Someone in sports (don't ask me who--I still think the Dodgers are based in Brooklyn) once said something to the effect, "I don't always know a winner, but I can sure tell a loser."

Instant classic? Springfield's Defender weds the traditional (albeit truncated) 1911 platform with the .45 GAP.

Over the years, I've seen lots of rifle and handgun cartridges come and go. There were some that were obvious flashes in the pan and others that became real staples. On a good number of occasions I have actually been able to winnow out the wheat from the chaff and predict the demise of some nonstarters. Now, I realize that it's really easy to make these claims in retrospect, so I'm going to stick my neck out and make a prognostication on the positive side: The new .45 GAP cartridge is going to be a solid contender--one with real legs.

I've shot the truncated GAP in some standard-size pistols and have seen a ballistic presentation put on by Winchester comparing gelatin penetration and expansion between the .45 GAP and some standard-velocity .45 ACP loads. The results were impressive, to say the very least. It struck me at the time that the shorter cartridge would be just the ticket for chambering in a pocket 1911, and voila, Springfield came to the fore with just such a critter--its new sliced-and-diced Defender single-action Government Model-style hideout auto.

Although diminutive, the Springfield Defender in .45 GAP (top to bottom) is more amenable to small-handed shooters than .45 ACP super-compacts such as the Kimber Ultra Carry, and it outpowers similarly dimensioned pocket classics such as the Walther PP and Colt Model M.

At the risk of telling you something you already know, please indulge me in a brief recap of GAP specifics. GAP stands for "Glock Auto Pistol." As might be expected from that moniker, the round was developed by Speer and Glock in 2004. The case measures .775 of an inch (OAL 1.07 inches), as opposed to the ACP's case stretch of .898. Obviously, this is going to allow for a narrower magazine, which will allow for a smaller grip, which can, ergo, result in a smaller pistol.

Loaded to .45 +P standards, with a SAAMI spec of 25,000 psi, it's obvious that the GAP is going to be a more than adequate defense cartridge. There are already a number of commercial loads available in .45 GAP, further attesting to the fact that manufacturers, at least, are looking at a bright future for the round.

Gunmakers, too, are stepping up to the plate, and it is being chambered in standard-size pistols such as the Glock Model 37 and Springfield 4- and 5-inch XDs (Springfield has a 3-inch XD, as well). At the SHOT Show this year I even had the chance to look at the prototype of a spiffy Para-Ord pocket .45 GAP in LDA (see sidebar), as well as a really keen, sleek little custom job by gunsmith Terry Tussey. The word's out.

Shorter front-to-back magazine dimensions afforded by the shorter GAP cartridge allow for a reduction in grip circumference, as seen at left.

Toward the end of last year Springfield held a special "Sun-N-Gun" writer's conference in San Diego, California, during which a number of new products were introduced, including what I thought was the star of the show, the .45 GAP Defender (though I must admit I was also really taken by the SOCOM II .308 tactical rifle). Despite the fact that the fabled Southern California sun decided, in its contrary manner, to be a no-show (probably at the behest of the California State Legislature), and we ended up shooting in a record torrential downpour, my enthusiasm for the Defender was not dampened. At the time, I managed to convince Springfield to let me take a look at an early version of the piece. That's what we're seeing here.

First of all, the specs. The six-shot Defender measures 6.57 inches overall, has a 3-inch barrel, is 4 7/8 inches high and hefts 23 ounces. The barrel is ramped and fully supported. Other features include an extended beavertail safety, ambidextrous thumb safety and Novak tritium sights. OK, you say, there are a lot of other subcompacts out there with similar specs.