Which Glock model has the best stoping power? Glock 30, 39, or 33?

Answer 1

Stopping power is less important than shot placement. A good hit with a 9mm will beat a poor hit with a 45ACP any day. That's why it's important to choose the pistol that fits *you* the best and practice with it regularly. There is no best pistol for everyone. I recommend handling (and preferably, shooting) as many pistols as possible before making your purchase. I'm a Glock person--they fit me better than SIG's, HK's, etc, although I have friends who prefer other brands.

All that being said, choice of caliber is important. In my oppinion, the smallest adequate caliber for defense is 9mm. With the right (hollowpoint) ammo, it can be very effective. I would not be comfortable stepping out there with anything smaller, i.e. a .380 or a .22, etc. An example of a 9mm service pistol is the Glock 19 used by the NYPD.

The next step up, so to speak, is the .40. The FBI wanted more stopping power than a 9mm but with more capacity than the .45 offered, so they tried the 10mm round (see the Glock 29). It's a great, powerful round but kind of hard to control for some people so they developed the .40 instead. The .40 has good velocity and penetration and is in many people's minds a good compromise between the power of the 45 and the capacity of the 9mm. I would recommend shooting the .40 before buying it, because some people find it to be too "snappy." An example of a .40 service pistol is the Glock 22/23 which is the standard FBI sidearm.

Then you have 45ACP. Awesome cartridge with great stopping power, but it's larger, so you can generally carry fewer rounds. That may not be a problem when you're talking about a 10+1 Glock 30. The main complaint with the Glock 30 is that it is fat--the grip is too big for some people. I think the grip is thick but it works for me--try it before you buy. It may be hard to conceal because of its girth. That being said, the GL 30 is very accurate for its size and is one of my favorite Glocks.

The Glock 39 you mentioned is in 45GAP. Basically, this round is an attempt to shrink the 45ACP down to allow for more magazine capacity. It's a neat round, but it hasn't caught on that well, as far as I've seen. I really don't have that much experience with the 45GAP but I would go with one of the other offerings.

The Glock 33 is chambered in 357 SIG. The secret service loves this round, and its agents carry SIG 229's in 357 SIG. They like it because it penetrates very well--i.e. penetrates doors, walls, etc. Many shooting experts like Chuck Taylor are not big fans of the round because it can be a liability for civilians (i.e. you shoot someone and it goes through them, through a car door, and hits a bystander). Personally, I don't like the 357 SIG. Unlike secret service agents, you don't have immunity if you hit a bystander.

What would I choose? From those 3, I'd take the Glock 30 for the reasons above. I would also take a serious look at the Glock 23/27 (in .40S&W) and the Glock 19/26 (in 9mm) to see if one of those works better for you. I would stay away from the 357 SIG.

If you want to look at polymer pistols similar to Glock, Smith&Wesson makes some nice polymer pistols in its M&P line, and Springfield makes a nice 45 Compact XD. Someone else mentioned SIG and of course they are top of the line guns.

Answer 2

First, I would recommend the Springfield XD or Sig Sauer P229 over a Glock any day. Second, in my opinion, stopping power is less important than penetration and shot placement, so I'd recommend the 357 Sig load. It's faster, smaller, and will consequently penetrate anything better than the 45 ACP and GAP. Unfortunately, the 357 Sig ammo also costs a lot more and has more muzzle flash.

If you're interested, you can track down this documented case in Texas where a 357 Sig round outperformed a 45 ACP. Officers fired at a suspect in a tractor trailer. The 45 failed to penetrate the steel shell, but the 357 Sig blew right through it and killed the suspect inside.
Ayoob, Massad. (2002). The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery, 5th edition: Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-485-7

That means if you MUST have a Glock, go with the 33. Avoid the 45 GAP at all costs because it has documented accuracy issues.

Answer 3

Glock Model 33

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Which Glock model has the best stoping power? Glock 30, 39, or 33?

Answer 5

Any one of those are calibers that have stopping power. However the G30 I think is better than the other two and more readily available and cheaper as well. .357 Sig is a rough round to find.

On that note, I also think you should look at other pistols before you make your final choice. (unless of course you already have). The Springfield Armory XD has better safeties, and overall feel. They are just as reliable as Glocks too. Sig Sauer is a great gun. Taurus, Ruger...All good guns
Go to a gun shop and take a look around. I made the mistake of buying a gun that I did not like after I shot it. And the trade in value sucks. If you like the Glock and it fits your hand and feels great, WONDERFUL, but look around if you have not.