45 GAP- Will it catch on !?

[aerowinged]

Hey guys,
I'm looking for some opinions here, the GAP round came out in 2003 if im not mistaken, by Glock. However i know for me personally in my area no gun stores will carry a .45 GAP Cal Pistol in their stock, they only have them for special order, AND THE ONLY gun shop that i can find that even carries the round, tell me that he actually "boycotts" new rounds because they never stick and they always end up with tons of useless ammo.

Now im planning a buying the XD 45 GAP, and though the ammo is hard to find, you can still buy it for just about the same price as 45 ACP ammo.

I would just hate to find that in a couple years the 45 GAP dissappears and im left with a gun i cant do anything with. If it phases out, i wont even be able to sell it in the furute and get some of my money back.

I know it definately has its fans as well as those who hate it. For me its great because i have small hands. But are there enough people with small hands and have other reasons for favoring the GAP to make it a success ?

So some opinions please, would the GAP be a good or bad investment ?

Thanks

[mullanman]

I think it will end up much like the .357 sig cartridge...Interesting but not really doing anything that hasn't been done before with another cartridge.

Unless PD dept or the military takes it on, i don't see it being a significant cartridge.

[ajamesp51]

Your area stores will not order the stuff thats why you dont have it local. All of the top distributers have thousands of rounds of 45 gap ready to ship out if the dealers buy it. And as far as the excusse that the ammo costs more that is also the dealers fualt for pricing the stuff to high. The cost of 45 gap from the distributers is the same or lower than the price of 45acp. Even cases of premium leo only the cost of the 45gap is cheaper than the cost of 45acp. If the dealers want to sell the product (ie make it popular they can they just have to sell it)they need to carry the stuff and when someone asks talk the **** up. In the game of sales its upsell. Think back to the ol HS2000`s dealers had it on the shelf but did not make an effort to sell the pistol, in fact alot of people heard its a another kncok off. Instead they should have beem promoting the product on the shelves. A little advertising later and the xd is one of the best sellers in the US now. Hmm go figure some salesmanship can work.

[kraigster414]

If you want a .45, get a .45 - the .45 ACP. In my neck of the woods, the GAP is deader than a door knob. It's a caliber in search of an audience. Expect it to have a cult following similiar to the .357 Sig, 10mm, etc. Plus, while it duplicates standard .45 ACP ballistics, it can not be factory loaded to plus P performance levels. Another negative.

You can't successfully promote something that people neither need or want (in large numbers). Marketing will only get you so far.

[JesterXD40]

I say there is a nitch for it... But no one is listening. Would be the perfect round for Jo shmo, but he don't know.


My dealer keeps them in stock xd and glock, and the ammo, and he talks them up, but has only sold one in about a year..

[aerowinged]

So how do you current GAP owners feel? Do you feel like its worth it?

[kraigster414]

Originally Posted by aerowinged

So how do you current GAP owners feel? Do you feel like its worth it?

What do you think they are going to say? They love it of course.

Another thing to consider...do get handloaders to invest in another set of dies (though I guess you could use .45 ACP dies ?), brass, bullet heads, etc. I have all I can handle with the .45 ACP, 9mm, and .40SW.

[jetsiphon]

It's gaining more popularity in Denver than the .357 Sig. They have it on the shelf at Sportsman's and most of the other local gun shops. It's a good round and I want one.

[glfpunk]

Originally Posted by kraigster414

If you want a .45, get a .45 - the .45 ACP. In my neck of the woods, the GAP is deader than a door knob. It's a caliber in search of an audience. Expect it to have a cult following similiar to the .357 Sig, 10mm, etc. Plus, while it duplicates standard .45 ACP ballistics, it can not be factory loaded to plus P performance levels. Another negative.

You can't successfully promote something that people neither need or want (in large numbers). Marketing will only get you so far.

What neck of the woods do you live in here in VA? Because I live in the Hampton Roads area of VA and the GAP seems to be doing pretty good here. I don't own a GAP caliber gun, but it really sounds kind of ignorant to talk about it the way you do.

Basically the GAP is a smaller version of the ACP fit into a smaller frame. It has very similar ballistics to the ACP as well. You also speak about the .357sig and 10mm as "cult" calibers, when later you refer to having your hands full with 9mm and .40. 10mm is the real .40, and .357sig is a superpowered 9mm. So it seems like you contradict yourself. Either that, or you need for a caliber to be accepted by the masses before you deem it a good round which is pretty lame too. I know everyone has their own opinions but if everyone thought the way you did, nothing new would ever come about. You'd still be sitting there with your musket, pissed off about revolvers.

[Motengator]

If you like the gap and worried about them stop making the Gap then just save all your brass and learn how to reload.