10mm Glock: Enough Gun & Then Some

10mm Glocks Offer the Perfect Combination of Magazine Capacity & Sheer Power

I’m often asked: “If you could have only one survival handgun, and ammunition availability was not a factor, what handgun would you choose?” My answer, without hesitation: 10mm Glocks—any of them. 

Why? 

The simple reason is its versatility. 10mm Glocks can easily accomplish every task a serious handgun can be called on to perform, from personal protection to hunting game, and it has all the advantages the Glock design offers—durability, reliability, accuracy, and ease of shooting and maintenance.

Glock currently has six handguns chambered 10mm: the Glock 20 Gen4, Glock 20 SF, Glock 20 Gen5 MOS, Glock 29 Gen4, Glock 29 SF, and Glock 40 Gen4  MOS. The Glock 20 Gen4, Glock 20 Gen5 MOS, and Glock 20 SF are full-sized pistols that fire the potent 10mm cartridge, and though the three are nearly identical, each has distinctive features that may appeal to different shooters. The Glock 29 Gen4 and Glock 29 SF are both subcompact handguns while the Glock 40 Gen4 MOS possesses a longer slide and barrel.

Glock 20 Gen4

The Glock 20 Gen4 provides interchangeable backstraps that allow you to better fit the pistol to your hand, and the texture of the grips is more aggressive. Gen 4 Glocks also feature a reversible magazine catch that’s much larger than those found on prior generations and accommodates both left- and right-handed shooters. 

• Size: Standard
• Caliber: 10mm AUTO
• Magazine Capacity: 15
• Barrel Length: 4.61 inches
• Overall Length: 8.07 inches
• Overall Width: 1.34 inches
• Height (with Magazine): 5.51 inches
• Weight (with Empty Magazine): 30.69 oz.
• Weight (with Loaded Magazine): 39.86 oz.
• Trigger Pull Weight: 6.29 lbs.

Glock 20 SF

The Glock 20 SF’s design allows for enhanced controllability and accuracy. The SF (Short Frame) design features a reduced grip size, making it easier to handle for those with smaller hands. It retains the 15-round magazine capacity and 4.6-inch barrel found on the Glock 20 Gen4.

• Size: Standard
• Caliber: 10mm AUTO
• Magazine Capacity: 15
• Barrel Length: 4.61 inches
• Overall Length: 8.07 inches
• Overall Width: 1.34 inches
• Height (with Magazine): 5.51 inches
• Weight (with Empty Magazine): 30.51 oz.
• Weight (with Loaded Magazine): 39.68 oz.
• Trigger Pull Weight: 6.29 lbs.

Glock 20 Gen5 MOS

The latest in the Glock 20 series is the Glock 20 Gen5 MOS. Shooters will appreciate the nDLC surface finish on the major metal components that withstands years of hard use and resist rusting. Other features include a texturized frame, reversible magazine catch, ambidextrous slide stop lever, Glock’s  Modular Backstrap System (MBS) for customization, and shooters can add optics if so desired.

• Size: Standard
• Caliber: 10mm AUTO
• Magazine Capacity: 15
• Barrel Length: 4.61 inches
• Overall Length: 8.07 inches
• Overall Width: 1.38 inches
• Height (with Magazine): 5.51 inches
• Weight (with Empty Magazine): 29.81 oz.
• Weight (with Loaded Magazine): 38.80 oz.
• Trigger Pull Weight: 5.85 lbs.

Glock 29 Gen4

The Glock 29 Gen4 may be smaller than its other 10mm Glock counterparts, but it doesn’t scrimp on punch. The Glock 29 Gen4 design offers an aggressive grip texture for a secure hold on the handgun which makes it ideal for concealed carry or as a backcountry traveling companion.

• Size: Subcompact
• Caliber: 10mm AUTO
• Magazine Capacity: 10 (optional 15)
• Barrel Length: 3.78 inches
• Overall Length: 6.97 inches
• Overall Width: 1.38 inches
• Height (with Magazine): 4.53 inches
• Weight (with Empty Magazine): 26.81 oz.
• Weight (with Loaded Magazine): 32.63 oz.
• Trigger Pull Weight: 6.29 lbs.

Glock 29 SF

The Glock 29 SF features a reduced-yet-ergonomic grip size, to make it more comfortable for those with smaller hands without sacrificing accuracy or magazine capacity. 

• Size: Subcompact
• Caliber: 10mm AUTO
• Magazine Capacity: 10 (optional 15)
• Barrel Length: 3.78 inches
• Overall Length: 6.97 inches
• Overall Width: 1.38 inches
• Height (with Magazine): 4.53 inches
• Weight (with Empty Magazine): 26.81 oz.
• Weight (with Loaded Magazine): 32.80 oz.
• Trigger Pull Weight: 6.29 lbs.

Glock 40 Gen4 MOS

The G40 Gen4 MOS couples a longer slide and barrel for amplified velocity and a higher magazine capacity. The MBS design and the reversible magazine catch allow for customization for all hand sizes. The MOS configuration makes adding a reflex sight on the slide a breeze–no need to mill the slide or purchase a separate mounting system.

• Size: Long Slide
• Caliber: 10mm AUTO
• Magazine Capacity: 15
• Barrel Length: 6.02 inches
• Overall Length: 9.49 inches
• Overall Width: 1.34 inches
• Height (with Magazine): 5.47 inches
• Weight (with Empty Magazine): 35.45 oz.
• Weight (with Loaded Magazine): 44.62 oz.
• Trigger Pull Weight: 5.39 lbs.

10mm Brings the Power

10mm is the most powerful cartridge in the Glock product line. With 15 rounds in the standard-capacity magazine (limited to 10 in certain states) and one in the chamber, it easily eclipses the firepower of any other 10mm handgun made. Several companies make 10mm ammunition, and it is one of the few pistol cartridges made in two power bands. Considering that the .357 Magnum is relegated mostly to six-shot revolvers, the advantages of owning a Glock 10mm are clear—not only is your ammunition more ballistically potent, but you’re also afforded six to 11 additional shots (depending on your state’s magazine laws).

The usual downside of having greater power is increased recoil, less control of the handgun, and more difficulty shooting accurately. Polymer-frame pistols are also lightweight, which means that, in shooting them, more recoil is transmitted to the shooter than with heavier steel builds. However, Glock’s series of 10mm pistols are easily the most controllable 10mm handguns that I have ever shot—a fact attributable to their stellar engineering.

Glock pistols place the center axis of the barrel nearer to the shooter’s hand while other pistols rely on a hammer to strike a firing pin. The Glock design uses a steel rod called a striker that is under spring tension and is released by the trigger, which drives the striker forward and into the primer. Without needing the necessary room on the frame to incorporate a hammer and its arc of movement, the barrel can be mounted much lower. Consequently, the recoil impulse is channeled mostly rearward, rather than rearward and upward as with pistols with greater bore-over-hand height. When recoil is directed rearward, you can recover your sights more quickly, making follow-up shooting easier, quicker, and more accurate, whether you’re holding the pistol with two hands or one.

The second reason why these Glocks handle the full-power 10mm load better than their competitors is its polymer frame, which flexes slightly to absorb some of the shock of the recoil.

Six Choices

Which 10mm Glock is ideal for you? Much depends on the size of your hand, whether you wish to use it for competition or purely for self-defense, and if you intend to use full-power loads frequently. Grip size and handgun fit are very important to marksmanship. To accommodate the longer 10mm round, the frame is necessarily larger than those used on Glock’s 9×19- and .40-chambered pistols. Consequently, shooters with long fingers and palms will find the standard sizes suitable, ergonomically speaking. Those with medium or small hands, however, won’t be as comfortable handling the standard grips, especially if they intend to shoot while wearing gloves. For them, the Glock 20 Gen4, with its adjustable grip size, or the Short Frames are the answer. 

10mm Glock: Accuracy & Reliability You Can Depend On

Are 10mm Glock pistols reliable and accurate? Absolutely. I still own a Glock 20 made in the late 1980s. That pistol and the pistols tested for this article worked 100 percent with several brands and loads of ammunition. Their accuracy is very good. Using Federal American Eagle 180-grain FMJ ammo, my G20 Gen4 test pistol easily turned in five-shot groups measuring less than 3 inches. Moreover, the trigger pull was extremely smooth, and with its fixed sights the Glock 20 Gen4 shot very close to point of aim. No drifting to adjust for windage was necessary.

Glocks are simple to maintain, and removing the slide assembly shows why. The striker-firing mechanism is enclosed and has fewer dirt-attracting components than hammer-fired designs. The machining of the steel slide is simple and neatly done without leaving tool marks. My Glocks take less time to clean than most pistols I own. When all is said and done, I’m proud to say I’m a “Glock guy.”

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