[Josh Smith]

Hello,

I would like to know about this round. I've not visited the website because I know all I'll see there is how the round is extraordinary, groundbreaking, all that. Not what I want.

Anyone have any experience with this round, and what the heck is its purpose? Any particular reason to choose it over .45acp or other existing .45 rounds?

Thanks,

Josh <><

 

[Guest]

I think it's main purpose was to be able to put a 45 caliber cartridge into a 9mm size frame. I recall some differences in ballistics depending on bullet weight but can't recall them.

I'm sure someone here will have more info than me on this.

Steelheart

 

[Guest]

what the heck is its purpose?

To sell more Glocks of course!

 

[Guest]

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/petej/

This is a web page that was put together about the 45GAP and is updated regularly.

 

[boris]

Hello,



I would like to know about this round. I've not visited the website because I know all I'll see there is how the round is extraordinary, groundbreaking, all that. Not what I want.



Anyone have any experience with this round, and what the heck is its purpose? Any particular reason to choose it over .45acp or other existing .45 rounds?



Thanks,



Josh <><

I bought a G37 a few days into 2009. Just since I got it ammo is $5.00 to $6.00 less a box. It is the same exact price as ACP now. I remember in 09 when the ammo shortage was in full swing and ACP was not seen for almost a year. I could always find GAP ammo and just when a stores stock got low, a bunch more boxes showed up.

I have put a good number of rounds through 9mm frame Glocks and the 45 being launched from the same frame pistol is a nice feel for me. The pistol has none of the snap and jump a G22 has. The round and gun are very very accurate.

I have put a few rounds into critters and as one would expect it performed just like the ACP had for me in the past.

10% of the nations state agencies issue the GAP, the same exact number that issues the ACP. Thats with the ACP getting a 98 year headstart. Not bad at all.

Only regret I have is I wish I would have gotten it earlier than I did.

230s are loaded down to ACP pressure and 185s and 200s will be between ACP and ACP +P velocity. 185 Silvertips are a slow 1000fps and are a joy to shoot. I mostly use 230 HSTs but the Winchester Personal protection USA rounds are accurate and expand in critters with lots of penetration. Magtech ball AE ball and Rem ball (all 230s) are a joy to shoot.

It hasn't even been out a decade yet and it has a pretty good chunk of the LE. A town near my hometown uses it and a city just down the road from me uses it.

 

[mike]

Hi, It's hard to find in my area.I went on ammoengine and found 23 listings. The cheapest being 44 cent a round. 45 ACP has 200 listings the cheapest is 25 cent a round. Just my take on it. Regards, Mike

 

[boris]

Hi, It's hard to find in my area.I went on ammoengine and found 23 listings. The cheapest being 44 cent a round. 45 ACP has 200 listings the cheapest is 25 cent a round. Just my take on it. Regards, Mike

Maybe in an aples to oranges comparison. Tula steel case is not comparable to brass cased ammo. If Tula made 45 GAP it would be alot cheaper I bet.

Ammo engine does not even have the retailers I use. Best I could find was a difference of $0.06 a round (if you use ammo engine alone). Well worth it to me for a 45 that fits in a 9mm frame.

My take is its worth it for a 45 in a small framed pistol. Cannt stuff an ACP in a G17 frame, until we can the GAP will be more and more popular with police...

same price when you look here

http://www.ammonow.com/show_45_GAP_page_1.html

Some local police departments use it where I live so ammo is no issue..

 

[trooper]

There's really nothing revolutionary about it, nor has it taken the firearms world by storm as Glock had hoped. Ballistics are comprable to the .45acp and if you insist on a .45 in a smaller package it would be a reasonable alternative. However, if you don't need a smaller .45 platform there's no reason to waste your time with it. It won't do anything a .45acp can't do. Then again, in todays ammo world a .45 won't do much more than a .40 or a 9mm, etc. In the end, if your current platform is performing well for you there's no need to jump on the .45GAP bandwagon.

 

[joe b.]

Basically it was the same concept as the 7.62x51 (.308) to replace the .30-06 with nearly identical ballistics (keyword nearly) in a shorter but higher pressure case. It is a niche I personally have no need to fill. I am perfectly happy with lower pressure ACP ammo. And 9mm if I need a smaller gun. I don't even have a .40 because it is another niche or step that I have no need to fill.

I pack an XD .45 or Hi Power 9mm or S&W Sigma 9mm for capacity reasons. If I need smaller or lighter I carry a commander size 1911 .45, or drop on down to a KelTec P11 9mm. Out of the five guns all my defensive handgun needs are covered. But of course this has nothing to do with what another person wants or needs, it is what works for me.

 

[jlw]

I am issued both a Kimber Tactical Entry HD II and a Glock 18C as my duty weapons.

I choose to carry Glock 38.

 

[boris]

Basically it was the same concept as the 7.62x51 (.308) to replace the .30-06 with nearly identical ballistics (keyword nearly) in a shorter but higher pressure case. It is a niche I personally have no need to fill. I am perfectly happy with lower pressure ACP ammo. And 9mm if I need a smaller gun. I don't even have a .40 because it is another niche or step that I have no need to fill.

I pack an XD .45 or Hi Power 9mm or S&W Sigma 9mm for capacity reasons. If I need smaller or lighter I carry a commander size 1911 .45, or drop on down to a KelTec P11 9mm. Out of the five guns all my defensive handgun needs are covered. But of course this has nothing to do with what another person wants or needs, it is what works for me.

You just said the main reason I like the GAP. All 230s are ACP spec and a few 185s like silver tips are a pure joy to shoot from a G37.

Full spec GAP is between +P ACP and normal spec ACP fps wise if you want some extra power over normal ACP spec ammo you like.

9mm size frame with ACP spec or slightly better in a firearm frame I am so used to is a blessing for me.

I just looked at a UTC by Wilson and that would be a nice carry piece, but I want my next 1911 to be a 10mm for dedicated hunting use. I allready have the perfect 45 for me.

 

[weshowe]

Josh and all,

The .45 GAP was Glock's idea to put a .45 caliber round in a smaller platform. That has some merit. On the other hand the .45 ACP is so firmly entrenched, world wide, that the the Glock cartride was viewed as a "weak sister". Those who wanted .45 caliber went to the ACP round and it's century of successful usage.

Wes

 

[boris]

Josh and all,

The .45 GAP was Glock's idea to put a .45 caliber round in a smaller platform. That has some merit. On the other hand the .45 ACP is so firmly entrenched, world wide, that the the Glock cartride was viewed as a "weak sister". Those who wanted .45 caliber went to the ACP round and it's century of successful usage.

Wes

The "weak sister" outlook is a false one. A quick look shows the standard 185s and 200s best any regular ACP load by 50-80fps. You can get rounds down loaded to regular ACP specs and thats what I use since I really never did see a use for +P ACP. The option is there to use full power ammo though.

I see it the other way around. I wanted a 45 but I have never liked the feel of any pistol in ACP. The 1911 is a great gun and I will own another someday. But the grip is like grabbing a pack of cigarettes. Long from front to back and too skinny. Glock standard frames fit me perfect and I hate Glock large frame pistols, even the SF model stands for StillFat.

Now I have a 45 AND it is in a frame that fits me perfect. That is also the reaon in 8 short years just as many state agencies issue it as the ACP that has a 98 year headstart on it.

It might be viewed by a few as being the weak little sister. Yet facts remain it is not weak, and it is not little. Its a freakin' 45 with an original spec load as JMB first designed! A 200 grain pill at 950fps. What more could the shooting world ask for? a 45 that fits into a .380 frame? All Gaston did was answer the many calls for a 45 in a 9mm frame. He did it. Nothing more and nothing less......

 

[nuclear]

I think the 45 GAP is a better round than the 40 S&W. Both are an attempt to put larger caliber rounds in frames originally designed for 9mm. Just wish someone would put one out in something other than a Glock, like one of my favorite handguns (*cough BHP cough*).

I would guess that the recoil would be higher than a 45 ACP due to the higher pressure.

 

[boris]

I think the 45 GAP is a better round than the 40 S&W. Both are an attempt to put larger caliber rounds in frames originally designed for 9mm. Just wish someone would put one out in something other than a Glock, like one of my favorite handguns (*cough BHP cough*).

I would guess that the recoil would be higher than a 45 ACP due to the higher pressure.

It is. However all 230s and some 185s are loaded down to ACP pressure. They are a joy to shoot and I rarely shoot the Full spec GAP anymore as like I said before. I see no need for +P ACP so I rarely used them. I have a G37 now and I do the same now. Winchester USA 230 JHP and HSTs are twins to the ACP loads and pressure, so guess how they feel? Silvertips are ACP spec and pure heaven for fast followups. That load has less flip, jump whatever you want to call it than 9BPLE from my XD9 and alot less blast from the muzzle.

Like I said. In the just over 2 years I have had mine ammo is $5.00-$6.00 less a box today. More police use it now than 2 years ago. The antihype you hear on the unreality web is a myth. It gets more and more popular as time passes and the futire is bright for the round. Not bleak as the detractors will opine........

 

[jlw]

I did a study of all peace officer involved shootings for which I could get info at the time I adopted the GAP. All but one of the shootings were immediate stops. The one that wasn't an immediate stop involved a suspect being hit in the arm through a car door.

Since that original look, I know of several others.

I am not a fan of the .40SW cartridge, but I am a fan of the Glock pistol. I like the GAP models because they allow me to carry a .45 with the same grip dimensions of the 9/40 Glocks.

I also love the way the round shoots. I have found it to be very accurate and very controllable.

 

[Steve666]

It is fast becoming an obsolete caliber. It's purpose was, as stated, to sell more Glocks. Since they already had a large share of the 9mm market they decided to cash in on the other side of the .45 vs 9mm debate. To be able to stuff a .45 into their popular 9mm frame they had to create a new, shorter cartridge; the 45GAP. To say that it got a lukewarm reception is being kind. Only a few other manufacturers picked up on it and today it is pretty much an oddball that only Glock produces. With Glock only selling a few new pistols in this caliber and ammunition availability being limited, I would venture to say that it is circling the drain.

(.45 GAP and .45 ACP)