G36 vs G30S/SF

[RobzGuns]

Has anyone owned, or shot both the G30S/SF and the G36? Seems that the Forum Search doesn't recognize 3-Letter Search Words (like G36), so rather than searching through Thousands of threads that have the Key Word 'Glock' in them, I gotta ask...

I'm pondering a 'Blue Label' purchase of a Glock in .45 for Carry and wanted to hear about the difference between the G36 and the G30S (or SF). The Shield45 is not out of the question, but it's hard to beat a Blue Label price.

I know the G36 carries less rounds and can not use 'Big Brother' Glock .45 mags, but I'm not considering carrying larger/longer mags anyway.

My main interest would be hearing about the difference in perceived recoil and grip... Control-ability. I've shot the G36, but have not yet shot a G30S. The G36 felt good to fondle at the counter and felt good to shoot. To me, the perceived recoil of the G36 was similar to that of my Shield9 (surprising, since one's a .45 and the other is a 9mm)

So... Has anyone owned, or shot both?

 

[LVSteve]

Hickok45 did a test on the 36 and mentioned that he really likes the 30. [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYJgIFQIAy4[/ame]

 

[Ozark Marine]

I own a G30 SF.
So I can only compare it to my S&W 457 and CS45 of similar size and single stack like the G36.

I like the soft recoil of the Glock 30SF over my Smiths.
But I also like the grip feel of the single stack S&W's.
Maybe the G36 might be in my future.

 

[sw dan]

howdy, i have the g30sf, its grip is slimmer than the g30, the slide is wide, recoil is not bad. the 36 is a single stack, which i have not shot. if you go to the glock talk forum, you may find the info needed. mas, said he liked the g30/30sf. good luck...dan

 

[Scorpion520AZ]

If it was for any type of "duty" pistol, I'd go G30S/SF. For civilian ccw self-defense, no-brainer for me, G36.

The G36 felt good to fondle at the counter and felt good to shoot.

P.S.
The answer you seek is in your question.

 

[RobzGuns]

P.S.
The answer you seek is in your question.

Yeah... I know I can handle the G36's recoil just fine... I just haven't been able to actually try a 30SF to see if it feels nicer.

My LGS/Range doesn't have a Shield45 in it's rental lineup, so I haven't gotten to try it, or the 30SF.

I no longer buy handguns that I haven't first had an opportunity to try/rent/borrow.

Thanks for the input thus far.

 

[GKC]

I've owned both, G36 and G30SF. This has been about 10 years ago or so, so some of what I say might not be relevant currently. The "regular" Glocks just don't feel comfortable in my small hands...not like other polymer pistols. The G36 did feel comfortable, but at the time, there were a lot of issues with them and they weren't generally reliable. I don't know if that's been straightened out or not...I haven't owned Glocks in years, and don't follow them on Glock Talk.

For what it's worth, I'd much rather go with a Shield 45 than a Glock 36.

 

[billwill]

After hundreds of rounds out of a 36, no problems. Concealable little package of power. Great purchase

 

[JayCeeNC]

Handle them both; see which one fits you best.
I did that with the G30 and G36, and the G36 fit my medium-size hands better, so that's what I bought.

 

[Big E3]

The 30S is a different gun than the 30SF. The 30S was a combination of the 30SF frame combined with the thinner 36 slide that Glock produced from the factory. A lot of people felt that the 30SF was great but would be better with a thinner slide. I have a 30SF and a 36 just so I could build a 30S but I found that I like the narrow frame of the 36 for IWB carry. When I carry OWB frame width does not make as much difference so the 30SF is fine. The 30SF, 30S and the 36 are all good to go, it just depends how they feel and fit in your hand and how you plan to carry and use the gun.