45 ACP vs. 45 GAP (Let's Get Ready To Rumble)

I hope you heard Michael Buffer's voice when you read "let's get ready to rumble".  And yes, I borrowed a "versus" screen graphic from Street Fighter II Turbo.  But enough about things I liked in the '90s.  On with the show. 

I'd read about .45 GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol) in passing and thought, "Oh, that's weird."  After all, we already had the .45 Long Colt for cowboy six-shooters and the trusty .45 ACP round that we all know and love in our 1911s.  If you wanted to get "exotic," there was the .45 Auto Rim for your 1917 revolvers.  So yeah, my thoughts would usually end with, ".45 GAP?  Why bother?" 

And that's where my opinion on the GAP remained until a month ago.  Not that I have the money now (since I'm getting that JP Sauer/Hawes six-shooter) but I was (and will be) in the market for a Springfield XD Tactical with a 5'' barrel. 

Why a 5'' barrel?  If you're shooting .45s, a 5'' barrel just feels right.  Why the Springfield XD?  Firstly, I love the safety features (the XD has both a grip safety and a trigger safety).  Secondly, my friend has one in .45 ACP and I loved shooting it.  Very accurate gun!  I was blasting cans right and left!  And lastly, I'd like a better open carry gun.  Nothing against my Smith & Wesson Md. 65 but I'd like something that holds more ammo.  If the zombie apocalypse comes around, I don't want to be fumbling with a speed loader after six shots.

So long story long, I was looking for one in .45 ACP.  I found one new in box for $499.  Not a bad price at all.  Then I found one like-new in box for $370 (pictured below).

Looked perfect.  Not shot too much.  The catch?  This one was in .45 GAP.  I was pretty set on getting an XD in .45 ACP, but the difference in price was too much to ignore.  So I researched the GAP.  Here's what I fried up found out.   

Knockdown Factor: Wikipedia had a decent lowdown on the round.  The GAP is shorter than the ACP, but the ballistics were similar.  Good enough for four different law enforcement agencies to use in their duty guns.  Advantage: DRAW 
Ammo Cost: MidwayUSA gave me a price point for ammo ranging from $25.99 (Magtech/230gr/50rds/OUT OF STOCK) to $31.49 (Federal American Eagle/185gr/50rds/IN STOCK).  .45 ACP usually goes for around $20/50rds so .45 GAP would cost more in the long run if buying commercial.  And the "exoticness" of the GAP means good luck finding it in stock at your local Walmart or Meijers.  Advantage: .45 ACP 
XD Magazine Capacity: Last, but not least, was magazine capacity.  An XD in .45 ACP holds 13+1.  The .45 GAP version only hold 10+1.  Advantage: .45 ACP              

So long story even longer but thankfully wrapping up soon, I think I'll spend $499 and get the one I wanted all along.  It holds more ammo, uses cheaper and more commonly available ammo, and the ammo will be interchangeable with any other firearms I eventually get in .45 ACP (that's right, I'm looking at you, Colt 1911 and you, Marlin Camp Carbine).

So yeah, .45 ACP wins.  Shoryuken!