30 Super Carry Review: Performance Examined vs 9mm & .380

Image	Product	Price
	American Eagle 30 Super Carry 100-grain FMJ	Check Price
	Gold Dot 30 Super Carry 115-grain Gold Dot HP	Check Price
	Blazer Brass 30 Super Carry 115 grain FMJ	Check Price
	Remington 30 Super Carry HTP 100-gr JHP & UMC 100-gr FMJ	Check Price
	Federal  – HST 30 Super Carry 100-grain HST JHP	Check Price

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. Thanks to GunMagWarehouse and Inner10 for the logistics support.

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 Cartridge

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:

Physical Dimensions & Specifications

Magazine Capacity Measured in the S&W Shield EZ Platform  

While capacity is not the holy grail of specs, having more is rarely a detriment.  Below you can see that 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. 

Terminal Performance as Measured Against Heavy Clothing

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.  

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.

Recoil

I made a nice little arts and crafts project to help visualize muzzle rise.  I shot a video of the three pistols against a striped target to see the difference.

.380 Auto

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.

30 Super Carry

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.

9mm Luger

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.

.380 Auto vs. 9mm vs. 30 Super Carry   

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.

30 Super Carry vs. 9mm

The 30 Super Carry uses a .312-inch bullet compared to the 9mm’s .355-inch, so it is slightly smaller in diameter. However, the 30 Super Carry offers 1-2 extra rounds of capacity compared to similar 9mm guns.

In ballistics testing, the 30 Super Carry performed similarly to 9mm overall. With a 100-grain bullet, the 30 Super Carry had a velocity of 1,250 fps and energy of 347 ft-lbs from a Federal Premium load. A comparable 147-grain 9mm Federal HST round had 1,000 fps and 326 ft-lbs of energy.

Other 30 Super Carry loads like Speer’s 100-grain Gold Dot reached 1,150 fps and 294 ft-lbs of energy, still in range of 9mm rounds like Speer’s 147-grain Gold Dot at 1,150 fps and 364 ft-lbs.

In gel testing, the 30 Super Carry demonstrated adequate penetration and expansion. Speer’s 115-grain load averaged 15.3 inches of penetration, while Federal’s 100-grain HST averaged 15.75 inches, which is comparable to various 9mm self-defense loads.

Bottom Line on 30 Super Carry vs. 9mm

While the 30 Super Carry performs similarly to 9mm ballistically, its key advantages are its slimmer profile and slightly higher capacity in concealed carry guns. However, ammunition options are far more limited compared to the ubiquitous 9mm Luger. The 30 Super Carry fills an interesting niche but does not clearly beat the 9mm, especially for shooters on a budget. More options and lower costs could make the 30 Super Carry more compelling over time.

30 Super Carry vs. 380 Auto

Physically, the .380 ACP is short and squat, while the 30 Super Carry is taller and slimmer. More importantly, the 30 Super Carry uses heavier bullets – primarily 100-115 grains versus the .380 ACP’s common 85-95 grain weights.

In ballistic testing, the 30 Super Carry displayed clear advantages over .380 ACP. With a 100-grain bullet, the 30 Super Carry reached 1,250 fps and 347 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. Comparable .380 loads, like Federal Punch 88-grain, achieve only 1,000 fps and 189 ft-lbs of energy.

Other 30 Super Carry rounds like Speer’s 100-grain Gold Dot hit 1,150 fps and 294 ft-lbs, still besting .380s like Speer’s 90-grain Gold Dot at 1,040 fps and 216 ft-lbs.

Gel Testing

In gel testing, Speer’s 115-grain 30 Super Carry load penetrated an average of 15.3 inches, while Federal’s 100-grain HST reached 15.75 inches. These numbers are greater than typical .380 ACP JHP loads.

The 30 Super Carry also showed a solid expansion of .39-.59 inches on average. This indicates it performs better terminally than the .380 ACP.

Bottom Line

With its heavier bullets and higher velocities, the 30 Super Carry outperforms the .380 ACP ballistically. It maintains an advantage in energy and penetration while matching or exceeding .380 expansion. While options are still limited, the 30 Super Carry seems clearly superior to the .380 ACP for self-defense based on testing.

As of this writing, three companies are making pistols chambered in 30 Super Carry, S&W, Hi-Point, and Nighthawk Customs. In fact. Hi-Point has the first carbine in 30 Super Carry.

Image	Product	Price
	SMITH & WESSON SHIELD PLUS 30 SUPER CARRY	Check Price
	S&W M&P SHIELD EZ MS 30 SUPER CARRY	Check Price
	Nighthawk Custom President 30 Super Carry IOS Cut	Check Price
	Hi-Point 3095	Check Price

The 30 Super Carry round seems to be primed to replace the .380 AUTO as the preferred caliber for micro and compact pistols and to possibly compete with 9mm by allowing for higher capacity in the same amount of pistol real estate.  I look forward to seeing other manufacturers delve into this cartridge and what their new designs might be. 

The diameter of the 30 Super Carry generally results in a plus two in total capacity.  That can be a big bonus in a little pistol and provide for some interesting carry pistol designs in the future.  Maybe Walther would be interested in upgrading one of James Bond’s old carry pistols like a PPK or PPK/S to a 30 Super Carry. Heck, even Mr.Bond’s first gun, the Beretta 418, could be interesting using modern engineering to become a tiny pocket 30 SC!

The 30 Super Carry Cartridge delivers quality performance compared to a 9mm Luger but is sized to bring superior performance and capacity to what traditionally would be the realm of the 380 Auto.