45 GAP

A buddy wants to load 45 GAP, do I use 45ACP dies? Any tricks to loading GAP?

Yes 45 acp dies also loads 45 gap. Tricks? I could not tell you. I have never loaded for a gap...

GAP brass is hard to find and expensive I've heard. However, if you collect a bunch of indoor range brass you will find a bunch of the WIN NT and FED NT 45 ACP cases. Most have the small primer pocket which is what the GAP uses. You will have to trim a lot off the case to get down to the GAP case length though.

Not all 45acp dies will load 45gap. Lee is one of them, but RCBS will work.

Yep I'm using RCBS

XbonesX wrote:GAP brass is hard to find and expensive I've heard. However, if you collect a bunch of indoor range brass you will find a bunch of the WIN NT and FED NT 45 ACP cases. Most have the small primer pocket which is what the GAP uses. You will have to trim a lot off the case to get down to the GAP case length though.

I hate those stupid "NT" cases. I normally throw those away, if you can use them I will start keeping them.

I’m not totally certain on this but I think 45gap casings have a stronger web than 45acp. I would look more into that before using 45acp brass as a substitute. I do know that gap runs at a higher pressure. My friend just gave me a bag of 45acp brass with the small pistol primers. They all seem to be Blazer though. I’m not sure what NT means but they are not marked as such. I was happy to take them considering I’m out of large pistol primes.

badjeep02 wrote:Not all 45acp dies will load 45gap. Lee is one of them, but RCBS will work.

+1 on that , ended up buying another set of dies , I'm a Lee man .

NT stands for Non-Toxic, that's why you normally find them at the indoor range.

What is so different about that brass that makes it special? Non toxic?
I thought brass was brass and it was all non toxic? I didn't know it came in different flavors.

It is the primers..... normal primers contain a small amount of lead. The NT ones I guess don't.... that is why you are supposed to shoot in a ventilated area and the "NT" cases are so common at indoor ranges.

My gosh, it just never ends does it?
Isn't that what the exhaust fans are for at an indoor range?

fletch_medic wrote:

XbonesX wrote:GAP brass is hard to find and expensive I've heard. However, if you collect a bunch of indoor range brass you will find a bunch of the WIN NT and FED NT 45 ACP cases. Most have the small primer pocket which is what the GAP uses. You will have to trim a lot off the case to get down to the GAP case length though.

I hate those stupid "NT" cases. I normally throw those away, if you can use them I will start keeping them.

Yes, please

I was thinking of getting into loading GAP for my friend. He's got an XD45. It's a pretty nice piece. I like the round but I've never fired ACP so I have no basis for comparison.

From what I've read (extensively) is that you can use ACP dies just like a 357 shares dies with 38special and 44special shares dies with 44Rem mag. However, according to some, GAP dies cannot be used for ACP (too short).