Gimmicky Auto Pistol

"Why not a Glock in .45 GAP..."

Sure. It's your money. First, send an email to every mainstream ammunition manufacturer who makes a GAP round. Ask them what they consider the minimum barrel length for absolute, drop-dead, can't be denied expansion, from whatever line of hollowpoints in 230 grains strikes your fancy.

I did. Every answer was the same. 4.5", but look for 5. Under that, and they recommend a 185 grain pill. Moseying along at 1050 fps. So for the low-cap G-38, the mid-range GAP, you'll have 8 rounds when you could be carrying a G-23 with 13, using the same weight bullet that exits the tube somewhat faster. Or, go with the full-sized G-37 that most folks find too large for CCW, and squeek out the 4.49" minimum while praying that the 10 rounds of 230's will open on impact, but lets face it, they've made you a little nervous so you'll be carrying the 185's anyway.

Short barrel .45's mean one thing. Speer short barrel ammunition. Guaranteed to blossom at mini-tube velocities. Leaving the usual Gold Dot .7" hole, when an HST in .40 flavor makes close to an inch.

So why were you wanting to carry a .45 again? When smaller calibers are making bigger ouchies?

Nothing wrong with the GAP, in any configuration, but your ammunition choices are limited so be honest and realize it's something you WANT, and not something you've intellectualized all the way through.

Modern weapons and modern munitions work amazingly well. We got along just fine without them, some of us anyway, but when having the edge means saving your life, some want EVERY edge they can muster. Even the .45 ACP was designed for a certain barrel-length because they are slowwwwwwww and need all the oomph possible in order to knock Billy Bad Guy off his pins. And you can't get a GAP in +P because the little cartridges are chockerblock, so remember to be careful of too slow.

If Federal, Winchester, and/or PMC made a 230 for short barrels, I'd have switched to the G-30 a long time ago. BUT...when used in longer tubes this technology tends to cause overexpansion and by that they mean BAD overexpansion, the kind that tears the round to pieces on impact due to the higher velocities. Until ALL of the manufacturers address this problem, and they will in due time because CCW is providing more and more customers each and every day, I'm sticking with the .40 caliber when lugging around a bottomfeeder.