whats the difference between .45ACP and .45GAP, and which ammo is cheaper and easier to find?

Answer 1

The concept of a shorter .45 ACP round is not new; previously there was the .45 H.P., no longer in production. But the .45 G.A.P. had the backing of a major firearms manufacturer, which greatly increased its chances for success given Glock pistol's extraordinary popularity.
The .45 G.A.P. is based on the .45 ACP pistol cartridge, but is shorter--slightly shorter than the overall length of the 9 mm Luger or .40 S&W and uses a small-pistol primer like the 9 mm Luger instead of a large-pistol primer like the 45 ACP . The .45 G.A.P. operates at a higher pressure than the .45 ACP (the same as .45 ACP +P) to make up for the smaller chamber volume. The .45 G.A.P. produces ballistics equal to the standard .45 ACP loadings but in a shorter cartridge. It was first believed that the traditional .45 ACP loading of a 230-grain bullet at 830 ft/s would not be possible in the .45 G.A.P., but careful gunpowder selection on the part of ammunition manufacturers has achieved that standard.
The .45 G.A.P. cartridge was conceived by Glock to be used in the medium frame sized Glock 37 pistol. From a performance point of view it is ideal for police use. The lighter .45 caliber bullets produce less recoil than the often criticized .45 ACP 230 grain (14.9 g) loadings, but they still retain many of the terminal ballistics advantages of the larger, heavier (compared to smaller caliber bullets) .45 caliber bullets. Since nearly all semi auto pistols store cartridges in the grip frame, the smaller overall length allows a smaller grip diameter which means that even a double-column pistol can have a grip that is easily handled by most adults.


Gun Tests Magazine ran an article in the February 2005 issue comparing five commercial loadings of .45 G.A.P. ammunition when fired through the Glock 37 polymer-framed pistol. All of the brands failed to meet the desired 2-inch (51 mm) accuracy at 50 feet (15 m); the groups ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 inches (64 to 89 mm). 4 of the 5 loads generated velocities on par with the .45 ACP +P, and these loads were considered uncontrollable by the testers, as the recoil generated was extreme for the weight of the pistols chambering the round. The one remaining load, firing a 185-grain (12 g) bullet at an average velocity of about 950 ft/s (290 m/s), was considered to be at the upper limit of controllability. They theorize that the potency of the .45 G.A.P. is an attempt to avoid derogatory comparisons between the .45 ACP and the .45 G.A.P., as was experienced when the .40 S&W was introduced as a lower recoil substitute for the
10 mm Auto. If the Gun Tests evaluation team are representative of the market, then the reduced power .45 G.A.P. should begin appearing to address the issues of heavy recoil in the light pistols.


Reloading
It is not recommended that a handloader try to make .45 G.A.P. brass casings by trimming .45ACP cases due to the fact that the .45 G.A.P. has thicker brass in the critical area of the case web than the .45ACP Also, the headstamp of the trimmed brass would be incorrect and could cause a hazardous situation due to misidentification.
See the article from Guns & Ammo below for more information on reloading the .45 G.A.P. cartridge.


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Answer 2

.45 GAP was developed by Glock, and is shorter than .45 ACP.
I guess the reasoning is that a pistol shooting the .45GAP has a smaller grip size than the longer .45ACP.

.45 ACP is definitely easier to find.

All the power of .45 AUTO in a compact package, fitting the standard grip size. (From the Glock Website)

Answer 3

The .45GAP was developed by Glock, Inc. by shortening the .45ACP cartridge case, so that the new round would feed from the magazine of its' 9mm frame autos, thus reducing the size of the grip, making it smaller & more comfortable for shooters with smaller hands.
.45ACP is by FAR the cheaper and more plenitful ammunition.
The major malfunction with this newcomer, there IS no CHEAP ammo, as all loadings available are factory commercial, at their elevated prices, and will probably remain so, unless the GOV. or the Po-lice pick up on this new cartridge. It WOULD make an excellent upgrade for the sub-standard .40 S(hort)&W(eak) that most Feds are stuck with now, but.......
However......... there IS an inexpensive answer,IF you reload!
One of my dear Brer just HAD to have one of these Glocks, and then almost immediately began with the same snivel, that .45GAP ammo is so expensive.
Luckily for him, I had been manufacturing my own .30 Mauser(7,62x25 Tok.) cases from 9mm Magnum and .223 Rem. cases, so, with my .45 case trimmer and reamer, we proceeded to turn several hundred .45ACP cases into .45GAP's and loaded 'em up for his new weapon. The result worked just fine, and saved him WELL over $100 bucks on our next trip to tear up the desert!

Answer 4

45 gap was created to fit the 9mm/40 cal frame glock pistols. That way people of smaller stature could arm themselves with a 45 and still have a comfortable grip of the pistol. The 45 gap is slightly smaller in length than the 45 acp

If you reload your own ammo, the 45 acp is the way to go. you can load it heavier (FPS and bullet weight) than the GAP.
production ammo will be close to the same but favoring the acp in FPS with bullets 200 grains and above.

Answer 5

The .45 ACP(automatic Colt Pistol) and the .45GAP(Glock Automatic Pistol) have very few differences. The GAP was designed to be used in smaller more concealable handguns. The GAP is just slightly shorter than the ACP and the ballistic differences are negligible. The avg. loss of velocity for a GAP is about 10feet per second. The biggest difference is the availability of the round. The ACP has been the most popular pistol round for a long long time, where as the GAP is a new round. There are more and better rounds for the ACP. The GAP is starting to become more available. My recommendations is the ACP. Stay with whats proven and you will have a better choice of handguns with that round. I hope that helps.

Answer 6

The .45 Glock Action Pistol (.45GAP) is a recent development by Glock to create a round which will feed from a .9mm sized pistol and have the punch of the old .45acp. It is shorter than the acp and they will NOT interchange.

The .45acp is cheaper/easier to find. The GAP is loaded to higher pressures.

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Answer 7

The .45GAP is Glock's attempt to create a cartridge that would handle better in their guns. They also have .45ACP.

.45ACP has been around for 100 years and you can get it at Wal-Mart. It is much cheaper. The .45GAP is a fad cartridge which is expensive and hard to find at Wal-Mart or sporting good stores. You have to go to a gun shop or order online.

Go with the .45ACP. To my knowledge, the .45 GAP is only offered in Glock pistols. I find the Glock .45ACP to be too large for my hands. The grip is huge. I love Glock and suggest you either get a Glock .40S&W or get a .45ACP in another brand unless you have large hands.

Answer 8

Hardly seems worth answering since there are so many good answers already.

45 GAP us an answer looking for a question. I could say more but the Wikipedia page covers it quite well.

Answer 9

please tell me that your only looking to buy one round.