A few months ago Para's point man, Kerby Smith, called to inform me that Para had a new compact LDA pistol. Being the adroit businessman that he is, Kerby dropped in the fact that "it's chambered for the .45 GAP." I was immediately shocked out of my semi-meditative state and exclaimed, "Whoa there, son, what did you say?" He repeated that its new CCO-GAP pistol was chambered for the .45 GAP cartridge. "Why?" I asked.

The newest addition to Para's line of compact LDA pistols is the CCO-GAP chambered for (what else?) the .45 GAP cartridge. Note the revolver-like trigger, lowered and flared ejection port and sharply checkered grip panels.

Kerby explained that while its .45 ACP compact and subcompact pistols are some of its biggest sellers, a certain percentage of the market found its grips a bit too large to handle comfortably. These people wanted a .45-caliber pistol, but they wanted one they could really get their hands around. The limiting factor in the grip size is the size of the magazine. The limiting factor in the size of the magazine is the size of the cartridge. "Hmm," Para's engineers ruminated. "What can be done?" What was needed was a smaller .45-caliber cartridge. Enter the .45 GAP.

Developed by Speer in 2002, the .45 Glock Automatic Pistol has a case length of .775, essentially the same as the 9x19. This means that OAL is 1.070--compared to the .45 ACP's 1.275. This means that the GAP can be readily adapted to a wide range of compact and subcompact pistols but still provide .45 ACP performance. For shooters with smaller hands who want the performance of a .45, this was a wish come true.

SPECIFICATIONS Para-Ordnance PXT LDA CCO-GAP
MANUFACTURER:	Para-Ordnance
ACTION TYPE:	Recoil operated with double-action-only trigger
CALIBERS:	.45 GAP
BARREL LENGTH:	3 1/2
OVERALL LENGTH:	6.9 inches
WEIGHT:	31 ounces
CAPACITY:	7 +1
TRIGGER:	2 5/8 inches
GRIPS:	Black phenholic
FINISH:	Covert black Para Kote
SIGHTS:	three-dot fixed
PRICE:	$1,073

The .45 GAP provides performance equal to .45 ACP with similar-weight bullets. To achieve this, the .45 GAP is loaded to the same maximum average pressures as the .45 ACP+P (23,000 psi), which is still considerably less than 9mm Parabellum and .40 S&W (35,000 psi). What this means is that the CCO-GAP's grip has an overall circumference 1/8 inch (3.2mm) less than the company's .45 ACP CCO. Para's .45 GAP magazine measures 1.250 inches, while an ACP mag comes in at 1.368.

The first thing you notice about an LDA pistol is its revolver-like trigger, but from there on it diverges from other double-action-only pistols on the market. Retracting the slide rotates the hammer, and a cam compresses the mainspring on the hammer strut. As the slide returns to battery, the hammer follows it until twin locking hooks on the hammer engage the sear, stopping its forward movement short of the firing pin and holding it until the trigger is pulled through a full stroke. This cocks the hammer and moves the sear out of its engaged position to allow the hammer to fall.

A return spring pushes the trigger forward when it is released. As the interior (top) end of the trigger moves rearward, it moves a drawbar in the same direction. As the drawbar moves rearward, it is released from underneath the firing-pin safety plunger lever and is then pushed upward by a unit called the platform and platform spring. There it reconnects with the hammer and is aligned in position to re-contact and release the sear the next time the trigger is pulled.