Say hello to the new Glock 30SF pistol. Introduced at the 2008 SHOT Show, the new striker-fired handgun uses a polymer short frame to improve it’s concealability and ease of shooting.
Chambered in .45 ACP, this gun is sure to be a hit with big bore fans looking for a no-compromise, lightweight carry gun.
Features
Based on the original model 30, the SF is a compact, double-stack pistol chambered for the cartridge John Moses Browning made legendary.
This version of the pistol shaves about 3mm from the backstrap to improve the overall girth of the pistol. This fits the hand of more people than the seemingly oversized grip on the standard Glock 30.
While 3mm may not sound like a lot, trust me – you can feel the difference in your hands. This gun feels much better to me, and I can achieve optimal finger placement on the trigger. I like it a lot.
This handgun has the proprietary Glock rail (not a Picatinny rail). Fortunately, the popularity of the Glock pistols is such that companies tend to accommodate this non-standard attachment system.
Something to be aware of it the gun has the standard left-side-only magazine release. The Glock 21SF introduced an ambidextrous safety, but this model does not have the ambi-safety. For left-handed shooters this may be an important detail.
Glock advised pricing would be in line with their other models and they expect to start shipping these guns to dealers around “mid-year.”
I expect that this will be a popular firearm, but time will tell. Glock suggests this pistol will be a favorite of plainclothes officers and security forces in the United States. While this may be true, I expect just as many – if not more – citizens will like this handgun for lawful concealed carry.
As of June 2021, the 30SF is only available as a Gen3 pistol. Glock has not shared any information that would lead me to believe it has any intent to upgrade this pistol to the Gen4 or Gen5 trim.
Additionally, Glock does not seem to have an optics-ready model in the works. With red dot sights for the Glock 43X and other pistols, I hope to see a MOS version of this gun in the future.
30SF Specifications
| Caliber | .45 ACP |
| Standard Magazine Capacity | 10 |
| Barrel Length | 3.77″ |
| Overall Length | 6.88″ |
| Width | 1.27″ |
| Weight (Unloaded) | 20.28 oz |
| Trigger Pull | 5.5 lbs |
Update – Glock 30S
After the 30SF hit the market, a number of shooters discovered that you could use the frame with the slide assembly from the G36 pistol. The result was an even thinner and lighter pistol that retained the capacity of the G30SF.
Lighter and thinner are two descriptors that many in the self-defense market are looking for. Hence the popularity of small guns like the 9mm Glock 43.
As this modification caught hold in the shooting world, Glock took notice. In response, the company released the 30S.
The G30S is literally the G30SF frame and G36 slide mashed up. This pistol appears to be even more popular than the original 30SF.
As of June 2021, the G30S is only available in a Gen3 configuration.
Last update: October 24, 2022.
3 replies on “Glock 30SF – “Short Frame” Pistol in .45 ACP”
Shaved backstraps and hicker handguns are not what Glock needs to spend time on. If they were to release a model with a decocker (think Walther P99), double action and an actual safety, their populatrity would increase. While I own a Glock 23 and do not need those features on said handgun, it would be nice to see a model that was friendly to the amature shooters out there. Compete in functionality with Walther, Sig and H&K.
It IS double action, and there is no need to decock because it doesn’t actually cock until you pull the trigger.
Catamount
First of all, decokers are going by way of Russia due to many LE personnel returning cocked pistols to their holsters both in training and post firefight. For this reason SIG is easing out of the decocker designs. As an instructor of many years, friend and colleague John Farnam and I have often discussed this problem and have both noted that SIG’s DAK trigger is a valid attempt to fix a very real problem. GLOCKS are simplistic designs with no bells & whistles, thingamabobs, gadgets amd gizmos to further muddy dark waters. Point and press. Trigger finger in register until the decision to shoot is made. Safety lies between the ears moreso than between the hands. I’ve had officers in training fail to fire due to gloved hands wrapped around H&KP7’s squeeze cockers. GLOCKS offer a natural transition for revolver shooters (no external safeties on DA or DAO) when exchanging wheelguns for pistols. As far as popularity goes, since GLOCKS still own the lion’s share of the LE community, I doubt your suggestions would increase popularity. There are plenty of makes and models available possessing the features that you cite. Were GLOCKS to possess such features they would cease being GLOCKS. One final note based on decades of training thousands. The most difficult factor for shooters to master on traditional DA/SA pistols is the transition between the first long DA trigger and the subsequent SA trigger. For this reason, DAO pistols are becoming the latest state of the art. One trigger for all shots.