45 G.A.P. - Will the G37 and the G38 become obsolete?

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whatnickname

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First let me say that I like odd stuff. The 45 GAP has always had a certain amount of appeal to me. I have both a G37 and a G38. Both are LEO trade-ins. I understand the reason for their coming into existence...the 45 ACP just wouldn’t fit into a 9MM platform frame so Glock came up with a shorter cartridge in an effort to capture a part of the law enforcement market that wanted a large bore pistol on a frame that would accommodate officers with smaller hands. I think the fact that they had to go with a wider slide may have hurt that project as new holsters were required to accommodate these slides as opposed to being able to use existing holsters for 9MM size frames.

All of this considered, if I believe what I read, law enforcement is migrating back to the 9MM due to advancements in high performance ammo and the consensus that the majority of officers shoot the 9MM more accurately. The added bonus of more ammo in the 9MM helps also. The one saving grace for the 45 GAP may be in other countries where civilians are forbidden to have handguns of the same caliber as their police agencies and the military and the police and military are forbidden to share the same cartridge; although the logic of that argument has always escaped me. So here’s the question: Is the 45 GAP slated to become extinct?
 
It (45 GAP) was never real popular anyway, yet its still around.
A nationwide AWB with stupid 10 round limits might make the Glock 38 (45 GAP) an appealing option versus a 10 round Glock 19 or 23.
Glock 19/23 with 10 round mag just aint right; 8 rounds of 45 GAP in Glock 38 is how it was designed.
 
45acp is over a hundred years old. The GAP tried to make the 45 relevant again by making a 45acp except shorter and stubbier, but by doing so the simple physical design of the round make it more prone to fail to feed issues. My opinion is that it was doomed from its inception, and since it wasn’t picked up by a major force anywhere in the world, it was pretty well dying since birth. The fact that they put the Glock name on it also kinda screwed them because nobody else wanted to promote Glock in any way by making guns chambered in that “new Glock round” and a lot of people that are Glock haters were instantly eliminated from the potential buyer pool.

long story short... Yep, it’s dying and there’s good reason.
 
Yes, it’s becoming obsolete. To my knowledge, Glock and Springfield were the only manufacturers to produce guns in the caliber. A number of police departments played into Glock’s hand and jumped on the .45GAP bandwagon thinking it was better than .40SW or having other reasons. I think most realized that they could go with .45ACP or 9mm and save money on ammo and still be able to use the ammo if they decided to go with a different handgun provider in the future. It’s true that .45GAP provides similar ballistics as .45ACP in a smaller frame, but the pro of a smaller frame was not substantial enough to convince most departments to move away from the mainstream chamberings.

All that said, I really like .45GAP. I have a few Glock 37s and they are great shooters. They’re super accurate and pleasant to shoot. However, I’m still limited to 10 rounds. I can use a Glock 21 and get 13 rounds of .45ACP in the standard mag or go with the smaller Glock 30 and get 10 rounds of .45ACP in its standard mag. Since I reload and have a large supply of .45GAP brass, I can reload .45GAP and .45ACP for the same price. I’m glad I can because .45GAP is nearly impossible to find and uber expensive (2x .45ACP) when you can.
 
I had a G37 for awhile but didn't do it for me. I would love me a G39 but clean used earlier ones seem to elude me. Never shot one but guys who have say it's the funnest most accurate 45 caliber they own. Believe it or else...

M
 
My LGS has a bunch of Gold Dot .45 GAP Seconds. I keep mistaking them for ACP when I'm combing through the ammo stacks looking for some. I guess I could buy a 350 round box but then I would be looking for a police trade to use them in.
 
the Georgia state patrol went from the .40S&W to the .45GAP because they wanted .45 "power" in the same sized gun as their at the time Glock 22. they found the same problems they had with the .40 still existed with the .45gap [lets leave it at that]. they have since gone to the Glock 17 9mm because the ammo is cheaper, and their "non-firearms" type troopers can qualify a little easier with it.
 
Yeah.

Kinda like the .45 Automatic COLT Pistol, the .380 Automatic COLT Pistol and the .25 Automatic COLT Pistol.
Or the 32SWL that Colt refused to chamber guns in so they “invented” the 32 Colt New Police. Or the 38 S&W Special that on “other” manufacturers guns were marked simple .38 Special. Petty is part of life, and there is often bad blood among competing businesses.
 
Or the 32SWL that Colt refused to chamber guns in so they “invented” the 32 Colt New Police. Or the 38 S&W Special that on “other” manufacturers guns were marked simple .38 Special. Petty is part of life, and there is often bad blood among competing businesses.

Or the .38 Colt New Police.
 
None that I've seen, if it existed it would only go 45 acp to 45 gap. As the OAL difference would keep the acp from fitting. I doubt anyone has tried it.
Yeah, in all the time I've looked at conversion barrels, I've yet to find one that converted anything from or to .45 GAP. To do a conversion, you'd have to buy a new slide and barrel and that would cost more than the gun would.

So, that being the case, there's going to come a time where the .45 GAP pistols will die a death because when you can get a .40 that you can convert to other calibers and has ammo that is available and cheap, what sense does it make? I'm really not sure what keeps the GAP Glocks selling now.
 
The 45gap was kind of an odd one in the start, I don't think it ever really took off
 
I’ve always hoped it would take off. On paper it seems like a great idea. A 45 that fits in a smaller grip frame. But when it comes down to paying for a new gun. Then there’s the ammo. Then adding a new caliber to reload. Sorting the brass out. It just seems like not nearly enough juice for the squeeze.

But who knows, I might run across a compact (whatever number that is) at a great price and not be able to pass it up. I feel the same about the G23.
 
Is the 45 GAP slated to become extinct?
I think it started life destined for extinction.

But, with some care, you should be able to reload functional ammo for it with shortened 45ACP brass and careful bullet/powder selection. It's certainly not a big leap in the world of wildcat reloading.
 
Yes, it was pretty much just an Ego stroke for Gaston


The .356 TSW is making a comeback for both LE usage and competitive revolvers. It is being spearheaded by Apex Tactical Specialties

I'm in LE and haven't heard of this, not that I am the all knowing. Can you tell me in what capacity and by whom this is being resurrected?
 
One of the things Glock really pushed with the .45 GAP for LE was that it would fit the hand better for more officers than the .45 G21. The .45 GAP addressed the wrong issue with a .45 ACP pistol and small handed shooters. For most shooters with small hands the WIDTH of the grip is what makes it difficult to have appropriate trigger reach. This is why some many folks can shoot a single stack gun just fine. Occasionally with an exceptionally small handed shooter, the fore and aft dimension is critical, but in that case you need to start looking at sub compact size frames to solve the problem. Most striker fired guns, have short enough trigger reach that grip width is the issue. Double stack .45's are infamous for being wide, and the .45 GAP being in .45 really doesn't affect that much at all if you have a double stack magazine still.
 
The 45gap was kind of an odd one in the start, I don't think it ever really took off
 
Tallball said:
Is there a conversion barrel for the Glocks?

There is (or WAS) a .40 conversion barrel for the Glock 37 -- I have one -- but I've not found one for the 38. (I got mine from American Tactical in 2017; I don't think they have them any more.) It shoots .40 great! (The .45 GAP follower is different than the .40 follower, but they seem to work interchangeably, so there are plenty of mags available.

I got my Glock 37 and Glock 38 at great prices (about $300 each); the 38 was unfired! I figured that if, someday, I could not find .45 GAP ammo, I'd just get a 19 or 23 slide and barrel for the 38, and swap the other parts from the .38 slide. In the meantime, I've been getting .45 GAP ammo for about the same price as .45 ACP.

They're both great shooting guns
 
Or the 32SWL that Colt refused to chamber guns in so they “invented” the 32 Colt New Police. Or the 38 S&W Special that on “other” manufacturers guns were marked simple .38 Special. Petty is part of life, and there is often bad blood among competing businesses.

Ironically, I just received a Colt Police Positive in the elusive 32 Colt New Police caliber.

45acp is over a hundred years old.
9mm was developed in 1902, making it 2 years older than 45ACP. Neither are going away anytime soon.

45GAP was Glock's weak attempt at innovation. What ruined the chance was they made the round proprietary, not many companies picked it up. I believe Springfield made a XD version in GAP and that was the only non Glock made for the caliber.
 
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