Caleb spotted a fellow IDPA competitor using .45 GAP cartridges in a revolver! I had never heard of such a thing before.
The .45 GAP (Glock Auto Pistol) was designed to duplicate the .45 ACP ballistics but in a shorter cartridge more suited to high capacity semi automatics. It is the last thing I would have thought of using in a revolver, but the owner of the wheelgun had some good reasons.
These photos are of a AMT Combat Government Hardballer 1911 pistol that fired a handloaded .45 ACP round that was overloaded with powder. The result is quite spectacular. The top of the chamber has been blown right off taking a considerable section of the slide with it.
That looks sore.
The photos are from Photobucket via. the Blue Gun Blog.
UPDATE: Elvis for identifying the pistol.
The Kahr PM4544 is a new all black version of the two-tone colored .45 ACP Kahr PM4543.
PM4544N
The new all black PM4544 features a black polymer frame, just like its PM4543 match, but offers a matte blackened stainless slide to add to the overall “black-out” effect of the gun. The PM4544 matte stainless slide is blackened using an ultra hard and super thin coating. This coating has been used successfully in the knife industry to protect blades from corrosion and scratches.
Just like its counterpart, the PM4544 has an overall length of 5.67,” height of 4.49,” and a 3.14″ polygonal rifled barrel. The weight of the new all black .45 ACP is 17.3 oz without the magazine. The magazine capacity is 5+1 in a single stack configuration. The PM4544 also matches the PM4543 with drift adjustable, white bar-dot combat sights.
The PM4544 has an MSRP of $903 and the PM4544N night sight variant has a MSRP of $1,022.
The KRISS .45 submachine-style gun is now available in a Short Barrel Rifle (SBR) configuration (I say submachine-style because the civilian version is semi-automatic). The SRB/SO features a 5.5″ barrel and weight 5.6 lbs when unloaded.
The Vector is fed from Glock 21 magazines.
More info here.
These photos are of a Springfield XD .45 was blown up after a squib load (a low powered load that does not have enough energy to push the bullet out the muzzle) blocked the barrel and another full power loaded round was fired.
The pressure generated blew off the top of the chamber, caused a bulge in the slide, and gorged the frame and also destroyed the extractor and loaded chamber indicator.
Note the bulge in the slide next to the chamber.
I am pleased to be able to say that the shooter was not injured. He is one lucky guy.
More info at XDTalk forum.
Hat Tip: Blue Gun Blog
The PSDR 3 is a fully suppressed .45 ACP Smith & Wesson Model 625 revolver developed in 1993 by Joe Peters, under contract from Northrhine-Westphalia, for Germany’s SEK (SWAT) teams.
This photo is from Visier Special 6, 1997 (special edition of one of the three big German gun journals):
Click to expand.
Revolvers cannot be effectively suppressed because gas escapes from between the cylinder and the barrel creating noise (there are some exceptions). The big shell that encloses the cylinder of the PSDR 3 prevents the gas from escaping. This combined with a big suppressor and a subsonic .45 ACP round causes a noise reduction from 136 dB to 90 dB which is comparable to a CO2 air gun. Decibels are a logarithmic unit of measurement, so a 46 dB reduction is significant. In theory this gun should make a lot less noise than a suppressed semi-automatic pistol because there no slide slamming open and closed.
I had no idea such a gun existed until Sven emailed me. I really like the idea – German engineering at its best!
Many thanks to Sven, who blog at Defense and Freedom, for the scanned page and translation.
Earlier this year I wrote about the Gardener gun. Fred emailed me some photos of the Gardener gun in use by the Dutch army at Fort aan Den Ham, one of the 45 forts that make up the Defense Line of Amsterdam, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Fred volunteers at the fort and gave me permission to use the photos on The Firearm Blog.
While these guns could be used in the field, they were mostly used and
more suited to use as fortress guns on forts and ships.
A recent photo of the fort where the guns used to be mounted
Thanks to Fred for the photos.
In 2007 Sig Sauer came out with a Blackwater branded Sig P226. This year they have partnered with Blackwater to produce a 1911. It features picatinny rail, custom wood grips with blackwater logo, Nitron coated stainless steel slide and SIGLITE night sights.
Specs:
Caliber: .45 ACP
Mag Capacity: 8 rounds
Action Type: Single Action
Trigger Pull SA: 5 lbs
Barrel Length: 5″
Weight w/Mag: 41.6 oz
Options : Checkered front strap, Blackwater logo engraved on top of slide
The MSRP is $1290.
More info here.
Kahr have posted a review of their lightweight Kahr CW45 .45 ACP pistol. The review appears in the upcoming Jab/Feb issue of Handgun magazine. Veteran gun reviewer Paul Scarlata writes:
I believe the CW45 would be an excellent choice for those fans of large caliber handguns who need–or just want–a lightweight, easily concealable, fine shooting pistol chambered for the most popular big bore pistol cartridge of all time.
Whether you are a police detective, armed professional, licensed civilian or homeowner, the CW45 should be capable of doing whatever you want or need a pistol to doóat an economical price.
Kahr CW45
Read the full review here.
Taurus have added a snub nosed revolver to their line of Judge .410 Gauge shotshell / .45 Colt revolvers. The “Public Defender” 4510PD model is build on the smaller Taurus Model 85 frame.
It can only take 2.5″ .410 shells unlike some of the newer Judge models which can chamber 3″ shells. It also features a reduced profile hammer.
Photo from casa-z
Two models are available. A lighter model with a titanium frame (see photo) and a standard model with a blued steel frame.
Specs:
Capacity: 5 rounds
Cartridge: .45 Colt and .410 2.5″ shells.
Sights: fiber optic front sight and fixed rear sights.
Action: SA / DA.
Grip: Taurus Ribber
Cylinder: Steel or Titanium.
The Vltor Fortis is a updated clone of the Bren Ten 10mm Auto pistol (Which itself was a CZ 75 clone). It was announced last year at SHOT. This year a final production model has been on display. It will be available in both 10mm AUTO and .45 ACP. It should be on sale later this year (2009).
Pre-production Vltor Fortis frames.
You can follow the progress of the pistol at the Fortis blog.
Click to expand. Scanned in by MrMojoRising
The GI Expert is a new entry level .45 1911 pistol from Para USA.
A 1911 for the 21st Century – it feels like an old friend, the one that the company armorer worked over for you to earn your Expert Marksman’s badge. Using new millennium technology Para has built you a production .45 that is silky smooth with a crisp, clean trigger that makes you the best shot you can be.
Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel: 5 inches, stainless steel
Twist: 1 in 16 inches, left-hand
Action: Single-action, Semi-automatic
Sights: Dovetail Fixed, 3-White Dot
Receiver: Carbon Steel
Trigger: Medium length
Hammer: Skeletonized Spur
Magazine: 8-round with removable base pad
Weight: 39 ounces
Finish: Covert Black Para Kote™
Stocks: Checkered Polymer
Safeties: Slide Lock, Internal Firing Block, Grip
Additional Features: Lowered and flared ejection port, beveled magazine well, flat mainspring housing, grip safety contoured for spur hammer
The introductory MSRP is $599.
More info here.
[ This article was written by Sven Ortmann of Personal Defence Weapons Central, an excellent small arms resource. ]
by Sven Ortmann, lastdingo@gmx.de, 2008-01-05
There are too many misleading anecdotes and rumors about military rifle calibers floating in the air (and in the WWW). This short article is meant to help readers with a presentation of the results of my secondary source research on the rifle caliber discussion and terminal (wound) ballistics.
Caliber: 9×19 mm and .45ACP (= 11.43×23mm)
This is the standard NATO caliber for pistols and a popular caliber for submachineguns. The only ones who seem to have a strong dislike for this caliber seem to be those U.S. Americans who continue to compare it with .45ACP.
The U.S. American problems with the 9×19mm caliber seem to include a mix of emotions (a Colt M1911 in .45ACP feels much more powerful) and poor quality of the U.S. standard issue 9mm pistols. The latter is as far as I know more a magazine production quality problem than a pistol design problem. The origin of .45ACP is said to lie in combat experience around 1900 in the Philippines where determined Philippinos weren’t stopped reliably by smaller revolver calibers. Tests on live animals in 1904 showed better effects for heavier bullets, but little improvement with velocity. Bullet design has improved a lot since then, and hollowpoint bullets that flatten their nose in soft tissue to increase their diameter are much more effective than simple soft lead bullets. A good 9mm bullet enjoys a similar advantage over a .45ACP soft lead bullet than the latter over a 9mm soft lead bullet. There’s a fundamental problem, though: There’s not much difference in effect on the target if you hit the wrong places and the permanent cavities of pistol bullets are all relatively small. Many body parts are simply not essential enough – their destruction doesn’t stop a determined opponent immediately; no matter whether you hit with .45ACP or 9×19mm.
Continue Reading »
S&W will be selling a sub compact 1911 pistol called the “Model SW1911 .45ACP Sub Compact – Pro Series”. It features an Oversized External Extractor, 3-Hole Curved Trigger with Overtravel Stop and a Full Length Guide Rod.
Model SW1911 .45ACP Sub Compact – Pro Series
Specs:
Caliber: .45ACP
Frame Size: Sub Compact
Capacity: 7+1 Rounds
Action: Single Action
Barrel Length: 3″
Front Sight: Dovetail White Dot
Rear Sight: Fixed White 2-Dot
Overall Length: 6 7/8″
Weight Empty: 24 oz.
Grip: Fully Stippled Synthetic
Frame Material: Scandium Alloy
Slide Material: Carbon Steel
Barrel Material: Stainless Steel
Finish: Matte Black
MSRP: $1,264
Hat Tip: The High Road and Guns Holsters and Gear
Hi, welcome to The Firearm Blog! This blog is dedicated to all things firearm related. If you are into AR-15 and AK carbines, skeet shotguns, self defense pistols or hunting rifles then there will be something here for you. I hope you enjoy it.
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