[PilatusTurbo]

Title says it: My first ever .45ACP is a Glock 30S, and I finally just got a chance to get out and shoot it.

TL;DR: I do believe reliability is paramount, but a couple of minor hiccups, is it the end of the world? All Ammunition was Freedom Munitions.. Read on.

I was bullied and peer pressured into buying a "Man's Caliber" or The Lord's Caliber by none other than @40/45 I will say that .45ACP is a stout round, not having fired it in years, and that was a mag or two then. Very fun to shoot, though.

We had some... issues... Wish I could say it went better, but more on that shortly.
First mags, side by side on with the snappiest (LOL) 9mm I believe I have, my Glock 43. As I said above, I needed to shoot a real caliber, and now the 43 feels like a BB gun.

It was also an interesting chance to finally get out and fire the "infamously" snappy Hellcats. Well, I also shot the Hellcat and Glock 43 side by side, and I'm not getting this whole "Hellcats are the snappiest"; it shot just fine. I didn't have much time to run more than a few mags through the 9mms.

I'll be posting excerpts of this range rep into my Hellcat post, so if you read this same text, oh well. Yeah, I feel as though my inexperience or close mindedness did not give the Hellcat Pro a fair shake in the past. It shot just fine, also, though believe it or not, I was a little sharper with the Hellcat. I've found a new Micro 9mm I love and it's the Hellcat. Hands down, just a solid little shooter.

So, the issues with the 30S. To preface, the gun is new to me, and did not appear to have been fired much. I did clean and lubricate this a few days ago before ever taking it out. All ammunition was new manufacture, Freedom Munitions 200 gr FMJ and 200 gr X-DEF. 125 rounds total fired, 75 of it being the X-DEF JHP. I chose to keep firing defensive ammo, because that's what I gotta be able to trust.

2nd out of first mags exhibited this failure, JHP X-DEF round. This happened again, later, and it was consistently about halfway through the mag. A simple hard tap on the bottom sent it into battery and off we went.

The problem is, this kept happening, but no more than 3 or 4 more times. I was watching the numbered mags, and only 2 of 3 did it, but the 2nd mag doing it was a surprise, because it did it later. I'm assuming all 3 will do it. It did happen with FMJ ammo, also, as pictured above. The failure was exactly like that, each time; the round was nosing up and to the left. All but one instance of this was easily rectified by a sharp tap on the mag; one instance the round nosed up even more, requiring stripping the mag out. I'm very unfamiliar with .45 and Glocks, so I'll be Googling around after posting this, if it's a common and easily fixed issue.

Next issue we had, was this: I ran 30 more rounds of the X-DEF at the end of the session (total 31 rounds) to give the 30S a chance to redeem itself. Well, no Failures To Feed, but Failures To FIRE: I had one dud round, so I popped it out. Then the next round also FTF'd. Wow. I did recover these rounds and ran malfunction drills, attempting to fire each round, 2 more times. Tap Rack Bang did quickly eject the bad round and fed and fired the next.

Here is firing pin protrusion post range trip, now:

I wish I could say it went better. However, in my TL;DR, I did make note that today, many of us (myself included in the past) tend to obsess over absolute 100% reliability. It's not realistic, is what I've learned. Sometimes, even great guns have an issue.

I'm also somewhat inclined to blame the ammo. I know Freedom has a generally solid rep, and my 357 and 38 I buy from them has never had an issue, but that's just it, I don't buy autoloading ammo from them. I don't know how their .45 and other autoloading cartridges really are. Two light strikes or hard primers out of one box, and of defensive ammo, no less? I'm thinking about emailing or calling them and seeing what they have to say.

Anyway, everything else, including the monster here, ran 100%.

I didn't get to run more than just a couple mags through the Hellcats and 43, but just running defensive JHP loads through them and they rocked and rolled, which is all I really ask for.

 

[porschedog]

Nice report; thanks for making the time to write & post it. The 30S, is, IMO, a solid platform.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

I did forget to mention in my rep, that it's conceivable that prior owner had fired it very little. It may still very well be within a 250-300 round break in period. I did only run 125 through it.

Some online posts had mentioned polishing of feedramps, but I've never had to do that with a Glock.

 

[40/45]

Bro, that really sucks. Very disappointing. My biggest problem with Freedom has been primers not going boom, but that was mostly(only) with the .45 FMJ with the SPP’s. As far as the failure to feed issues members much smarty than I I’m sure will be here to give suggestions.

I rented a Hellcat a couple weeks ago and thought that it kicks like a mule, just awful to shoot. Mind you, half the year I mainly carry and shoot a G27 🤷‍♂️

 

[PilatusTurbo]

Bro, that really sucks. Very disappointing. My biggest problem with Freedom has been primers not going boom, but that was mostly(only) with the .45 FMJ with the SPP’s. As far as the failure to feed issues members much smarty than I I’m sure will be here to give suggestions.

I rented a Hellcat a couple weeks ago and thought that it kicks like a mule, just awful to shoot. Mind you, half the year I mainly carry and shoot a G27 🤷‍♂️

Well, that's the hard thing to tell. I've never run non-factory ammo through an autoloader, or it's been years. While I consider Freedom to be decent, I don't put them up there with S&B, Fiocchi, Federal, Magtech, etc. I'll probably give them a call and see what they think.

Yeah, I didn't think the Hellcat was too bad at all.... Ironic coming from you... MR. MAN ONLY CALIBER

 

[vindibona1]

I like the .45acp round but only have a Colt 1911 that I bought in 1987 or so. Super accurate, but too heavy to carry. What is different about the .45acp vs 9mm is that in addition to muzzle rise it has a healthy twist too as the bullet moves through the rifling of the barrel.

 

[Bradley T]

See what happens next time. That’s a heck of a gun you got there! I like the 200g bullets too.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

See what happens next time.

Pretty much, yeah. I may polish the feed ramp up a bit, though I've never had to do that to a Glock. I was reading online, several Glock .45ACP owners said doing it helped dramatically. Whether that is true or not, well, that's the internet for ya. I trust the folks here a LOT more than randos on the internet, but still, Googling can be helpful.

 

[FTMFXR]

I’d also make sure no one has change springs in it. Just food for thought?
I’ve been considering a 30S, this gives me pause.

 

[gunsmoke92]

Love the 30 and 30s, great guns! That said allow me to offer something to look at next time you go to the range. The only issue I had with my 30S was similar to what you experienced. What I discovered was my grip was such that my support hand was hitting the mag release. Not enough to drop the mag, but enough that the mag would drop just a bit and change the alignment with the feed ramp. After changing my grip enough to remove pressure on the mag release, the problem disappeared.

As to the light strikes, double check the striker channel to insure it's dry and clear, then try some different ammo. That 30S should run like a sewing machine. I know there are some who will poo poo on polishing the feed ramp, but I've never polished one and had it perform worse than one which was not polished. It can't hurt. Good luck.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

I’d also make sure no one has change springs in it. Just food for thought?
I’ve been considering a 30S, this gives me pause.

Yeah, I'm reading about it here and there on the internet, right now. It's known to have all kinds of issues... For some... Others, the gun runs flawlessly forever. It's one of those guns. Shoulda bought an RIA 1911 GI in 45 Everything does appear to be OEM Glock, but yeah, I don't know for sure if the RSA is totally stock. You're right. There was no description from the seller of any changed parts. I guess I gotta just sink more ammo in to test it again. First really oddball Glock, ever, for me. Again, to be fair, it may just need to be run and after a few hundred rounds the issue disappears. Too early to really tell yet.

The light strikes are absolutely the ammunition. I saved brass and compared fired brass to the two rounds that wouldn't set. Primers are obviously harder or subgun primers. The two that didn't fire are, of course, in the middle.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

Love the 30 and 30s, great guns! That said allow me to offer something to look at next time you go to the range. The only issue I had with my 30S was similar to what you experienced. What I discovered was my grip was such that my support hand was hitting the mag release. Not enough to drop the mag, but enough that the mag would drop just a bit and change the alignment with the feed ramp. After changing my grip enough to remove pressure on the mag release, the problem disappeared.

As to the light strikes, double check the striker channel to insure it's dry and clear, then try some different ammo. That 30S should run like a sewing machine. I know there are some who will poo poo on polishing the feed ramp, but I've never polished one and had it perform worse than one which was not polished. It can't hurt. Good luck.

I did check and clear the striker channel on my initial inspection/clean/lube, before firing. I posted right above on the light strikes. That's a non issue, now. Picture's worth a thousand words.

I'll have a look at my grip later when I'm back. That's never outside the realm of possibility.

 

[Wyozx]

Try some different ammo before changing out springs. Run some Win, Federal, or Rem 230gr fmj through it. See what happens.

 

[usmc4641]

I’ve used X-Def in 10mm, and while I had no failures to feed, I would get a failure to fire about one out of every magazine out of a G29.
ETA: I’ve run their 230gr reman out of a G30SF with zero issues.

 

[GlockedIn]

I am 1200 + rounds in on my 30s. Not a hiccup. Sorry your experience was nothing likewise. I echo the swap ammo chorus.

I did not like the stock mag release. I once either pushed it on a draw, or never full seated the mag. Will never know for sure. It was a one time thing. I swapped it for a less spiky vickers shortly after.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

I am 1200 + rounds in on my 30s. Not a hiccup. Sorry your experience was nothing likewise. I echo the swap ammo chorus.

I did not like the stock mag release. I once either pushed it on a draw, or never full seated the mag. Will never know for sure. It was a one time thing. I swapped it for a less spiky vickers shortly after.

I'm gonna take the mag release down a bit more. I do the same on all my OEM Gen 3 extended mag releases. This one is kinda halfway between OEM and OEM extended.

Yeah, I'm gonna clean it and check the feed ramp more closely. Maybe give it a light polish and run another 200 or so rounds before I can it.

So far it wears the moniker of Most Unreliable Glock, for me lol. 96% reliability is Not enough.

 

[magnum2117]

Title says it: My first ever .45ACP is a Glock 30S, and I finally just got a chance to get out and shoot it.

TL;DR: I do believe reliability is paramount, but a couple of minor hiccups, is it the end of the world? All Ammunition was Freedom Munitions.. Read on.

I was bullied and peer pressured into buying a "Man's Caliber" or The Lord's Caliber by none other than @40/45 I will say that .45ACP is a stout round, not having fired it in years, and that was a mag or two then. Very fun to shoot, though.

We had some... issues... Wish I could say it went better, but more on that shortly.
First mags, side by side on with the snappiest (LOL) 9mm I believe I have, my Glock 43. As I said above, I needed to shoot a real caliber, and now the 43 feels like a BB gun.

It was also an interesting chance to finally get out and fire the "infamously" snappy Hellcats. Well, I also shot the Hellcat and Glock 43 side by side, and I'm not getting this whole "Hellcats are the snappiest"; it shot just fine. I didn't have much time to run more than a few mags through the 9mms.

I'll be posting excerpts of this range rep into my Hellcat post, so if you read this same text, oh well. Yeah, I feel as though my inexperience or close mindedness did not give the Hellcat Pro a fair shake in the past. It shot just fine, also, though believe it or not, I was a little sharper with the Hellcat. I've found a new Micro 9mm I love and it's the Hellcat. Hands down, just a solid little shooter.

So, the issues with the 30S. To preface, the gun is new to me, and did not appear to have been fired much. I did clean and lubricate this a few days ago before ever taking it out. All ammunition was new manufacture, Freedom Munitions 200 gr FMJ and 200 gr X-DEF. 125 rounds total fired, 75 of it being the X-DEF JHP. I chose to keep firing defensive ammo, because that's what I gotta be able to trust.

2nd out of first mags exhibited this failure, JHP X-DEF round. This happened again, later, and it was consistently about halfway through the mag. A simple hard tap on the bottom sent it into battery and off we went.

The problem is, this kept happening, but no more than 3 or 4 more times. I was watching the numbered mags, and only 2 of 3 did it, but the 2nd mag doing it was a surprise, because it did it later. I'm assuming all 3 will do it. It did happen with FMJ ammo, also, as pictured above. The failure was exactly like that, each time; the round was nosing up and to the left. All but one instance of this was easily rectified by a sharp tap on the mag; one instance the round nosed up even more, requiring stripping the mag out. I'm very unfamiliar with .45 and Glocks, so I'll be Googling around after posting this, if it's a common and easily fixed issue.

Next issue we had, was this: I ran 30 more rounds of the X-DEF at the end of the session (total 31 rounds) to give the 30S a chance to redeem itself. Well, no Failures To Feed, but Failures To FIRE: I had one dud round, so I popped it out. Then the next round also FTF'd. Wow. I did recover these rounds and ran malfunction drills, attempting to fire each round, 2 more times. Tap Rack Bang did quickly eject the bad round and fed and fired the next.

Here is firing pin protrusion post range trip, now:

I wish I could say it went better. However, in my TL;DR, I did make note that today, many of us (myself included in the past) tend to obsess over absolute 100% reliability. It's not realistic, is what I've learned. Sometimes, even great guns have an issue.

I'm also somewhat inclined to blame the ammo. I know Freedom has a generally solid rep, and my 357 and 38 I buy from them has never had an issue, but that's just it, I don't buy autoloading ammo from them. I don't know how their .45 and other autoloading cartridges really are. Two light strikes or hard primers out of one box, and of defensive ammo, no less? I'm thinking about emailing or calling them and seeing what they have to say.

Anyway, everything else, including the monster here, ran 100%.

I didn't get to run more than just a couple mags through the Hellcats and 43, but just running defensive JHP loads through them and they rocked and rolled, which is all I really ask for.

Just because the 45 is about 10 days older doesn't mean it's the Lord's caliber 🤣

Still, a very nice pick! I wouldn't mind having a 30 in the mix. As for the feeding and failure to fire issues I would try a different brand of ammo on your next range trip, even if it's just one box of fmj and maybe a box of cheap hollowpoints to compare. I haven't heard too much recently but I have heard of issues with Freedom in the past.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

Just because the 45 is about 10 days older doesn't mean it's the Lord's caliber 🤣

Still, a very nice pick! I wouldn't mind having a 30 in the mix. As for the feeding and failure to fire issues I would try a different brand of ammo on your next range trip, even if it's just one box of fmj and maybe a box of cheap hollowpoints to compare. I haven't heard too much recently but I have heard of issues with Freedom in the past.

Yes, I've even had my own issue or two with them. Rifle ammo, though, reman. Never bought their autoloading pistol ammo. They're my go to for 357 and 38. No issues there that I can recall.

 

[303_enfield]

Clean your Glock. Get "better" FMJ ammo to break it in with.
Go here for a deal on magazines if you're not near a GSSF match:
PD Trade | Glock 30 | 45 ACP | 10rd Mag

My G30s has 7K rounds down the pipe. It's really fun watching my 12yo run plates with it at matches.

 

[PilatusTurbo]

Clean your Glock. Get "better" FMJ ammo to break it in with.
Go here for a deal on magazines if you're not near a GSSF match:
PD Trade | Glock 30 | 45 ACP | 10rd Mag

My G30s has 7K rounds down the pipe. It's really fun watching my 12yo run plates with it at matches.

I did clean it. I know my reviews/reps are wordy as heck, but I did mention those things I did. 😁 I'll have to look into different ammo, but I'm also not gonna sink a small fortune into it. Most of my guns, Taurus included, run everything I ask. Ammo sensitivity is something don't really tolerate.