Review: Kel-Tec PMR-­30

By Brad Fitzpatrick

Photos by Michael Anschuetz

Kel-­Tec’s PMR-­30 is a .22 Win. Mag. Rimfire (WMR) pistol that’s been in high demand and low-­volume production (due to design improvements) since it was unveiled in 2011. The big takeaways are that the PMR-­30 is a semiauto that reliably chambers .22 Magnum and feeds from a 30-­round, double-­stack magazine. (Take a moment to wrap your mind around that.)

Kel-­Tec describes the pistol’s operation as “hybrid blowback.” Hybrid? Think delayed blowback. Admittedly, I had my reservations about the design. For starters, pressure levels in rimfire ammunition vary greatly and that can lead to feeding issues. Additionally, rimmed cartridges make designing an effective double-­stack magazine a challenge. But Kel-­Tec’s designers eventually proved that — with the right engineering — a double-­stack semiautomatic rimfire pistol could be reliable.

The hybrid blowback action combines elements of both locked-­breech and blowback designs subject to pressure levels. With higher-­pressure loads, the barrel moves slightly rearward with the slide as it would with a traditional locked-­breech design. When firing lower-­pressure loads, the PMR-­30 acts akin to blowback firearms. This versatility means that the PMR-­30 will cycle the wide range of .22 WMR ammo available. The system …Read the Rest

Source:: Guns and Ammo