.45 GAP

.45 G.A.P.
A .45 G.A.P. cartridge.
Type	Pistol
Place of origin	Austria United States
Service history
In service	2003–present
Production history
Designer	Ernest Durham
Designed	November 2002
Manufacturer	CCI/Speer
Produced	2003–present
Specifications
Case type	Rimless, straight
Bullet diameter	.451 in (11.5 mm)
Case length	.755 in (19.2 mm)
Overall length	1.070 in (27.2 mm)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 185 gr (12 g) Gold Dot JHP 1,150 ft/s (350 m/s) 543 ft⋅lbf (736 J) 200 gr (13 g) Gold Dot JHP 1,050 ft/s (320 m/s) 490 ft⋅lbf (660 J) 230 gr (15 g) Gold Dot JHP 935 ft/s (285 m/s) 447 ft⋅lbf (606 J) 230 gr (15 g) FMJ-FP 940 ft/s (290 m/s) 451 ft⋅lbf (611 J)
Test barrel length: 4.49 in Source(s): DoubleTap Ammo

The .45 G.A.P. (often called the .45 "GAP") pistol cartridge was designed by Ernest Durham, an engineer with CCI/Speer, at the request of firearms manufacturer Glock to provide a cartridge that would equal the power of the .45 ACP, have a stronger case head to reduce the possibility of case neck blowouts, and shorter to fit in a more compact handgun. G.A.P. is an initialism for "Glock Automatic Pistol", and the .45 G.A.P. is the first commercially introduced cartridge identified with Glock.

Development

The .45 GAP has the same diameter as the .45 ACP pistol cartridge but is slightly shorter, and uses a small-pistol primer instead of the large-pistol primer most commonly used in .45 ACP ammunition. Originally, the maximum bullet weight of the .45 GAP was 200 grains (13 g). In order to provide terminal ballistics that matched the standard 230-grain (15 g) .45 ACP loads, the .45 GAP was designed to operate at a higher standard pressure—roughly equivalent to the higher pressures found in .45 ACP "+P" rounds. Since the .45 GAP has a much smaller cartridge volume than the .45 ACP, the desired pressure and resulting velocity needed to be achieved through powder selection alone. Later development concluded that the .45 GAP could also fire 230-grain (15 g) ammunition as does the .45 ACP.

Glock .45 GAP pistols

The full-size Glock 37 pistol was introduced by Glock to use the .45 G.A.P. cartridge and was followed by the compact Glock 38 and the subcompact Glock 39. Glock's .45 GAP sized pistols use the same frame as their 9×19mm/.40 S&W/.357 SIG line of pistols. The slide is slightly wider to accommodate the larger diameter .45 cal round and is flush with the frame. Magazines for the .45 G.A.P. are of the same dimensions as those that the 9×19mm/.40 S&W/.357 SIG line of pistols use.

Law enforcement application

Four state law enforcement agencies have adopted the .45 G.A.P. as a replacement to their current issue 9×19mm Parabellum (New York) or .40 S&W service handguns (Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida). The New York State Police, Georgia State Patrol, South Carolina Highway Patrol, and Florida Highway Patrol have all adopted the Glock 37 and .45 G.A.P.

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 that were chambered in .45 G.A.P., including some Para-Ordnance M1911s and the Springfield Armory XD, which was actually the first pistol produced in the cartridge. 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.

See also

• .45 Super
• .460 Rowland
• .44 Magnum
• 10mm Auto
• 11 mm caliber
• List of firearms
• List of handgun cartridges
• List of rifle cartridges
• Table of handgun and rifle cartridges

External links

• Reloading article on .45 G.A.P. from Guns & Ammo Magazine
• The Gun Zone: Inside the .45 G.A.P.
• The Gun Zone tracks the Glock Model 37's Introduction
• .45 G.A.P. Tech Brief from Speer
• Article from Shooting Times on .45 G.A.P.