Glock 30S vs 30SF

kalash

kalash

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Decided that I want a G30 but can't decide between the S and the SF. I believe the S has a narrower/lighter slide from the G36. Has anyone shot both? Does 3oz make any difference for carrying or for shooting? Is there any reason to pick one over the other?

As a side note, let me know if you're selling either one.
 
my advice is to wait a bit until gen5 will be out. gen5 ergonomics are much better and closer to SF without backstrips. it handles much better than gen4.
 
gen5 is not worse than gen3.
you should just try it and make your own opinion, this is a quite personal stuff, no rights or wrongs there.
i like it very much, and gen5 ergonomically overall works for me better.
 
Get G30S - short frame, slim slide.

The pistol is not that small, it is almost G19 size. I found thinner slide of G30S more comfortable.
 
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i have a regular G30 and while it is a brick I found it easily concealable in an MTAC holster. I'm not a big glock guy but it's one of my favorite guns. it points so naturally for me and because it's a glock i could care less if it gets beat up.
 
I don't know much about Glocks, but reading reviews on others multiple models they say have a notably better trigger in gen 5 - may apply to yours or may not. That's potentially one reason.
 
In any case, the question wasn't about generations, it was about submodels - S vs SF.
 
I have a 30s. Not a huge fan of it. The mag release absolutely digs big time into my support hand. In defense of the gun I don't have enough rounds through it to say I can work through it or around it. Also at the time of shooting it I was mostly using 9mm in my gen5 19. So there's a significant amount of recoil difference. Not that it's impossible to work through. Just my 2c based on my use of my 30s. Ymmv.
 
general disorder said:
I have a 30s. Not a huge fan of it. The mag release absolutely digs big time into my support hand. In defense of the gun I don't have enough rounds through it to say I can work through it or around it. Also at the time of shooting it I was mostly using 9mm in my gen5 19. So there's a significant amount of recoil difference. Not that it's impossible to work through. Just my 2c based on my use of my 30s. Ymmv.
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Is there really a lot more recoil? Hmm...
 
kalash said:
Is there really a lot more recoil? Hmm...
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No but coming from shooting a 9mm to a 45 compact is a jump. I'm 100% positive that with some decent trigger time it would be overcome. It's not like jumping up to a cannon but it is more. It could also be that just the way the mag release grabbed my support hand that it made it a lot worse then it really is. For what ever reason its just comes out and catches me like no other gun that I shot. I never really looked into it any further and just moved on to other guns to shoot.
 
Have you tried a 36? Much better in the hand and lighter too.

Blah blah capacity blah blah I know go ahead with it. Carry guns are so rarely used in real live situations anyways.
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Owned both. The G30S is only in gen 3. It makes a slight improvement in carry I suppose but the thicker slide variants shooter smoother. As noted above I too would go with a gen 5 when they’re available. A gen model 21 or a model 41 (which also has thinner slide) would be my choices. Any variant of the G30 would be fine too. Personally I don’t waste my time w anything in 45acp but I’m not going to drift this into a caliber debate. Ultimately it’s a Glock so it’s going to work fine unless you’re a fancy lad type. Buy all of them, seriously.
 
I had both, the S carried a bit easier for me. As for recoil, the 45acp has more recoil than a 9 of course, but it's still just a 45acp. I had the S as a backup to the 21, but with 2 19's, it seemed a waste. The 21 is for home defense, only until I can get to the shotgun now, so the 30S wasn't really needed.
 
kalash said:
Decided that I want a G30 but can't decide between the S and the SF. I believe the S has a narrower/lighter slide from the G36. Has anyone shot both? Does 3oz make any difference for carrying or for shooting? Is there any reason to pick one over the other?

As a side note, let me know if you're selling either one.
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I had 2 G30's that were okay, but sold both (a Gen3 & a Gen4). I now have the G30S that has become one of my primary carry guns, especially in cooler weather. The thinner slide does make a difference. If you have large hands, I use the 10 round mags for pinky support. As someone else said, the 30S has a short frame although I never noticed the difference. Recoil is not an issue for me and shouldn't be for you.
 
I have the 30S Gen 2.5 and I’m a big fan. The price was right and it was my first Glock. There’s something on the frame that pinches my support hand over the course of a prolonged range trip. That’s in general my only real complaint. Other than that it’s been awesome for concealed carry.

I should note that it’s not the firearm for people who like to customize their guns significantly. Random, but I’ve heard you can swap the complete upper for a Glock 29 to shoot 10mm which is kind of cool.
 
67ray said:
Have you tried a 36? Much better in the hand and lighter too.

Blah blah capacity blah blah I know go ahead with it. Carry guns are so rarely used in real live situations anyways.
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No. But a friend of mine has one. Maybe at some point in time when we get to the range together I'll ask him to bring it with him and give it shot. Pun intended.
 
A few folks mentioned the G21 - I have one, great gun, but too big to comfortably carry imho (although I've done it on occasion). With the G30 I just like the idea of having a G19-sized gun chambered in .45 and I'm already partial to Glocks anyways.
 
I have owned both a G30, and 2 21SFs for HD, they were ok. I did shoot a glock 30s, and found there to not me much difference because the frame was stick a thick M*Fer. Wised up the thinness of a 1911 platform for .45acp. It also helped with the recoil. which is why i eventually sold all my .45 glocks and went 1911 for my .45s. There are days I am tempted by a CZ 97

glock 26 and 19 these days only
 
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Had a G30sf for many years and forced myself to like it. It shot well for me but carrying it was a pain... Literally. I found my lower back was hurting after a while and it didn’t occur to me that the G30 was the problem. Switched it up to G26 currently after trying the G30sf, G30S, Sig P245, CS45, and Springfield XDS45. The XDS was the smallest and most comfortable carry but I couldn’t hit anything and the backstrap dug into the web of my hand.

If you are intent on the Glock in 45 cal as a carry piece, definitely go with the G30S. That small difference in the narrower slide is huge.
 
67ray said:
Have you tried a 36? Much better in the hand and lighter too.

Blah blah capacity blah blah I know go ahead with it. Carry guns are so rarely used in real live situations anyways.
.
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I don't like small semi-autos. At that point I'd rather carry a snubnose (which I do, often).


Rocco Mozz said:
Random, but I’ve heard you can swap the complete upper for a Glock 29 to shoot 10mm which is kind of cool.
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Yup, I shoot 10mm in my G21. Makes for a nice woods gun.


Queen Bee said:
I have owned both a G30, and 2 21SFs for HD, they were ok. I did shoot a glock 30s, and found there to not me much difference because the frame was stick a thick M*Fer. Wised up the thinness of a 1911 platform for .45acp. It also helped with the recoil. which is why i eventually sold all my .45 glocks and went 1911 for my .45s. There are days I am tempted by a CZ 97

glock 26 and 19 these days only
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I have a G19 and carry it often. Just want to switch things up a bit. I have a 1911 too - imho it's a terrible carry gun (but I'm not looking to get into a Glock vs 1911 debate).


pj150 said:
Had a G30sf for many years and forced myself to like it. It shot well for me but carrying it was a pain... Literally. I found my lower back was hurting after a while and it didn’t occur to me that the G30 was the problem. Switched it up to G26 currently after trying the G30sf, G30S, Sig P245, CS45, and Springfield XDS45. The XDS was the smallest and most comfortable carry but I couldn’t hit anything and the backstrap dug into the web of my hand.

If you are intent on the Glock in 45 cal as a carry piece, definitely go with the G30S. That small difference in the narrower slide is huge.
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The G30S weighs the same as my G19. The G30SF is only 3oz more I believe - how much of a difference can that really make?
 
The thinner slide and the 3oz you may not think makes much of a difference- but it really does when you go from a 30SF to 30S. Not night and day but enough to appreciate.
 
kalash said:
I don't like small semi-autos. At that point I'd rather carry a snubnose (which I do, often).



Yup, I shoot 10mm in my G21. Makes for a nice woods gun.



I have a G19 and carry it often. Just want to switch things up a bit. I have a 1911 too - imho it's a terrible carry gun (but I'm not looking to get into a Glock vs 1911 debate).



The G30S weighs the same as my G19. The G30SF is only 3oz more I believe - how much of a difference can that really make?
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If you did not try p365 - try it, it may be what you actually want. Not the XL, a small original one.
 
I had a g30, and also the 36.. I sold the 36 as I just did not see an immense difference. The specs made then36 sound tiny compared to the 36. But, somehow it just did not “feel” different enough.. so I traded it.

I traded the g30 and went glock 45 less for 10+ yes.
I got a g30s a few months ago. It is nice. Does everything well..

but honestly. To me the basic g30 is the one that just does it all, does it all a bit better. And feels right.


ymmv.
 
They both shoot well, but I have a fondness for the regular Gen4 30SF Fathead model. The only reason the 30S even exists is a bunch of hipsters started asking for it
because they were taking G36 uppers and dropping them on G30 frames and going "Y DOESNT GLOCK DOO DIS?" etc. So they responded by "actually doing it" in production.

I am a big fathead guy, but if that extra ounce or whatever it is and the extra bit of CHONK bothers you, then definitely get a 30S instead.

I do think the fathead has better reliability, because usually taking recoiling mass away from an existing design isn't going to improve your operational window.
 
paulatkin73 said:
If you did not try p365 - try it, it may be what you actually want. Not the XL, a small original one.
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Lol anyone talking about buying a G30 does not want a P365 anything, period end full stop..... [rofl] those are guns you dont cross shop for the same
role, not now, not ever, not 10 years from now. It's like telling someone to look at an O/U instead when they asked about semiautomatic shotguns.
 
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