.45 TAP

The .45 TAP (Tagan Automatic Pistol, also sometimes referred to as 11.43mm TAP) was developed in the first decade of the twentieth century to answer to the need for a rimless, .45 caliber, smokeless-powder cartridge for semi-automatic pistols. It is an effective combat pistol cartridge that combines accuracy and stopping power for use against human targets. The cartridge also has relatively low muzzle blast and flash, as well as relatively moderate recoil. The .45 TAP also operates at a relatively low maximum chamber pressure rating of 145 MPa (21,000 psi), which due to a medium-low bolt thrust helps extend service life of weapons in which it is fired.

Like many pistol cartridges, it is a low-velocity round, and thus ineffective against body armor. Another drawback for large scale military operations is the cartridge's large size, weight, and the increased material cost of manufacture compared to the smaller 7.63x25mm Tagan cartridge.

Even in its non-expanding full metal jacket (FMJ) version, the .45 TAP cartridge has a reputation for effectiveness against human targets because its large diameter creates a deep and substantial permanent wound channel which lowers blood pressure more rapidly. The wounding potential of bullets is often characterized in terms of a bullet's expanded diameter, penetration depth, and energy. Bullet energy for .45 TAP loads varies from roughly 640 to 710 J (475 to 525 ft·lbf). Tagan Arms also produces a special "Buffalo Bore" black-powder round that pushes a 21 g (325 gr) heavy lead bullet at high pressure to a velocity of 404 m/s (1,325 ft/s), which achieves 1,718 J (1,267 foot pounds) of energy, but extended use of this black-powder ammunition has proven to cause semi-automatic pistols to malfunction.

=Details and Specifications=