45 G.A.P.

[Swamp Rat]

I was looking for input that anybody might have on this caliber... I had the opportunity to shoot one yesterday (Glock Model 37) and was rather impressed with the comfort and overall feel of the firearm. Then again, it was a Glock, and most Glocks feel the same to me, unless they are the "subcompact" or large frame models.

I had the impression that, even with the 230 grain ball loads we were shooting, it was just as manageable recoil-wise as the 40 S&W Glock Model 22 that I have been carrying for 17 years. Less of a sharp impulse than the 40, to me. I shot it back to back with the 40, same course of fire, and my overall shooting on the silhouette with the 45 GAP was actually tighter than with the 40 (but that may have been due to a lot of things...)

After my initial thoughts that this cartridge filled a non-existent "gap" (sorry about the pun), I am intrigued by the thing somewhat (although not to the point of going out and buying a gun chambered in it...) but am also concerned about the long-term "life-span" of the cartridge on the market. I also think that, compared with the 40 S&W, you don't really gain much unless you go up to the 230 grain loads... which are rather few in number at this juncture.

Thoughts?

[Snake Jenkins]

I'll stick with the old tried and true .45ACP plenty of 230 grn JHP's out there for it and it does have a very enviable track record.

[Swamp Rat]

Don't get me wrong - between the two, I'd take the 1911 with the old 45 Auto cartridge, too. I'm not buyin' one of these things, but I wanted to get input (for a lot of reasons... )

The biggest issue I have with it is that I don't think it has staying power in the market. I'm afraid it will end up extinct due to lack of interest, plus, as I said, it's not really better than 40 S&W unless you go with a 45-Auto weight (230 grain) bullet. The biggest and only real advantage I see is that it can be fit into a frame that fits small hands better.

[SwampDunkey]

I am just worried about the chamber pressure that little round puts off. After a while I figure it may cause soem wear on the frame. I have heard rumors of someone who has shot a glock MANY times that he has had one bust in his hand

[Swamp Rat]

Chamber pressure is one place the 45 GAP does well... it's generating about 10,000 or so CUP less pressure than the 40 S&W.

Some Glocks HAVE failed, most of which has been shown to be related to bad ammunition OR "operator error".

The operator error problems stem from such things police departments or such repeatedly chambering the same round when clearing / reloading their guns for a shift. As a result, the bullet gets forced, little by little, deeper into the cartridge case. One day, when it is fired (finally), the pressure goes through the roof as a result of the diminished case capacity and increased bullet tension. Kablooey. That can happen with almost ANY semiauto pistol design.

There seem to have been more failures like this with Glocks - almost always with law enforcement guns - and I attribute most of that to simple statistics. With so many more Glocks in use these days, being fired more in practice and qualification, any failure rate (even if really the same as another brand) will seem artificially inflated as you simply reach that rate faster due to volume of use.

I will say that the portion of unsupported chamber on Glocks caused by the feed ramp can also be a contributing factor... many firearm brands/designs have this, however.

[tradorion]

Isn't Glock doing some re-design of their grip to make the .45ACP a bit more manageable for small hands??

Not the Model 36 SlimLine but a re-work of the full size .45 i thought i had heard was in the works...

T

[goob]

May 2005 issue of American Rifleman has an excellent article on Springfield .45 GAP "Defender". It was built on small M1911 frame.My understanding was Springfield had some technical problems and never brought the gun to market.

[Greeny]

The original Springfield XD was chambered in 45 GAP, when they came out with "another" XD, they chambered that in 45 AUTO.