It was a recoil-operated weapon with a theoretical rate of fire of 280 rounds per minute, though practical use was limited to 120 rounds due to 20-round magazines. The naval version, 2-cm Flak C/30, was deployed on U-boats but suffered from frequent jamming.
It was widely used by the Luftwaffe and Army in mobile batteries and homeland defense, later replaced by the improved 2-cm Flak 38. The Flak 30 used 20×138 mm B ammunition and had a barrel lifespan of 10,000–12,000 rounds.