.45 GAP- .45ACP

Are these 2 ammo's interchangeable at all in their respective guns? I have read that some also feel that gap ammo can also work in the Governor as well as ACP ammo. Since there are two different guns there must be some material difference between gap and ACP other that o think ACP has more pressure.

Education appreciated. Thanks

45 GAP is a shorter cartridge, designed by Glock to give you 45 performance in a 9mm/40S&W sized frame. For autoloaders that headspace on the case mouth, they are not interchangeable. However, for shooting out of a Governor with moon clips, I don't see any issues. There is only a 2000 psi pressure difference, with 45 GAP having the same max pressure as 45 ACP +P.

Thank you.

I have noticed where some police agencies such as the FL HWY Patrol and the GA HWY Patrol have converted to the .45 GAP using Glock weapons. I had an opportunity to work with some GA troopers last year that told me that it was strictly a Glock driven decision as supposedly Glock pistols in .45 Gap are provided gratus as well as ammo. I have no confirmation other that trooper conversation. Of course Glocks are made in the Atlanta area. I think the GA dept of Law Enforcement still can and do carry .40 S&W and .45 APC.

I was told by a FL trooper that one reason for the change to gap was the increasing number of female troopers and their ability to handle the weapon better from both grip size and recoil. He also told me that there was some limp wristed jamming problems with .45 APC as well. Again just hearsay.

From a private citizen standpoint how many Glock .45 gap autos and .45 gap ammo do you see in gun stores ? I personally don't care so the above makes some logical sence to me. It does keep the .45 gap alive and well.

I would not be surprised to know that GSP was able to get the Glocks from the company at no cost. There is a lot of free advertising in having your product used by a high-visibility agency such as GSP. At the local range, I recall hearing some talk that another large agency in the Atlanta area was given the same opportunity but went with S&W M&P's of some description instead.

It would actually be a good money savings move as well. When I retired from the Department of Natural Resources three years ago, the state contract price for the Model 22 Glock (.40, with three mags and night sights) was around $425. GSP runs about 800 troopers, more or less. If whatever model they got was similar in cost, you are looking at $340,000 saved just for that. My understanding was that they were also being issued the compact version (M 39) as well for use as a backup gun. I never heard about the ammunition being provided.

I don't know about GSP continuing to allow .40's and .45 ACP's to be carried, at least by field personnel. That would not be desirable in a tactical sense, IMO. When we transitioned to Glock 22's in 1995, everyone from top to bottom was issued one. Upper ranks could carry a couple of other things and field personnel could carry a personally owned back up (with some restrictions) as long as you could qualify annually with it.

Up here, you don't see many Glocks in .45 GAP. I occasionally run by Ed's Pawn Shop in Stockbridge, GA. Despite the name, they are actually one of the largest Glock distributors around. They usually have a couple of GAP's, and they are priced lower than the other models....which tells me that they don't sell many and are trying to move them.

Since I'm retired, I spend a good bit of time at the above mentioned range. You get a pretty good feel for what's being used based on looking at guns and discarded brass. Very little .45 GAP seems to be in use, compared to everything else.

I don't slam the .45 GAP; actually the concept is good but current ammunition technology has put several handgun cartridges on decent, and similar, footing. Like many other things, it mostly comes down to personal preference.

CJW3

Again just trooper talk but the scarcity of .45 gap ammo was sopposedly part of the deal so they could always be assured of supply. If law enforcement was not so deep into them I think the continued survival of the Glock 45 gap could be at some risk. I got the feel that the uniformed troopers were less that thrilled.

mrsig said:

CJW3

Again just trooper talk but the scarcity of .45 gap ammo was sopposedly part of the deal so they could always be assured of supply. If law enforcement was not so deep into them I think the continued survival of the Glock 45 gap could be at some risk. I got the feel that the uniformed troopers were less that thrilled.

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I saw first hand how the opinions/preferences of some of our firearms instructors influenced the decision to go with Glock in the first place; I can easily see the same situation with GSP's adoption of the .45 GAP and I see no reason why that would not be a consideration in other localities. (I always felt pretty well armed with a 686 myself, but I suppose that made me a dinosaur....I can live with that )

Money, of course, was and is a big consideration. While the Glock pistols were running around $425 on the state contract, Sigs were about $150 more for the same options. Were Sigs worth that much more? Maybe, maybe not, but Glock realized that a lower price for their product that basically did the same job as Sig's would be attractive to government agencies.

Perception is reality.

If we didn't have 40 S&W, then 45 GAP might have been more successful. But from the polarizing name "Glock Automatic Pistol" to the limited availability of ammo, to the lack of necessity for the cartridge, this one was really doomed from the start. Glock could discontinue GAP tomorrow and few people would care or even notice.

From what I'm told the PA State Police traded in their Beretta 96's for Golcks in 45 GAP. IMO that was a sideways trade... I also heard the Glocks were free from Glock. I guess they are giving a lot of Glocks away so they can put all those State Police agencies on their resume.