Posted: 5/31/2011 9:07:17 AM EDT
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yay, nay, waste of time and money..
I have 22's, 9's, 40's, 45's, 10mm, of course not all glocks. I've never looked into the 45gap before. When it first came out, thought it was a waste, but that was in my glock hater days before I seen the light and came to the darkside. If you can pick one up for a good deal, is it still a waste? Ammo on the shelves, hard to find like obsolete or like 10mm? If you reload, still a waste?? There's a benefit to reloading most rounds especially 10mm, does 45gap achieve the same results? I am fond of the "of course another gun is a good idea" or just slam my foot in the door to get this idea out of my head? Hive, whatchya say |
I am a huge Glock fan, own several (full disclosure  ).A G38 in .45GAP is one of only two Glocks I have owned that I parted with. It had everything to do with the price and availability of the ammo (at that time) than the gun itself, with which I had no complaints. A G19 has been my primary CCW for many years now, and the idea of .45ACP-ish performance out of a package the same size as my G19 was very appealing to me... but I shoot a lot, probably more than the average CCWer, and I don't reload, so it was clear to me very quickly that making the G38 my primary CCW was going to either (1) cost me significantly more than 9mm, or even .45ACP, or (2) cause me to practice less with it (which I didn't want to do). (FTR, I have freakishly small hands for such a large guy, so the G30 is simply not a good fit for me whereas the G19 fits me as if it was custom-made for my hand –– I figured someone would ask.  )So if you can afford it, if the price has come down on GAP ammo and it is more widely/readily available (IDK), if you reload, etc.... go for it, esp. if you have small hands. Great performance and decent capacity out of a very small package IMHO. I love and continue to carry my G19, but I certainly understand the intent (and appeal to the likewise small-handed) of the GAP cartridge. |
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It is a good idea, if what you want is something that can fit into the 9x19 frame size. I like the round more than I like the .40S&W, but YMMV. Most stores do not carry the GAP, which means that you would buy the ammo online, or learn to reload. If you are looking for a polymer framed, striker fired, pistol, give a look at the M&P 45 and M&P 45c. If you have the $, look at the HK45. |
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I personally have no interest in a pistol in .45GAP. Not really saying its a waste, but I personally dont wish to add another caliber to my list of stuff I gotta buy. I don't reload (yet), so I dont know if that would make a huge difference. Also, there is no significant ballistic advantage to the caliber over any other handgun round.
So if you just want to buy another gun for the hell of it, sure have at it. If you are looking for it to do something your other guns dont... you might be disappointed. |
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I think the OP's hand size issue is the principle reason that the GAP could be a decent solution some shooters. It's true that the GAP produces the same performance as the std 45acp in a shorter round by using a higher pressure so performance wise there isn't an advantage, one over the other. That said, the smaller grip allows for people with smaller hands to comfortably shoot a 45acp equivalent caliber. As far as practice ammo costs, if you compare, say Sellier & Bellot bulk ammo, 45 GAP looks to cost about 14¢ more per round than their 9mm bulk ($355/1K for 115grn 9mm vs $480/1K for 230 grn 45gap) at Lucky Gunner. However, Georgia Arms sells their Standard Target Load reloaded 185grn 45 GAP reloads for $340/1K and their 115grn 9mm for $230/1K so if you went that way the 45 GAP isn't terribly more expensive. Even though I have large hands with long fingers and therefore have no problems with the large framed Glocks, I say give the 45 GAP a try if you have small hands but still want a 45 cal slug. My CCW piece is a G23 but I still love to shoot the 45 acp. It's a great caliber and the 45 GAP will get you to the acp's performance in a smaller package. |
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Quoted:
.45 GAP was a solution to a problem that never existed. that's what I found when researching, it answered the question that no one asked. The deal I came across is for a G37. Have the Departments that switched to it dumped it already? It's not going to be/replace a CCW or bedside weapon. Just another to add to the assortment. Probably won't be shot a lot, easily less then the 9mm and 10mm. My G20, not a SF, fits fine, so not worried about size/hand. |
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Quoted: I think the OP's hand size issue is the principle reason that the GAP could be a decent solution some shooters. It's true that the GAP produces the same performance as the std 45acp in a shorter round by using a higher pressure so performance wise there isn't an advantage, one over the other. That said, the smaller grip allows for people with smaller hands to comfortably shoot a 45acp equivalent caliber... Bingo! (And well said.) The usual "answer to a question nobody asked" responses fail to take that into account. If you have no problem with the grip size of the G21/G30, then the .45GAP really does offer you little, if anything. If, however, like me the G19/G17 frame is the perfect size for you and the G30/G21 frame is problematic, then it offers you .45ACP performance in a high-cap mag/frame size that .45ACP simply cannot be made to fit in. While I eventually chose against it, I've never had a problem seeing what it offered and what there was to be gained from it. Frankly, I hate that it never quite caught on... but I'm not surprised by that in the least. |
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the gap is not something that personally interests me,but several le agencies including the NY state police have adopted it. the niche for this cartridge is to give you 45 acp power in a gun with a 9mm grip size. I guess you can get in a long argument wether the 45 is better enough than the 40 to justify this, but some people just want a 45 but may not have hands large enough to handle something like say a glock 21.
ammo hard to find and expensive performance equal to 45 acp. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
.45 GAP was a solution to a problem that never existed. that's what I found when researching, it answered the question that no one asked. The deal I came across is for a G37. Have the Departments that switched to it dumped it already? It's not going to be/replace a CCW or bedside weapon. Just another to add to the assortment. Probably won't be shot a lot, easily less then the 9mm and 10mm. My G20, not a SF, fits fine, so not worried about size/hand. d-rdie If it's a good deal on a niche firearm, go for it! I have a couple handguns that I don't regularly shoot, but I would miss them if I didn't have them.
Ed |
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My agency, NYSP, is now 13 for 13 in OIS incidents, with the GAP and all qualification scores have gone up. FHP came to us and asked if they should go with the GAP, looked at our shootings and shot the shit out of the guns in contention... and decided on the GAP over the G21SF. I like it, my hands aren't huge and the 19 sized frame is perfect for me so the GAP fits the bill nicely.
FWIW the question asked was asked by LE agencies for a .45 that would fit 9mm frames, Glock answered. I just tried a M&P 45 and did not like it so well, especially the horrible trigger. |
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Quoted:
My agency, NYSP, is now 13 for 13 in OIS incidents, with the GAP and all qualification scores have gone up. FHP came to us and asked if they should go with the GAP, looked at our shootings and shot the shit out of the guns in contention... and decided on the GAP over the G21SF. I like it, my hands aren't huge and the 19 sized frame is perfect for me so the GAP fits the bill nicely. FWIW the question asked was asked by LE agencies for a .45 that would fit 9mm frames, Glock answered. I just tried a M&P 45 and did not like it so well, especially the horrible trigger. In regards to FHP... FHP tested the Glock 37Gen4, Glock 21SF and S&W M&P-45 as possible replacement sidearms. In the end, the officers that were testing the sidearms were asked to pick which one they liked best and the majority selected the Glock 37Gen4. |
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Quoted:
My agency, NYSP, is now 13 for 13 in OIS incidents, with the GAP and all qualification scores have gone up. FHP came to us and asked if they should go with the GAP, looked at our shootings and shot the shit out of the guns in contention... and decided on the GAP over the G21SF. I like it, my hands aren't huge and the 19 sized frame is perfect for me so the GAP fits the bill nicely. FWIW the question asked was asked by LE agencies for a .45 that would fit 9mm frames, Glock answered. I just tried a M&P 45 and did not like it so well, especially the horrible trigger. The Pennsylvania State Police have go to the GAP as well. It seems to work for them, although I don't know of any OISings. |
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1. It's a 200 grain Gold Dot going 950 fps. No problems there.
2. It is very shootable. Our department scores went up slightly going from 22s to 37s. 3. It gives you .45 in a smaller frame. 4. You can fing GAPs cheaper than other models 1. It won't fit your standard 17/22 holsters because the slide is too wide. 2. It has lower mag capacity than 9, .40, or .45. (Not a problem if you live in a ban state.) 3. Ammunition is more expensive and harder to find. 4. Re-sale will suck. |
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Carried a GLOCK 37 for a while as a central FL cop. Was not impressed with 10 round capacity, hard to find ammo, does not fit most kydex duty holsters for a GLOCK 17, and doesn't do anything amazing that 9mm, .40, and .45 can do with proper JHP.
Most agencies jumped on the GAP band wagon because Glock makes offers they can not say no to. Free holsters, ammo, weapon lights, and they usually buy back the older pistols if they are GLOCKs. Also the sale price of the GAP models are usually cheaper compaired to their other models. I will stick with my GLOCK 22. |