The G30S.
An all around Outdoorsman's practical handgun. A compact Big Bore auto.
This is from a thread I wrote in a while back on another forum:
Years ago I had a Glock 30 ( a compact .45 ACP, that holds 10 rounds in the magazine, and can use the full size 13 round Glock 21 mags) for a number of years.
It was a solid, ultra reliable shooter, but I did not care for how thick it felt overall, and sold it to a Trooper friend.
The newer G30S is built on the slightly different SF frame, along with a thinner width slide (From the G36 single stack .45 Glock). It is a whole other animal in terms of how it feels in the hands, overall weight and conceal-ability. The combination of the narrower slide and slightly smaller grip turns the G30S into a much better carry piece for me. Though the numbers don't look like much on paper, I have noticed a very definite difference in handling the G30S.
Last week I shot my Colt Light Weight Commander that I just got back from a truly excellent gunsmith, alongside my G30S. As much as I really like LW Commanders, I performed better with the little G30S.
I also compared the G30S alongside the G19, and they are very similar in overall size. The G30S is also extremely close in size to the S&W M&P Compact .40, which is my issued duty gun. The G30S is substantially easier to shoot well than the M&P Compact .40. By a long shot.
I had previously been contemplating an ideal combination backwoods big bore carry semi auto handgun and a CCW type piece, versus a revolver. The G30S made perfect sense.
I often carry a G21 .45 as a sidearm in the mountains when weight is an issue and I do not want to tote a rifle (such as when I am doing return trips, packing out a quartered up animal such as an elk). The Glock 21, while a large auto, is a rather light weight sidearm, and has an excellent firepower to weight ratio. In fact, with 13 rounds in the magazine, and one in the chamber, it still weighs less that an EMPTY steel framed 1911A1. It is also the softest shooting .45 auto I have ever used.
Since I hunt and do recreational things in the heart of wolf country, I feel better with more than just 6 rounds on deck, prior to being forced to reload. The .44 is an incredibly practical cartridge, and a long time favorite, but it could be very easy to go through 6 rounds at a pack of fast moving wolves, and end up with an empty gun, while still having numerous targets available. This is one of the reasons I sometimes favor a lightweight big bore such as the G21.
The G30S makes sense as a lightweight, compact big bore sidearm with adequate firepower on deck initially (10+1), with a G21 mag for a reload. The standard 13 round capacity, with a plus 4 baseplate, gives a person a 17 round magazine.
17 rounds of 230 grain .45 caliber slugs should likely handle most things a pistol is capable of handling.
Without question I am still a huge advocate of the "Goldilocks" sized Glock 19 9mm for an all around personal defense, home defense, and general purpose sidearm.
With that said,the G30S makes a bunch of sense (to me) as an ideal sidearm for those who both carry CCW, and also may work around large livestock, along with doing outdoorsman type activities where large predators such as bears, wolves, etc reside.
In the thread on the other forum, a person mentioned that he thought the G30S had considerably more recoil than the standard G30. The punchline is that I don't think the G30S is difficult to handle at all in regards to recoil. I was running pretty hot 230 grain Blaser ball ammo, which is generally known for being on the warm side, and I found it quite manageable.
The G30S will not be completely replacing my G21 SF as an outdoorsman's big bore auto, but I do envision carrying it quite a bit in the role that the G21 SF had previously filled.
. I am very much looking forward to packing the G30S, running a bunch of ammo through it, both for defensive practice and for small game hunting.
Cheers!
