Bren Ten

The Bren Ten is a semi-automatic pistol chambered for 10mm Auto. While the Bren Ten's design has an appearance similar to the 9x19mm Parabellum CZ-75, it was larger and stronger with several unique design elements that made it a distinctly separate firearm. The design was produced only in small numbers before the company went bankrupt. A subsequent attempt to resurrect it by Peregrine Industries (as the Falcon and the Phoenix) was equally unsuccessful, as that company succumbed to financial pressures and dropped production of the pistol. Most recently, Vltor Weapons Systems established the Fortis Pistol Project to reintroduce the pistol as the Vltor Bren Ten. As of June 3, 2010, the project was experiencing production delays attributed to a shift of resources to delivering on Vltor's urgent military contracts.

The Bren Ten remains a weapon of some controversy. Many enthusiasts consider it to be one of the best pistols of its era, and the 10mm Auto is one of the most powerful semi-automatic pistol rounds. Quality control, however, was poor; many of the guns were delivered with missing or inoperable magazines for instance. The magazines were very hard to find and cost over $100 each. Although Norma Ammunition Company's 10mm Auto ammo was made in large quantities in Sweden, after the demise of the Bren Ten the only other pistol chambered for the round was the Colt Delta Elite, a 10mm version of the M1911 pistol, which was launched in 1987. There are also two Glock pistols chambered for the 10mm Auto as well as the Smith and Wesson 1006 manufactured 1990 through 1993.