2.14.2022 | by Shawn Steiner, Gunmade.com
You may have heard of the new 30 Super Carry cartridge from Federal and wondered as I did, What’s all the hubbub, bub? Initially, like many, I started with the assumption that this would be another solution looking for a problem, ending in a new bright cartridge dying on the vine as many have in the past.
I had seen many different calibers come and go while teaching concealed carry and firearm classes since 2010 and wondered if this would go the way of many other commercially failed cartridges. Upon further review, I think this cartridge has the potential for a successful foray into the concealed carry pistol arena.
I was kindly provided 200 rounds of Federal American Eagle 30SC and 200 Rounds of Remington HTP 30SC and headed out to Inner 10 Weapons and Training, who loaned me a trio of Smith & Wesson Shield EZ’s in .380 auto, 9mm Luger, and 30 Super Carry to do some research.
Pictured: Nighthawk Custom 30SC
Introduced in 2022, the 30 Super Carry was developed by Federal as a new caliber aiming at the self-defense pistol market. Federal states that the “30 Super Carry was fully developed from the ground up with no parent cartridge. Utilizing modern materials and designs, it provides vastly superior performance to seemingly similar historic cartridges.” While similar in dimensions to older cartridges like 7.65×21 Parabellum, 7.65×20mm Longue, and 32 Auto, it surpasses all of these in terms of performance.
The 30 Super Carry cartridge from Federal is a new offering to the CCW & self-defense market. It is a high-pressure cartridge (50,000 psi) traveling faster than both the .380 auto and the 9mm Luger. Performing closely to 9mm and easily outpacing the .380 auto, it has all the chops to become a standard in the self-defense realm and possibly beyond. 30 SC presents an alternative to 9mm in CCW pistols due to the smaller diameter cartridge facilitating smaller guns with increased capacity and comparable performance.
Let’s start with some stats on the three calibers for a quick comparison:
While capacity is not the holy grail of specs, having more is rarely a detriment. The slimmer design of the 30 Super Carry gets two more rounds over both the 380 Auto and the 9mm. I consider that a standout feature of the new caliber.
Stats being what they are, the numbers make some things clear the 30 Super carry is an obvious contender in performance. While ammo manufacturers keep coming up with new recipes in different delivery systems, it still seems plain that the skinny Super Carry has some niche benefits of its own. See the numbers from Federal in our chart below.
I took my newly arrived package of ammo from GunMag Warehouse and set out to my favorite blasting palace to get a feel for 30 Super Carry in comparison to the 380 auto and 9mm Luger. I got S&W Shield EZ in all three calibers, providing a good comparison platform.
Photo: Shield EZ Chambered in 9mm, 380 auto, and 30 Super Carry
I was intrigued to see how much of a difference the cartridges make compared to the same delivery system. I loaded up five rounds of each to get a general feel for the comparison and shot these one-handed, two slow fires, then three rapid fires with a complete two-hand grip.
Starting with the .380 auto EZ. The ride was easy and enjoyable. The gun is light in the 380 Auto caliber, and the recoil is milder than the rest. This makes for a light pistol with a pleasant recoil impulse that would be easily controlled by a small framed or elderly shooter.
Next up, 30 Super Carry; I figured putting it in the middle would give me the best comparison to the other two calibers. This time around, the ride was a bit spicier. The gun is noticeably heavier but not what I would consider a heavy pistol. The recoil reminded me of some of my other 9mm pistols, but not close to a 9mm fired from my Springfield Hellcat. I think the recoil impulse of 30 Super Carry is a bit more mellow than that of a 9mm.
Last up, the Shield EZ running 9mm. This gun felt lighter than the 30 Super carry model but still noticeably heavier than the 380. The recoil was similar to the 30 Super Carry, but the impulse felt a touch sharper than the 30 SC.
Overall, the shooting experience of the three calibers from the S&W Shield EZ was an interesting comparison, mostly in felt recoil and muzzle rise. Felt recoil in order of least to most: 380 Auto, 30 Super Carry, 9mm Luger. It was a close call between the 9mm and the 30 SC, but the 30 Super Carry is just a bit milder.
Muzzle rise followed the same order 380, 30 SC, then 9mm. Again, the last two were close, but the video I shot showed the 9mm had just a bit more upward travel of the muzzle.
The S&W Shield EZ paired with the Federal 30 Super Carry was a fine round with interesting stats. The recoil was more than the same pistol in .380 AUTO and similar to a 9mm but with a different recoil impulse, not more or less but different at least going by feel. The 380 Auto has had a much-welcomed increase in carry ammo performance lately, but the new 30 Super carry looks to have what it takes to give it a real challenge in that area of self-defense & CCW pistols.
For more on 30 Super Carry, visit https://www.remington.com/30supercarry.html.
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