Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry Pistol – Superb 3.1 in. Barrel, Slim Frame, High Capacity

Description

The Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry answers a question people have been asking for years: can you get more rounds into a carry gun without making it wider? Thirty Super Carry is a smaller-diameter cartridge than 9mm, so more of them fit in the same magazine well. In the Shield Plus frame that means a genuinely slim pistol with capacity that used to require a bigger gun.

What 30 Super Carry Solves in the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super

Carry pistols are limited by width, not length. A 9mm cartridge is a certain diameter and that sets how many fit side by side. Thirty Super Carry is narrower, so the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry fits more rounds into the same slim frame — without the double-stack bulge that makes a gun print through a shirt.

Federal designed the cartridge to hit close to 9mm performance from a smaller case. Independent testing generally supports that, though it remains a newer round with less field history than 9mm has.

The Honest Trade: Ammunition

This is the real consideration and it deserves a straight answer. Thirty Super Carry ammunition costs more than 9mm and is stocked in far fewer places. If you buy the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry you should plan on ordering ammunition online in quantity rather than picking it up wherever you happen to be.

If that logistics burden bothers you, the Shield Plus in 9mm is the same excellent pistol with the easiest ammunition supply on earth. That is a legitimate reason to choose it instead.

None of this is a knock on the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry as a pistol — it is purely a supply-chain question about the cartridge.

The Shield Plus Platform Under the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super

Whatever you think of the cartridge, the gun is very good. The Shield Plus has the best trigger Smith & Wesson puts in a carry pistol — a flat face with a short, tactile reset — and an 18-degree grip angle that points naturally. The Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry keeps all of it.

Texture is aggressive enough to hold under stress without being uncomfortable against skin, which is a hard balance in a carry gun.

Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Specifications

Who the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry Is For

The carrier who wants maximum rounds in minimum width and is willing to manage the ammunition supply to get it. Also anyone recoil-sensitive, since 30 Super Carry is noticeably softer than 9mm out of a pistol this size — that alone sells a fair number of them.

If you want to buy practice ammunition at any counter in America, buy the 9mm Shield Plus. There is no shame in that being the deciding factor.

Shooting and Practice

Recoil is mild and follow-ups are fast, which combined with the Shield Plus trigger makes the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry easy to shoot accurately for a gun this small. Because ammunition is expensive, many owners dry-fire more and live-fire less — which is fine, but do put real rounds through anything you intend to carry.

Run at least fifty rounds of your chosen defensive load before trusting it.

Owners of the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry who shoot regularly tend to buy ammunition a case at a time, which also brings the per-round cost down.

Holsters and Magazines

Shield Plus holsters fit regardless of chambering, and the selection is enormous — that is one advantage of buying into a popular frame. Magazines are chambering-specific, so buy 30 Super Carry magazines and keep a couple of spares since they are less commonly stocked.

A quality belt does more for comfortable carry than any holster upgrade.

We can include spare magazines with the Smith Wesson Shield Plus 30 Super Carry in the same shipment if you want them.

Ordering and FFL Transfer

We ship to your local FFL after we receive a copy of their license. If you have a preferred dealer, tell us at checkout and we will coordinate directly with them. Pennsylvania buyers can complete the transfer with us in Collegeville.

Browse more handguns in stock at MAG5 Firearms, or see the manufacturer page for the Smith & Wesson line.

Every firearm we ship leaves our Collegeville, Pennsylvania shop through a licensed FFL dealer and must be transferred to you by an FFL in your state. Questions about ammunition availability, holsters or how 30 Super Carry compares to 9mm? Call or email us before you order.