30 Super Carry Ballistics Gel Testing 2024 [Part 1]

At the end of 2023 I set out to see what exactly .30 Super Carry had to offer. It’s a cartridge that I’d been excited about, so I decided to put my money where my mouth was. This led to purchasing a S&W Shield Plus in 30SC, spending a lot of time on the range with it, and more. One of my big projects was conducting some ballistics gel testing to see how defensive loads fared.

Background

I won’t get into the details of 2023’s testing here. You can read the results of that event >>HERE<<. However, I will say that some loads didn’t quite live up to expectations. My hypothesis was an issue with barrel length, causing some rounds to underperform. This was validated after reaching out to each manufacturer of .30 Super Carry, who confirmed that all of their loads were developed using 4-inch test barrels.

For those unfamiliar, the S&W Shield Plus features a 3.1-inch barrel. It may not seem like much, but similar differences have caused problems for defensive loads in the past for 9×19 and other calibers. At the time, the only other available barrel lengths were 5-inch 1911’s from Nighthawk Custom, or the 3.68-inch S&W Shield EZ. Nighthawk isn’t exactly in most people’s budgets, and my experience with the EZ has been less than stellar.

Then SHOT Show 2024 happened. Avidity Arms released their PD10 in .30 Super Carry, to everyone’s surprise. This made it the only available pistol in .30SC with a 4-inch barrel. This immediately put it on my radar.

Moving Forward

In late July of 2024 I reached out to Rob Pincus, head honcho over at Avidity Arms. Curious to see how a 4-inch barrel impacts bullet performance, I requested a loaner PD10 to perform gel testing with. To my delight, Rob was very enthusiastic, and sent one over right away. As an unexpected surprise, I also received a prototype 5-inch barrel and slide to test as well.

With time short to get testing knocked out, I picked up a few more gel blocks from Clear Ballistics and made my way to the desert.

Test Parameters with Ballistic Gel

For this test I opted to use two 10% gelatin “FBI” blocks measuring 16x6x6 from Clear Ballistics. These are covered in four layers of 100% mid-weight denim, also known as 4LD. Each round gets fired a minimum of five times into gel to help insure consistency throughout testing. Additionally, every round is measured by a Competition Electronics ProChrono LTD to verify velocity.

Our test pistol is the Avidity Arms PD10, in both 4-inch, and 5-inch barrel configurations. Testing occurred on 05 August 2024, between 0530-0830 hours. Temperatures ranged from 67-78 degrees Fahrenheit in Cold Creek, Nevada during testing.

Control

No test is valid without some sort of control measure. As with previous testing, my control is a S&W 351C loaded with Hornady Critical Defense. That’s a 1.88-inch barrel firing a 45 grain .22WMR FTX bullet. These are fired into the same barrier material, through the same chronograph. Consistency is key.

Testing 30 Super Carry

Ammunition Selection

I tested four different loads during this outing. Each was fired five times through the 4-inch PD10, and five times through the 5-inch PD10. Here are the loads tested and stated muzzle velocities:

• Federal HST 100gr JHP
  • Manufacturer advertised velocity (4″ bbl): 1250FPS
• Hornady Critical Defense 100gr FTX
  • Manufacturer advertised velocity (4″ bbl): 1250FPS
• Federal Punch 103gr JHP
  • Manufacturer advertised velocity (4″ bbl): 1130FPS
• Speer Gold Dot 115gr JHP
  • Manufacturer advertised velocity (4″ bbl): 1150FPS

30 Super Carry Ballistics Gel Test Results

There was a dramatic improvement in test results using the PD10 versus the Smith & Wesson Shield Plus. As a certified 30SC cultist, this was great to see. This also helps reinforce last year’s hypothesis that performance in my initial testing was a result of barrel length. We love validation. You can read a PDF of my test results >>HERE<< or you can look at the images below.

The results speak for themselves. We get much better performance with .30 Super Carry using a 4-inch or 5-inch barrel than with compact pistols. The only big disappointment here is Speer Gold Dot, which once again largely failed to expand, zipping through the majority of the gel. It’s strange to see that result considering Gold Dot’s great reputation in other calibers. Curiously, we’re still not consistently meeting Speer’s stated velocities with either barrel, which is likely a factor.

A Quick Note

You’ll likely notice some “did not record” blocks under velocity in my data. While that is explained in the results, I’ll also provide an explanation here. Unfortunately, my chronograph was having some issues with the lighting conditions during early parts of my testing. Sunrise and sunset are not ideal, but I thought I’d be fine in the direct Southern Nevada sunlight. I was wrong.

Due to this, I did fire some additional rounds through the chronograph at the end of my range session. While these additional rounds were not fired into gel, they do provide us with some level of insight. We can use averages in velocity to help us extrapolate why a bullet did or did not perform well. For my next round of testing I’ll be sure to wait for better lighting conditions to help avoid this issue in the future.

Additionally, some folks take issue with Clear Ballistics gel versus organic gelatin. We won’t dive into that argument here. Neither product is a 1:1 for each other, nor for living tissue. This is simply a consistent method of evaluation. Take my results and compare it to others to make an informed decision.

Thoughts for Shooters Considering 30 Super Carry

If you’re considering carrying a service sized pistol in .30 Super Carry, hopefully this is helpful for you. As of this testing, it appears that Federal HST or Hornady Critical Defense will be your best bet. In a pinch, Federal Punch could also fare decently, though not quite a well as the previous options.

You may be asking what my thoughts are on the Avidity Arms PD10, but unfortunately, those won’t come out here. Keep your eyes peeled for a review at a later date, as evaluation is still taking place. Just know that it and Nighthawk Custom are about your only option for service size guns in 30SC currently. Maybe this testing will be enough to get someone to make a competitive option!

Wrapping Up 30 Super Carry Ballistics Gel Testing 2024 [Part 1]

This was another great learning experience for me. I’m very happy with the performances of most rounds here, and I’m hopeful that it’ll have some impact for the community. While .30 Super Carry isn’t popular, I think it holds a lot of benefit for both conceal carriers and those carrying on duty. These results help reinforce that. Hopefully it helps you make selections for yourself, or at least learn about a caliber you’re not familiar with.

Those with a keen eye will likely have noticed the [Part 1] at the end of this heading and the title. Good job! I’m working on a companion piece to this testing. Our next round will feature the same guns and ammunition, but this time fired against an FBI spec heavy clothing barrier to see how that impacts performance versus 4LD. I’ll also be performing that same test with the S&W Shield Plus for those looking for carry gun information.

Author’s Note: Avidity Arms provided the PD10 on loan for purposes of this evaluation. No expectation of positive commentary were provided by either myself, Avidity, or their representatives. 

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