After a nice break I’m back to doing reviews. To start off the new year I feel it is appropriate to give an account of the one firearm I am most qualified to review. In April of 2008 I bought my very first pistol. As one looking for my first concealed carry gun, my interest was settled on a Glock 36. “We don’t have any” said the man behind the gun counter. Instead he reached down and picked up a similar black pistol and laid it on the counter. I put a firm two handed grip on the gun and pointed it at the floor as the front sight hovered over the rear u-notch. The double stack magazine grip filled my palms and the balance was nothing less than natural. “That feels good” I thought. It was a 3rd generation Glock 30SF in 45 Auto.
Its been over six years since that purchase and I still carry the Glock 30SF (G30) almost daily. I can confidently claim to having it on my person for no less than 300 days out of each year. The other sixty five days would be made up of not leaving the house or carrying other guns. But what about shooting, you say? I’ve put about 2,000 rounds of factory ammo down the pipe. I got into reloading in 2009 and finished the year with 3,514 reloads. As of 11/19/2014 there were 14,830 reloads logged through the pistol, all 200 and 230gr. loads. Most have been 230gr. loads but some interesting statistics are in order. Split half and half between the two loads, I’ve put an estimated 454 lbs of lead through the G30. I’ve gone through six recoil spring assemblies, three slide stops, and at least 8 lbs of smokeless powder. To sum it up, I know a thing or two about the G30.
While my reviews generally give background information and introduce you to the firearm, this will be an exception. There are countless reviews on Glocks and there is not a whole lot I could add without beating a dead horse that has been beaten into sausage several times over. I will instead focus on the pros and cons of the G30 as they pertain to my experiences.
To start, lets get some cons out of the way. This thing is a block. If you want a less than ideal solution for your first concealed carry pistol, get a G30. I stuck with it only because I’m stubborn with this sort of thing. The pistol does not wear well. Given the vast array of calibers and designs currently offered I would give other pistols more consideration if I had to buy again. You may have heard it said, “dress around the gun.” With the G30 you better darn well dress around the gun because it sure isn’t going to tolerate slim fitting polo shirts and pants that fit you. This is the kind of pistol that demands pant waist sizes 1” larger than usual and high quality leather for adequate back support.
The daily carry system
Lots of miles on gun and holster
And with that said let me give some information regarding my carry system. The Galco Royal Guard IWB in horsehide was my first and only holster for the G30. It has been nothing less than superb and I would definitely buy and have bought additional Glaco holsters for other guns. My magazine pouch is a Gould & Goodrich 851 double magazine belt slide carrier. The leather has developed a nice sheen after years of wear and durability is on par with Galco. Finally, we have the gun belt. Mine is a 1.75” custom ordered belt from Thebeltman.net. A G30 with two additional magazines will put the hurt on your body if done incorrectly. There are belts and then there are gun belts. If you want to carry daily, get a gun belt from Thebeltman.net. I’ve got maybe three years on mine and my back is fine.
Storm Lake Glock 30 barrel, 3.78″. Drop in ready and just as reliable as the factory part.
Back to the pistol. As you can see from the photos my G30 is obviously not completely stock. The one change/upgrade I have made was a Storm Lake aftermarket barrel. Since most of my reloads were lead I wanted standard rifling to remove all thought of potential hazards involving the much heralded perils of polygonal rifling with lead bullets. Besides the barrel, what you see is everything you’ve seen before. Stock sights, original mag release, ejector, extractor, trigger, fire control group, all original. Most of the wear is concentrated on the breech face and interior of the slide. The G30 is my do everything gun. I train with it, practice concealed carry draws, point shoot, plink, admire, and carry all the time.
To the greatest asset: firing the pistol. It’s a soft shooting 45 if there ever was one. From my first impression to six years later I still believe the G30 is one of the finest examples of pistol balance I have ever felt. If it looks right, it is right. Well, the Glock is borderline ugly but it feels… so… right. I’ve fired other Glocks and pistols but I will always hold the G30 in high esteem for ease of shooting.
While my example runs almost all factory ammo without fail, I have noticed a tendency to occasionally hiccup on reloads. This is usually due to bullets seated a little further out to decrease leading. Other problems encountered were the result of chewed up case rims which is not uncommon on brass that has been reloaded 25+ times. The reliability of the Glock design is well known. Of all the handful of failures I’ve had with my particular pistol most could be accounted for reloads. An instance where the gun choked on factory ammo was Christmas eve, 2014. I made the most of a rainy day by putting 220 rounds on steel. I encountered five separate instances of the slide locking back on a partially full magazine. To be fair, it was raining, the magazines were being thrown in mud puddles, and there was a noticeable amount of grit in the action from having dirty magazines shoved in the gun all day. And that was after being dirtied up with 140 rounds of lead loads. The factory ammunition which caused problems was Remington 230gr. JHP (L45AP7). That goes to show any gun can fail with less than ideal ammo and environmental conditions.
Also accepts the 30 round Kriss 45 magazine.
But a couple failures out of 15,000 or so isn’t too bad. The Glock 30SF is by far the most tested and evaluated gun I have ever done or will ever do for that matter. Despite not being the best carry gun around, I’m used to the heft and like how it shoots. Having thirty rounds of 230gr. JHP Golden Sabers at my immediate disposal doesn’t dissuade either. And if I ever stop packin’ the 30 I will hardly ever stop plinking with it. Few defensive pistols double as a range gun for pleasure. So for a trip to the range, steel in the woods, or groceries at the local stop’n rob, take a look at a Glock 30SF. Better yet… pick one up.
Land & Goove 