KelTec PMR-30 .22 WMR Review: Is It Still Relevant?
We take an in-depth look at the KelTec PMR-30 to see if this 16-year old design can still hold its own against new competition.
PPT Editor. NRA & USCCA instructor. Hunter, former competitive shooter, collector (200+ firearms)
We review products independently. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission to help support our testing. Learn more.
Pros
- Only weighs 14 ounces
- Good trigger
- Ultra high capacity
- Mild recoil
Cons
- Failures to feed aren't uncommon
- Heel magazine release feels dated
The Bottom Line
While the KelTec PMR-30 has some reliability issues, so do the other pistols in its class. However, a couple of neat design features and a surprisingly healthy aftermarket make this gun worth considering.
For over a decade, KelTec was the only game in town when it came to high-capacity .22 Magnum pistols.
But now that a few other manufacturers have entered the market over the last few years, it begs the question: Is the KelTec PMR-30 still relevant in 2026?
I dusted off my old PMR-30, lubed it up, and hit the range with a variety of ammo types. So how did it fare? Keep reading to find out!
Table of Contents
Trending: Best AR-15s & CCW Guns Under $400
KelTec PMR-30 Specs & Features
Specs
- Caliber: .22 WMR
- Action: Semi-Auto, Hybrid Direct-Blowback & Locked Breech
- Capacity: 30
- Barrel Length: 4.3"
- Overall Length: 7.9"
- Weight: 14 oz.
- Comes With: Hard plastic case, (2) 30-rd mags, cable trigger lock, owner's manual, chamber flag
Features
- Hi-Viz fiber optic sights
- Ambidextrous manual safety
- Full-length Picatinny accessory rail
KelTec PMR-30 Backstory
Before George Kellgren founded KelTec in 1991, he had another gun company, Grendel Inc., founded in 1987.
Under the Grendel name, he designed a direct blowback, 30-round .22 WMR pistol known as the P30. The Grendel P30 was produced from 1990 to 1994.
Fast forward to 2010, and KelTec introduced the PMR-30 — a .22 WMR pistol with a hybrid action that behaves like a direct-blowback pistol with low-pressure ammo and a delayed-blowback pistol with higher-pressure ammo. The PMR-30 is widely considered the modernized direct successor to Kellgren’s original Grendel P30.
Shooting the KelTec: Accuracy & Reliability Analysis
While I don’t classify the PMR-30 as a tack driver, it is more than accurate enough for what it is.
However, like most rimfire guns, accuracy can be very dependent on the type of ammo you use.
Below are four 5-shot groups at 7 yards using the following types of ammo (from L to R):
- Remington Magnum Rimfire 40gr PSP
- Hornady 30gr V-MAX
- Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 40gr GDHP
- CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr TMJ
I fired a few other groups to make sure these weren’t one-off findings. The Remington ammo yielded the best and most consistent accuracy by a decent margin. This ammo also ran the best, only suffering a single stoppage.
Coming in second place was the CCI Maxi-Mag, which is good since it is the most common .22 WMR ammo on the market.
Even at distance, the PMR-30 had decent accuracy. For this next target, I fired a full 30-round mag at 7 yards, followed by 5 shots at 15 yards, and another 5 shots at 25 yards.
The gun shoots a bit high, and the rear sight is not adjustable for elevation. I recommend using a slight 6 o’clock hold.
But honestly, this gun is most fun when you shoot a bit faster. I didn’t rapid-fire the 7-yard group below, but I was scooting at a decent pace and taking advantage of the extremely low recoil.
It is an absolute blast to rip off 30 rounds into the center of a target without having to reload or get beat up by recoil.
Reliability
Unfortunately, the KelTec PMR-30 is not immune to the woes that come with making a reliable rimfire pistol.
If you do not take care when loading the magazines, you can run into rimlock. This is where the rim of the round on top ends up behind the rim of the round below it, effectively blocking it from feeding properly.
But you are likely to run into the occasional nose-up failure to fee, even when you load the mags properly.
During my accuracy testing, I experienced 8 stoppages over 250 rounds. I have had this gun for well over 10 years, and this isn’t uncommon and isn’t a break-in thing. It just is what it is.
Not only was the Remington ammo the most accurate, but I also suffered only one stoppage with it. The other rounds all seem to have failures at about the same rate.
The stoppages aren’t so frequent that they ruin the shooting experience, but you might expect to clear a few each range session. I wouldn’t use this gun for self-defense for that reason alone.
But that doesn’t mean you should write off the PMR-30. Most .22 WMR semi-auto double-stack pistols are also a bit finicky. We experienced stoppages when we tested the Walther WMP, and there are plenty of reports about the new S&W MP 22 Magnum being ammo-picky as well.
Ergonomics: Fit & Feel
This gun is very light. At just 14 ounces, it almost feels like a toy. Despite that, the recoil is still very pleasant. You will get more fatigue from loading the mags than you will from shooting this thing.
The trigger is also extremely light. A five-pull average from my Wheeler digital trigger gauge revealed an average trigger weight of 2 lbs 8.3 oz, well below KelTec’s advertised 3.5-5 lb pull.
There is a small amount of take-up to a wall, then a bit of creep before it breaks in space. The reset does require letting the trigger pretty much all the way back out, but it is still a surprisingly good trigger for what it is.
Because the .22 WMR is such a long round, the grip is pretty long front to back. KelTec tried to help make up for this by making the grip itself pretty thin. It is an odd shape, but not terrible.
My biggest ergonomic complaint is the heel magazine release. It is easy enough to use, but I think if they went with a standard push-button release, more people would be inclined to buy this gun.
The slide release is located pretty far back and is easy to actuate. This is nice because while the gun isn’t hard to rack, I found it a bit tough to slingshot on a full mag for whatever reason.
I also enjoy the ambidextrous safety. It is easy to hit and has positive detents while still being low-profile.
You get some nice fiber optic sights that are extremely easy to see. Unfortunately, the rear sight is completely fixed, so you can only adjust for windage by drifting the front sight.
KelTec offers a factory optics adapter plate that attaches via screws on the top of the slide. However, they only make plates for Docter & Burris footprint optics.
Field stripping requires the use of a punch or other implement to push a takedown pin out. It isn’t difficult by any means, but the lack of a takedown lever is a bit of a bummer.
Improvements We’d Like To See
The number one thing everyone wants from high-capacity rimfire guns is more reliability. If this gun ran a bit better, I would probably shoot it way more than I do.
I’d also like to see a push-button mag release, an improved grip texture, a dedicated takedown lever, and maybe a better optics mounting solution that allows for RMR/RMSc footprint optics.
Who Is It For?
The KelTec PMR-30 makes for a great range toy. It is an extremely fun-to-shoot pistol with an absurdly high capacity. Outside of clearing the occasional stoppage, I never have a bad time shooting this thing. My fun meter is only tempered by how expensive .22 WMR has gotten.
I would also say the PMR-30 is great for recoil-sensitive shooters or anyone with compromised hand strength. The gun is very light, the trigger is light, and the recoil is very soft. If you purchase a dedicated magazine loading tool, you can eliminate the hardest part about operating this gun.
By The Numbers
Reliability: 6/10
Occasional nose-up failures to feed hold this pistol back. I wouldn’t feel confident using this as a defensive gun. However, the other high-capacity .22 WMR guns on the market also suffer from reliability issues.
Ergonomics: 6/10
The grip is long front to back, but that is the cartridge’s fault and not KelTec's. I don’t like the waffle grip texture, though. The slide release and safety are great, but the heel magazine release won’t be for everyone.
Accuracy: 7/10
Accuracy can depend greatly on the type of ammo you choose to use. I got solid accuracy from the most common CCI ammo and pretty good accuracy from the Remington ammo. I feel confident making hits out to 50 yards with this gun.
Customization: 7/10
Having been around for 15 years, there is actually a decent amount of aftermarket parts for this gun. You can get optics mounts, aftermarket triggers, reliability improvement kits, braces, compensators, and more.
Value: 7/10
At around $400, the PMR-30 is about $25-50 more than the Walther WMP and S&W M&P 22 Magnum. However, it is the lightest of the three guns and does enjoy the largest aftermarket.
Overall: 6/10
Upgrades & Accessories for the KelTec PMR-30
Save your thumbs from the horrors of having to load a 30-round magazine with the awesome Maglula loader/unloader made specifically for the PMR-30.
Tandemkross makes a Picatinny rail that attaches to the top of the slide. While it is a bit higher profile, it allows you to mount any optic you want using a Picatinny mount.
The All-In-One Pro bundle from M*Carbo includes a litany of upgrades to improve the PMR-30 from top to bottom, including improved feed ramps, frame reinforcements, extra power springs, and trigger upgrades.
How We Tested the KelTec PMR-30
I have owned this specific PMR-30 for over 10 years. While I don’t have an exact round count, it exceeds 1,000 rounds.
Accuracy testing was conducted by shooting five-shot groups at 7 yards freehand on iron sights with the following types of ammo:
- Remington Magnum Rimfire 40gr PSP
- Hornady 30gr V-MAX
- Speer Gold Dot Short Barrel 40gr GDHP
- CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr TMJ
Various other groups were fired, bringing the total round count for this portion of testing to 250 rounds.
During accuracy testing, a total of 8 stoppages were recorded, including at least one with every type of ammo. The gun was cleaned and lubed prior to accuracy testing.
Three OEM 30-round magazines were used during testing.
Meet the Experts
This review was written by Pew Pew Tactical Editor & Senior Review Analyst Wyatt Sloan. Wyatt is an NRA-certified and USCCA-certified instructor, former competitive shooter, and an avid hunter.
He has previous experience as a home-based FFL and personally owns over 200 firearms — including numerous rimfire pistols. He uses his experience across a wide variety of platforms to evaluate guns based on Pew Pew Tactical's testing protocols and editorial standards.
Final Verdict on the KelTec PMR-30
This gun is an absolute blast to shoot. It is lightweight, the trigger is surprisingly good, and the accuracy isn’t too bad.
Considering that the other modern .22 WMR pistols also suffer from reliability issues, I think it is safe to say that the PMR-30 still brings some stuff to the table that the other guns don’t, especially with the aftermarket.
What are your thoughts on the KelTec PMR-30? Do you have any experience with one? Let us know in the comments below! Interested in other plinkers? Be sure to check out our article on the Best .22 Rimfire Guns!