.45 GAP in the get home bag???

[strakill]

So recently we had a tiny earthquake here in Los Alamos and it got the wife rattled, no pun intended.

My wife came to me with concerns about how she doesn't think she can make it home, if we were to experience an "event", on her own and would want to be able to be able to get a hold of me. We live a 30 minute drive outside of Santa Maria where our jobs are at. Needless to say it is not easy to get to one another while in town.

Long story shortish, she realized we don't have any sort of "get home" gear or ways of communicating with each other if things go south(yes that means I suck and didn't do my job) so now we are building small packs, and plans, for our small trucks and I started thinking about personal protection.
I started to think about what to buy or what we already have that could be left in a pack and forgotten about, then I remembered a gun I have that I bought for cheap off a co-worker. He was in need of money and offered me one of his handguns for $300 and I bought it, that was a few years ago and I stuffed it in the back of my safe and basically forgot about it.

It's a Springfield XD Tactical(long slide) in .45 GAP with one magazine. Not the most popular cartridge but it'll get the job done.
So what does Calguns say? Keep it in the bag or sell it for pennies and buy something else? I kind of don't care about the gun but it is a gun and it will do the job. I still need to get something for the wife's bag.

[Fishslayer]

Sounds perfect. It'll do the job & you don't particularly care if it gets banged up. You won't be able to sell it for any substantial amount.

Do us a favor though & make sure ya police yer brass at the range. Stuff is a PITA.

EDIT: Could a new barrell make that into a .45ACP?

[sloppy joe]

It will get the job done.

[Lonestargrizzly]

Get some more mags if you can.
I dunno if you can refit a 45 gap to a 45 acp because i think it would be an issue of the frame maybe not being big enough to handle the longer round.

[bk23103]

I think that's a fine weapon to have for such a purpose. Keep one extra loaded mag in the bag with it, and a box of ammo or 10 at home so that if it winds up missing/stolen/etc. at least the bad guys will have a finite amount of ammo to use with it.

[8886]

Uhg. The sound of .45 gap alone is enough for me to pity you.


To answer your question.. Yes, a pistol of this type will do the job. In a "I'm out here in the proverbial wilderness and I don't know when I will make it home," sense, anything is better than nothing. If your wife is serious get her a high cap 9.

Other than that, convert that thing to a more common caliber ASAP if possible.

[strakill]

Get some more mags if you can.
I dunno if you can refit a 45 gap to a 45 acp because i think it would be an issue of the frame maybe not being big enough to handle the longer round.

You're correct about the frame being too small. It seems even a 9mm conversion for this particular frame is a P.I.T.A. as far as reliability from what I have read so far.

[fritztkatt]

I didn't think anyone actually owned a 45gap firearm.

I'd go 9mm.

[Quiet]

It's good enough to get you home and that's all that matters.
Get some (1-2) extra magazines for it.

.45GAP ammo is more common East of the Mississippi River, due to the amount of LE agencies that have adopted it.
West of the Mississippi River, it's an uncommon oddball caliber.


FYI.
.45ACP revolvers can shoot .45GAP.
Uses the same size moonclips.
The shorter overall length of the .45GAP cartridges does make reloading faster (about a 0.5-1.0 sec difference, not really noticeable except when timed/competition shooting).

[Bansh88]

FINALLY! Found the one dude who owns a 45GAP

[strakill]

FINALLY! Found the one dude who owns a 45GAP

Funny thing is it's the only .45 I own.

[NIB]

Just get an extra mag an a box of ammo and pack it. Despite what you hear from the hardcore preppers you don't need a triple combat load in your bob. There use to be a time when they talked about having 1000 rds of 5.56 and 1000 rds of .45 along with 7 days of food and gear in thier bob. Good luck getting half a block with that load.

[dwalker]

I liked my 45GAP, great cartridge for carry. Easy to shoot. Also I put together a GHB (different than a BOB) for my wife to have in her office. Thread is in the Survival and Preparations section

[CSACANNONEER]

I'd much rather have something chambered in a common cartridge. The ability to procure more ammo in or just before a bad situation would be much more likely with a 11mm pinfire than with a .45GAP.

[Librarian]

And do remember, transport unloaded in your trunk or, since you mention a small truck, in a distinct locked case.

There are continuing arguments on what is a sufficient locked case, and no answers, so do what seems reasonable to you (and that you would expect Officer Friendly to also think was reasonable).