Kel-Tec PMR-30 .22 Magnum

S

Shann

Joined
Sep 2, 2004
Messages
5,251
Does anybody have one of these? 30 Rounds of .22 magnum in a light weight full size polymer gun. I read the Gun Tests article on it and it was very positive, as was a Shooting Times one. 30 rounds is almost unbelievable. One of my friends as a FNH 5.7 which holds 20 rounds and I get tired of pulling the trigger with that!

I do think that one of these in .22 LR would be the ultimate plinker, but they are only making them in .22 magnum for now. Even though its not an expensive round, its a lot more that the LR.
 
I wish i had, i've been looking at these for a while now, if i ever get one, i will let you know

I have heard some good reviews though

Have you seen the full auto version built to test the mag?
 
If I was one of those fortunate people that has more money than they know what to do with.... I'd buy one in a heartbeat!
 
Mongo said:
If I was one of those fortunate people that has more money than they know what to do with.... I'd buy one in a heartbeat!
Click to expand...

Are you one of those whiners that spends their money on unimportant stuff like a mortgage and food? :)
 
ITs a fun gun, shoots pretty good. .22mag is expensive compared to LR but in line with 9mm ammo, so its not horrible. Rumor is Keltec is going to market a .22lr conversion for it
 
don't have one yet, but plan on getting one. only for target shooting at the ranges and varmint shooting at my wife's family farm up in north floriduh. the high mag capacity is a huge draw for me, and i like .22 magnum. plus it really isn't all that expensive.

the 5.7 is a neat pistol and a buddy has one, but for the extreme cost of over 1k, new....and the cost of ammo i find the pmr-30 a nice choice. not really comparing the two except in target shooting and high mag capacity. the 5.7 is more aimed at self defense and i prefer 9mmx19 to it, but that's me.

all that said, i'd prefer a .22lr pistol with 30 mag capacity though. exactly like you said for cost of ammo. i like everything i've gotten from kel-tec. they've never let me down.
 
I don't have a Kel-Tec, but I love my old Grendel P30. The .22WMR in a pistol makes a lot of noise (ain't that half the fun of shooting? :D) and having 30 rounds in the mag is a hoot.
 
I'd love to own one however they seem to be in really high demand and in the local shops are marked way above MSRP. I see this pistol as the "Poor man's FN 5.7" the 22 magnum while dimuntive is IMO nothing to sneeze at.
 
They're actually suspended production. 2 of them blew up.

I've handled one before, not too crazy about them. The grip is kind of funky. But, it would be a good close range coyote gun.
 
I've seen a couple reviews that say hollow points won't expand properly because the barrel is too short.
 
gormandu said:
I've seen a couple reviews that say hollow points won't expand properly because the barrel is too short.
Click to expand...

Hollow points expand on impact so I don't understand the logic in your statement. Are you saying that the bullet expands once it exits the barrel? Where did you read this review?
 
I'm sure he means the hollowpoints don't expand well due to the reduction in velocity caused by the reduced barrel length.
 
The barrel length is 4.3 inches. I can hardly imagine that muzzle velocity is reduced to such a point that hollowpoints don't expand properly, especially with Magnums rounds. I'd like to read the review he is referring to.
 
The .22WMR through a pistol barrel gives velocities about equal to .22LR though a rifle barrel. The problem is, the .22WMR bullets usually have actual jackets rather than the plating used on the LR rounds, and need the higher velocity they get from a longer barrel to expand reliably. I can't point you to an article to read, that's just what I've found shooting a few hundred (okay, a couple thousand) .22WMR rounds through pistols and rifles.
 
Speer and Hornady have both recently released .22 Magnum loads designed to expand reliably from short (2") barrels.

One of these days when I have the time I'm planning to round up a variety of .22 Mag, some milkjugs and/or phonebooks, and take the 351C for a spin to see what effects bullet construction, weight, and velocity have on expansion.
 
I'm curious...did those reviewers actually do some (more or less) scientific testing, or just opinion? Since i don't even know what reviewers you're referring to, this is not aimed at them in particular. But i've noticed a lot of guys seem to think they're Gods Gift to hunting, shooting, etc., etc. and many of them just barely know which end the lead comes out.

Edited to add: Hadn't read Y's post earlier. If you've observed the results of a couple thousand rounds, that's different. But as another poster alluded to, different ammo may be the ticket.
 
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My imperical data is probably outdated. I haven't shot much for ten or fifteen years, so the new .22WMR rounds might well expand at the lower velocity from a pistol length barrel. I'll have to get some and see how they cycle in the Grendel. It has always been a bit finicky about ammo.
 
As an owner of the FN 5.7 (which I love, but hate the price of fodder), I've been waiting for all the bugs to be worked out of the PMR 30 (which I believe has finally happened). The first THREE versions had some issues.

http://www.gunreports.com/news/news/Kel-Tec-PMR-30-status-update_3018-1.html

I believe the folks at Kel-Tec have finally gotten it right. I look forward to one as a present to myself in the near future. I've had a very long hankering for a functional semi-auto .22 WMR for over two decades and own two S&W .22 WMR pistols that the whole family adores. Low recoil, decent power, and excellent accuracy. Obviously one of my "dream guns" has been an engineering nightmare since the days of the notoriously unreliable AMT .22 WMR. I think Kel-Tec has demonstrated enough commitment here to finally see it through. Now, a compact, 15 round semi .17 HMR.....probably another 20 year wait!
 
It sounds like a great concept - having 30 rounds of WMR in a pistol. I am wondering if there is a lot of unburned powder because of the short barrel. Like what others have said, it seems logical that the short barrel does not allow the round to achieve its potential (ie higher velocities), thus the report of lack of expansion. So from what I can see (from reading only) it's a great concept but at the same time I wonder if there are some inherent shortcomings that go along with the concept.
 
b_15d179e7dd7ca525dc1c44dda16dcdf9PMR4.jpg



Hate threads like this without a pic.



Paul
 
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