What Will Become of the GAP

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Vanzpp

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I've read several places that the new slimline .45 ACP offered by Glock will be the "nail in the coffin" for the GAP cartridge.
I've fired the GAP at the range and liked it a lot. I don't know if I'd actually buy a gun chambered for it, though. Is the cartridge really going to fade away?

Also, if Glock quits making the platform, will they continue to produce the cartridges or just say "tough s---" to people who own the guns?
 
That's a good question, I presume in a few years only reloaders will own GAP pistols. I think it was a product without a market, I would not buy a service pistol with rare ammo, especially a low power hybrid of an existing cartridge.

On the other hand folks said that about the .357 sig 10 years ago, it still is not mainstream (think big 3) but it is widely accepted and very available.

Then there was the .3800 Casull, which had phenomenal ballistics, but died an extremely quick death, probably due to the 8 other more common 9mm rounds on the market (or only being offered in $2000 guns).

I wouldn't buy one unless I had a healthy supply of brass and could get a gorgeous deal (less than $200) on the gun.

That's my take on it. It would kill me if I saw a newcomer drop 500 bones on one due to a slick store owner trying to rotate stock.
 
Glock still makes 10mm handguns when there's very little market for it.

Has Glock ever dropped a model from production?
 
Glock still makes 10mm handguns when there's very little market for it.
Click to expand...
True - but the 10mm market is a niche group that is probably gonna stay in action for a while to come - they want a high-cap (of sorts) handgun with magnum-level power (that's not a Desert Eagle) - the 10mm works for them. The GAP doesn't have such a market. If there was a midget auto in that caliber, it might have some popularity... or even a moonclipped revolver. The shorter GAP cartridge would allow for a shorter cylinder... but I don't guess that it's gonna happen. Lots of folks would like to get a 10mm (if it weren't for ammo prices) - not many have a hankering for a .45 GAP - because it's pretty much just a handy round for producing a gun - since it's not so long as the .45 is, you don't have to lengthen the magwell on your gun - and incur all the cost of doing so. The .45 GAP does not stand out in any particular fashion, unlike the 10mm. It's not better than the .45 ACP (just a tad shorter). It's not significantly lighter. Manufacturers may like the shortcuts it would allow 'em to take in making a gun, but shooters probably won't see anything extra from it.
 
Oh, it that still around?
Never interested me, never bothered to see the gun or ctg.

Truth is, all we need in guns and calibers were done by 1955 with the .357 Magnum.
Rest of this stuff is all Marketing.
Someone has to pay for kids braces, kids car insurance and college tuition for Marketing folks along with Gun Magazine folks...
 
It won't die... Gaston won't let it (After all, it was just an Ego trip to begin with)

But It will fade away to being just made by Glock (Which it almost is now!)

JMHO
 
.45gap

When I first saw it, I wondered "Why would someone maufacture a gun and a round with less power behind the bullet than the venerable 45ACP?" It holds less powder, correct? If it does, then it's got less energy at the muzzle, assuming an equal bullet, correct?

What do I know? I drive a truck for a living...
 
My guess is that it will just fade away like the .480 Ruger. It's just an ego thing for Glock. What Glock should have done was attach their name to something more useful. I'd love a self-defense oriented (in terms of recoil) cartridge wider than .45 acp. Something like the .50 GI cartridge chambered in a Glock single stack frame.
 
From what I hear the PA State Police are going to change over from their .40 Cal. to the .45 GAP!!! That will force the caliber to stay around for a little while longer, at least in the North East of the country.

I think it's a bad idea since the cost of ammo will be high which will discourage range time. IMO most (but not all) LEO's don't practice enough so why would you want to throw up an additional roadblock?
 
Springfield is making a downsized 1911 for fit the GAP.I wouldn't buy one as I have a stable of 45 acp's and I wouldn't want to get them mixed up.But I don't think it will go away.
 
Seeing how you can still buy factory ammo (albeit expensive) for the Nagant revolvers, once the tooling is in place, profit can still be had by running off a batch now and again.

Springfield is making a downsized 1911 for fit the GAP
Click to expand...
Wasn't this discontinued and evolved into the 9mm ERP?

Unless someone makes a gun smaller/lighter than the Kahr P45 in .45GAP I see little reason for its existance. Even then, in sub 4" barrels I think .40S&W is a better choice as the velocity loss with .45 may leave you with inadequate penetration, which is why I've not bought a Kahr P45.

--wally.
 
I still have mine, I like better than the APC's, the Glock, and my XD 40SW. Maybe it will die off. Personally I think it has better pentration than the .45 APC. What I would like to do is send to Box O' Truth" just to see how well it holds up against the .45 APC.
 
When I first saw it, I wondered "Why would someone maufacture a gun and a round with less power behind the bullet than the venerable 45ACP?" It holds less powder, correct? If it does, then it's got less energy at the muzzle, assuming an equal bullet, correct?

What do I know? I drive a truck for a living...
Click to expand...

Stick to driving trucks...
 
Kingslayer: I see you're new here, so listen up.

Personal attacks are strictly verbotten. If "stick to driving trucks" isn't a personal attack, it's close enough for horse shoes, hand grenades and government work.

Be courteous, or be silent.
 
tinygnat219 said:
See the .41 Magnum. You will have a small, dedicated cadre of folks who will support the round.
Click to expand...

I don't think this is a good comparison. Both the .41 Mag and the 10mm do something different. The .41 Mag fills a niche between the .357 and .44 Mag. It can be downloaded and uploaded to suit the application. The 10mm is a superb self-defense cartridge, and is also very versatile. In addition, both the .41 Mag and the 10mm can be used for hunting.

The .45 GAP does nothing new except try to duplicate the ballistics of the .45 ACP in a slightly shorter round. It's not a suitable hunting round, and there's not a lot of wiggle room when reloading it.

Its reason for existing is to allow manufacturers to make a .45 caliber gun on a 9mm sized frame. I don't see the demand. I mean, how many people shoot a 9mm because their hands won't fit on a .45? Most people that carry a 9mm do so for the added capacity - which you don't get with the .45 GAP.

I agree with the poster that wrote that a micro-sized pocket auto would make the caliber much more appealing. Unless/until someone makes one, I have no interest in it.
 
I bought some 45gap brass and load them in my 625. The gap brass takes no tools to moon/unmoon and the small primer doesn't need as much force to set off.
 
Eddiecoyle,

Methinks I didn't make myself clear. Sorry about that!

By no means are the 45 GAP and the 41 Magnum similar in performance. What I meant was that there will be a small, active, loyal following of the round that will keep it available as a commercial cartridge. Much like the followers / users of the .41 Magnum now. That was the only comparison between the two rounds I was trying to make.:eek:

Manufacturers have figured out how to reduce the frame size of current high-capacity semi-autos and make them slightly larger, thus pretty much eliminating the need of the .45 GAP. Some good examples of this are the Springfield XD 45ACP, and the Taurus 24/7 millenium in .45 ACP. Even Glock has introduced the 21SF, which is almost the final nail in the coffin for the .45 GAP as a large production round.

I expect that Glock will continue to make the pistols for this round. They are made off of the same frames after all. I just think that the .45 GAP was a solution searching for a problem. It is a neat idea though!
 
From what I hear the PA State Police are going to change over from their .40 Cal. to the .45 GAP!!! That will force the caliber to stay around for a little while longer, at least in the North East of the country.

Georgia State Patrol and the New York State Police both carry Glock's in .45 GAP.
This caliber will be with us for the forseable future. What you have is .45 ACP performance in a grip size everyone can use, from the leading handgun manufacturer. Now that a third large police agency is using the GAP round, expect a few others to follow. Its the "357 SIG" of this decade, I think.
-David
 
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