Keltec PMR30

[JoeJ615]

ok i know how dumb this makes me sound but i JUST found out that this gun exists lol and it sounds too good to be true ... a $300 pistol with 30 round capacity in a flush fitting mag, with ballistics similar to a 5.7? i NEED this gun .. but i have a few concerns i was hoping some of you guru's may be able to address

1. how reliable would you think the gun would be with the cheap BVAC bulk ammo ($70 for 500 at CTD)

2. the barrel looks like a toy when i've seen the gun disassembled in youtube vids i mean the thing is tiny, or is that a non issue with a caliber such as .22mag?

3. anyone own this gun who can speak on durability/reliability as far as build quality

4. fixed sights (which i normally hate) .... how accurate is this gun at ranges a little beyond 7 yards .. nothing huge just say 25-50 yards?

5. i know the 5.7 is also a 40gr bullet but i saw both guns chronoed the FN 5.7 at roughly 1,700 fps and the PMRR30 at roughly 1,400fps .. how much real world difference is that extra 300fps going to translate into?

[Guest steve24]

There's a great video on this pistol by hickok45 on Youtube:

[JoeJ615]

lol i JUST came here from watching the hickock vid (i wish that guy lived closer i would love to get a day at that range) i logged onto youtube and saw he had just uploaded it a few hours before my original post but he didnt really speak to some of the concerns im having like the tiny barrel ... interesting though because the one i saw in the disassembly vid was fluted and appeared smaller in diamater than the one in the hicock video, gun did seem to have a few hiccups with him though on the mag release and the slide releasing i'll have to read up more i guess

[mikegideon]

Lots of muzzle blast. We expected that. I want one.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Try finding one for $300, everyone I have seen for sale has been $500+.

Keltec says the muzzle energy is comparable to firing a 22LR our of a rifle. They are going to offer a 22LR conversion. I would buy a dedicated 22 LR version today but I will never buy a 22 MAG version. I think in 22 LR it would be an amazing gun.

There is also a rifle version of it as well.

Dolomite

[mikegideon]

I like that big ball of fire out of the muzzle!

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Thirty rds of .22 LR in a pistol would be neat. I wanted a PMR30 2 or 3 years ago when announced. Dunno now.

Not getting new product out the door quick enough has got to hurt them. But if they are already selling everything they can make, maybe it doesn't hurt em too much.

[hipower]

Check the Kel Tec CNC site. It will give you a lot of info you're looking for.

Now a few comments from me. I own one. Have put about 300-400 rounds thru it. First, it is very light, unbelieveably light, and easy to shoot. Pretty good trigger. As with most guns, it is far more accurate than I am, and the majority of shooters.

Keltec has awnsered issues about "keyhole/tumbling" rounds by sending out relpacement barrels. And I guess this is a good time to address your barrel comment. Yes, it is short and skinny. But it's a .22. Yes, a .22 mag, but doesn't need to be the size of a .45 barrel. I called KelTec the day I bought my PMR30, asked about the barrel. Read them the serial number, was told "Yes, it did get a new barrel." I had it three days later. Haven't installed it yet.

Keltec stated orginally that the twist rate in the orginal barrel needed to be changed and that would address and correct the keyhole issues. That was later changed to say that the ammo used was the cause of it. In fact, Keltec reccommended the use of CCI 40 grain ammo only with the gun. And even went so far as ths specify not to use Fioch ammo in it at all. That was later amended to using lighter, like the 30 gr., I believe. If my memeory is correct. As far as ammo, I took them at their word and used only the CCI initially.

I had used the Fiochi 40 grain in my Smith revolver and was quite happy with it. In fact I had several bricks of it.

Now, to what I've shot in it. CCI 40, Remington 40, Winchester DynaPoints 40, and Hornady V-Max 30 grains. I even tried the Fiochi and found I did have feeding issues with it. The length of the cartridge seemed to be the factor. Too long or short lead nose on the slug caused it to jam frequently, probably 2-3 times in each mag.

Use of the other brands, regardless of grain weight, took care of feed issues.

Keyhole or tumbling rounds? I experienced it with all brands. Seemed to me that it occurred when the barrel got good and hot. Like 50-75 rounds. Or just emptying the mags a quickly as possible and reloading and continuous firing. And with that light thin barrel, it can get pretty hot.

Barrel changes. As I said, I haven't yet changed it out. But the original barrel is fluted, I assume for heat dissipation, surely not for weight savings. The replacement I got is, to my eye the same thickness, just unfluted. As stated earlier, havent swapped barrels yet. This particular toy has been supplanted by my new Ruger toys; a 22/45 with a can and a red dot sight and a MKIII Target that 's a ball. Both of 'em actually. But I will get back to the PMR30 soon.

Don't have any issues with the dayglo sights. Easily picked up and highly visible to old eyes.

Better accuracy will come with using and shooting this gun more frequently, I believe.

Can't comment on the comparison with the FN 5seven and it's ballastic properties as I have no experience with them.

The only real drawback to me is the mags. Loading those 30 round mags is a BEAR! By hand I can only load 26/27. But firing 26 shots can be tiring. And stinging 2 mags together...I thought it would never empty.

[Bosgarage57]

yea good luck finding it anywhere for <500. Seen 3 at gunshows locally and they have been gone by the end of the day. KT is also coming out with a RMR-30, if you havent seen it check it out. I'd like to have one, when Twisted Industries gets a 22lr conversion for it.

[Guest Skeeter]

.Thirty rds of .22 LR in a pistol would be neat. .

.

Intratec tek 22 uses Ruger 10/22 Magazines.

.

[graycrait]

I put one on order today based on the .22LR conversion. Have little interest in the .22WMR stock model, but have a great interest in a .22LR version.

[JoeJ615]

yeah im a huge fan of .22lr handguns myself i didnt even know there was a conversion kit for it ... now im even more interested lol

[Jonnin]

I sort of wanted one of these, and due to kel tec treating me extra well I was determined to buy one of their guns, but the trigger on it just was too much for a target pistol, so I passed on the 22 mag. It feels good in my hand, and seems like a nice piece apart from the heavy and longish pull --- I wanted it as a target gun however. I ended up going for the PLR in 223 and that has been a great deal of fun.

The genitron handgun comparison has the pmr30 as one of the few 100% ideal defense weapons, as it has a reasonable physical size, a very very high capacity, low recoil, decent energy levels, and so on. I do not know how I feel about that but it struck me as interesting; most of your glocks and xds and whatnot rank in the 92 or so % by their metrics. So I would say this would be an "interesting" choice for CCW for some people, esp weaker shooters such some of our elderly, if it is reliable. I do not know how reliable the current production runs are, but supposedly the pistol is somewhat picky about what ammo it will accept.

Anyway, I would pass if you were thinking (as I was) to use the flatter, faster 22 mag for longer range target shooting, due to the trigger. For regular ranges, plinking, or maybe even ccw, it could be a great pick.

[Defender]

Didn't know they made a .22LR conversion for it...dunno if I want one of those or not. Guess it depends on how easy it is to swap out maybe. I DO want the RMR-30 though. Especially if it uses the same magazines as my PMR 30. That would be fun I think, lol. I'm still waiting for the KSGs to come in lol.