My friend Liem wanted a Kel-Tec PMR-30 after we saw one at the SHOT Show over a year ago.

But they were kind of like hen's teeth, hard to find.

So, he put in an order with a local FFL to look for him one, and about 9 months later, he finally got it.

Here it is.

Here it is.​

The PMR-30 is a full-sized semi-automatic handgun in .22 Magnum (.22 WMR) caliber.

The empty pistol is extremely light weight and only weighs 13.6 oz.

The double stack magazine holds an amazing 30 rounds of ammo, and fully loaded adds 6 oz. to the total weight.

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The magazine release in on the butt of the pistol.

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The sights are a combination of high visibility orange rear sights and a high vis green front sight.

They are very easy to see and very effective.

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The slide and barrel are 4140 steel, and the frame is 7075 aluminum.

The grip, slide cover, trigger, mag release, and safety levers are glass reinforced Nylon.

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The barrel is very slim and is also fluted.

This allows for a light weight pistol and also helps with heat dissipation.

It includes a Picatinny accessory rail under the barrel.

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The pistol has an ambidextrous thumb safety, much like a 1911 pistol, with a red insert to indicate it is ready to Fire.

It can be disassembled with the removal of one pin.

The slide locks open after the last shot and also has a Manual Slide Lock available for use.

The trigger comes from the factory set at 4 to 6 pounds and has a built in over travel stop.

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The grip is long and a little wide, but is slim from side to side.

It is very comfortable in the hand.

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Here I am shooting the pistol.

Here I am shooting the pistol.​

There is almost no felt recoil at all.

The report is pretty loud for a .22 pistol, and you know it is a Magnum, not a standard.22 caliber.

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Here's Liem giving me some shooting lessons.

Here's Liem giving me some shooting lessons.​

And here's a five shot group, from about 15 yards, unsupported.

And here's a five shot group, from about 15 yards, unsupported.​

The trigger is very crisp and light and you can run the gun pretty fast.

Here's Liem shooting it fast, with 3 empties in the air.

Here's Liem shooting it fast, with 3 empties in the air.​

Ejection was very positive, with empties flying to the right rear about 20 feet.

How about penetration of the .22 WMR out of a pistol with a 4.3 inch barrel?

We will try a couple of different loads against the Waterbox O' Truth.

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Kel-Tec advises not to use any foreign ammo, due to inaccuracy in the standard head space of this ammo. We will try some American ammo today.

First we will try the Hornady 30 grain V-Max round.

It penetrated 4 jugs, or 12 inches of ballistics gelatin, but, surprisingly, did not expand at all, and only lost the little red plastic tip from the bullet.

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Next we will try the CCI Maxi-Mag 40 grain HP.

It really busted the first jug.

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It penetrated 5 jugs, for a total penetration of 15 inches of ballistics gelatin.

But it did not expand at all.

It looks like it would take a longer rifle barrel to get enough velocity to expand these bullets.

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Conclusions:

The PMR-30 is a nice shooting little pistol and would be the ticket on varmints or for plinking. And, it makes the FBI minimum penetration with the right ammo.

It sells for around $350.

It barks loud, but has almost no recoil and is a pleasure to shoot.