Glock 30 Competitors

[markholst]

I think there's enough of a difference to be worth checking out. I've held a G30 and it felt big to me, but my G30sf's feel just fine. If you cannot find a Gen 3 G30sf, try to find a Gen 4 G30. The Gen 4 G30 without any back straps fitted should be about the same as the SF frame.

Several years back, I had a chance to shoot my nephew's G30S and did not like it. At the time, I was mostly into 1911s but also had a G23 that I was in love with. Maybe it was the lighter slide, but the G30S seemed snappier than the G23 did to me at the time. For now though, the G30sf seems to have the right balance for me. Sure, it's almost as wide as it is long, but it's still comfortable for carry and shoots well for me.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll try to find the sf first.

 

[markholst]

I'll chime in on the G30s vs the G30. I've owned a G30 in the past, when the first came out. One thing I remember about it was that it was a really soft shooter. This was a standard G30, not an SF. The other day, I was at Point Blank and rented a G30s just out of curiosity. I put 1 mag though it and said "nope." Not nearly as pleasant to shoot as even my little Shield 45. The 3.53 ounce difference between the G30 and the G30s might not seem like much, but I can only assume that it made enough difference to make the G30s unpleasant to shoot for me. The bottom of the trigger guard banged the heck out of my middle finger.

If I were to have to carry a G30 for some reason, I'd go with a standard model. Either Gen 3, Gen 3 SF or Gen 4, whatever fits you better. I can't see that the slimmer slide of the 30s would make much of a difference for concealment, as the thick grip is the same as the standard model.

I'm in agreement with you on the concealment. I seemed to me that the only thing accomplished with the g30 was to make it lighter. I get why that would be desirable from a carry standpoint (less weight pulling on your belt), but it would seem that you would want the weight when shooting. While the .45 isn't the hardest kicking round out there, it isn't a .22 either.

 

[Amishman44]

Is there really that much difference in weight between the g30 and g30s? I know there is some, but enough to make any realistic difference? Especially with a loaded mag?

If you hold them one in each hand, you can tell the difference...I believe the empty weight difference is about 3.5 oz...for me it was more of the width than the weight. The thinner G30S is more convenient and easier to carry, conceal, etc.

 

[Amishman44]

Is there really that much difference in weight between the g30 and g30s? I know there is some, but enough to make any realistic difference? Especially with a loaded mag?

I will add that taking into consideration the shortened 'SF' frame vs the original G-30 frame...the reduced difference in grip diameter made a huge difference for me as I have somewhat smaller hands.

Add in the slimmer, lighter G-30S slide...and wa-la...it's makes for a great little package!

 

[markholst]

I will add that taking into consideration the shortened 'SF' frame vs the original G-30 frame...the reduced difference in grip diameter made a huge difference for me as I have somewhat smaller hands.

Add in the slimmer, lighter G-30S slide...and wa-la...it's makes for a great little package!

I'm with you on hand size. Earlier I described mine as being like the .45 cap, short and fat!

 

[firefighterjohn]

I like the 30s because I can use the same holsters as my 26 and 19 use.

That would be a huge plus, thanks for the info!

 

[Tombs]

Keep in mind before going after the glock 30S over the glock 30, that the extra mass in the slide will contribute to it being a more comfortable pistol to shoot. The 30S thin slide is only going to benefit you for IWB carry, and while it looks like it's a big difference, it isn't necessarily a massive difference compared to the shootability you're sacrificing in exchange.

45 always seems like a tame comfortable round, until you start cutting the weight of the firearm back.

It can get some stout recoil in a light enough firearm.

 

[88E30M50]

That's exactly what I had found. Shot a 30S and did not like it. Then, shot a 30SF and liked it a lot. Enough that I have two nicely tuned ones now. That bit of slide weight does make a difference in the feel in shooting them.

 

[markholst]

Keep in mind before going after the glock 30S over the glock 30, that the extra mass in the slide will contribute to it being a more comfortable pistol to shoot. The 30S thin slide is only going to benefit you for IWB carry, and while it looks like it's a big difference, it isn't necessarily a massive difference compared to the shootability you're sacrificing in exchange.

45 always seems like a tame comfortable round, until you start cutting the weight of the firearm back.

It can get some stout recoil in a light enough firearm.

That was my line of thought. Glad I'm not the only one thinking that way.

 

[markholst]

That's exactly what I had found. Shot a 30S and did not like it. Then, shot a 30SF and liked it a lot. Enough that I have two nicely tuned ones now. That bit of slide weight does make a difference in the feel in shooting them.

Awesome to hear real world experience! Always welcome it. What did you do to "tune" your g30sf's and was it necessary? It kinda grinds my gears to spend $500 - $600 on a pistol to turn around and sink even more in it. For that money, I shouldn't have to finish the manufacturing process.

 

[88E30M50]

What I've found that works for me is to use a Phantom trigger with a 4# striker spring, lightened striker safety spring, 6# trigger spring and the factory + connector. I would not say that those are necessary by any means, but doing that does give me a nice, consistent feel with a distinct wall before the trigger breaks. The trigger ends up at about 5# with that setup. On the Gen 3 Glocks, I like to use Talon rubber grip tapes but I find the Gen 4 texture to be fine as is. For sights, I've really come to like the Ameriglo Spartan Operators.

I don't mean to say that these are all mods that everyone would like but only that this recipe has worked well for me in all three of my .45 Glocks. My Gen 4 G23 has the same setup but with the factory connector instead of the Glock + connector.

.45 Glocks

 

[markholst]

What I've found that works for me is to use a Phantom trigger with a 4# striker spring, lightened striker safety spring, 6# trigger spring and the factory + connector. I would not say that those are necessary by any means, but doing that does give me a nice, consistent feel with a distinct wall before the trigger breaks. The trigger ends up at about 5# with that setup. On the Gen 3 Glocks, I like to use Talon rubber grip tapes but I find the Gen 4 texture to be fine as is. For sights, I've really come to like the Ameriglo Spartan Operators.

I don't mean to say that these are all mods that everyone would like but only that this recipe has worked well for me in all three of my .45 Glocks. My Gen 4 G23 has the same setup but with the factory connector instead of the Glock + connector.

.45 Glocks

Thanks for the reply 88!

This might be off-topic, but since I started it...

Please bear in mind that I know nothing about the...upgrades?...you made, so excuse what might be a stupid question. Why use different pound components in the trigger changes?

It would seem to my uneducated mind that you would want to use the same weight on all of them (i.e. all 4# or 6# components). What is the benefit of mixing things up and how did you come to use the combo you have?

 

[Tombs]

I'd just like to point out, that while other people may feel comfortable or content playing with striker springs and different strikers, that's one thing I'd automatically rule off limits for any gun I'd carry regardless how well it ran on the range.

Manufacturers spec the striker spring at the weight they do for a reason. There's many other ways to increase the trigger weight, so the spring is not excessively heavy to make the trigger heavy, it is heavy to reliably set off every type of primer you may encounter.

If you want to play with tuning a glock, I'd stick to OEM parts. An OEM glock 17L connector (I.E. the 3.5Lb connector) is all I would add. If that's not good enough, get a heavier trigger spring, but be aware that it may cause trigger reset failures depending on your gun, but it's a stupid cheap part and only takes seconds to swap in and out so there's no harm in trying it.

 

[88E30M50]

My goal on the mods for my Glocks was to have a good, crisp trigger that functions reliably. The factory trigger shoe is one of my least favorite features of a stock Glock. I change that out for something that has a better feel. I absolutely hate the mushy feel of a Glock trigger. Moving from a 5# stock connector to a 3.5# factory connector has the effect of removing any feeling of a wall in the trigger. It's the source of the Glock mush. I moved in the other direction and go with the 8# connector in a couple of my Glocks because it provides a nice wall before the trigger breaks. The down side is that it also raises the trigger pull somewhat. to counter that, I use a 6# trigger spring to bring the pull down a bit and also run a 4# striker spring. The results is a very smooth take up with a firm wall and a good 5# break. I have had no issues running the 4# striker spring even with the harder S&B primers.

I respect the decision of some Glock owners to run their guns stock. These changes I make are to make the gun work better for me and I don't hold them up as something that would work for everyone. The Glock pistol is a decent weapon, but the stock Glock is not the be-all, end-all in handgun design. When you come down to it, it's a cheap molded pistol with stamped steel fire control parts built with as much of an eye towards liability as towards reliability. The stock configuration is a good middle of the road set of choices that should work for everyone while meeting cost constraints. I shoot my G30sf a lot and if that 4# striker should ever fail to light off a round, I'll dump it in a flash. I don't think that's going to happen though, as it's my guess that the 5# striker was chosen as much for feel and tuning as it was for reliability.

 

[JTJJ]

Glock's website does not indicate that the G30S can use the 13 round mag as an alternative as it does for the G30 and G30 SF. Can you shed some light on this for me? Thanks

It does handle the 13 round mag. I have several, makes it more fun at the range

 

[88E30M50]

Put another 130 rounds of mixed ammo though the tuned G30sf yesterday and today. That thing is absolutely sweet in how well it's working for me right now. The ammo has been a mixed bag of reloads and S&B ammo. I might have to upgrade the sights from the stock Glock night sights to a set of Ameriglo Spartan Operators. At that point, I'll have a nicely matched carry/range gun set, each of which can be carried or do range time. Love these things.

 

[markholst]

Put another 130 rounds of mixed ammo though the tuned G30sf yesterday and today. That thing is absolutely sweet in how well it's working for me right now. The ammo has been a mixed bag of reloads and S&B ammo. I might have to upgrade the sights from the stock Glock night sights to a set of Ameriglo Spartan Operators. At that point, I'll have a nicely matched carry/range gun set, each of which can be carried or do range time. Love these things.

Good to hear! Glad the mods are working for you so well.