Hi,
I've heard a lot about this "cartridge that was too hot for the FBI," and from what I can gather the 10x25mm cartridge was supposed to definitively settle the "9x19mm or .45 ACP?" question for pistols and SMGs.
On paper it seems quite nice. In short, it has better magazine capacity than the .45 ACP, with more velocity, range, and kinetic energy in most loadings than
both the 9x19mm and the .45 ACP cartridges. I hear that in longer-barrelled firearms, like the MP5/10 or the rare custom-made pistol-caliber carbine, the effective range is increased to 270 metres--not bad for a pistol cartridge.
The chief complaints I've seen were that it had too much recoil for most shooters (which brought about the .40 S&W), the rarity and higher cost of the ammunition, and the lack of guns chambered for it. While I'll certainly admit that some shooters value their comfort when firing their weapons, I still think enough practice for the right professional shooters could tame the cartridge's recoil and make use of its power more effectively (furthermore, in a life-or-death situation, you don't care about whether your ammunition's "comfortable" to shoot--just about whether it can reliably and accurately land on target). The lack of firearms and the expense of the ammunition is really a commercial question, not a ballistic one, but a few manufacturers have stepped up to the plate for this unsung cartridge. Still, it seems that on this wiki guns like the Glock 20, the Colt Delta Elite, or the Star Megastar for 10x25mm get next to no love.
I would certainly like to see more 10x25mm firearms in games, because I think it'd be nice to see a pistol or SMG-class weapon with surprisingly high stopping power and range that is NOT a Desert Eagle or PDW. I can't help but wonder just how much potential is going to waste with this cartridge class--could this have been the cartridge the OHWS program could have used instead for better range and stopping power? Could the MP5/10 be that much more useful over its less-powerful cousins? Could you turn this into a PDW round, like how the Russians turned the 9x19mm cartridge into a PDW round with their 7N31 loading?
I'd like to hear some relevant info about all this. It certainly sounds like a cartridge type that could definitely be useful for SWAT-type police teams or the like.
EDIT: Those who want to see a nice discussion forum for this underappreciated cartridge, including information on which guns use it and classifieds with ads on the right handguns and accessories to buy them, can go here:
http://www.ar15armory.com/forums/10m...rums-f187.html
EDIT: Another advocacy article for this cartridge can be found here. I'd like to know how much of it is believable:
http://www.greent.com/40Page/ammo/10/10mm-advoc.htm