Glock 30 how hot can I go?

The biggest problem you'll face with the Glock 30 isn't how hot the ammo is, but whether you can burn the powder efficently in it's short barrel. The .45 acp even in +p loadings is marginal at best for bears and hogs in a "defensive" shooting.

Yes, folks have killed these critter with the .45 acp, but most of those were in hunting scenarios where the animal taken wasn't already pumped full of adrenalin.

By the way, one of my favorite CCW pieces is the 30. And while agitated people can be hard to stop, an agitated critter like a bear that is generally larger and stronger is an entirely different story.

Two words: Ka, boom.

Recall that the Glock 30 slide is lighter than the 29 slide, because of the .45's lower operating pressure. If you want to go to .45 Super territory, it might be safer (that is, prevent early slide-barrel unlocking with potential case failure) to start with the heavier G29 slide and convert it to .45 Super...

Or start with a G29 and just leave it alone!

To truely get to the power factor you are looking for, you might be best served with reloading. That way you can taylor your powder and load to your specific needs. The .45 ACP is a fairly low pressure load compared to the 10mm or even the 9mm. It is possible for you to load bullets up to 250 gr. in the ACP but this does take a little more knowledge on loading to get them to work correctly. I've shot hogs up close with the Gold Dots and they worked very well, but bears may be a different story. Never shot one of those.

Another thing to consider. With hogs or bears, you want penetration. That means staying away from typical expanding bullets used for anti personnel work. It also means going with as heavy a bullet as you can get. And, the better bullet shapes often don't feed well in semi autos.

Truthfully, if you want a handgun for the purposes you mention, a revolver in something like .41 mag, .44 mag or .45 colt provide a much larger selection of ammunition. Heck, for the purpose you mention, I'd prefer a heavy for caliber .357 mag loading over any .45 acp loading.

By the way, the 10mm does have some pretty good ballistics, but again, bullet selection is limited.

Hey Renegade, I see you picked up a SA wheelgun and you're right, it will be fun learning to shoot a different type of handgun. I don't think a SA revolver makes for as good a defensive weapon as an auto or DA revolver. You could'nt do much better if your intention was hunting however.

You said you shoot the 30 very well so sick with it. Here's an idea that's fairly inexpensive - get a 40Super barrel. You use same mags just drop it in. You'd be buying ammo you would'nt use for SD against humans or at the range anyway. A 4.5" drop in barrel will get you 1,300 FPS with 200 grain bullets. They have the same SD as a 250 gr. 45. I'd suggest getting a 21# Wolff RSA. You can clip your OEM RSA and use the OEM springs on the Wolff unit for carry and the 21# springs for 40Super. Or just leave it and swap it out but I much prefer the Wolff and use them in all of my Glocks. The 21# is what I use in my 29. Get a Glock 21 mag or two and you'll be very well armed with a weapon you already like and shoot well.

There are a few reputable ammo companies that make some 40Super if you don't reload and it's the same price or not much more than a box of quality
defensive ammunition of pretty much any caliber.

I ride four wheelers here in Florida and have come extremely close to black bears many times. Never once was I bummed I had a powerful handgun and a 400 pound machine to hide behind. Thankfully I've never even had to pull my pistol let alone shoot but the way some of these idiots feed them around here, I know it's a possibility. Good luck.

Persons that have converted Glock 45's to 400 CORBON have reported feeding problems with the double stack magazines. The problem is reportedly worse in the shorter 30 mags than the 21's. I have read that people running converted 30's have had to use 21 mags in them.
The 40 Super is a slightly longer version of the 400 CORBON. It might suffer from the same feeding problems as the 400.

Get a surplus pistol in 7.62X25 for 125-200 and call it good. Works good on rabid coyotes too

IIRC, Glock forum had a bunch of guys running .45 Super in Glock 30's.

Might check with them. Change springs, use buffalobore 255's?

Renegade,

I used to have a Glock 30. Loved it, but I traded a friend for his Colt 1911 Commander.

I actually chrono'd my carry load in that gun. I had Corbon 230g JHP +P in it. I got 940 to 950 fps out of the Glock 30. The gun was very accurate, sometimes I wish I still had it. I may buy another one someday, but I just had to have that Colt.

Don't know if that's enough velocity for you, but it's real numbers out of the exact gun you are asking about.

I test fired a Glock 30, and it is one of the least accurate guns for me, ever. Trigger, trigger, trigger.

That said, with a trigger job, ala 34-35, and some really stiff springs, it would be a great gun. Except for it's then in the compact 1911 price range...

Better to buy a 29, then convert it.

How is a trigger modification that costs usually around $15 going to propel the Glock 30 into the compact 1911 range, unless you're comparing it to budget 1911 makes?

A trigger job on any Glock that doesn't require installing one of the Glockworx or similiar total replacements only costs a few dollars, disconnectors and springs are so cheap you can set yourself up to try out all the popular arrangements for under a hundred bucks, and switching the parts out takes less than five minutes.

The biggest problem you'll face with the Glock 30 isn't how hot the ammo is, but whether you can burn the powder efficently in it's short barrel.

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The barrel would be 4.48 inches long.

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For the model 21; The G30 barrel is 3.78"

45 ACP +P Ammo - 200 gr. J.H.P. (1,050 fps/M.E. 490 ft. lbs.)
Heavy 10mm Ammo - 200 gr. F.M.J. (1,200fps/M.E. 639 ft.lbs.)
(from buffalo bore)

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That was from a 5" 1911. The 1.2" shorter barrel will cost you 40-70 FPS. The hotter the load, the more it suffers from losing inches.

My hot 180 gr. 10mm loads average 1,406 FPS from my 5" S&W 1006, 1,342 FPS from my 3.6" Witness Compact.

.45 Super 240 gr. loads get 1,125 FPS from my 5" S&W 4506, but down to 1,060 FPS from my 3.75" 4516-1.

As an aside, I would not run those .45 Super loads through a factory G30 (or most other factory .45's). Change the barrel and recoil spring first.

I keep a magazine of DoubleTap 45 ACP Truncated Cone FMJ in my pickup. Quick swap when I go up the hill. Bears and cats are a problem up on the ranch, but so are pot growers. Might be different where you are.

A pistol is always going to be a bad compromise but 900+ fps and 230 gr isn't much of a step down from anything in portable pistol size. An 8 3/8" Smith just doesn't cut it.

The G30 size is VERY convenient. After a dozen years, I dumped my G21 off my permit in favor of my G30, for that matter (my 1911 lasted 2 days).

If you're running a chainsaw, a 25 oz pistol is a lot nicer to lug around than a 40+ oz pistol. Pretty much the same applies to riding on two wheels.

Regards,
Brian in CA

Glock 30's are a nice CCW gun but with almost all autos won't pack the punch of a good revolver.

Now this 45 can pack a punch. Good choice.

The G30 can take the .45 Super's pressure (recall the G30 was modeled after the G29, which operates at nearly twice the chamber pressure of the .45 ACP). You'll need a 21-22lb spring.

You could also see if KKM is still making 45-10mm conversion barrels for the G30. Put that barrel in, use G29 mags, and you're good to go.

The G30 can take the .45 Super's pressure (recall the G30 was modeled after the G29, which operates at nearly twice the chamber pressure of the .45 ACP)

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There is less slide, less chamber wall and less chamber support on the G30. But they're your hands and eyes, so gamble as you please.

So you think it's possible to blow up a Glock? No way! Has to be an internet rumor started by some of those Glock hating 1911 fanboys. You can throw a Glock out of a helicopter on the L.A. freeway at rush hour and it will still win the Bianchi Cup.

Get a revolver. A BIG revolver. Something in .41 magnum or bigger.

Always amazes me people buy a pop gun and want to turn it into a howitzer. Then they're surprised when in spontaneously dis-assembles. Just buy something with the power level you need.

I bought a .40 because I wanted 9mm power without having to run +P+++++ ammo through a 9mm pistol. Gun lasts longer. No chance of blowing it up.

I bought a 357 Magnum fully intending to shoot mostly .38 specials through it. It'll last forever too. It gets the occasional box of 357's but 90 percent of what goes through it is .38 special.

All the Best,
D. white

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Get a revolver. A BIG revolver. Something in .41 magnum or bigger.
>>>

The OP is riding a BIKE in the WOODS.

This is not "walk around with as big a pistol as you can carry", this is "outdoors activities with awareness of possible dangers" - if you're just in the woods to be dragging around a 4 lb pistol, you're likely better off with a pump shotgun instead.

People DO go into the woods for reasons other than lugging big pistols. I will tell you that a big S&W Performance Center 44 Mag with a big braked barrel sucks to cut wood/clear roads while carrying - my FIL dumped his high dollar pistol 10 minutes into the day the ONLY time he tried to carry it. He carries a G27 now, better than nothing and doesn't interfere with the task at hand.

Sheesh.

Regards,
Brian in CA

As a very happy owner of a G30, I have looked into the 45super round. From what I have read, the G30 is a suitable candidate.

There is less slide, less chamber wall and less chamber support on the G30. But they're your hands and eyes, so gamble as you please.

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Engineering standpoint, the difference between the two with the pressures in question is inconsequential. Remember, Glock engineered and designed the 10mm first, then fitted it to fit the .45 ACP, which has have the chamber pressure and slide velocity as the 10mm.

I've "gambled" over 10,000 rounds of .45 Super at 36,000 psi chamber pressure in a Glock 30. Still running fine, thanks.

"So my questions are: Is a .45acp +p enough for black bear? Or should I attempt to go all the way to .45 super? (either way the only time super hot stuff would get into the weapon (other than to test for function) is when on the trail. As my carry load for everyday is the 230 gold dot standard pressure."

NO. Yes, but not enough for black bear. Marginal is 255 grain LFN's at 1015 fps.

Guy shot a 185 pound cougar with a heavy 45 Colt load. Bullet didn't exit, but the cat was dead.

If you want to shoot a 400-600 pound hog, or bear, get a REAL gun.



A while back, Gary Reeder had some video of one of his fat guys hitting a big hog in a corn field with a .475 Linebaugh/reeder. Damn hog never read the literature that the .475 Linebaugh is supposed to stop buffalo with one shot. It took something like 10 shots to finally put this big sow down.

As for my earlier comments: If I want a really accurate 30, a trigger job and a new barrel are probably in order. Something I can shoot lead semi-wadcutters through. I think the 35 and 34 might have more done then just that...
One I shot was tricked out, and drove tacks. special grip for easy fast magazine loading, etc.