Glock 30 .45ACP Compact. $599 – $675 (depending on your state’s fees, etc) Some folks wanted me to start taking pics of some of my handguns, so figure start with some recent purchases and work my way back. Here is a Glock 30 I picked up recently. I LOVE (love) the .45 ACP round and wanted another compact in the collection. I also like Glocks and already own a few, so I picked up a G30. I went with the standard width G30 vs the Glock 30 SF (slim frame). I shoot my full size G21 often and have tens of thousands of rounds through it so I wanted the standard G30 which almost mimics the size and feel of the full size “regular” G21. If you have smaller hands and are buying your first gun you may consider the G30 SF (slim frame) which may fit your hands better, otherwise the G30 “regular” frame is what you will probably get. I like a slightly lighter pull on the Glock trigger so I always put in lighter connectors. For this G30 I didn’t go too crazy, only adding a 3.5LBS LWD Connector, a G21 smooth faced trigger, extended slide release, and a 9 round magazine for a smaller butt size. Above shows the G30 compared to other compact pistols. From top to bottom yo have a Bersa .380, Walther P22 and the G30. Here is a size comparison to some other Glocks, Above a G21, G17 and the G30. I have to grab a shot next to the G19 next time. I bang up my Glocks pretty good (though hard to tell from the pics) so I run the factory sights and replace as needed on all except my G19 which I have a set of Meprolight’s on. I’m gonna throw a set on this G30 in the near future. It’s real easy to mod Glocks, 3 pins and all the guts come out. You can then change whatever you want on the internals. CONTINUE READING BELOW…. With a simple punch, just remove the 3 pins. Note, doing so on your own, voids your warranty so make sure you know what you are doing. It’s easy, but don’t mess with your gun unless you know what you are doing. The first thing I did was swap is the connector, it’s a simple drop in. I went with a LWD 3.5LBS connector which reduces the pull to around 4LBS (or so) keeping the stock fire pin spring (in the slide). You may notice above that the connector itself has been reduced in width and polished for smoother operation. The reduced width can act as a debris channel to prevent gritty feel between cleanings. Above G30 serrated trigger face, G21 smooth face trigger. Both are the 4256-1 trigger bars. The next thing to go was the stock G30 trigger. I prefer the “smooth” faced version of the Glock trigger found on the Glock 21, so I ordered one and replaced the G30 trigger. Since the G30 is a new pistol it already came with the newer 4256-1 trigger bar, however when ordering a replacement MAKE SURE you get the 4256-1 G21 bar and not a non -1 bar that may have been laying around on a shelf. This ensures you maintain the factory new spec with a new pistol. If you have a older G21 you might consider the 4256-1 trigger bar which has a higher raise and solved some problems (some) people were having with their G21’s. Above is the finished trigger assembly ready to drop in. A note about triggers, carry, etc. Many people may think you are crazy to lighten up the factory 5 Lbs trigger if you are going to carry the gun. Some even go to heavier triggers. Personally, I’m only going to put my finger on the trigger when I plan to shoot, plus installing a 3 Lbs connector only lightens up the trigger a tad, to say 4lbs since you are still running the factory fire pin spring. You can get a lighter trigger by installing a lighter fire pin spring but run the risk of getting light strikes. Some recommend running federal primers with such a setup, great for the gun club but NOT recommended for a self defense gun you want to go BANG every time. This is why I only changed out the connector and left the other springs factory. This way I have no issues / worries and maintain excellent reliability. Plus this gun serves as a great “double duty” range / self defense gun. The last internal mod (that hangs externally) in this particular gun is the Extended Slide Release. Glocks come with a non-existent magazine “release”, what they have is more of a slide “catch” and you basically pull the slide with your free hand to rack the slide once locked open to chamber a round. With the extended slide release you can use your thumb more easily to operate the catch and drop the slide easier (faster) etc. This part is standard issue on target model gGocks (G34, etc..). After I put the pistol back together, I dry fired it 1000 times to smooth the trigger out, then went ahead and polished all the metal to metal contact areas, careful not to round any corners, only polish the surfaces. Then put about 200 rounds through it to really smooth it out. After that the trigger will be optimum for this setup. It’s the smoothing plus the slightly lighter connector bar that makes the trigger awesome, as good as it gets on a DAO pistol anyway. Also wanted to note that all these parts come to only $30 or so (less the magazine). It can be done cheaply. Another great Glock feature, parts are available at Pep Boys and Walmart (just kidding) but parts are widely available. A simple external mod is to simply go with a 9 round magazine to reduce the overall gun size. Again here you need to know what you are doing. This is a .45 ACP and while the G30 is one of the softest shooting 45’s, going with the 9 round mag does only give you 2 finger grooves to hold the gun with. The factory 10 round magazine gives you a place to put your pinky. That extra round magazine does add some size to the gun and makes concealed carry more difficult. If you do go with the 9 rounder make sure you practice with the 9 rounder in place. Give yourself a thousand rounds or so to get a feel for it. I shoot a lot so a thousand rounds may seem like a lot to some, if so, shoot whatever amount it takes, but practice with it if you are going to use it. Whats nice about the Glock 30 compact is there is a rail on it that allows you to run a full size light / laser or combo. This was not the case for earlier versions of the Glock 30. In fact that was one of the reasons I held of on buying one, as soon as the rail was introduced on the frame a few years back, I’ve wanted the G30 in the collection.. heh. The rail does not get in the way when there is no light / laser on there, no extra snag added, Glock barely fit it on there but integrated it nicely and snag free. Nice big bores make nice big holes 🙂 I shoot right handed, but holding the gun left handed for the photo, camera was in the other hand 🙂 G30 Specs:

Caliber	.45 ACP
Action	Safe Action (constant double action mode)
Overall length (slide)	6.77 in. (172 mm)
Height, including 10 rd magazine	4.76 in. (121 mm)
Height, including 9 rd magazine	4.45 in. (113 mm)
Width	1.27 in. (32.5 mm)
Barrel length	3.78 in. (96 mm)
Sight radius	5.95 in. (151 mm)
Rifling	Octagonal profile with right-hand twist of one turn in 15.75 in. (400 mm)
Weight, without magazine	23.99 oz. (680 g)
Weight, empty magazine	10 rd: 2.50 oz. (71 g) 9 rd: 2.40 oz. (68 g)
Weight, full magazine	10 rd: ~9.87 oz. (~280 g) 9rd: ~9.0 oz. (~255 g)
Magazine capacity	10 rounds standard; 9 round compact magazine optional
Standard trigger pull	~5.5 lbs. (~2.5 kg)
Trigger pull length	0.5 in. (12.5 mm)
Number of safeties	3