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30 Super Carry: Best New Concealed Carry Caliber?

Can .30 Super Carry upend 9mm as the concealed carry go-to, or is this new round just a fad? We take .30 Super Carry to the range to find out...

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At the beginning of 2022, Federal announced a new cartridge called .30 Super Carry.

It promised to increase capacity without losing performance and looked to be a promising contender in the concealed carry market.

We can all agree more capacity is a big advantage in a defensive encounter, but do the tradeoffs make this juice worth the squeeze?

Can this new round take on the mighty 9mm as the go-to CCW caliber of choice? We got our hands on some .30 Super Carry to see what this round can do.

So, follow along as we walk you through the specs, talk about its pros/cons, and help you decide if you should invest in this new caliber.

Table of Contents

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Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Increased capacity
  • Less recoil (subjective)
  • Comparable performance

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Limited firearm chamberings

The Bottom Line

Based on our non-scientific approach, the .30 Super Carry is a valid defensive round that provides a little bit more capacity while retaining performance characteristics very similar to the proven 9mm. In our experience, the recoil was a little bit softer too.

Specs & Features

  • Caliber: .30 Super Carry
  • Weight: 100 grain
  • Penetration: 15.5”
  • Expansion: .530”
  • Energy: 347 ft-lbs
  • Velocity: 1250 fps
  • Approximately 20% capacity increase

Source: Federal

Background

At the time of writing, I didn’t have a lot of background information on the actual development of this new round. That said, it’s clear from Federal’s website their intent was to create a round specifically designed for concealed carry.

M&P Shield Plus 30 SC holster
Sporting the Shield in a We The People Holster.

In addition, the ammunition giant wanted to increase capacity without sacrificing performance --- a lofty goal indeed, considering the standard tradeoffs usually involved.

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Who Is It For?

Federal makes it clear...this round is intended for concealed carry and fills the gap between 9mm and .380. (Oh, and it's not really intended for military or law enforcement...civvies only.)

How Does It Shoot?

Equipped with Remington 100-grain .30 Super Carry and 124 grain 9mm from Federal courtesy of Gunmag Warehouse and two identical guns from Smith & Wesson -- the Shield Plus 9mm and .30 Super Carry -- I loaded up the different magazines and made the first observation.

The 9mm Shield Plus had a capacity of 13+1 with an extended floorplate.

By comparison, the Shield Plus chambered in .30 Super Carry was able to hold 16+1, also with the extended floorplate. The .30 Super Carry gun also felt a bit lighter when loaded.

Prior to shooting, I dug into the internet to see what people were saying. Most of the feedback indicated there was no discernable difference in recoil between the two rounds.

I didn’t find that to be true...

I could tell a distinctly softer recoil in the .30 Super Carry. The muzzle flip was tamer. While I don’t have solid numbers on this, I estimate it was between 10% to 15% less.

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What Sets It Apart?

We weren’t testing the terminal ballistics (performance after striking the target) of the .30 Super Carry. This type of trial requires ballistics gel, but it’s something we might come back to in the future.

From the offset, the .30 Super Carry does exactly what it promises to do, and that’s to provide more rounds.

13 rounds of 9mm vs 16 rounds of .30 Super Carry

More rounds equates to more potential shots on target in a defensive scenario, and this is a big advantage.

Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute recently approved the round, and other manufacturers are starting to produce it too.

Currently, only Smith & Wesson is creating guns chambered in .30 Super Carry, but that may change if the round continues to receive support.

Final Verdict

Our test was very limited, but it is clear the .30 Super Carry accomplishes the goal of more capacity while appearing to provide performance similar to the 9mm.

Federal’s own numbers seem to indicate the round is zipping along at 1,250 fps and expanding to .530 inches upon impact.

Penetration appears to be a little better, coming in at 15.5 inches versus the 14.5 inches of the 124 grain 9mm.

Since it seems most of the important metrics on performance are comparable to the 9mm, and you get increased capacity, it seems like Federal may have a hit on their hands.

Will you be making the switch to .30 Super Carry? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to check out Best Ammo Brands for Plinking, Accuracy, & Self-Defense.

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Written By

Sean Curtis

Sean Curtis

Content Producer & Lead Review Analyst

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Sean Curtis is a retired peace officer from Colorado with 22.5 years of experience serving in various roles such as deputy sheriff, Patrol Commander, SWAT Team Leader, and DA Investigator. He now works at Pew Pew Tactical as the Content Producer.

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Conversation

75 Comments

Join the discussion

  • 3
    1
    It doesn't excite me. Other than a few more rounds in the magazine, there's not really anything about it special enough to make it worth adding another caliber to my collection of guns. 9mm does the job quite well and there is lots of it available in every kind and weight of bullet you could ever want.
    ...
  • 7
    6
    The .30 Super Carry is a dead cartridge. Actually, it was never alive. Never turned any heads and never sparked any interest. Nobody cares about it and many haven't even heard of it.

    There's a reason why it is known as .30 Stupid Carry or .30 Super Stupid in the gun community. It's an answer to a question nobody asked.
    ...
  • 19
    1
    I recently got a S&W EZ in 30 Super Carry. I’m very pleased with it and hope more manufacturers produce firearms chambered in this caliber. I would really like to see it catch on.
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  • 10
    3
    The .30 Super Carry will bill okay in compact concealed carry, but will absolutely shine in an 8" PDW. The 52,000 psi of the .30 SC will put a 100 grain bullet over 1,700 fps and 700 ft pounds. Put that something like a CZ Scorpion where the standard 20 round mag will now hold 25 with lighter recoil? Oh yeah. Plus, the higher pressure rating means that it will handle very heavy bullets at a subsonic rating that will cycle and you have a suppressor friendly round as well.
    ...
  • 13
    If Sig made the P365 in 30SC I would carry it. Not a fan of any of the guns presently chambered in the new round but a pocket gun with 15 or 16 rounds of standard pressure 9mm equivalent would be fantastic.
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  • 5
    I like what I've seen & read. I do like the S&W shield but I would feel better if/when other manufacturers start producing pistols in this interesting cartridge.
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  • 2
    Ordered my M&P Shield Plus 30 sc Saturday. Currently carry a Hellcat, love it but I believe the new 30 sc is here to stay. Hope Glock comes out with its own 30 sc.
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  • 5
    This round is 32 caliber and almost duplicates the performance of the 327 federal magnum used in revolvers. At present the only 32 for auto

    Hand gun is 32 auto (7.65 Browning) which is anemic by todays standard. This new round gives new life to 32 caliber
    ...
  • 8
    A bunch of fudds are making comments in here. I bought the 9mm Shield Plus right after it released and have been carrying 147gr HST's in it. I also bought the 30sc Shield Plus right after it arrived at my LGS. I've been carrying the 30sc Shield+ loaded with 30sc HST's. Here is some math straight from the HST boxes of 9mm and 30sc.

    The 30sc HST has 21ft/lbs MORE ENERGY than the 9mm 147gr HST. That 147gr HST is a round that cops across America have been carrying for many years now, so why exactly would I think that Federal somehow produced a faulty 30sc HST?

    I'm absolutely not concerned about being outgunned while carrying my Shield+ loaded with 17rds of 30sc HST. Nobody I would be forced to shoot would ever know the difference between getting hit with the 30sc HST or 9mm HST, and no surgeon or medical examiner would be able to tell the difference either.

    If 3 more rounds in the same size gun doesn't matter, then why did Sig dominate the market when they dropped the 365 on us? It was only 3 more rounds than the first Shield or the first Ruger LC9, yet the 365 forced every other gun company to come out with their own "stack and a half" versions of the Sig 365. Capacity is the major selling point for guns nowadays, and new gun buyers are a key to the market. Giving them an option of higher capacity in the same size guns, less recoil than 9mm, and just as effective ballistic performance as 9mm, is a winning formula in my opinion.
    ...

    • Sean Curtis

      George you make some great points here, particularly on capacity. Sig clearly identified that as a key selling point and many other companies have been chasing them since. Be sure to stop in here this Thursday for something cool.

      Regarding "Fudds", I think there's room for everyone at the table. But I can also see how some people may not want to re-tool their whole carry system for a slight increase in capacity.
      ...

    • John

      No one is trying to be fudd'ish...Its just basically mostly if it justifies switching from 9mm and buying a new gun.
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  • 2
    Just bought a Shield plus and retired my Sig 938. Very happy and confident in the change.
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    • Sean Curtis

      Awesome Chris, glad you're happy with it.
      ...
  • 2
    I am also 82 and favor my old reliable always go bang, 1911A1 .45. Along with other handguns I have the S&W MP Shield in 9mm. Putting the question aside as to caliber and number of rounds, why would you place yourself in a position where there could be a gun fight, bad decision? I was always taught awareness of your situation and if you need to end a confutation, if it took more than three taps, you were the idiot!
    ...

    • Sean Curtis

      Allan, I really appreciate a couple of octogenarians weighing in with all that experience. And you are absolutely right of course, awareness and avoidance first, only defend if forced.
      ...