It's ALIVE!

[The Rabbi]

Just when I was sure the .45gap was headed to well-deserved oblivion here comes news off another forum I post to.

Right now, Georgia State Patrol is swapping from Glock 23s to the 45 GAP. Which means there are going to be a lot of Glock 23s on the market, once the state sells them off.

You gotta wonder what some people were thinking.

[Marswolf]

Good grief....

Must be dehydration setting in.

[Smith]

Due to dehydration they must have thought they were switching to .45 gat's!

[molonlabetn]

There are 4 state police agencies using Glock 37s, so far. NY, PA, GA, and one of the Carolinas (South, I think).

The caliber won't be dead for a long time... It just won't be mainstream.

[Im Neero]

.45 GAP is definately a great solution. I'm just not completely sure what the problem is.

[molonlabetn]

.45 GAP is definately a great solution. I'm just not completely sure what the problem is.

The problem was that Gaston didn't have his name on cartridge.

[musicman]

Spot on, Molonlabetn, spot on.

[molonlabetn]

When I bought a .45gap pistol, I got the XD, just to piss Gaston off...

[musicman]

I bet that ruined his day!!

[molonlabetn]

I heard that he designed the 21SF solely because I scorned the G37.

[creeky]

I wonder if Glock is offering reduced prices, and/or other incentives to try and get the caliber into more agencies.

[The Rabbi]

That's a reasonable guess. Why else would a dept opt for a cartridge that is expensive, hard to get, and lacks a range of ammo choice? You would think someone would see the writing on the wall here.

[molonlabetn]

It worked for .40s&w... And Glocks, in general.

[The Rabbi]

It worked for .40s&w... And Glocks, in general.

But when it came out, 40 S&W was the only auto cartridge that really bridged the gap between 9 and .45. Now you've got .40, and .357SIG competing for that niche with .40 pretty well established.

[molonlabetn]

But when it came out, 40 S&W was the only auto cartridge that really bridged the gap between 9 and .45. Now you've got .40, and .357SIG competing for that niche with .40 pretty well established.

I dunno if there's much competition between .40s&w and .357sig, though they do fill similar roles for some users.

The .357sig was designed to replicate service .357mag loads, and the .40s&w was designed to replicate down-loaded 10mm loads. The capabilities of both overlap, of course, but they each do have distinct advantages in their own right... arguably both are better than 9mm or .45acp (or .45gap) alone. Though, they are not better than the cartridges which they descended from... the platforms they are used in are.

It would be fair to say that .357sig is the best of both 9mm and .357mag positives, and the .40s&w is the best of 10mm and .45acp positives.

The .45gap just makes Gaston happy in the pants.

[creeky]

I like the 40sw round myself, tending to like the .357 sig over it. But like most things

outside pressures seem to effect a caliber being able to go mainstream. We have to acknowledge the "business" side of cartridge developement as well as it's true performance.

The .357 sig (to me) is a prime current example. Great data to support it, plenty of guns chambered for it... but with ammo costs (per box) higher than the 40sw, it is being seen as an expensive niche round. Benefits such as using 40. cal mags, easy drop in barrel replacements, the bottle neck design (which I see as a plus btw), along with the ability to have basically a 10 to 15 round .357 magnum semi automatic.

H&K dropped the USPc in .357 sig from the importation, yet the P2000, and P2000sk

are still offered in it. If sales in them decline... they will stop importing .357 sigs as well.

The market and the preceived "Status" of the caliber come into play a lot more than they should. But are serious factors on them none the less. Even television can play a huge roll in gun sales

and opinions on them.

If you look at it from "Glock's" business model, they are "seen" as the Policeman's

Gun. Right or wrong... that is the perception and is true to a point. They have alot

invested in seeing the 45Gap succeed... but I think it is more of an status need than anything else. They really don't want to see a caliber they have "their" name on fail.

It would be worth it to them (for marketing if nothing else) to offer existing police depts juicey "trade in's" for their older Glocks for 45Gap models. If they can get 5-10 to switch, then I

would be willing to bet that you'll see Ad pages in Gun Mags mentioning how it is used

by Police depts in X,Y, Z... with a personal few "stories" of how much happier they are.

(Let me end by saying I know nothing about what I am talking about. )

[Marswolf]

As I hear it, the "45 GAP" was named the "45 Glock" by Gaston. But SAAMI said no.... Poor Gaston.

I see definite uses for the 357 SIG, just as there are definite uses for the 40 S&W. I see no logical reason at all for any state Highway Patrol to go to the 45 GAP.

Gotta go search for my copy of Wynonna singing Tell Me Why.