Kel Tec PMR 30

ttarp said:

Definitely worth the money, whether or not its your cup of tea. .22 mag is only expensive if you buy it expecting it to be as cheap as .22 LR, .22 mag is cheaper than most 9mm and any .25, .32, .45, you name it. The PMR30 is a good reliable pistol, the trigger is genuinely nice, and the fiber optic sights are a nice touch. And the .22 mag isn't as drastically far from 5.7's ballistics as you would normally think, probably a bit more punch than a .22 LR out of a rifle...



But, its still a range toy with an uncomfortably long grip and magazines that are somewhat difficult to load all 30 into(no surprise there...), I just bought it because I wanted a pistol with a 30 round magazine.

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Exactly ttarp, i will admit i don't own a PMR-30, but i kick myself everytime i hear someone praising the PMR-30 for not buying one at $400, and compaired to a 5.7 FiveseveN it was meant to "do it's thing" out of a P90 length barrel, the FiveseveN pistol was meant to be a companion sidearm to the P-90.

I recently inherited an old AMT .22 AutoMag, needed a good cleaning to get running -- firing pin was gunked in place from being "cleaned" with WD40.

While I'm clearly in the camp that .22Mag is just not all that useful for much of anything rifle or pistol, but I must say that shooting this .22Mag pistol at steel plates is way too much fun -- the very impressive muzzle blast and flash and minimal recoil is just plain ol' freedom loving American fun!

If you can afford it, why not. For anything other than just for fun shooting, I'd rate it very near the bottom.

I'd shoot it a lot more than I do except for my proclivity to cringe when plinking with anything that costs more than .22lr or 9mm steel cased ammo.

silvermane_1 said:

Exactly ttarp, i will admit i don't own a PMR-30, but i kick myself everytime i hear someone praising the PMR-30 for not buying one at $400, and compaired to a 5.7 FiveseveN it was meant to "do it's thing" out of a P90 length barrel, the FiveseveN pistol was meant to be a companion sidearm to the P-90.

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I've never had any issues with the 5.7 ammo, but I don't reload. Seems to perform nicely for me, from the pistol. Compare the 1200$ tag on a 5.7, that's one hell of a commitment, even before you start shelling out in the neighborhood of 60 cents a round. I also found I had to mod the mag release, so it wasn't jutting out of the handle 1/4", and releasing the mag. But the PS90 is silly accurate. You just shred things , with follow up shots.
Almost worth what the ammo costs.

When it comes down to it, affordability makes the PMR30 a blast. Cut a piece of bike inner-tube, and roll it over the handle for an improved grip, stuff an accu-wedge between the mag and the mag release, and it's time to go to the range.

Keyfer 55 said:

The cost of ammo is not a factor, the reliability is. I hike a lot and want a lightweight reliable sidearm.

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I haven't read much about reliability being an issue. The original models had some barrel issues which caused keyholing, etc., but it was about reliability. A few people have problems getting the magazines to perform reliably, but that's GENERALLY a flaw in their loading techniques. (At least one here claims he has had problems even though following the manual instructions re: loading.)

I've been shooting mine off and on for maybe 2 years, now -- and really haven't had any reliability issues through maybe 800 rounds. I've had more problems with other .22s I've shot, with fewer rounds shots -- and that's with good quality .22lr ammo (not the cheap "bucket" stuff.

It did take me two range trips AND READING THE MANUAL to get over my problems with loading the magazines properly. I don't try to load the mags to 30 rounds, and generally stop about 26-27. Not worth the extra effort, to me.

We have two PMR 30s in our household. I have an early one, probably 2010 vintage, and my wife has one I bought new for her in 2018. Mine is primary a tractor gun for ground squirrels and the occasional feral cat. Both of ours have been very reliable when loaded according to the directions with the recommended ammunition. The only downside is they are very loud and hearing protection is essential. I have muffs on when driving the tractor anyway so it's not a big issue.