Federal Premium kicked off the pre-SHOT Show announcements with a new cartridge, the 30 Super Carry. Designed to exceed the ballistics of a .380 ACP while holding more rounds than a 9mm, the 30 Super Carry launches with guns available and several types of ammo.
Who is Making 30 Super Carry?
Right off the bat, all of the Vista Outdoor brands are launching support for the new round. Federal Premium offers two loads, a 100 grain hollow point with their HST bullet design, and a 100 grain FMJ. Remington will launch two loads for the new round as well. The first is a 100 grain FMJ on their UMC line. Secondly, Remington offers a 100 grain JHP as part of their revitalized HTP (High Terminal Performance) rounds. Speer has a 115 grain Gold Dot JHP to contribute, and CCI pairs that with a ballistically match 115 grain FMJ on their Blazer Brass line. For more information check out Federal’s page.
Are There Guns Available?
Yes. Initially, Smith & Wesson launches its lineup with a Shield EZ chambered in 30 Super Carry. According to Federal’s launch announcement, a full size M&P is following soon. Additionally, Nighthawk Custom is prepping a 1911 for launch, also chambered in the 30 caliber round. The best news is that because these are already extant firearms platforms, there are already plenty of holsters available if you want to try out a new carry gun. We have reviews in process on the new guns as we speak, so make sure to watch these pages for more information about the new guns chambered for the 30 Super Carry.
30 Super Carry Terminal Ballistics
This is the part that you all have been waiting for, and unfortunately until we get our gun reviews up shortly, all we have to rely on is the data provided by Federal. But boy is it good data. In many ways, this round feels like a semi-auto version of the 327 Federal Magnum. If you recall, the 327 Fed Mag was created to emulate 357 Magnum ballistics but with a 6th round on board in small revolvers. Fast forward, and the 30 Super Carry emulates 9mm ballistics, but with 2 more rounds on board than you’d get in a similarly sized 9mm pistol. The Shield EZ 9mm holds 8+1, the new 30SC Shield EZ comes in at 10+1. The Nighthawks will hold 12+1 in a single stack magazine, and that honestly seems pretty cool.
The trend in ballistics has been towards making rounds that meet the FBI standards: 12-16 inches of penetration with good expansion after defeating 4 layer denim. Pushing a .312 diameter bullet (the 30SC is this diameter) to a stated 1250 FPS seems to achieve this exact result. The ballistics information provided by Federal has the 100 grain HST round expanding to about half an inch at 1250 FPS, and the Gold Dot performing similarly.
Possible Future Developments
New rounds are always exciting, especially when they’re backed by major players like Vista Outdoors and Smith & Wesson. You can really let your imagination run wild thinking about what other manufacturers might come up with. For example, the 30 Super Carry might be small enough that you could squeeze 8 of them into the cylinder of a Ruger GP100, assuming the gun uses moon clips. The +2 capacity for semi-autos has some tantalizing opportunities as well. Imagine a 1911-pattern gun built on the CCO size – an Officer Frame with a Commander slide, but with 10 rounds on board. Or a 12+1 Glock 48 that doesn’t need after-market magazines? The possibilities are endless and exciting.
Regardless, we will have reviews coming soon on the new guns chambered in the new 30 Super Carry round! Make sure to check back for updates on developments on this new cartridge and the guns chambered for it.
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