so, there's another .45 GAP pistol for sale in classifieds
could someone give me the quick rundown and the plus/minus of GAP vs acp?
pretend i'm an idiot...

so, there's another .45 GAP pistol for sale in classifieds
could someone give me the quick rundown and the plus/minus of GAP vs acp?
pretend i'm an idiot...

Let's pretend you only asked to see if we all knew how to use Google!   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_GAP

http://2ahawaii.com/Smileys/extended/grin.gif
i know how to use the google
i was looking for a one or two sentence synopsis on why it's better/worse than acp
http://2ahawaii.com/Smileys/extended/thumbsup.gif

Let's pretend you only asked to see if we all knew how to use Google!   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.45_GAP

Synopsis:

Good:  As effective as a .45ACP, shorter, lighter, allows pistol grip to be both narrower and shorter front to back, uses mags the size of a Glock 9MM vice a Glock .45ACP.

Bad:  Not many pistol makers other than Glock --

Initially, due to its acceptance by law enforcement and the popularity of subcompact handguns for concealed carry, a small number of manufacturers decided to produce pistols chambered in .45 G.A.P., including some Para-Ordnance M1911s and the Springfield Armory XD.
Para has since dropped the G.A.P.
Springfield Armory's XD pistol is listed in several different 45 G.A.P. varieties on their web site but they no longer produce any pistols in that caliber.
Only Glock continues to manufacture pistols in the 45 G.A.P. cartridge.

Wow that Sounds good.
How much does  this ammo cost locally and is it available?

It's worse than .45 ACP because:
1. It's more expensive
2. Not very many guns are chambered for it
3. Not very many varieties of load are available for it, comparatively speaking
4. The acronym spells "gap," which is not something you want in a defensive plan.

It's better than .45 ACP because:
1.  Um......
1. Cheaper to reload

They're the same because:
1. Very similar performance
2. GAP really isn't very much smaller than ACP.

Edited to update current progress of the discussion.

Ohhhh....

its a short stubby 45 round........too bad you cant convert it to something else

It's worse than .45 ACP because:
1. It's more expensive
2. Not very many guns are chambered for it
3. Not very many varieties of load are available for it, comparatively speaking
4. The acronym spells "gap," which is not something you want in a defensive plan.

It's better than .45 ACP because:
1.  Um......

Nothing you stated, Tom, has anything to do with performance or effectiveness of this round.

If you already have a Glock 37, the funds to afford the ammo, no need for a wide variety of specialty loads, and are not superstitious about what acronyms are being slapped on the caliber, then I think your "worse than .45 ACP" list loses it's relevance.

I don't own any 45GAP guns. haven't used one, nor have any ammo for one.  But I sure am considering one.  Having the firepower of a .45ACP in the same size frame as a 9mm is very appealing to me.

But, that's just me.  I also like old Soviet-made rifles!   

Synopsis:

Good:  As effective as a .45ACP, shorter, lighter, allows pistol grip to be both narrower and shorter front to back, uses mags the size of a Glock 9MM vice a Glock .45ACP.

Bad:  Not many pistol makers other than Glock --

If you use a double stack 9mm wouldn't the frame be wider than your standard 1911?

I did not know anything about the GAP until I started reading this thread. I googled it.
Found out what it was and thought, "Why re-invent the wheel?"
Apparently other gun manufacturers figured that out the hard way.
There are 45 auto pistols just as small as compact 9mm pistols.

Proprietary ammo is a hard row to hoe.

Nothing you stated, Tom, has anything to do with performance or effectiveness of this round.

If you already have a Glock 37, the funds to afford the ammo, no need for a wide variety of specialty loads, and are not superstitious about what acronyms are being slapped on the caliber, then I think your "worse than .45 ACP" list loses it's relevance.

I don't own any 45GAP guns. haven't used one, nor have any ammo for one.  But I sure am considering one.  Having the firepower of a .45ACP in the same size frame as a 9mm is very appealing to me.

But, that's just me.  I also like old Soviet-made rifles!   

If you looking for the power of a 45acp but in a smaller and thinner frame....look at a Glock 30S!  The 45Gap ammo is limited and maybe hard to find where as 45acp is plentiful.  I have a Glock 30 and 21.....and I love the 30 but is a bit bulky but is smaller than the 21. The 30 shoots GREAT so my thinking is the 21 will feel better when shot!

If you looking for the power of a 45acp but in a smaller and thinner frame....look at a Glock 30S!  The 45Gap ammo is limited and maybe hard to find where as 45acp is plentiful.  I have a Glock 30 and 21.....and I love the 30 but is a bit bulky but is smaller than the 21. The 30 shoots GREAT so my thinking is the 21 will feel better when shot!

That's incorrect.  The Glock 30S has the exact same size frame as a Gen3 Glock 30.  It only has a slightly narrower and lighter slide.

If you use a double stack 9mm wouldn't the frame be wider than your standard 1911?

Is that a generic question referring to the different widths in double-stack versus single-stack mags?

Did someone tell you the mags for a .45GAP are double-stacked?  They are not.

Couple of other advantages for reloading .45GAP:

(1) The .45GAP cartridge uses less powder than a .45ACP, and still reaches the same compression,

(2) The .45GAP cartridge uses small pistol primers versus the .45ACP large primers.

Nothing you stated, Tom, has anything to do with performance or effectiveness of this round

Nope. If there were a difference, it would have made one of the lists!

Nope. If there were a difference, it would have made one of the lists!

I knew you knew that, but it needed to be stated.  We are, after all, "pretending" the OP is an idiot!   

That's incorrect.  The Glock 30S has the exact same size frame as a Gen3 Glock 30.  It only has a slightly narrower and lighter slide.

Is it the 30 and the 30sf frame the same? 

Is it the 30 and the 30sf frame the same?

The 30 Gen4 is the same size as the 30sf Gen3.  The Gen4 includes backstraps to increase grip size to match the 30 Gen3 standard grip and one additional size larger.

Here's some performance numbers I found