45 GAP- Will it catch on !?

[Hardcore]

All I know is no dealers want 45gap guns in trade around Houston. I had a Glock 37 that no one wanted. I would not recommend buying one unless you get a gun around $400 or less and don't put any money into upgrades on the gun. I would pass on one unless you just really have to have it. They don't seem to hold a good value at least in the Houston area.

[kraigster414]

Agree with Hardcore. Everyone is just voicing an opinion, ditto for me. Calling people ignorant yada yada is typical bulletin board devensiveness and that's fine, I don't take it personally. I am a fan (and an owner) of the .380, 9mm, 45 ACP, ..40 SW, 45 Colt, and other mainstream calibers because they meet a need and each has distinct advantages and applications. The .45 ACP offers nothing over and above a standard load .45 ACP other than the fact that Glock went with it so they could chamber their existing design handgun without having to alter the grip size. That was the impetus behind the GAP pure and simple. For me, that is not justification enough to shell out my hard earned money on a new caliber. I hope that SA with their XD will hop on the .45 ACP bandwagon. I'd be the first one to buy one and there will be a long line behind me.

Now if it will make you feel better to start thowing stones fine. For those of you who enjoy your GAPs, great. Go forth and conquer. It's just not for me. Enjoy!

[MPSoldier]

I can't tell you how many times I hear people talking about .45 GAP vs. .45 ACP. I know it's natural to compare those rounds as they are the same caliber, but what I think a lot of people are forgetting, if they ever thought of it in the first place, is that the .45 GAP was not meant to compete with the .45 ACP. The .45 GAP was meant to compete with the .40 S&W and the 9mm.

Ok, before all of you call me crazy, let me explain. The .45 GAP was meant to be a big bore alternative in smaller frames that are normally chambered for the .40, 9mm, and .357-sig. The XD has been lauded more times than can be counted for its feel and grip which allows for better comfort, easier shooting, and thus BETTER shooting. Anyone who's fired an XD knows what I'm talking about.

Why on Earth would Springfield mess with one of the main features that makes an XD an XD when they can keep it and go with an already existing (although very new) cartridge that already fits in the frame? I prefer to have a .45GAP than to have Springfield say, "Nope, forget a .45, 'cause the ACP won't fit..."

Am I biased? Yes, I own an XD .45GAP, but I also plan on getting a 1911 because I also love the .45 ACP. I am not jumping on anyone who says the .45 GAP is not for them - there are mainstream calibers that are not for me, and to each his own. But don't put it down, it does fill a need, and nobody's forcing you to get one. If you don't like it, don't buy it. I will say though, that it is irresponsible of local gun stores to NOT carry that caliber as they are there to meet the needs of the greater firearms community and not to make political statements. Just my 2 cents......

[baa]

The gun ranges and stores in my area stock .45gap ammo regularly and it seems to be in the same price range as 45 ACP.

I don't see 45gap as being a major caliber ala 9mm 45acp etc, but that's not to say it will disappear from the shelves in a couple years. I have fired the XD in 45gap and it is a lot of fun to shoot, and ballistics on the 45gap are basically identical to 45 acp.

If you want a 45gap, get one! You won't be sorry (as long as you live in an area with a diverse ammo selection)

[Frenchy]

At this point in time I place the GAP in the same catagory as the .41 Mag as far as popularity is concerned. It will find a small but devoted following.

[glfpunk]

Originally Posted by kraigster414

Agree with Hardcore. Everyone is just voicing an opinion, ditto for me. Calling people ignorant yada yada is typical bulletin board devensiveness and that's fine, I don't take it personally. I am a fan (and an owner) of the .380, 9mm, 45 ACP, ..40 SW, 45 Colt, and other mainstream calibers because they meet a need and each has distinct advantages and applications. The .45 ACP offers nothing over and above a standard load .45 ACP other than the fact that Glock went with it so they could chamber their existing design handgun without having to alter the grip size. That was the impetus behind the GAP pure and simple. For me, that is not justification enough to shell out my hard earned money on a new caliber. I hope that SA with their XD will hop on the .45 ACP bandwagon. I'd be the first one to buy one and there will be a long line behind me.

Now if it will make you feel better to start thowing stones fine. For those of you who enjoy your GAPs, great. Go forth and conquer. It's just not for me. Enjoy!

Truth hurts I guess. It wasn't malicious. I didn't call you stupid, or anything like that. Just ingnorant. You're talking about something and voicing an opinion about something based on a limited knowledge of it and your opinion on it is based on how it affects you directly and not anyone else.

There's a difference between saying something like "I prefer the ACP over the GAP, and think the differences are too small to justify buying one"

And saying what you said which was basically that there was no point in having that caliber and everyone's wasting their time and money if they have one and should switch to ACP immediately.

The caliber was designed so that you could have a .45 caliber round in a smaller frame than the current .45ACP doublestack frames. I'm sorry if you can't see the advantages of that, especially with the ballistics being so similar. Now, there may not be any advantages for you personally, and that's fine, it might not be for you. But to pretend that it doesn't have any advantages over .45ACP for anyone is ignorant.

The more choices we have in calibers, the better off we are. Choice is a good thing.

[Frenchy]

Here's my problem with the GAP in the present XD platform.

9mm.=15 rounds

.40S&W=12 rounds

357SIG=12 rounds

.45GAP=9 rounds

Why would I want a 9 round capacity in GAP in the same grip width as the other 3, when I could have had a slimmer package with 7 or 8 ACP rounds? 10+1 could be justified, but....
Tell me where the GAP's advantage is over the .40 or 357 in the same damned platform?

[MPSoldier]

Steve, C'mon man. You could justify 10+1, but 9+1 and it's "Forget it"? Truthfully, aren't you being just a little picky?

Besides, what do you need all the ammo for? I've been attacked by insurgents in Iraq so I can definitely appreciate the need for extra ammo, but here stateside, it's a different animal. Many concealed carry weapons are sub/micro compact handguns, which have smaller capacities as it is. A revolver and it's probably even less.

You are probably not going to be in some long, drawn out, Old-west/Lethal Weapon - style shoot out. You're probably going to be up against 2-3 guys at the most. If it's more than that, you're probably in the wrong place to begin with.

Are those 3 extra rounds you get in other calibers really the deciding factor? If you haven't hit the bad guy with the first 9 rounds, you're probably not going to hit him with the next 3. If it's such a concern, carry an extra magazine. To each their own, but let's be realistic; 3 less rounds does not make the weapon obsolete.

[kgpcr]

GAP WILL DIE A SLOW DEATH. I SEE NO REASON FOR IT TO LIVE ON

[aerowinged]

Well,

Sure you may not have as many rounds, but isnt it proven by ... whoevers job it is to prove these things... that the bigger the bullet the more penetration you will get which means the better the chance the bullet with go further into the body and knock out some vital stuff all the while creating more damage all the way through (bigger cavities). Every little thing in the bullets path effects what its going to do, so if your wearing a heavy coat or something, then yes, sure, that is goign to hinder penetration. Penetration is more dependant on the weight of the bullet than the velocity, or at least this is what i have learned in school.

So, yeah, there are obviously advantages having more bullets as well as having bigger bullets. It may come down to stopping them in 3 little bullets or 2 bigger bullets. If this were the case, then capasity really doesnt seem to matter as much.

The way i look at it, if you ever have to shoot someone, you are shooting to kill them, not to just wound or hurt or disable, but to put them down for good so that they can no longer in any way pose a threat to you thereafter. Because as long as that person can still move an arm, he can still use his own weapon against you. And in my opinion bigger bullets have a better chance killing that bad guy quicker (as long as you actually hit them) considering the infinate ammount of vairables that arise in these situations. However, if you cant his the broad side of a barn, then i guess you have a better chance of doing damage with more bullets.

With all this said, it brings me back to my last threads which didnt help out so much. I still dont know wether to go with the .40 or .45 GAP ? haha, and im looking to buy one by the end of the week.