If you’ve been reading Primer Peak for a while now, you’ll know that I’m a certified .30 Super Carry fanatic. I’ve done ballistics testing, compared it directly to 9mm offerings, and more. Virtually all of my work with 30SC has been with my personal Smith & Wesson Shield Plus.
I initially picked up my 30SC Shield Plus in October of 2023. Since then the gun has been a staple of my range sessions, along with coming to some matches and classes. To date, all ammunition and, magazines, and the gun itself have been sourced out of pocket. After nearly a year with the 30SC Shield Plus, how has it performed?
Design of the 30 Super Carry S&W Shield Plus
The Shield Plus isn’t a particularly novel design. They took the stellar S&W Shield, and made it hold double the rounds. We get a 3.1-inch barrel, a trigger safety, polymer frame, and not a ton else. Texturing on the grip is fantastic, helping to improve traction in moist conditions. The trigger is somewhat stiff, with a definite wall, more similar to a 1911 than a Glock despite the hinged design.
Think of this as a P365, but one you’d actually trust not to break, rust, or have other whoopsies. For those who have whoopsies of your own, you still do not have to press the trigger for disassembly. I know some folks will love that feature, though it’s not a big deal for me.
This isn’t a new pistol. It’s the Shield Plus, you know it, it’s been around for years. If I don’t sound blown away, that’s not a dig on the gun. This is a well designed pistol, but there’s more to it than that. It’s chambering and reliability are what makes it stand out to me.
Why 30 Super Carry?
I won’t get into the details about 30SC here, as I’ve covered that in detail previously on Primer Peak. In short, 30SC gets me comparable characteristics to 9×19, while improving capacity. Flush fit magazines hold 13 rounds, while the factory extended magazines give me 16. That’s without topping off after chambering a round. Smith & Wesson includes one of each mag to suit your preference. My carry setup is 16+1 with this thing, and that’s standard.
More rounds than a Glock 19 in a significantly smaller package that is comparably shootable? I’ll take that any day of the week. Despite coming in at under 20-ounces empty, recoil is comparable or less than that of a Glock 48.
Sights
Factory iron sights are really solid with the 30SC Shield Plus. We have a three dot night sight arrangement made by Ameriglo. The front sight features an orange fiber optic ring around it’s tritium lamp, helping catch our vision in daylight. These are standard height sights, and the rear is nicely dehorned. Relatively standard for S&W sights, and that’s a good thing.
Optics
The S&W Shield Plus in 30SC comes cut for optics from the factory. No plates were included, but the gun is setup for Holosun K-Series optics from the start. Curiously, there are also plates available to convert this cut to Holosun K-Series optics. A self-licking ice cream cone of sorts.
When taking the cover plate off of the optic cut, I noticed an orange pin sticking out of the top of the slide. At first I thought this was standard, but it was not. This was a roll pin that hadn’t been fully seated, and interfered with my optic. A few taps with a mallet put it in its place, and no other issues have occurred thus far.
I’m pleased to report that my 407K-GR sits low enough for the factory irons to still be easily useable. BUIS on a carry gun are non-negotiable for me, so this is a nice addition.
Range Time with the 30 Super Carry S&W Shield Plus
This gun punches well above its weight class. I’ve made comparable scores on various drills to my Glock 34, which is a bit silly in my mind. At first I thought it was just me, but soon I found out that the 30SC Shield Plus can take on the competition too.
Outside of regular range time, the S&W Shield Plus has accompanied me to some outlaw steel matches, winning five of my 7 bouts. Additionally, it came with me to the Rangemaster Professional Trainer’s Symposium, where I won Top Shot over greats such as Wayne Dobbs, Tim Chandler, and others. I think I was just as shocked as they were when they saw the results and what I had in my waistband.
Round Count
The current round count, as of this review is 1,357 through this Shield Plus. Below is the breakdown.
- 25x Federal Champion 90gr FMJ
- 200x Federal American Eagle 100gr FMJ
- 960x Remington UMC 100gr FMJ
- 105x Blazer Brass 115gr FMJ
- 4x Light primer strikes
- 5x Remington HTP 100gr JHP
- 20x Hornady Critical Defense 100gr XTP
- 22x Federal HST 100gr JHP
- 20x Speer Gold Dot 115gr JHP
There was one other potential issue I experienced early on with the Shield Plus. This was a few examples of the slide not going forward when racking it on a fresh magazine. To solve this, I’d pull the slide back, then press the slide release down, which would then send the slide home without further issue. Ever since the first S&W Shield, the slide releases have been incredibly stiff, so I imagine that is the issue here. Over time this problem has gone away, and was never consistent in the first place.
For those curious, I haven’t seen any significant differences in performance across the various loads tried in the gun. From recoil to reliability, and POA/I, it’s all about the same so far. Federal or Remington are my go-to for the range, and Hornady Critical Defense is my only recommendation for carry in this pistol. For more details on defensive ammunition, check out my 30SC gel testing results >>HERE<<. I’ll be doing more testing later this year with new loads and barrier materials, stay tuned!
Final Thoughts on the 30 Super Carry S&W Shield Plus
I love my 30 Super Carry Shield Plus. This quickly went from a curiosity to something I trust my life to. As my first foray into the high capacity subcompact world of pistols, this has been a stellar experience. For years I eyeballed competitors like the P365, but none gave me confidence or performed like this does.
If you’re looking to try out this style of pistol, give the S&W Shield Plus a serious look. If you’re wanting more capacity, then 30SC is absolutely for you. If we could get a full size M&P companion pistol in 30SC, they’d convert me away from nearly a decade of Glock use. This is a great gun, and it’ll be in my roster for a long time coming.
MSRP on the 30SC Smith & Wesson Shield Plus is $549. However street prices are hovering close to $299, and with a $50 rebate, you can pick one of these up for $250 before tax. That’s nearly the price of a Hi Point, but you get something that isn’t a turd. Buy one, seriously.
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If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Writing isn’t my full-time profession, and nearly everything I do comes out of my own pocket. Between ammunition, tuition, range fees and more, expenses add up fast. If you like what I have to offer, consider making a donation to my Patreon.
Every bit helps bring more work like this to you, and contributes to shortened timelines or more in-depth work on my part. You’ll also have more direct access to me, offering suggestions for future projects, looking behind the scenes, and getting early access to some content. You can find my Patreon >>HERE<<
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