Moving up to 45ACP - considering Glock 30 Gen 4 - advice?

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bedbugbilly

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I have always CCW either 38s or a 9mm an I'm looking at moving up to the 45 ACP as I'd feel more comfortable with greater "put down" if needed. My only experience in 45 ACP was a Colt 1911-A1 I owned at one time.

I don't want to turn this in to a "you should get a Colt, Sig, etc. thread - I'm looking for some advice from those who are familiar with Glocks to compare with the S & W Shield in 45.

I'm looking at the 30 Gen 4 due to the size and capacity. I like my Shield 9mm and have considered the Shield in 45 so I guess I'm sort of comparing those two - apples to oranges I know.

I have never fired a Glock but have watched others at the range with different Glocks. I'm not looking for a "range gun" - what I get in 45 will strictly be a CCW SD weapon. I carry OWB in a Fobus holster under a shirt tail, jacket, etc. and will also consider a shoulder holster once in a while depending on weather, where I'm going, etc. I'm mid 60s and my hands are on the smaller size. So . . . . .

Size of the Glock 30 and the Shield are similar in some aspects - the Glock a tad longer but not much. Thickness of the Glock is about a 1/4" thicker - but - capacity of the Glock is 10 + 1 versus 6 + 1 & 7 + 1 of the Shield. Price of the Glock, from what I'm seeing is around $500 - $600 and from what I'm seeing, it comes with three magazines? The Shield is around $400 give or take.

I reload for my 9mm Shield and it gets a steady diet of my cast lead. The Shield 45 wold as well. The disadvantage of the Glock in terms of lead reloads is the octagonal rifling so I would limit it to FMJ ammo for practice - but since it is a SD pistol, a 100 rounds a month or so is not going to break the bank.

I get along fine with my handguns (I have a collection of revolvers and a couple of semis) with stock triggers, etc. and with practice, I "learn" the handgun and how it shoots - so I'm not looking at aftermarket changes to it. I'm looking for a good carry and SD semi in 45 ACP that is compact and accurate at SD distances.

The Shield 45 is not much different in size than my Shield 9mm which is a comfortable and easy carry for me.

My questions seem to be . . .

Will a Glock 30 carry as well as a Shield or is the 1/4" thickness going to be that much of a difference that it will be noticable? My Smith 36 is certainly wider but it carry close to the body for a wheel gun so I am thinking the Glock 30 will as well?

I fully expect the 45 ACP to have more "bark" than a 9mm, but on the Glock 30 is the recoil manageable or comparable with other compact size semi autos? yes, hand size can make a difference but I'm talking about putting a magazine through it and not tearing the web of your thumb up.

I'm willing to spend the extra $$ over the price of a Shield to have the extra capacity if the two different handguns shoot similar. As a person who has never owned a Glock, is there any advice or anything peculiar to them that I need to know as opposed to other brands? Yea, I know - plastic and they might get scratched :roll eyes: but I can live with that. And, I used to carry a Ruger LCR so I can take having people make fun of how my handgun looks. :eek:

My main concern is that if I move up to 45ACP, the weapon I get for EDC be reliable, an easy carry and quick to put on target. So what to you "Glock Lovers" say? If I go the Glock route - pay the extra $ for the extra mag and extra capacity over that of a Shield 45 - will I love the Glock or learn to hate it?

i'm hoping to be able to rent a Glock 30 at the range I go to in order to try one but would like advice and comments on that model by those who are familiar with them or who own one.

Thanks for any advice/help - greatly appreciated.
 
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Any reason you want a Gen4?

If you are considering thickness, I'd definitely look at the 30S. Thinner slide really makes the gun a little more easy to carry. It really is close to 19 proportions.

I use my 30S as an off duty gun. If I'm carrying smaller, it is either my P938 SAS or my 9mm 642-1 (LCP used to be in the SIG's place, but .380 is too expensive). I do like the capacity of the 30, whether I toss in the 9 rounders, 10 rounders with Pearce grip, or 13 rounders with A&G spacers. Very good all around pistol, and I don't feel under gunned at all with it.
 
Thank you Screwball - appreciate the information. I guess what I should have also said was that I need an education as to the differences in the Glock 30s and which would be the better model to go with for CCW. I'm still trying to educate myself on the Glocks and didn't realize just what the differences were/are until you mentioned and questioned "why" the Gen 4.
 
Will a Glock 30 carry as well as a Shield
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No, it's a huge difference, in my opinion. It carries almost like a Glock 19, only bigger.

The Glock 30 is a decent option, but it's pretty fat in the grip. I've had the G30 and G30S. I've gone back to the HK 45C. It's a good bit slimmer and so much more ergonomic to my hands. I know you said that you're not looking for other suggestions, I'm just mentioning what I prefer, because I've had both - including the Shield.

I'm just a fan of the feel of the Gen4 Glocks, so I'd still go with the Gen4 G30 over the G30S. Now, if they made a Gen4 G30S, I'd be all over it... but no go at this time. Both are good guns, though.
 
I have only a shred of experience here (but that's never stopped me from stating an opinion! :D)

I've shot quite a few guns, but the only I've ever shot that were the same model in different calibers were a Springfield XD in both 9mm and .45. I found that they were, unsurprisingly I guess, exactly the same in every regard, only the .45 made a bigger boom and kicked harder.

Since you've been carrying a Shield, training with a Shield, maintaining a shield, etc....is it worth considering staying with the same gun (or at least another M&P, maybe the 45c?) and just increasing the caliber?

I can't imagine there's anything wrong with a Glock in any caliber, but I guess I'd see value in staying consistent so that if you have to use your new .45 in self defense, all the training you've already done will come into play with almost no differences, except the need to manage some more recoil.

Or, maybe there's enough similarity among all semi-auto guns that it really doesn't amount to much of a difference anyway!
 
I have a Glock 30, Gen 3. It's pretty wide and when fully loaded, it's pretty heavy. You need a solid gun belt to do it. I have a Shielded Holster (similar to a Crossbreed Supertuck).

As for shootability, Massas Ayoob said it was the most accurate of the Glocks a few years back. I love mine for shooting. Recoil is not bad. But then again, I do not have a recoil aversion (I go up to 44 Magnums, but I haven't tried a 454 Casull or 500 S&W, yet).

I read the slim version is similar to a G19. That may be worth a shot. I had a G36 but the trade off for capacity turned me off so I sold it.


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For carry guns I come from the camp that favors carrying 1 family of guns. If you have a Shield then I would stay in the S&W family.
 
Will a Glock 30 carry as well as a Shield or is the 1/4" thickness going to be that much of a difference that it will be noticable? My Smith 36 is certainly wider but it carry close to the body for a wheel gun so I am thinking the Glock 30 will as well?
Click to expand...

I can speak to that, though not directly to your choices of hardware.

I have both an XDS and an XD subcompact. The subcompact is the same (more or less, close enough for our purposes) height and length as the single stack XDS, but is considerably fatter. The XDS is definitely easier to carry. But (also apropos) harder to shoot well. YMMV,
 
I have a Glock 30 and a XDS 45. I find the XDS is easier to carry IWB than the Glock because of the width. So I bought a cheap factory AWB plastic holster for a Glock 21. That holster works well. It sits high, and is tight against my body. It's also comfortable too. I walked about a mile or so before dinner with it and it was fine. Here's what it looks like.

88f018632f772b3a3bf5c73aac93da4b.jpg
 
May I also suggest the XD Mod 2 .45 - its dimensions are smaller than the G30 and G30s and its weight is somewhere between the two.
 
I'll second the G36. I carry one daily in a blade tech iwb holster. I previously carried a G30 but the G36 fits my hand better.
 
I had a g30 and it was bear to hold onto in rapid one handed fire using 230's. I have big hands too so i'd definitely rent one first, if the chance comes up. If you like the idea of that gun you can make it work of course, you just might have to put a little more effort into your carry routine and analysis. Good luck
 
A lot of good advice here so I won't add my druthers. The most important thing to me is you hold them, stick them in your pants, and of course shoot them. Too many people make quick decisions based on what others think. After I do the three things mentioned above, I'm usually pretty convinced as to what I want, until something newer and better hits the market of course.
 
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This a pic of my subcomact 45acp pistols
Glock 30S , Springfield XDS , Taurus PT145 Pro
all are great pistols. All greatcarry options
 
I carry a 45 Shield.
6f96202f2a0a3c1d6f2213261580ab46.jpg

My buddy just picked up this 30S in 45.
501ed0c020ad1e5877d3899eb56e9b3b.jpg

I HAVE NOT shot this glock but have others.
Ergonomics the shield wins
Size for size again shield wins.
Rd count goes to glock (but I carry only 7+1 with spare 7 so if 15 wont do I probably got in something I shouldn't have.)
Shield conceals nicely as I dress/carry similar to your description.

Giving the choice you offered Im going home with a Smith.



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FWIW, I got a Glock recently and unexpectedly. Another gun I had ordered online arrived at my LGS, but the purpose for purchasing it had disappeared in the meantime (long story). So rather than pay the FFL fee, I looked around to see what my friend had in his cases so that I could maybe work out a swap. I had been meaning to trade my LC9 in towards the "s" model, but all that my friend had in that category was a Glock Model 43. I asked to hold it. Wow, it felt great. I ended up trading the new gun and my LC9 for the Glock.

I took it shooting the other day and was pleasantly surprised. The trigger is very nice, I like the sights, and I shot it very well. I have huge hands, but I found that the extended grip without the bump towards the bottom let me get all of my fingers on it - I think that's a first for me with a compact pistol.

I was shooting with my FiL at his preferred range of 15 yards. After I shot a couple of magazines to get used to it, I could easily put every round onto a paper plate, which for me is pretty good for a pistol that size at that distance. Even though I hadn't cleaned or lubed it (yes, I am a bad lazy person) I had zero malfunctions of any kind out of the 60 or 70 rounds that I fired.

I never thought I would own a Glock, but I am very pleased with the one that I have. :)
 
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