn’t changed that much. Any why should it? It’s like the perfect gun. Springfield Armory’s line is a great example of what you can have in the 1911, from compacts to longslides, 9mm to .45, etc. But now they have begun to offer it in 10mm.

Why 10mm?

Lack of available ammunition is the biggest complaint I hear from people about the 10mm. While this is true to an extent, it’s changing rapidly. At the time of this article, I have numerous loads of 10mm ammunition ranging from 60-gr. up to 200-gr. bullets, with muzzle velocities of 1,125 fps all the way up to 2,400 fps. The cost of these rounds is in step with 9mm defensive rounds and available from most major manufacturers.

The real shortcoming at this point is FMJ ammo for your days at the range where you just want to practice. Loading your own is always an option. In this case, you can load practice rounds close to your defensive rounds in regards to performance.

The 10mm brings a lot to the table, as you can see from the velocities and bullet weights listed above. So, it makes a lot of sense that Springfield has added the round to its 1911 line up. And I’ve had a chance to try out one of those new guns for myself.

The TRP

That pistol is the Springfield TRP Operator 1911, described by the company as its “most elite production 1911.” After spending a little time with the 1911 TRP 10mm at the range, I can say I’m rather impressed, and bear in mind I’m a big 9mm guy. The 10mm seems to have a bit of snap to the recoil, a bit like a .40. However, once you get used to it, which only takes a few rounds, it’s very controllable. While the firearm does have a bit of weight at 40 oz., it’s not going to tire you out holding it up. The weight controls the recoil nicely.

For range time, I decided each brand of ammunition, as well as load, would be tested under very controlled conditions. The firearm would be clamped into a vise to remove human error from the test, each round would pass through a chronograph, with sets of three to five rounds each. The size of the group at 25 yards would be logged to provide you, the end-user, with the best possible match of ammo for this given firearm.

Our latest piece of testing gear is from LabRadar. This is a Doppler radar chronograph that allows us to get accurate velocities at up to five different distances up to 100 yards out, plus the velocity at the muzzle.

Range Time

At the time of this article, we had loads from four different manufacturers. First up we have Speer, which sent us a 200-gr. Gold Dot hollow point rounds This round has excellent ballistic stability. With a few flyers, looking at my grouping, we’re at just over 1″.  The velocity between the rounds was also very tight, suggesting good consistency during the loading phase.

Barnes Bullets sent in a 155-gr. jacketed hollow point load. Part of their premium hunting line, it is a powerful round. It was a little more spread out in the grouping, falling right at 1.9″. However, this is still good accuracy at this distance and more than capable of hitting your target.

Federal Premium sent some Personal Defense HST 200-gr. jacketed hollow point 10mm ammo. This round came in with very good ballistic stability and hit sub 1″, ignoring a flyer. In addition to grouping, the variation between velocity from round to round was very tight, suggesting a high degree of consistency during the loading phase of the powder. This will be a great, heavy-duty defensive round.

Liberty Ammunition sent in a crazy insane 60-gr. “Civil Defense” jacketed hollow point. It held about 1″ vertical, and 2″ on windage. The recoil was similar to that of a .40 round. The muzzle blast of it was impressive, to say the least. Expect a few glances at the range. It’s also a bit loud. But man, is this a fun round. With it’s increased velocity and decreased penetration, you might want to consider it as part of your home defense load out.

Can You Handle It?

All of these rounds performed within reason and will all hit what you’re aiming for, some slightly better than others; but at 25 yards, the ammunition and firearm will outshoot the shooter if you ask me. It isn’t too powerful and proves that 10mm for self defense makes a lot of sense.

The 10mm TRP takes the 1911 platform to the next level, with a great gun and a great round. It’s controllable, powerful and capable. Sounds like a winner to me!

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