.45 GAP concern

[RetiredUSNChief]

So, there I was, packing up for a road trip and making sure my carry was ready. I only had one magazine of my preferred Gold Dot 230 gr (which was in my Colt 1991A1), so I pulled out another magazine loaded with my usual range fare (WWB).

As I was unloading the magazine, I noticed 4 of the cartridges looked significantly shorter than the other...what the heck? Setback? What's going on here? (All clean versions of what went through my mind.)

I picked up a couple side-by-side...the cases were different lengths. Looking on the bottom I see "G.A.P." along with the "WIN" stamp.

I don't recall a Seseme Street moment at any time in the past where "one of these things is not like the other" when I was at the range. So I don't know if I've actually shot any of this in my pistol. I'll have to take a look at my stash that I've got opened and see if there is a mix in there somewhere.

Nor do I buy .45 GAP...and the only other person I've been shooting with doesn't own or buy and .45 GAP. So I'm somewhat at a loss as to where this came from outside of perchance being mixed in a box of my usual ammo.

I did have a mix of some ammo a long time ago from a cousin...but that has been long gone now...years past.


I've not seen anything that says shooting this in my standard .45ACP pistol will do any harm. Do any of you have any input on this?

 

[splithoof]

.45ACP headspaces on the cartridge mouth, with support from the bolt-face, chamber, and extractor. Likely the GAP rounds were held by extractor tension, and no ill result other than possibly bulged brass occurred.
Inspect your barrel carefully however.
This is why it is important to carefully inspect each and every round going into a firearm carried for social purposes, and one reason I don't rely on my reloads for carry.
As for the GAP cartridge, I use it for loading into moon clips for use in a S&W 625. Being shorter, there is less wobble during reloads.

 

[jmr40]

I've experimented with 40 S&W fired from my 10mm Glock. It would be the same concept. I can say that the 1st 100 rounds worked perfectly with the same accuracy and POI as 10mm loads.

I've read of a few guys who make a regular practice of this with no issues. I don't plan on making it a regular practice, but have satisfied myself that in an emergency shooting 40's from MY 10mm is a better option than throwing rocks. Can't say how it will work with another gun.

I'd guess the same results might be expected with 45 ACP and 45 GAP. I just don't know of anyone who has tested the theory.

 

[Nom de Forum]

Yup, headspacing off the extractor grove happened if you indeed fired GAP in an ACP. Frequently happens with some poor quality ACP people feed their 1911s.

 

[jamal28]

Do not shoot .45 gap in ur .45 acp you might have a catastrophic failure.. long story short ur gun might blow up in ur hand

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I don't know that I HAVE actually fired any GAP in my pistol. I found these loaded in one of my extra magazines...which may have been loaded from some loose ammo I had a while back, come to think of it.

The last time I went to the range with this pistol, I noticed absolutely no problems. No problems with cycling, failures to feed, misfires, etc. And all sounded and felt absolutely normal with respect to what I normally shoot. Nothing hot or underpowered, no extra heavy or extra light recoil.

I'm thinking right now that I may have loaded this from some loose ammo, which I THOUGHT was just unboxed WWB left in my bag.

Darned if I know where it came from in the first place, though.

And no...I don't intend to shoot this in my gun. Perhaps I could use this opportunity to start another one of those "how can I safely dispose of these four rounds of ammo" strings...

(For the record...I'm NOT going to start another one of those strings. If nobody at work has a .45 GAP pistol, I'm just going to toss the ammo in the river and be done with it.)

 

[splithoof]

Don't toss the rounds in the river.....save them in a small jar with a label, and someday down the road you may meet someone who uses them. I think they will eventually become rare, as I believe that cartridge is a commercial failure.

 

[Quiet]

I shoot .45GAP in my .45ACP revolvers.

The shorter overall length of the .45GAP cartridge allows for faster loading/reloading times than using .45ACP.
All cartridges are loaded on moonclips.

 

[splithoof]

I love .45ACP revolvers!
Those full moon clip reloads go into the cylinders like magnets. When night shooting a good dose of 231 is a fun show.

 

[Jim K]

"Do not shoot .45 gap in ur .45 acp you might have a catastrophic failure.. long story short ur gun might blow up in ur hand."

Jamal, on what basis do you make that statement? IMHO, it is nonsense. The .45 GAP is less powerful than the .45 ACP. As a test, I once fired dozens of .45 GAP in a standad M1911A1; I got a lot of failures to function, but no misfires and the gun didn't "blow up."

Jim

 

[Quiet]

Quick determination to see if a particular .45ACP revolver can handle .45GAP ammo...
If the .45ACP handgun that can take .45ACP +P loadings, then it can also safely handle .45GAP loadings.


SAAMI specs
MAP = Maximum Average Pressure
MPLM = Maximum Probable Lot Mean
MPSM = Maximum Probable Sample Mean

Transducer Pressure
.45ACP = (MAP) 210 / (MPLM) 217 / (MPSM) 227
.45ACP +P = (MAP) 230 / (MPLM) 237 / (MPSM) 248
.45GAP = (MAP) 230 / (MPLM) 237 / (MPSM) 248

Velocity
.45ACP 185gr = 915-955 FPS
.45ACP 230gr = 830-915 FPS
.45ACP +P 185gr = 990-1130 FPS
.45ACP +P 230gr = 975 FPS
.45GAP 185gr = 995-1090 FPS
.45GAP 230gr = 830-870 FPS

 

[Evil Monkey]

take that GAP ammo to a gun shop so they can put it on the ammo shelf where it belongs.

 

[allaroundhunter]

I actually had a customer come to the counter this past weekend (I work at a shooting range) and asked if I knew the difference between .45 ACP and .45 GAP. Long story short, he had shot 40 rounds of .45 GAP out of his XDs without knowing that it was a different round than .45 ACP.

Aside from the final round in the magazine not feeding reliably, the rounds were accurate and there was no catastrophic damage. He brought in a couple of the spent casings and about half had punctured primers.

 

[BlindJustice]

I got some .45 GAP Federal Hydra Shok - after discovering the case was
short Ichecked the headstamp and sure enough ''GAP" the price sticker
had been placed over the 'GAP"

.45 GAP is loaded at +P pressures, so I mooned them up and shot them
with my S&W 625 heck I've got hotter loads in .45 Auto Rim besides
running the occaisinal .45 ACP +P in it.

IT would probably headspace off the extractor in a 1911

Randall

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

take that GAP ammo to a gun shop so they can put it on the ammo shelf where it belongs.

Heh! Nice thought...except that so far all it amounts to is four mysterious rounds. I haven't found any more in any of my .45 ACP ammo stash, so far.