Thanks for the comparison Frank. I have a G21 and 30S. I am totally satisfied with the 30S and it carries and shoots well for me. I can't say anything bad about the shield, but I know my Glocks and I like being able to use the same mags and the extra rounds if needed.

 

I agree, I don’t have anything bad to say about the shield as well. I’m somewhat surprised how long the grip is with the 7 round mag. It’s close to the same size as the 30S with a 13round mag in it.

 

I think a better comparison would be the .45 Shield to a Glock 36.

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I think a better comparison would be the .45 Shield to a Glock 36.

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True, don’t own a 36 though. As of now, I still plan to use the 30S as my primary off duty carry. When I actually had them side by side I was surprised how compact the 30S actually is. (Shield is extremely easy to carry as well, not taking anything away from the shield).

 

I did this to but with my 30 and shield. I don’t know how to link the thread but here’s a few pics to compare. Top one is flush mag in both, bottom is extended mags in both.

 

I have both the G30SF, and a Shield .45. The G30 is a good CCW for serious work, as it holds 10+1, and my full sized mags for the G41 will fit it as well. I find myself using the Shield more and more for "casual" carry, e.g. for when I need to be more discrete, or to have something that slips easily into a jacket pocket or something. It holds 7 rounds with one in the chamber, and I did get the one with the thumb safety as it is likely to get handled more during the course of the day and riding in a pocket. I like both.

 

I have both as well. The G30s is a sweet shooter and very accurate. The Shield 45 is too, and the thinner slide makes it more comfortable to carry. I like them both and don’t think I can pick one over the other.

 

I don’t generally feel the need for a second mag with the 30, I always carry one with the shield.

 

Why? A Glock magazine is probably just as likely to fail as a S&W magazine.

 

I was surprised when looking at the top of the slides comparing my friends 30 to my 45 shield that the 30 looked "thick as a brick". Regardless of length of grip - the 30 seemed HUGE in comparison. Compared to my full size 1911 - the 45 Shield is small and slender to carry - the 30 is like carrying a bigger bulkier gun.

 

I agree with this statement completely. For iwb carry thickness is the biggest Factor for me. Barrel length really makes no difference and length of the grip is a little more important but a fat gun seems to be the worst part

 

Interesting

Thanks for posting.

 

Had them both as well as the Gen4 30, 30SF, and 36. Kept the Shield 45. Nothing wrong with the Glocks but the Shield 45 works better for me.

 

Like to know if your were going into hostile area or battle would you take sheild 45,

 

Hopefully, I will be moving to a free state soon. Will be nice to take advantage of standard cap mags again.
If/when I move I may take advantage and potentially own other guns that I would normally have to pay a premium for.
As you and others know, Glock pistols just work, and the compatibility especially when it comes to standard cap mags and low-cap.

I recently bought a couple used G20/G29 mags. The G20 mags will be used when I get a conv. barrel for my G21. But, it is kinda sad that since I am limited to 10-rd, to think about the fact that the G29 mag holds just ans many rounds as the full-size mags.

 

Thanks for posting. I know that Carolina Gunrunners posted a few pics at their site, but good comparisons have been hard to find.

I did a mock-up comparison of my own using a shield 9 stand-in based on the Shield 9 vs. 45 pics that showed the .45 being about 1 baseplate's thickness taller than the 9mm. That led me to this simulation comparing a S&W4513TSW, the G30S, and the simulated Shield .45:

Although, isn't there a slight thickness difference between the two Shields also?

So, thanks for posting an actual comparison. I like the idea of the Shield .45, but I tend to favor a shorter grip height over a thinner frame, so I'll likely stick with my G30S (when I want more than my G43 offers).

Of course, some days, I think I need an XDS 4.0" .45. It sacrifices capacity, but it has the narrow width and the shorter grip height.

 

Thanks for the pics! I was actually interested in the size comparison for the G30. I was actually hoping i could get a little more info from you guys. So for comparison sake i have a G23. I love the size of that gun. I'm fairly new to the Glock world. I noticed on the Glock website they do not offer a 45 in the frame size as the 23 but i also noticed that the 30S is a little bigger then the 26 subcompact. So I was just wondering, is the 30 a mix between the compact and subcompact frame? Or how would you guys compare it to the G23/19 frame size?

 

The 30 is kind of an in between, as the frame is more of a sub compact, but the longer slide is more in compact territory. The 10 round mag puts it close in size to the 23.

If you want a “.45” the size of the 23, the GLOCK 38 in.45 GAP is the same frame as the 23.

 

View attachment 381515
I was actually surprised how the Glock 30s compared to the 45 shield. For those curious, I’ll attempt to attach photos from my phone.
View attachment 381516
Flush mag 6 round mag in the 45 shield and flush 9 round mag in the 30S.
View attachment 381517
Flush 6 round mag in the shield, 10 round mag in the 30s. View attachment 381519 View attachment 381520

I thought this was interesting. The last 2 pictures are the 45 shield with the 7 round mag compared to the 30S with the 13 round Glock 21 mag. Granted the shield is thinner but I’m really impressed how versatile the 30S actually is.

I like the G30S over the Xds45 after having shot both, I bought the G30S. I find the Glock shoots to POA and has a soft recoil and I also like the larger grip and that it holds 10 rounds. I found the Xds snappy and not as accurate as the Glock, it also only held 6 rounds. Just my opinion, but I chose the Glock.

 

View attachment 381515
I was actually surprised how the Glock 30s compared to the 45 shield. For those curious, I’ll attempt to attach photos from my phone.
View attachment 381516
Flush mag 6 round mag in the 45 shield and flush 9 round mag in the 30S.
View attachment 381517
Flush 6 round mag in the shield, 10 round mag in the 30s. View attachment 381519 View attachment 381520

I thought this was interesting. The last 2 pictures are the 45 shield with the 7 round mag compared to the 30S with the 13 round Glock 21 mag. Granted the shield is thinner but I’m really impressed how versatile the 30S actually is.

View attachment 381515
I was actually surprised how the Glock 30s compared to the 45 shield. For those curious, I’ll attempt to attach photos from my phone.
View attachment 381516
Flush mag 6 round mag in the 45 shield and flush 9 round mag in the 30S.
View attachment 381517
Flush 6 round mag in the shield, 10 round mag in the 30s. View attachment 381519 View attachment 381520

I thought this was interesting. The last 2 pictures are the 45 shield with the 7 round mag compared to the 30S with the 13 round Glock 21 mag. Granted the shield is thinner but I’m really impressed how versatile the 30S actually is.

Frank:thanks for your pictures-I'm a Glock guy,do however hear good things about the Shield.My next purchase will be a G30 or G30s-that's just Me.In fact in retrospect I love my G43 but should have purchased the 30 1st-Oh well it'll be just one more Glock for Me-It's out there on the radar.

 

Have had a shield in 9mm not 45 but it's nice. Not a glock fan boy but have had a 21 and a 30s in gen3. Sold them but have now got a gen4 19 a 43 and for some reason the love of all my glocks is my 36. I know they don't make a gen4 36 but mine has a pic rail on it? What gen?? I carry my 36 every day almost exact size as my 19 even fits my raven concealment holster for my 19

 

I'm a Glock guy. I admire many others, but for the last 27 years, my life has been in the care of Glock. Always goes BANG!

 

I don’t generally feel the need for a second mag with the 30, I always carry one with the shield.

Being that the primary cause of weapon failure in semi autos is the magazine I always have at least one spare

 

If I had a bunch of worn out stuff I would worry about that but I maintain my stuff and do not worry about my magazine failing.
It will go boom when desired.

 

Great comparison.I have a Gen 3 21SF 45 and had to get a grip reduction for my hand.I also have the 45 Shield which conceals well in shorts or a 3-piece suit.Would like to have a Glock 30 S or SF with removable back straps.Which of the 30 s have the starps.Any recomendations.Otherwise Ill just look for a Commander sized 1911 they always carry good.

 

The 30S is not yet out with a Gen4 frame, so there's no back-straps yet. Glock has said They will be issuing a Gen4, but so far - not yet.

 

Just to muddy the waters a bit more, someone in a previous post was asking about a G23 sized .45. I have a S&W .45 Compact that is nearly identical in all dimensions, and holds 8 rounds in the magazine.

 

Yes the original M&P .45 Compact is virtually identical to the G19 in size. Mine had several issues though and I ended up getting rid of it. I should give the 2.0 a try but it's bigger and heavier than the original.

 

If you can carry the 23 then you can carry the 30s. The size difference isn't that great as you can see with my 23 on left, 30s on right. just my .02 View attachment 382168

 

I have carried A G-23 every day for over 25 years.
Before that I carried a 1911 Commander On, and off duty.
I guess you could say I'm a Glock Guy, I don't have a problem with it. I have started to cull out the pistols that I no longer carry or shoot. I have a nice G-21, and a EAA Witness in 45acp, when either one of those sells I will replace it with a G-30S. That will give me two pistols in 45acp.
I will later sell my G-17, and a G-22
I will keep the G-17L, just because I want to.

 

Glock 36 for the win.

 

on the xtra mag thing,better to have it and not need it,than to need it and not have it! it's a mechanical devise[gun]**** could happen!

 

I have only a Officer's model 1911 45 and a Shield 45 to carry, the Shield is slightly smaller and a lot smoother for concealed carry, but I have 8 round spare mags for the 1911 and the 1911 is a better trigger. My holsters would be the deciding factor and for me right now my Cook's Kydex holster for the Shield is way more convenient and versatile than my High Noon Leather holster for the 1911 (The Kydex has a easy to use polymer clip and the spring steel clip for the 1911 is difficult to use except with a dress belt and usually I have to remove the belt to remove the 1911 holster)
I'd rather carry the Officer's model, but the Shield would get the nod. Moot point as I carry something else in 40.

 

I can't see comparing a 45 Shield to a 1911...
The Shield is much lighter and thinner in the grip than a 1911....

 

I wish Glock would come out with a Compact size 45 ACP. Something similar to the G23. I'd get a G38 45 GAP, but it's to hard to find any 45 GAP ammo.

 

The Glock 30S and 36 are basically the same size as the Glock 19 and 23.