It is a significant improvement over the 45acp. Using energy as the first measurement, a 45 will get somewhere between 350-450 ft.-lbs. A 10mm with the watered down factory loads starts at 500ft-lbs. Moving up to a midrange 10mm, that increases to 600ft-lbs. and putting some boutique or handholds in the mag, and 700ft-lbs. out of a 5" barrel is possible. If momentum or power factor is used, a 230gr. 45acp at 900 is 207,000. A 200gr. 10mm at 1200 is 240,000. Any way you look at it, 10mm beats a 45. In terms of guns, I'd put the starting point, price wise, at the Colt's Delta Elite - it's been around longer than every other 10mm 1911 that I know of. There's value in experience. I have a Kimber and I don't recommend it in 10mm. Magazines and extractors are the bane of 10mm 1911 headaches. The only magazines that I've had luck with are the Tripp Research Cobra mags, and they are not cheap. About $40/mag right now. With the higher end 1911's the extractors are tuned before you buy them, which is just slightly nice. Go cheap on the gun and you're gambling.
Adjustable sights are 100% necessary. The 10mm ranges from 165gr to 220 gr. with velocities from 950 to 1350. The point of impact will change with the load. Do NOT get fixed sights. Personally I like ambi-safeties as well. I'm a lefty so it's required, but at the same time, a gun that can only be shot from one hand is pretty stupid. The ambi-safety is easier to add aftermarket than that sights. Finding a 10mm with adjustable sights and ambi-safety is not easy; it's hard enough to find one with adjustable sights these days unless it's a six inch model.
