#BrenTen

Oh yes, it’s that time. The 10mm Automatic, what hasn’t been said about it? Well, a decently sourced article about its history*, maybe, but that’s for another time. Right now, we’re considering the 10mm Auto (or 10mm Norma as it’s more prim and properly called) as a personal defense weapon and submachine gun caliber. The 10mm was designed in 1980 by Swedish company FFV Norma AB with input from Jeff Cooper as the most powerful and capable automatic handgun round of its day, but will that extra power pay off when pushed beyond its design limits into the 50-300m range, at least according to the JBM Ballistics calculator?

The Bren Ten can trace the roots of its design back to 1979. It was created by Michael Dixon and Thomas Dornaus of Dornaus and Dixon Enterprises, but there’s more to its story than that. In 1980 they decided to get advice from none other than Col. Jeff Cooper, whose advice proved invaluable. It’s chambered in 10mm, but in the early stages the men tried out wildcat rounds such as the .40 GA. In the end the original Bren Ten was only in production from 1983 to 1986; Dornaus and Dixon were forced to file bankruptcy in 1986, bringing an end to manufacturing. That isn’t the end of the Bren Ten story, though.

The Bren Ten was intended to be the ultimate handgun. A double-stack design with modern safety features and firing a powerful 10mm/.40 cal round, the Bren Ten was possibly the most hyped firearm of the pre-Internet era. Larry Vickers discusses and shoots it in the below video:

The Vltor Bren Ten (formally the Fortis pistol) is a clone of the original 10mm Auto Bren Ten. The main differences are, according to the company, tighter tolerances and better magazines (not compatible with original Bren 10 mags).

It is no secret than Vltor Weapon Systems have been working on the Fortis Pistol, a clone of the infamous Bren Ten. They have just announced that they have acquired the right to use the Bren Ten name and the Fortis Pistol will be released as the Bren Ten.

The Vltor Fortis is a updated clone of the Bren Ten 10mm Auto pistol (Which itself was a CZ 75 clone). It was announced last year at SHOT. This year a final production model has been on display. It will be available in both 10mm AUTO and .45 ACP. It should be on sale later this year (2009).