By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
The Rock is a solid 10mm with good performance.
Some time ago the 10mm cartridge hit the ground running and enjoyed a flash of popularity, but soon after the 10mm was eclipsed by the .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge in police service.
The 10mm was kept going by a small but loyal base. Today the 10mm is enjoying a credible comeback. While it will never be as popular as the .45 ACP or 9mm the pistol is certainly useful. I think that a learned appraisal of the cartridge is part of the reason. The 10mm isn’t a .41 Magnum but with modern loads it nips at the heels of the .357 Magnum with certain offerings. There are 10mm loads with modest recoil that are easily handled and others that breathe fire and hit very hard. They kick as much as you want to handle! We have rapidly expanding frangible loads, jacketed hollow point bullets with an excellent balance of expansion and penetration, and hard cast bullets that feature deep penetration for game hunting.
A belled barrel makes for good lock up.
I have tested several expensive handguns and a current trend in custom grade handguns is the gun with no name. There are no markings save the serial number. You have to know what you are looking at. The markings, they say, would detract from the pistol’s flawless machine work and beautifully machined slide. A three thousand dollar 1911 inspired the handgun illustrated. In this style the Rock Island Commander 10mm handgun reviewed here- yep, a Commander length 10mm- has had the slide ‘wiped’ of the markings some of us find distracting. The pistol still has RIA in the serial number, but the look and the nice blue finished slide are all very well done. The Philippine produced Armscor pistols are affordable but workmanlike handguns that enjoy a good reputation. The company produces bare bone bones GI guns and also target pistols. The ‘Rock’ is offered in 9mm, .38 Super, 10mm, .45 ACP and .22 Magnum as well as the .22 TCM caliber. The pistol illustrated is a Commander type with 4.25 inch barrel. The kicker is this is a 10mm Commander, a relative rarity in the 1911 world.
SIG Sauer Elite ammunition left nothing to be desired.
While the slide treatment and refinish are aftermarket and custom grade the best things about the handgun were already in place. The pistol features a bushingless bull barrel. This means that the barrel dispenses with the typical 1911 barrel bushing but uses a belled barrel to lock up with the slide. This makes the full length guide rod necessary. The pistol features a bold front post sight with fiber optic insert. The rear sight is a compact but fully adjustable version. The ejection port is nicely scalloped with a unique and attractive treatment. The beavertail grip safety is an aid in insuring we press the grip safety properly to release its hold on the trigger. Those that use the thumbs forward grip sometimes form a hollow in the palm and fail to properly depress the grip safety. The RIA beavertail eliminates this concern. The extended slide lock safety is an ambidextrous design. The indent is clean and sharp. Trigger compression is a tight 5.2 pounds on the Lyman Electronic Trigger Gauge. The grips are checkered G10. The pistol is supplied with two magazines. I added several additional MecGar magazines.
gave good performance
For the test fire the magazines were loaded with SIG Sauer Elite FMJ 10mm ammunition. This loading is clean burning, affordable, and accurate enough for meaningful practice. The pistol comes on target quickly and handles like a 1911. The low bore axis, straight to the rear trigger compression and hand fitting grip make for excellent handling. The pistol proved capable of center punching the target time and again at 7, 10, and 15 yards. The pistol is controllable but this isnt a 9mm that you may punch holes in the target with at will. The 10mm demands a firm grip and concentration. The mantra here isnt a nicely centered group on target but a few solid hits with plenty of horsepower. Be certain you understand this before trying the 10mm. It isnt something to be taken lightly. If you choose the 10mm you have a cartridge with excellent penetration, good wound potential, and if need be the ability to protect the owner against dangerous animals.
The pistol features good combat sights and an ambidextrous safety.
In full power defense loads there are a good number of choices. They begin at 180 grains at 1000 fps and go up to 200 grains at 1220 fps. Among the most interesting loads I have fired is the SIG Sauer Elite 180 grain V Crown JHP. This load clocks 1180 fps in the Rock Island Commander. The FMJ load clocks 1174 fps. The point of impact is the same. This makes the affordable FMJ loading ideal for practice. Or perhaps for defense against larger animals. The V Crown isnt the hottest loading but it is a very powerful number and the ideal choice for personal defense. I think it strikes the ideal balance between power and control. An extra 100 fps isnt going to make a great deal of difference in energy and expansion but it may make a difference in control. As an example fifty rounds of 10mm feels much different than fifty rounds of .45 ACP. I find myself rubbing my wrists after a box of the 10mm. With the .45 ACP and standard loads I can easily fire 150-200 rounds in a steel frame handgun. In the 9mm I may fire until the trigger finger tires. The 10mm demands about twenty five per cent more practice than the .45 ACP. During the test period there were no failures to feed, chamber, fire or eject. I fired, allowed the trigger to reset in recoil, and fired again as the sights were returned to target. To test absolute accuracy I fired the pistol from a solid bench rest firing position at 25 yards. I have previously tested the pistol at 20 yards and managed five shot groups of 2.5 inches. Adding 15 feet and using the SIG Sauer FMJ loading, the results were much the same, with the SIG Sauer V Crown slightly more accurate than the FMJ loading. The Rock Island 10mm pistol is accurate enough for personal defense or service use, and my standards are high. At modest range the pistol would take thin skinned game or wild boar—about 35 yards would be limit for most of us. The pistol is interesting and I will be continuing my experiments with this powerful handgun.
Leather
I often travel in the backroads and hike as well. While bipedal type threats are more common around town bad experiences in my cop days with criminal’s guard dogs have never been forgotten. Without going into the unfortunate details the .45 was enough but no less than what was needed, and large canines seem more difficult to stop than men. (My own pet is a trusted, sweet and gentle aboriginal canine lupus Dingo, the American Dingo or Carolina dog- one step removed from the animals here when Columbus landed.) Then there are the big cats. I don’t think the Black Bear of my area is much of a threat, but several people in an area I visit often were recently infected by a rabid bobcat! Normal healthy animals seldom attack. Rabid animals will. Rabies is the original horror that moviemakers got the idea for Zombies from. I wish to have something on hand that will put an end to an attack immediately with good shot placement. I often carry the piece under my arm in a Galco Jackass shoulder holster. The balance is ideal and the holster balances the handgun with two spare magazines on the off side. The RIA 10mm Commander and Jackass holster make a formidable combination. The 10mm isnt for everyone but for those that appreciate the pistol and are willing to master the handgun it is a great choice.
