Garys
NES Member
Anyone fired a pistol chambered for this? Since at this point only Glock and Springfield Armory have weapons chambered for it, I'm guessing it will be a while before MA residents get to buy one.
Gary
Gary
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.45 Gap
- Thread starter Garys
- Start date
TY43215
NES Member
I have loaded a few and will be working on more to shoot from my 625 revolver. When I decide if the load is worth continuing with or not I may or may not buy more brass.
Shorter case, small pistol primer, may make it a good IPSC revolver load.
Shorter case, small pistol primer, may make it a good IPSC revolver load.
Garys
NES Member
I wasn't even thinking about revolvers, but it's very interesting. Apparently Glock asked CCI/Speer to develop it for use in semi autos. Out of curiosity, will the 45 ACP moon clips work?
Gary
Gary
TY43215
NES Member
Yes, that is the only way. This is going to be my winter loading project and if I really like the load, I will probably buy some clips from hearthco as his are tighter.
regards,
Gary
Get 'em while you can. This one is destined for extinction.
Garys
NES Member
Why do you say that?
The New York State Police just decided to switch from 9mm to .45 GAP. 5,400 Glock pistols.
I would think that a major agency purchase like that would give some boost to the weapon and the round.
Gary
Yeah, that order will give it "some boost", but why does this round exist? It's no better than the .45 ACP in terms of ballistics. It's also way more expensive to shoot, and harder to reload. An order or 5400 pistols does not a classic make.
Think about it, the FBI ordered 10,000 S&W 1076's, and the 10mm (my favorite round BTW) is barely hanging on. The 10mm is also by far ballistically superior and more versatile than the .45 GAP.
Garys
NES Member
My info comes totally from what I've read, but it seems that Glock swa a demand for a round that was more potent than the .40 S&W, but could be built on a 9/40 class frame. Time will tell I guess.
Gary
Glock created the round, Glock continues to hype it, hoping that it will catch on.
If you get a chance, check out how much the NY State Police paid for those pistols.
If you get a chance, check out how much the NY State Police paid for those pistols.
Garys
NES Member
I don't know the details other than 2.2 Million for 5,400 weapons. That comes out to $370.00 per weapon with no trade it. Which is fairly cheap, but it's a no doubt a low bid contract.
We'll see what happens with this round. Remember, the .40S&W was introduced at the same time as the 10mm (IIRC) it has become very popular.
Gary
We'll see what happens with this round. Remember, the .40S&W was introduced at the same time as the 10mm (IIRC) it has become very popular.
Gary
Executive
NES Member
The .40S&W was introduced after the 10mm. The original 10mm proved far too powerful so a lighter load was developed. The .40S&W is essentially this lighter load in a smaller case which allows for a smaller framed firearm. Part of the versatility of the 10mm is that it can be loaded down to .40S&W levels and up to magnum power levels. If there was any reasonably priced readily available 10mm ammo, I would have a 10mm pistol. (I don't reload). Don't expect the .45GAP to catch on in a big way. (See: .41AE, .356TSW, .357Sig, 400 Cor-Bon)
Chris
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...and the 400 Corbon is better than both, AND feeds more reliably. Go figure.
So, what about the .357 Sig?
The .400 Corbon is better than the 10mm?
If by "better" you mean ballistically identical, but more expensive and harder to reload, then I'm with you.
According to the Corbon website, the cartridges are within 25 to 50 fps of each other with similar bullet weights with the .400 Corbon being the slightly faster of the two. However, the .400 Corbon data comes from a longer test barrel, so I'll call it a draw - especially since Corbon designed the .400 to match the 10mm ballistically.
It's harder to reload than the 10mm. It's a necked cartridge and it headspaces on the shoulder. The manufacturer gives a tight spec (0.721" + 0.004" for the distance from the base of the cartridge to the midpoint of the shoulder. Also, since there's less bearing surface for the case to hold the bullet, the manufacturer recommends a roll crimp - which is unusual for cartridges intended for an autoloader. I'm not sure if this means you should be using bullets with a cannelure, but good luck finding them in .40 caliber.
As far as being easier to feed, I'm not aware of many feed problems with the 10mm. (maybe with the exception of the early D&D guns but that was a magazine issue unique to that gun).
The "benefit" of the .400 Corbon is that it can allow some shooters to easily convert their .45 to shoot a .40 caliber bullet (provided they can find a replacement barrel). It is a wildcat however, and will be around only for as long as Starline continues to make the brass (although in fairness, you can form your own cases from .45 ACP brass).
Round Gun Shooter said:
I never said it was. However, I did say it was harder to reload than .45 ACP. With a higher pressure and less case volume, it is more sensitive to small changes in charge weight and cartridge overall length.
With a given setup and level of experience, a reloader will get more consistent results with .45 ACP than with .45 GAP.
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TY43215
NES Member
Guess I read it wrongHave you reloaded a lot of 45 GAP?
Some, not a lot. I found a bunch of once fired .45 GAP brass at the range and loaded 'em up with 230gr bullets. With a max load of W231 (4.6 grains IIRC) they would not make the 800fps mark (4" barrel). The velocities were kind of all over the map (I don't remember the exact numbers), and they were not accurate. I was extra careful when I loaded them too (I didn't weigh every charge but I bet I weighed every tenth one, also checked C.O.A.L. more frequently than I normally do).
I understand that this round was designed for lighter bullets, but the 230's were all I had on hand - and I found this load data for them.
TY43215
NES Member
I have tried 230gr with 4.5 of Tight Group to make IPSC major. They seem to work real well in my 25-2 with the 6.5" barrel. Still experimenting with crimp to get more burn.
