Pros and Cons of the .45 GAP

Status
Not open for further replies.
While I'm a decent sized guy, I have small hands. I like the GAP round because ballistically it is equivilent to a 45ACP, but packaged into a pistol that is a more managable size. The G38 has the capcity of a 1911, with a comparable round, but is much easier to grip properly.
 
CONS: glock is the only manufacturer making GAP--all others dropped GAP from their lines years ago, the ammo is more expensive than 45acp and hard to find, GAP has no +P capability, the few LE depts that have adopted it have either dropped it or are about to because they can't get enough ammo....etc.

PROS: 0
 
I wager in a few years it'll be about as popular as .357 SIG (that is to say, flash-in-the-pan).
Click to expand...
I thought 'bout both the 45 GAP and 357 SIG, but I wasn't gonna be an early adopter-got to determine if they're going to survive before taking the plunge.

I did some research on the 45 GAP XD-after checking gun dimensions, round count, ballistics etc, I crossed it off the list-I just didn't get it?
This doesn't even take into account ammo (un)availability.
I've heard XDs are/are not still available in 45 GAP-don't know, but don't really care at this point.

AFA the 357 SIG, field reports sound good, and it looks like enough agencies have/are adopting it that I went ahead and took the plunge (actually have 2 of 'em now).

I'm guessing the 357 SIG is going to continue to grow-the 45 GAP, not so much.
 
As long as LE/Mil/Gov supports a particular cartridge, that cartridge will not die out.
Within the last three years, five (GA, SC, NY, PA & FL) state law enforcement agencies have adopted the .45GAP.

HS Produkt is still manufacturing the HS2000 in .45GAP.
Springfield Armory is choosing not to import them into the USA.

Sellior & Bellot is now producing .45GAP ammo due to .45GAP pistol sales in the EU.
 
This round should have the same long-term success as the .41AE and the .45Deltonics I suspect.
 
.45 GAP has no advantages over .45 ACP (and quite a few disadvantages).
Over the other mid 30,000-40,000 PSI rounds it offers even less.

It's a poor solution to a question that not only wasn't asked, but would require a complete failure in the logical process to be asked in the first place.

.41AE is one of those rounds that just missed the boat by a whisker. A little sooner or the FBI picking it up or any of a multitude of other boosts and it could have been a success. Kinda like how .41 mag is a great round that just is too....middle of the road.
 
I would go for the g-29 personally im a die hard fan of 10mm shot. Had a chance to shoot a leo's .45 gap (not sure of the model) and wasnt to impressed i prefered the .357 sig cartrige myself when shooting side by side
 
Harold Fish, and keep in mind this was not an urban setting. It happened in a remote hiking trail in the wilds of an Arizona mountain pine forest where dangerous animals could be reasonably expected to be encountered.
 
Actually they have as much as a full duty service pistol had not 30 years ago (1911, S&W 3906, Browning HP, Smith 6906, etc...
Click to expand...

This is poor logic even though I agree with the conclusion (which I infer is that you are saying "It's enough for most people"). Think about it; you could pick a point anywhere in history and say "They used _____ (insert weapon/platform/etc here) and it was good enough then." The thing is, until something is 100% effective and foolproof, improvements will be made continually, so the obvious counter-question to your logic is, "Why did they upgrade to higher capacity guns?" If it stands to reason that "If it's good enough for LEO, it's good enough for oneself," one must take into account that good enough is extremely relative, and that police/LEO/mil have upgraded every time a new "best" (in their eyes) came out.

The bow and arrow completely revolutionized combat and was state of the art at one time. Nothing is ever good enough just because it's the best around. This is doubly and self-evidently true if something ONCE was good enough because it was the best thing going AT ONE TIME but no longer is.
 
ok so heres whats wrong with the op u mentioned glock i love glocks but half the people who are downing the round are saying it cause its glock only if gap was available in every single other brand it would be in the top 3 of calibers i have a g37 and it is amazing im 6'1 240 and i conceal the full size 37 it having the slim grip makes alot of differance in not printing also in being able to control the recoil much more it feels like a 9 or a 40 but has the same power as a 45 and if u look at the ballistics if u get rounds under 200 gr then it will be better performing than the acp in under 200 grain bullets but the 230 grain the acp has a little better performance i shoot the 185 grain gold dots and ive shot them into armor to see the mushroom and its nice u cannot go wrong with the 45 gap as a ccw
 
full metal jacket- you my friend are wrong the ammo for a 45 gap is actually cheaper than the acp if u buy over 200 rounds which i always buy 500 at one time and also there has not been a single LE agency to drop the 45 gap there are actually more picking it up right now and also the marines are slowly switching to the 45 gap they ordered about 10,000-15,000 just a couple months ago

and to zerodefect- you are also wrong the 40 and 45gap are not near the same the 45 gap and acp have almost identical performances the 45 gap has more velocity and energy with rounds under 200 grains than the acp and the 45 acp has more velocity but not energy with 230 grain so all in all the 45 gap technically does out perform even the 45 acp

last but not least to everyone else- please before you post on something you dont know about and make it sound bad just because you dont know anything about it and want your gun to sound better how bout you do some research and have a intelligent imput
 
Last edited:
G29 - Too fat for MY likings, and I don't want to carry 10mm. It's overkill for self defense, and cases have been lost because a lawyer convinced the jury that 10mm is too powerful for an honest person, and they were just out looking to blow somebody away
Click to expand...

I'd love to see a cite for this, too. Especially since the 10mm is the same ballpark power as .357, a caliber people have been using to defend themselves for many, many decades.
 
i totally agree to ^ i had not thought about it until u mentioned it that a 10mm is comparable yet still a little less than a .357magnum and the .357 and 38 special have been the most chosen round for sd for many many years
 
I think there are very good odds that the main reason the five state law enforcement agencies adopted the 45 GAP is because Glock gave them a tremendous discount if they'd adopt that cambering.

I think the 45 GAP might have been a more popular cartridge had the AWB been renewed. You'd have a situation where the civilian market is limited to 10 rounds per magazine. In that case it would make more sense to carry a larger caliber that filled the entire magazine but did not exceed 10 rounds than it would to carry a smaller caliber (i.e. 9mm) with "neutered" magazine capacity. Of course that's assuming that most people can shoot a .45 just as well as a 9mm, and that's not as common as most people would like to believe.
 
GAP is for people with small hands who still want a .45. Being 6'3" you don't have that problem. If you want a .45, get a plain ol' .45acp, pick your model, and enjoy actually being able to buy ammo at regular locations.
 
I'd love to see a cite for this, too. Especially since the 10mm is the same ballpark power as .357, a caliber people have been using to defend themselves for many, many decades.
Click to expand...

AZ. vs. Fish

Very sad case, he was justified.
 
I would not buy a .45 gap because the ammo is uncommon, overpriced and only a available in a few gun models. Also, most of them have a comparatively low capacity. The cartridge itself is fine, just not all that practical in my opinion. If a hi-cap .45 is to big for someone's hands, they ought to try something slimmer with less capacity, its just that simple.
 
It's overkill for self defense, and cases have been lost because a lawyer convinced the jury that 10mm is too powerful for an honest person, and they were just out looking to blow somebody away
Click to expand...

Evidence? Case?

As for the GAP...what GAP? At least in my area, you're much more likely to find ammo and guns chambered for the 10mm Auto. The 10mm Auto certainly smokes it in terms of performance. IMO, Glock tried to fit the GAP in where there is no gap. And it's showing. If my area is any indicator, trying to find anything chambered for this cartridge or anything to put in the magazine is like having teeth pulled. It doesn't have the support in the industry to make it mainstream like the real .45 nor the performance to hold it's head above the water like the 10mm.

There are plenty of .45 ACP sub-compacts on the market right now that you shouldn't have to worry about the GAP, esp if your hands are as big as the rest of you. I say if you're looking for a Glock with a .45 caliber muzzle, just get a LoneWolf upper for your 29. Then you can swap between 10mm and .45 ACP as fast as you can field strip the pistol and put it back together--same trigger pull, same feel in the hand, and it still points the same.
 
Evidence? Case?
Click to expand...

(head hitting hand), again as I just stated: AZ. Vs. Harold Fish

A brief summary: He's hiking and comes across a pretty crazy unarmed guy with 2 unleashed dogs who allegedly attack Fish, and the owner then attacked Fish. He shot with a 10mm, and was convicted, eventually overturned thankfully.

Yes, it's one case, and would not have happened with a competent attorney, but you can read up on it and see that the issue of focus was disparity of force with a 10mm. :banghead:
 
Yes, it's one case, and would not have happened with a competent attorney, but you can read up on it and see that the issue of focus was disparity of force with a 10mm.
Click to expand...

That case was appalling. I guess I better not ever use my AR in 5.56 for SD. "He grabbed the biggest gun he had!" That lawyer dishonestly manipulated the simple minds of the jury by making it seem Harold Fish chose that death ray known as 10mm because of malice aforethought. How absurd. By that same token if I really am compassionate I should be carrying an airsoft gun, or maybe a rubber band gun.
 
again people are talking about stuff that they have no clue about every gun store around me has 45 gap on hand at all times and it is actually about 3-5 dollars cheaper a box than 45 acp also the reason they made a slimmer grip is not just for people with small hands but for the ability to control recoil for a bigger caliber
 
also the reason they made a slimmer grip is not just for people with small hands but for the ability to control recoil for a bigger caliber
Click to expand...

While felt recoil is subjective, I find that a wider, hand-filling grip makes recoil softer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
CCW: Glock 26 vs. Glock 39 (9mm vs. .45 GAP)
Replies
23
Views
5K
Quiet
Q
D
  • Locked
"CCW 9mm's -- Pros & Cons" ???
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Safety First
S
L
  • Locked
HK p7m8: pros and cons?
2 3
Replies
61
Views
7K
Greg Bell
G
E
  • Locked
Looking for Info on Springfield Armory's 45 GAP
Replies
9
Views
813
45auto
4
T
  • Locked
.45 Glock 30 or 36
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
Gary A
G
Back
Top