By Troy Clopton
The Glock 30S is one of the latest offering in Glock’s Compact 45 ACP Pistols. Introduced in Shot 2013 it was wildly popular within the Police and Conceal Carry Glock community. The genesis for the Glock 30S is people found by taking the slide off the G36 and mating to the G30 SF (Short Frame) lower they could reduce the slide width and the weight yet still having the (10) + (1) capacity of the G30 SF lower. In addition the G30S will accept the G21 (13) round magazines and those could be carried for back-up.
It was known on several popular Glock blog sites that this could be done with a little bit of gun-smithing but when special unit of the LAPD requested a thinner Glock .45 for their detectives, without losing capacity. After Glock tweaked the recoil spring system and cleaned up the design they decided to release this little monster on the public.
My experience is as follows. Right up to the arrival of the Glock 30S, I have been carrying the G30 Gen 2.5 as my daily carry gun. I carried it with (2) G21 Magazines most of the time in a hybrid IWB holster. So it was a very comfortable transition to the G30S. I noticed the weight reduction immediately when you carry a gun daily it is very noticeable. At the range it was a shooter right out of the box, and felt comfortable enough with it that it replaced the G30 after 2 weeks of practice. The first thing I did as I do with all polymer lower guns was to order a set of rubberized Talon Grips to keep a good secure grip.
The great part about switching from the G30 to 30S is since the lower frame is the same all of the holsters fit and so did my spare magazines. I also moved the reliable and compact TLR4 over from my G30. I moved over my extended Slide release and slide lock release and then promptly sold my beloved G30. The newer Glock models already come with the loaded chamber indicator; I had bought a new extractor/indicator for the previous G30.
In the end, this gun has performed flawlessly for me over the last 3 months and I have well over 1,200 rounds through it. It is accurate, controllable, reliable and light for a 45 ACP. If you like the power of a 45ACP and the ability to carry 11 rounds of reliability this may be the guns for you.
Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points
Claim to Fame: “Built on the G30 SF frame, the G30S combines the full capacity .45 AUTO round count with a slimmer slide. This pistol offers a lighter, more easily concealable option for Law Enforcement and legal concealed-carry enthusiasts. Built in conjunction with elite law enforcement, the newest edition to the GLOCK product line brings a venerable history of consistency, dependability and safe performance in the powerful .45 Auto round.”
Target Market: Law Enforcement, military, concealed carry holders and gun nuts alike.
FNB's (features and benefits of this product):
- Capacity: 10 + 1, Glock 21 magazine 13 + 1
- Weight (empty): 20.28 oz, weight (loaded) 30.36 oz
- Width: 1.28 inches
- Height: 4.8 inches
- Overall length: 6.97 inches
- Barrel Length: 3.78 inches
- Finish: Polymer with Tenifer coated slide
- Trigger: Safe-action with 5.5 pound pull
What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?: Only offered from Glock in black, but there numerous companies on-line that offer a vast variety of options to dress up your Glock.
What others are saying: “For me, the gun was accurate and fast out of the box. If I were to use the 30S for conceal carry, I would personally opt to change out the sights for night sights (such as Trijicon 3 dot tritium) or other low light sighting system, swap in a lighter recoil spring, and put in a crisper trigger (such as The Glock Store’s Fulcrum trigger) to bring the trigger pull down from its stock 5.5lbs down to around 4lbs, a common conceal carry weight. All in all, I really like the Glock 30S and it’ll be interesting to see if it’s successful.”
By Chris Cheng Top Shot Season 4 champion
Price Point:
- MSRP = $598
- Retail = $545.99 (Bud's Gun Shop)
Our Rating:
+ Slim and lightweight for a double stack + Reliable and durable + Reasonable pricing for pistol and accessories + Able to use full size Glock 21 magazines for spares
Score: 9.0 Amazing
