Why did the 45 GAP/M37 Glock not catch on ?

[lowprone]

Just perusing the 2018 Glock catalog and I wonder why the 45 GAP ( Glock Auto Pistol ) cartridge / Model 37,38,39
never really caught on ?
It really was a great idea, 1/2" goodness in a Model 17 size frame.
I just don't see them, don't know anyone who owns one.

[lsllc]

I would say, largely, due to the fact it doesn’t really do anything better than existing cartridges AND it costs a premium over the traditional 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. The reality is that economics and narrowing performance gaps due to improving bullet technology is making everything besides 9mm an outlier for duty pistols.


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[Bret]

Because the market for people who want small frame pistols (9mm & 40S&W cartridge length) with large diameter bullets is very very small. Most people who want large diameter bullets buy 1911's anyway. A check of ammoseek.com shows that it costs about $30 more per case than 45ACP. I would have thought the difference would have been more.

[MountainRaven]

I’m surprised anyone thought it was a good idea.

Maybe if it offered a similar recoil impulse to 9mm, I could see why it might be of interest during the AWB and states that have gun laws stuck in 1994 - or worse. But otherwise? Meh. At best.

[RHINOWSO]

Glock saw some of the success SIG was having with 357SIG and decided to attract the 45ACP crowd with 45GAP.

It's a solution looking for a non-existent problem.

[26 Inf]

The story that I heard was that some larger agencies expressed interest in 45's but found the G21 frame too big. Ergo, the .45GAP. Remember, .45GAP was introduced in 2003, which was before LE began switching en masse from .40 and .45ACP to the 9mm.

As to the demise of the round - not as many choices in ammunition loading or pistols, for that matter. .45ACP also had like what, a hundred year head start?

[Wildcat]

Well, it was a solution to a problem that (nearly) only Glock had.

As one who frequently shoots 45-ACP, I'm not upset that the GAP never became more popular. Weeding those short shells out of regular 45 brass was a nuisance.

[titsonritz]

Just one more fly by night cartridge that didn't catch on.

[556A2]

SF frame and eventually Gen4 frames fixed the grip issues of the 20/21.

[ABNAK]

A niche cartridge, like REALLY niche. Almost .45 ACP ballistics so the resulting ammo could be loaded in smaller frame pistols. Was the juice worth the squeeze, i.e. introducing an entirely new cartridge for minimal gains? Apparently not.



Glock did have a couple large agencies buy into it, no doubt enticed by "free" (or almost free) weapons:

New York State Police, South Carolina Highway Patrol, Florida Highway Patrol, Pennsylvania State Police, and Georgia State Police, most of which have subsequently switched to other calibers.