# ACP, GAP ???? WHAT??



## mrmcgee

I am looking into buying my first handgun. I have been looking online and in a magazine. I have one question:

What does ACP, GAP, etc.. mean after the ammo? One gun says 45 ACP, another says 45 GAP, I left the mag in my truck so i can't think of what some of the others said!

Thanks!


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## Plainsman

I don't remember off hand, but I think it was Glock that introduced the GAP. It's just a short 45ACP I think. A little heavier brass that can be loaded to high pressure to duplicate the 45ACP. They say it is so you can get more ammo in the magazine without making the grip larger. It doesn't make sense to me, because they are shorter, but still the same diameter. I think they are full of bull, and I don't see the 45GAP competing with the 45ACP any time soon. I would guess it is one of those cartridges destined to die a slow death like the 5mm Remington rimfire.


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## darkgael

Mr McGee: ACP is an abbreviation for Automatic Colt Pistol, as in .45ACP and .32ACP. 
G.A.P. is the designation given by Winchester engineers to the Glock Automatic Pistol cartridge developed in .45 cal. It duplicates the velocity of the 230gr. 45ACP in a shorter cartridge; this means higher pressures but also allows for a more compact weapon (in theory).
Pete


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## mrmcgee

WOW! thanks for the info. So basicly it is just diff. types of ammo. Is one more accurate, cost more, or is it simply just different guns, of the same caliber, require different ammo?


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## darkgael

Mr. McGee: Yes....same caliber guns that require different ammo. Having not fired a G.A.P. weapon, I cannot attest to it's accuracy. I do own a Glock in 45 ACP and it is quite accurate. It is not, however, as accurate as either of my 1911s, a Colt and a Springfield.
I am inclined to agree with Plainsman about the eventual fate of the G.A.P. cartridge. The market for it is small and most proprietary cartridges do not make it in the commercial world of ammo sales.
Want a .45? Buy one in .45ACP. The ammo is readily available from a multitude of sources in many different loadings. It is reliable and effective and many of the firearms that use it are marvelously accurate.
Pete


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## dakotashooter2

Seems to be another solution for a non-existing problem.
While there is nothing out there indicating it isn't safe think about this. You are looking at a higher pressure round with LESS (gun size) between your hand and that pressure.

I really can't envission any significant reduction in gun size. A certain amount of depth in a grip is going to be necessary to maintain reasonable control of such a gun. Common sense should tell us that gun thickness is a more significant factor for concealed carry that a few 10's of an inch in length.


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## People

Where the GAP comes in handy is you can get 45 ACP performance in a gun that is 9mm size. Before if you hands were on the small size 9mm /40SW were your main choices. Now you can have a 45 with a smaller fraim.


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## Bore.224

Go with the .357 SIG 

Also as a side note the 9mm is also called the Parabellam, luger and 9x19!!

Go with a 9mm ammo is cheap and it hits pleanty hard enought. :2cents:


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## NDTerminator

I agree with Plainsman, the GAP hasn't caught on to speak of and it will simply never match the popularity of the ACP.

Kind of like the 357 SIG, the GAP is/was in attempt to market a pistol and cartridge as a combo. The SIG has been around quite awhile now, and is just beginning to catch on in LE. It essentially duplicates the performance of a 357 Mag, but in a semi-auto.

The SIG is a great handgun, but bloody expensive for a production gun. If I'm going to sink that much into a bellygun, make mine a Kimber Pro Shop model or Wilson in 45ACP, thanks much.

I've been a fan of the 45ACP since the 70's, as it simply works great at it's job and nothing has yet been devised that works better. My off duty bellygun is a Kimber Raptor II in 45ACP, which shoots ragged one hole groups at 25 yards...


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## dakotashooter2

I quess my thought was that the width of a 45acp round would be more the limiting factor in making a compact gun for it that the length. I guess if you want to double stack the 45 a little less depth in the length might make a difference but it seems in most cases that width of a gun tends to make it more "printable" than length. A single stack 45 acp is just as concealable as a 9mm or 40 but of course you give up a few rounds.


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