This must be what gun writer hell is like. You’re being paid to say something nice about a shit sandwich of a gun. Also, it’s SHOT Show so you’re on deadline. The result…
Shot Show: Kel-Tec Still at Max Capacity for PMR 30
Making a reliable .22 magnum semi-auto has always been a challenge in the industry. Doing so with a pistol is even more difficult. Kel-Tec has had the most successful design with their PMR 30.
Translation: The Kel-Tec PMR 30 is a jammamatic.
Kel-Tec is running at top production capacity of a thousand a month out the door.
You will never actually see one in your life.
Quite a few like the significant muzzle flash and blast.
Most people hate the muzzle flash and blast intensely.
…most reliability problems with the PMR 30 are with magazines. … Find a magazine or two that work with your PMR 30 and you are good to go.
Even if the pistol you purchased functions, the magazine that comes with it will not.
If the market slows down with a Trump administration, and less angst about legislation, we may see a 33 rd .22 LR offered by Kel-Tec.
We will never see a 33 rd .22 LR offered by Kel-Tec.
I was lucky a few years ago, I almost bought a Kel-Tec rifle. One of the guys I see regularly at the range had one he was getting rid of. His pitch was kinda like a used car thing. “This baby has low miles, was driven by a sweet little old lady” etc, etc… so I sport tested it. Fifty rounds down a clean barrel with a failure to eject and three failures to chamber. The owner’s excuse was that I had surplus 5.56 ammo, The ammo I was using came from china and was the same stuff I used with great results in my MVP. Maybe it was the fault of the ammo or maybe it wasn’t, in the end I politely declined.
Wise choice.
Wow, Joel, are you cynical! And almost certainly spot-on in your assessment. Amusing translations, too.
M Ryan,
Ok not to take you to the wood shed or anything and certainly not to praise Kel-Tec, but where exactly did you get surplus 5.56 Chinese ammo? (it was all marked as .223) That stuff hasn’t been importable since “daddy Bush” was in the White house. Also I would like to know how you can possibly compare a bolt guns reliability to that of a semi. Especially with unobtainable ammo. Something tells me that a side by side test with good ammo would deliver a far different result. BTW Yes I own an MVP, Yes I’ve shot the Kel-Tec and both ran perfect.
Eric
I so want that pistol to work reliably. I’m a .22 Magnum fan boi, no doubt about it, and just like the idea of a rifle / handgun that use the same ammunition.
High flash is correct – I have a Taurus snub nose that could probably be used for night time visual signalling (I’m over HERE!) and about .38 Spcl. loud in report.
If or when this pistol is proven bug free, I will probably buy one, but not right now.
When I first heard about a .22 mag pistol with a 30-round magazine, I do confess I said “want.” It might be the perfect boonie/varmint gun, as long as you had ammo access and weren’t worried about bears or the equivalent. I carry a Taurus Tracker, and there have been days when the threat du jour was dog packs, and that 5-round cylinder wasn’t looking so ideal…
And I’ve fired some fairly weird Kel-Tec guns that ran just fine. I don’t have any special prejudice against Kel-Tec. But I gather the PMR 30 has had some complaints along the way.