Don't own a kimber or any other 1911, but the kimber ice in a 10mm is very tempting just like the sig10mm sao! I just can't get passed the 8 round capacity! Give me at least 12, double stack preferably!
Happy Memorial Day TEXASforLIFE,
If you hand load, you'd be surprised at the insignificant differential between the 10MM and .40 S&W. I can hand load 200 grain .40 S&W rounds darn close to 1100 FPS.
Many years ago, I had a very fleeting 10MM thought. It's a high pressure cartridge. The .45 ACP is a low pressure cartridge. If you hand load, you can get 1000 FPS with 230 grain .45 Auto bullets, although I'm not convinced that that velocity increase would matter in actual performance. With slight modification, one could convert a good-quality 1911-A1 to a .45 Super; again, I'm not convinced of the alleged superior efficacy of the .45 Super vis-a-vis the .45 Auto. I have no desire to convert any of my 1911-A1's to .45 Super.
Colonel Jeff Cooper was mostly to credit for bringing the 10MM to factory production. After his flirtation with the 10MM, he returned home to his beloved 1911-A1 .45 ACP.
The 10MM is an excellent cartridge. But my opinion is the advantage goes to the .45 Auto...for many reasons.
There is no doubt in my mind that the .45 Auto will remain among the best if not the best defensive handgun cartridge for centuries to come. There is considerable speculation that the 10MM will continue to lose shooters' interest. Ammo cost and availability have to be major causes of lost interest. Another factor is that actual velocities don't match advertised velocities.
Now if one doesn't hand load, the 10MM might make sense; however, two factors must be considered: either its impressive ballistics were inflated, or ammo manufacturers have reduced its maximum loads. I know I can get a nominal velocity of 1000 FPS with .40 S&W 180 grain Fed HST LE rounds out of a Sig P229 with a 4" barrel. I've chrono'd it. I've read of complaints that 10MM ammo does not chrono as advertised out of 5" barrels. Because the 10MM is a high pressure round, ammo manufacturers might be worried about pressure spikes, thus adjusting to prevent worst case scenarios. In contrast, the .45 Auto is close to perfect within its low pressure range.
When analyzed in its totality, the advantage seems to go with the .45 Auto.
I'll close with my personal experience. I've fished and hunted all over the Eastern Sierra and Rockies. I've wilderness camped where griz lived. When I was young and not long on comprehensive analysis (research motivated unless professionally required) I picked up a brand new 6" 629. I called it a one and done gun. I'd pay to watch anyone rapid fire with accuracy a 6" 629 loaded with 240 grain mag rounds. Rapid firing a .44 Mag with mag rounds is urban legend. I've never seen anyone able to do it. Five .44 Mag rounds that miss their target are useless. It was a heavy and bulky gun. It was glacier slow to battery. It was inconvenient to carry in the field. I sold it with no seller's remorse. I was glad to see it go. For a while I used a 4" 586 .357 Mag revolver loaded with 180 hard cast bullets. The .357 Mag is an excellent wilderness handgun cartridge. But my 586 was also heavy and bulky. It wasn't much faster to battery than my 629. It held only six rounds. It took at least 5 seconds to reload it using a speed loader. Worse, I had to take my eyes off a threat to reload it. Taking your eyes off a threat is a massive and potentially fatal tactical disadvantage. But with 180 grain hard cast or Partitions, which have stellar sectional density which usually translates to penetration and bone breaking ability, the .357 Mag is a formidable mean critter handgun cartrdge.
I paid UPS shipping costs to send my 586 to my friend's FFL. I gave it to him. He was a good friend who moved to the Midwest. He'd often work his fields until darkness. He told me that tweakers had invaded his rural community and were setting up meth labs. He was in the market for a .357 Mag for tweaker protection and mean critter protection. I told him I had what he wanted. He was a devout Christian and a very good friend. So I gave him my 586, and I paid all costs to get it to his FFL. Within 6 months, God took him home. He had contracted very rapidly metastasizing cancer.
For one fishing season in the Eastern Sierra, I took my P229 loaded with 13 180 Grain Fed HST LE .40 S&W rounds and a spare 12 round mag. I never felt vulnerable. The rumor is there are more black bears in the Eastern Sierra than trout. The reality is I've seen huge black bears in the Eastern Sierra. They grow huge due to endless food supply (and negligent campers who foolishly feed them), and they seem to have lost their fear of humans, which is ominous.
Since I've mystically acquired wisdom, I've researched a lot of wilderness defense handgun cartridges and handguns. There are many good ones. The .41 Rem Mag is an excellent wilderness handgun cartridge But its recoil reduces its appeal. For me, revolvers don't carry anywhere near as easily as a full-size (5") 1911-A1.
I now use a Springfield Armory TRP with no rail and fixed sights. It's chambered for .45 Auto. Keeping in mind my previous attempts at finding the perfect wilderness handgun, I found the perfect combo in the 1911-A1 TRP and .45 Auto. The TRP in a good quality Askins holster on a good quality gun belt is a breeze to carry all day long. I can forget I have in on my strong side. It is lightning fast to battery (getting muzzle pointed at threat), much faster than any revolver I've tried. It'll hold 8 (9 rounds with Wilson mags) of very powerful 230 grain +P ammo, I carry two spare mags. I can reload it while its muzzle remains pointed at a threat, I do not have to take my eyes from a threat while reloading, it has never failed to do anything but feed and fire (it's as close to 100% reliable as an mechanical device can get), recoil does not take its muzzle off of sight picture (reacquiring sight picture due to excessive recoil is a huge tactical disadvantage), it's one of the most accurate handguns I've ever fired, a full-size TRP has a divine natural point as though it aims itself, and the .45 Auto is a low pressure round.
If a wilderness handgun isn't 100% reliable, it's useless. My Springfield Armory TRP .45 Auto is 100% reliable.
The way I see it, the Springfield Armory TRP .45 Auto is the best wilderness handgun and cartridge combo on God's Earth. I'd much rather have it on my side than a .44 Rem Mag revolver. But that's just me. I'm sure others have stronger convictions about the 10MM.
My ranking of wilderness handguns based upon my experience, and handguns I'd take into griz country:
1. Springfield Armory TRP .45 Auto
2. Sig P229 .40 S&W
3. A "K" Frame or similar revolver with a barrel length of no greater that 3" loaded with 180 grain .357 Mag hard cast rounds.
Of the aforementioned three, my Springfield Armory TRP .45 Auto, by a substantial margin, is my best wilderness defense cartride and handgun combo. God forbid, were I to drop it a foot deep in lake shore mud, I could field strip in within seconds, completely clean it with a rag and sturdy branch (remove mud from barrel), and be back in business. In an extreme case of muddy mess, I could open her completely up with aid of a Leatherman tool. I do keep a tiny tube of fishing reel oil in my fishing vest that I could use to lubricate its rails. I would never attempt to disassemble a revolver in the field. As long as I didn't have to open up her double action assembly, my P229 is easy to field strip.
An anecdote based upon empirical evidence: good quality semis are more reliable than revolvers.
After all that, if you have a 10MM itch you gotta scratch, believe me, I know the routine. I've had many itches that demanded scratching. If you do go with a 10MM, my advice would be to go with a TRP, assuming Springfield Armory chambers its TRP for 10MM. Also, if you go with a 10MM, I'd suggest hand loading to assure you're getting advertised velocity.
The 10MM is an excellent cartridge. However, after a lot of research, I'm not convinced it offers anything that the .45 Auto doesn't.