Unique Gen 4 Glock in .45 GAP for Florida Highway Patrol
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The Florida Highway Patrol is purchasing unique Glock pistols that are unavailable, for now, to anyone else, according to Randy Pitts, a Glock sales representative at the 2010 SHOT Show. These new pistols will replace the aging Beretta 96 handguns currently carried by FHP.
Recently the Florida Highway Patrol conducted testing for a new duty pistol in Tallahassee, Fla. One of the pistols they tested was the Gen 4 Glock. The problem is Glock is only offering the Gen 4 in 9mm and .40 S&W, and FHP wanted a .45. To secure the contract of “about 3000 pistols,” Glock agreed to manufacture a special run of Gen 4 pistols chambered in .45 GAP.
According to Pitts, “We don’t even have a model number for these guns.” Pitts stated Glock has secured ATF approval for the new pistols, and FHP should take delivery of the new guns in “two to three months.”
It is unknown if Glock will turn these custom pistols into a regular production item. The .45 GAP has gained some popularity with law enforcement, but has not captured the shooting public’s attention. Though the GAP reproduces the ballistics of a .45 ACP in a smaller package allowing for “high capacity” .45 pistols, the relative high cost of ammunition has kept many buyers away.
Other agencies carrying the .45 GAP pistols include the Georgia State Patrol, New York State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, and South Carolina Highway Patrol. FHP is currently the only department that will have a Gen 4 .45 pistol.
15 Comments
January 25th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
We’re excited about receiving these new pistols, and proud of the thorough testing and evaluation process our agency undertook when deciding what caliber and weapon to transition to. Thanks to the other state police/highway patrol agencies that provided their input.
January 25th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
So Fla Trooper, thanks for checking in. I was in a training class with a central Fla trooper last fall, and he was telling me that it looked like you guys were going to .45. It wasn’t until SHOT that I realized it would be a Gen 4 platform Glock.
Once you get yours, let us know how it shoots.
Stay safe!
Richard
January 26th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Interesting choice. Can’t help but wonder why the GAP and not the ACP? and why the move away from the 96 to begin with.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:23 am
[...] Interesting. Florida Highway Patrol wanted the new Glocks in 45. But the Gen4 models were only available in 40 and 9mm. So, Glock agreed to do a special run of pistols in 45GAP. [...]
January 26th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
The .45GAP Glocks have a smaller grip than the .45ACP Glocks, while shooting the same size projectile with equal ballistics. Chalk it up to advancements in gunpowder technology over the past 100 years that give the ability for GAP casings to be shorter than the ACP design.
Also,Gen4 Glocks have an even smaller grip potential (three different sized grips, with the middle one being the same as the older Glocks).
Smaller grips give better control. Better control means faster follow-up shots.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
I figure the choice of .45 gap instead of .45 acp is like the .40 s&w instead of the 10mm.
February 3rd, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Good choice I love the GAP cartridge and have a Springfield XD45LE Tactical and it is my favorite carry gun (when weather allows cover clothing). I hope that more law enforcment switch to GAP to keep the ammo alive for us GAP owners out there.
February 4th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
The .45 GAP was designed for the Glock. It’s a little shorter case than .45acp and allows it to be used in a the same Glock frame as .40 s&w & 9 mm.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:21 am
I too like the .45 GAP. I have a G37 and it is a damn fine weapon. I like shooting it over my three .40 cal Glocks that I use for primary, back up and off duty. My agency already has six calibers to purchase so adding no. seven isn’t going to happen. Yes, ammo availability and cost are annoying at times, but I really like the cartridge and the weapon. With FHP adopting it, that’s now 10.2% of the state police/highway patrols in the U.S. that are using it.
February 11th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Not everyone is as excited about the GAP as SoFlaTrooper. It is uncharacteristic of the agency to go with an unproven design like the GAP. Especially when most people felt confident with the .40. It will take time for the GAP to achieve a reasonable level of acceptance in Florida.
February 11th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Not everyone here is as excited as SoFlaTrooper about the GAP. Very few people are sold on the virtues of the cartridge and the rest have been left wondering why it was adopted. The reports from HQ have done little to answer the questions,other than, “trust us it’s great”. We’ve all heard that before. It is going to be some time before everyone is confident that the new round was the right choice.
February 12th, 2010 at 2:09 am
Hi Mark,
No doubt– Troopers have reason to question some of the things coming out of Tallahassee, but I don’t think this is one to worry too much about. The .45 GAP is not an unproven design, rather it has been out for about seven years now, and has been carried by a number of police agencies in the USA. Notably, the GAP has been popular with state police agencies where back-up response times can often be measured in 1/2 hour increments, not minutes.
Your neighbors to the north in the Georgia State Patrol have been involved in a number of shootings while carrying the .45 GAP, and I’ve not heard of any complaints on the performance of the cartridge.
The .45 GAP duplicates .45 ACP performance, which has an excellent reputation, in a smaller package meaning more ammo on hand. You put the bullets on target and they will do the job.
–Richard
February 17th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Silly stuff.
They needed to change from the Berettas as Beretta doesnt make them anymore and they are beginning to fall apart.
They wanted a 45 first and foremost and only a 45 but then the small hand brigade reared its…small hands.
The 45GAP is Glocks abortive attempt at getting a 45 cal upper on a small frame lower ( the 17/22 series)by making a 45 round that fit the 9mm envelope like the 40 does too.
The deal is/was to swap the Berettas for the Glocks 1:1 plus some additional Glock compacts to be thrown in…its all on a public RFP.
Glock has about $90 manufacturing costs in a pistol so if they can get $200 each for the Berettas in a trade in, they are ahead. Part of the RFP is that the troopers be allowed to purchase back their Berettas so how that works will be interesting!
However, now its 2010 and the G4 frames are out, who needs the 45GAP round?…why they didnt stay with the 40 is utterly amazing and no one can figure that one out. The ammo is about x2 the price of the 40 FETOUT and the FHP shoots over a million a year in practice alone.
February 28th, 2010 at 9:59 pm
I’m not surprised the FHP would choose a Glock 45 GAP. It’s like my Glock 22 with 20% more knock-down power. Apparently that’s what they needed. As far as the cost, the GAP should eventually be cheaper than the 45 ACP in that it is smaller, uses less powder and a smaller primer. I just bought 200 rounds of 45 GAP for about 50 cents a round and that’s in line with 45 ACP, and it was easy to find. I think the 45 GAP is going to catch on, especially when the American Gun companies start adding the round to their lineup. The 45 Gap has a lot going for it.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:06 pm
I carry also a Springfield Armory XDLE 45GAP and I LOVE IT. 9+1 in the same size as the 40 cal XD. I dunno about you guys but I’ll take a .45 over a .40 anyday. and with Winchester 185 silvertip HP it sings perfect !1000 FPS! it’s like music to my ears….