G29 or G30?

Well, it depends on the purpose... I'm going to assume CCW?

I would probably prefer the 30. I like .45 ACP, and I could still use factory and conversion G29 barrels. Plus, could use .40 Super, which is a pretty sweet cartridge. Been considering it for my G21.

FWIW I have both G20 and G21. Same guns, slightly larger. If protection from human threats is your only concern the 10mm doesn't offer enough advantage to offset the additional cost and trouble of finding ammo. Buy the G30 if that is the intended purpose. 45 ACP works just fine on humans.

My G20 in 10mm is my hiking/camping gun when in bear country. Loaded with the better rounds it is every bit the equal of the hottest 357 magnum loads available and closer to short barreled 44 mag performance than many want to admit. It won't come close to 44 loads from 6" or longer barrels, but when 44's are fired from 3-4" barrels they offer only slightly more performance than hot 10mm loads.

10mm ammo is a little harder to find and more expensive. But is worth the effort to get that much power and that many rounds in such a small package. My G20 is 1" shorter and 3/4 lb lighter than my 3" Smith 629 in 44 mag. It shoots 200 gr hardcast bullets 200 fps faster than the 44 will shoot 240 gr bullets and holds nearly 3X as many rounds.

The G29 vs G30 comparison is the same thing, just with smaller, more compact guns. The 10mm is a better choice only if 4 legged predators are a concern. But if that is a concern, it does that job very well.

Inebriated said:

Well, it depends on the purpose... I'm going to assume CCW?

I would probably prefer the 30. I like .45 ACP, and I could still use factory and conversion G29 barrels. Plus, could use .40 Super, which is a pretty sweet cartridge. Been considering it for my G21.

Click to expand...

If you think the .40 super is cool, you'll love the .460 Rowland.

I guess there isn't a range in your area that rents????

Might as well shoot 'em both. The value of a lightly-used Glock isn't far from a NIB one. The only way you're going to know what you prefer is shoot them both.

I'll echo the "shoot 'em all" and then decide....even if you have to drive some distance and spend some $ to shoot various offerings it will likely be worth the expense.

I just had a major issue myself trying to choose my first Glock pistol and was pretty much set on a G30. Then I handled and shot a G36 and a G26 (9mm instead of .45) and settled on the G26 Gen 4.

But I really benefited greatly by asking the guys here at THR about their impressions *and* then renting. handling, and shooting the various pistols under consideration. Shoot all of those models being considered.

Then make a choice - I don't think you can go far wrong with any of the Glock offerings.

VooDoo

I traded my G30 to my brother for his G29, mainly because he doesn't reload and I do. I carry a G26 daily, but carried the G30 before I carried the G26.

I agree with the proposition that nuclear loads aren't needed/desirable for s.d. purposes.

Good luck with .40 Super. Where you gonna find that stuff? Where you gonna find the brass?

The G30 is a pleasure to shoot. Soft shooting, insanely accurate and it pokes big holes. If you want more "power", or something you feel is better suited for animal defense, just pop in some .45 Super and you'll be good and have all you'll need. But even then the ACP is no slouch, mine (Glock 30) will shoot a 250gr hardcast to 950 fps, and that's going to work well on many things that walk around on 4 legs.

When I was looking for a smaller 45 carry I didn't go for the 30 at all, and while I was dead set against polymer to start out with, shooting the m&P45c was the end of the search. Didn't care for the Glock feel at all.

So, maybe a couple of years later, I just simply wanted a 10mm gun. Period. No magic analysis, it seemed like a no brainer, and the 29 seemed like the choice. Everyone seemed to be thrilled with them, and while I had serious concerns about the size and the fact it was Glock, I just bought one--online, no touchy-feely, no rental, no even seeing or handling the gun.

Wow. My answer is real simple now. G29. I've handloaded about 10,000 rounds now, and have shot maybe 3,000 through the G29.

So, it's hard to convey just how much of a 45 guy I was until I started loading and shooting 10. It's actually quite unlikely I'll do much with 45 or 40SW for a long time to come--the cartridge is just that nice to load and shoot.

As for personal defense, the 10 is one that is surrounded by a magic ether of horsecrap 2 metres thick--sort of like the internet lore of '40 SW snappy recoil' and other stuff that folks experience or simply relay because they've heard it so much. The 10 is even worse in terms of what appears to be just complete bunkum that folks either make up or repeat. The facts are these: it can be loaded up or down and still be 10mm and still be effective. WHen ammo is available, 10mm is available. 10mm is not available in as many exotic (absurd) self defense boutique loads as other calibers. So, if you buy ammo in 20 round boxes at $2 a round, you won't have as many choices.

In the G29 you have what I now believe is a total package of perfection. The gun isn't even as butt ugly as most glocks, IMO...but butt ugly is easily overcome by shootability and performance.

Buy it and get this over with.



But seriously, I think you'd be happy with either one and if you don't handload and have no plans to, you will indeed find 45ACP ammo everywhere and in a huge variety. If you handload or intend to, 10mm brass isn't something you're going to find laying around at the range--I buy all my brass at Starline, and that does make shooting 10 a bit more expensive (my brass recovery even at the indoor range is only about 80%).

Why mess with wildcats when the G-29 comes in 10mm? The 29 is a real sweet gun. Accurate and controllable.

I had a KKM .40s&w conversion barrel for mine to take advantage of plentiful .40 range brass and small pistol primers for practice loads. Very reliable and accurate with just a barrel swap.