Glock 30 as a do-all gun?

[John Wayne]

Lately, I've been giving some thought to replacing a couple handguns and their respective calibers with one more versatile pistol. This of course has the advantage of saving money and increasing familiarity, same MOA, ease of keeping replacement parts on hand, etc. and the disadvantage that a one-gun platform will not be quite as versatile as a gun optimized in each caliber.

So, Glock pistols have never been my favorite, but they have always apealed to me because of the vast array of cheap aftermarket parts for them. Also, they are about the only major manufacturer that makes a gun capable of doing what I want to do. I have a fair amount of experience shooting Glocks, in various sizes and calibers, and I shoot them pretty well.

I'm looking at getting this setup:

-G30

-Conventionally rifled .45 ACP barrel (for shooting cast bullets), threaded (in case I want to pick up a suppressor down the road)

-6" ported 9x25 barrel (never actually seen a 9x25 G30 bbl, but they're offered for the G29. If 10mm conversions work in G30s, getting a 9x25 made shouldn't be too difficult), G20 mag and grip extension

-10mm conversion bbl. to bridge the gap between .45 and 9x25

-Advantage Arms .22 LR upper conversion

Here's what I want it to do:

Standard G30 to replace 9mm for carry, steel challenge, and IDPA. I really like 9mm but hate reloading for it, and cast boolits are easier to find for .45.

9x25 and/or 10mm to replace .357 mag for woods, backpacking, hunting sidearm, and camping gun, bowling pin shoots, etc. A polymer framed auto is a whole lot easier to carry than a medium sized steel revolver.

.22 upper to replace my current .22 pistol, for shooting steel challenge. Main advantage would be maintaining familiarity with the same platform.

Other options I've considered include:
EAA Witness (never actually shot one though)
SIG P250 (like the trigger better, not sold on the modularity thing)
1911 platform (swapping calibers isn't as quick, higher initial cost)

Any input?

 

[REAPER4206969]

Sure.

 

[tinygnat219]

Sounds good to me.

 

[Texasred]

I have one as my primary carry. I reload off and on...revolvers are fun to reload for, semi-autos is ridiculous. So anyways a while back I narrowed all my handguns to a simple three platform system:
(2) Glock 17
(2) 1911 (mil-spec & series 80)
(4) .357 DA revolvers (SP101,GP100,686, etc.) Just bought two more to make 6 guns
(1) Glock 30
So the Glock 30 is the odd man out, I honestly don't like carrying it. I'm 210lbs, 6'3", don't wear baggy clothes, and have bigger than average hands. Its just a little too bulky, not so much heavy.
I thought I could do anything with this gun, and I can, but the other three always call me back. I get on kicks where I focus on one design and this setup keeps me happy, I can keep rotating without buying and selling too much. But the Glock 30 is always there, and I could easily say that ounce for ounce it's probably the most powerful, most accurate, and most reliable gun I own. At 25 yards I actually get head shots on a silhoutte regularly off hand, I have never had a jam in about 2500 rounds, and with the 10 and 13 round magazines it can handle any gunfight. The problem is the ammo is expensive, the gun is bulky, and I guess its just boring....I'll never sell it though.

 

[Texasred]

I think my moral is that no one gun can truly do everything. It's not as pretty as my 357 or 1911. As slim a good feeling grip as my Glock 17 or 1911. Practicing with the 357s and Glock 17 is cheaper hands down than .45 reloading or not.

 

[John Wayne]

Texasrd, I'm of similar build as you and I'm of the same opinion on the Glock as well.

I really love my S&W revolvers, and I can't help but compare the craftsmanship to a Swiss watch. But, after a 5-day canoe trip where my K-frame sat in a puddle in the tent while wild pigs were rutting around, I got to thinking that nobody ever had to shoot anything with a Swiss watch.

I also know what you mean about reloading for autos. I really enjoy reloading for my revolvers but 9mm is more of a chore than anything because of its size. I figured .45 would be a little better since it seems like it's more suited to cast bullets, and the brass is easier to spot on the ground.

The G30 is a fat little gun; I like the G36 a lot better but it doesn't have any of the conversion barrels, mags, or accessories.

From what you said it sounds like the G30 works great as something that could replace several guns if you needed it to, but wouldn't do it as gracefully as a gun better suited to each respective caliber.

 

[snooperman]

Good Idea...

I like the Glock 30 but I like the 36 much better for concealed carry , as it fits my hand much better.

 

[Fat Boy]

I believe most things for which a handgun is intended can be done with one gun...if a person takes the time and makes the effort to develop proficiency with the gun.

With that said, I also recognize the benefit of having more than one gun for various purposes...target, hunting, defense, and so forth.

I think it is personal preference. All things considered, I think a guy could do a lot worse than a Glock 30 for that "all around" gun

 

[Strahley]

If you can take the extra width for CCW, sure the G30 could work for an all around gun

 

[VA27]

I would be concerned with getting the smaller diameter cases to feed, extract and eject reliably with the G30 slide and ejector. Even if it's been done before, there are bound to be some problems. If you have to change the ejector to make it work, that would take some of the 'handiness' out of the project.

I'd go with the G29, a 40 barrel, a 357 barrel and the 22 conversion. The 10, 40 and 357 would even feed out of the same magazine so you wouldn't have to have 45 mags and 10mm mags.