How’s this for accuracy? Fifty rounds of 185-grain Hornady XTPs fired offhand at 15 yards. Mustafa Bilal

At first glance, the new Glock 30 SF appeared to address my concerns about the grip size of .45 ACP Glocks. Although it is more compact and concealable than the Glock 21 or a full-size 1911, it still offers 10+1 rounds of .45 ACP punch.

It is a bit thicker than I would like but not so much that it is difficult to conceal. Besides, an extra fraction of an inch in thickness is a small price to pay for a few extra rounds of 230-grain goodness.

Because the frame is still a bit beefy, I was concerned that the 3mm reduction in trigger reach may not be noticeable. But my concerns were unfounded. The difference, while not great, was noticeable right away. Though on the edge of what feels comfortable in my small hands, I could still acquire a solid firing grip with the new mini-Glock.

The new pistol pointed well, too, coming on target quickly thanks to its ergonomic grip angle. The trigger broke at five pounds, nine ounces, or just one ounce over factory spec. Overall, the new pistol looked and felt great, so I quickly cleaned and lubed it in preparation for my next trip to the range.

Because of heavy rains and a tight deadline, I had to do the majority of my testing indoors at the Top Gun Range (topgunrange.com) in Houston, which has a separate training bay that allowed me the freedom to move around and really wring out the new pistol.

Before starting my accuracy testing, I fired 20 230-grain Federal Hydra-Shoks into the chest of a silhouette target to get a feel for the new pistol. All 20 rounds fed, fired, and ejected without incident. They impacted a hair high and left but grouped tight, so I moved the target back to 15 yards, which I felt was a fair range given the compact size of the pistol.

From my Outers Pistol Perch, I fired five five-shot groups with five different loads. All shot remarkably similar, but Hornady’s 185-grain XTP load produced the best average of 1.97 inches and the smallest group--a 1.38-inch beauty. The 230-grain Hydra-Shok load was a close second, with a five-group average of 2.16 inches. Ammunition from Cor-Bon, Black Hills, Remington and Winchester performed well, too, and I would feel comfortable using any of the hollowpoint loads I tested for self-defense.

With my accuracy testing complete, I stepped in front of the bench and moved a silhouette target to 15 yards and fired five magazines into the target as fast as I could get my sights back on target and squeeze the trigger. Although a few errant rounds opened up the group a bit, the rest of the rounds fell into a gaping hole that was, like the rest of the groups, a hair high and left. The entire group could easily be covered with a softball--pretty impressive for a sub-compact packin’ pistol.

With the accuracy work out of the way, I loaded up my magazines, laid out the rest of my ammunition and went to work emptying it in a variety of drills designed to test the pistol’s reliability, accuracy and handling qualities.

I started firing 10 singles at seven yards from the Low ready position. I had no trouble doing this accurately and quickly, so I switched to double taps. Again, I had no trouble doing it accurately, although I was a bit slower than I am with a full-size, steel-frame gun. This was doubtless caused by the increased recoil of the polymer-framed mini-Glock over my full-size pistols.

ACCURACY RESULTS: Glock 30 SF
CALIBER	BULLET WEIGHT(gr.)	MUZZLE VELOCITY (fps)	AVG. GROUP (in.)
Hornady XTP	185	950	1.97
Federal Hydra-Shock	230	850	2.16
Cor-Bon FMJ Match	230	750	2.28
Winchester JHP	230	880	2.33
Black Hills JHP	185	1,000	2.70
Remington FMJ	230	835	3.15
Notes: Average accuracy is the result of five, five-shot groups fired from an Outers Pistol Perch at 15 yards. Velocities are manufacturer-published figures.