Kel-Tec PNR30 for a lady?

[Murphy]

Recently my lady has been interested in getting a Kel-Tec PNR30 as her weapon of choice.

Since I am unfamiliar with this brand and weapon I thought I would ask the following questions and get some more info.

She likes the idea that it has 30 rounds and can fire as fast as she pulls the trigger.

She has "small" hands.

She's left handed, so an ambi-safety is good.

She has trouble pulling back the slide on a larger scale semi-auto, much less handling it when firing, (small hands and strength).

I'm not familir with the 22 Magnum round, so the questions I am asking are:

1: Is this a good weapon for a woman for personal protection and home defense?

2: Will the 22 Magnum round drop a bad guy? And if he drops will he "stay down and still", or will she need to put another four or five rounds in him?

3: How reliable is this weapon?

4: What are the pros and cons of it?


Thanks for all input...

 

[09jisaac]

If you notice the thread entitled "Is the .22LR enough bullet" I am making the argument that the .22 is not the idea defensive round. The .22 magnum is way better than the .22 long rifle but still isn't the best caliber to incapacitate something quickly.

Anything, including rocks, sticks and air rifles are capable of stopping/killing/incapacitating a threat in short order IF you use them in an effective way. If your lady friend has the ability to handle this weapon effectively, even under stress then yes this is a viable weapon. BUT I would make the suggestion for her to us the most effective caliber that SHE can use properly.

Me personally, I would feel comfortable using a .500 s&w for a defensive handgun but I cannot use this round properly as I, like most, would have problems managing recoil. So I use something less effective because I can use it more effectively.

So I would say that if she is limited to a centerfire weapon then this would probably be a effective weapon. A large capacity and the .22 magnum.


This being said, I have not ever handled, shot, read reviews on the brand or firearm you are talking about so I cannot comment on the quality of it.

 

[The Wolfhound]

It should be great for hunting mythical beasts....

Since the hardest thing to do with the PMR-30 is to find one in the first place. All the write-ups are interesting but I have not yet laid eyes or hands upon one. Demand has outstripped reality. It might be a bit large for some folks to carry but everything else seems easy to handle. .22WMR ammo is no cheaper than 9mm and the good stuff is harder to find.

 

[jeeper1]

You can read about the pistol here.
http://www.thektog.org/forum/index.php

 

[thebigsd]

I won't get into the caliber debate other than to say that any gun is better than no gun.

I recently held one at a gun show and I must say the ergonomics felt a little strange. I didn't like the way it balanced.

 

[ctfireman]

I own a PMR30 & while i love this pistol & would not want 30 rounds of .22 magnum fired at me, it is no carry weapon. For the size you can easily carry a more effective caliber. The PMR is a hell of a good time at the range though.

 

[Dreamer]

Many of the women I know who enjoy shooting are VERY good shots, but they don't like a lot of recoil, and especially don't like "jumpy" guns with a lot of muzzle flip.

For this reason, I will NEVER understand why people steer women toward tiny, lightweight, polymer-frame guns with tons of muzzle flip like pocket .380s and subcompact 9's and .40s...

How about a mid-sized 9mm, .38 special or even a .45. Sure they are a little heavier to lug around, but that is GOOD when it comes to controlling recoil and muzzle flip.

If she's going to OC it, small size shouldn't be an issue, and if she prefers CC, then there are plenty mid-size guns that are still EASY to conceal with the right holster or in "purse carry"...

 

[scott58dh]

Nice Gun, HOT SHOT !

I attended a gun show today and asked one of the vendors about a PMR30.

He also said that it's a very nice firearm, but the one negative point which he had an *opinion* about was the amount of discharge flame that the weapon had.

Not only do you have the flame out of the barrel but also straight out of the top discharge chamber.

His opinion being that a night time firing of said weapon will extremely contribute to blinding the operator even more than a typical semi-auto.

I'm not sure of the actual test firing results at ranges but maybe you can find more info at a local gun dealer or on youtube.

Just trying to help you out.

 

[Felid`Maximus]

Remember that placement of rounds is key with any caliber.

I doubt many people will be able to absorb 30 rounds of well placed .22 magnum and continue attacking afterwards.

 

[SovereignAxe]

If you notice the thread entitled "Is the .22LR enough bullet" I am making the argument that the .22 is not the idea defensive round. The .22 magnum is way better than the .22 long rifle but still isn't the best caliber to incapacitate something quickly.

Anything, including rocks, sticks and air rifles are capable of stopping/killing/incapacitating a threat in short order IF you use them in an effective way. If your lady friend has the ability to handle this weapon effectively, even under stress then yes this is a viable weapon. BUT I would make the suggestion for her to us the most effective caliber that SHE can use properly.

Me personally, I would feel comfortable using a .500 s&w for a defensive handgun but I cannot use this round properly as I, like most, would have problems managing recoil. So I use something less effective because I can use it more effectively.

So I would say that if she is limited to a centerfire weapon then this would probably be a effective weapon. A large capacity and the .22 magnum.


This being said, I have not ever handled, shot, read reviews on the brand or firearm you are talking about so I cannot comment on the quality of it.

FYI .22 Magnum is rimfire, not centerfire. Judging by the context of your post, I'm assuming you meant to say centerfire, but I wanted to make sure that was clear.

That being said, I don't ever recommend a rimfire weapon for self defense for the very simple reason that rimfire ammunition is famous for being unreliable.

The manufacturing process to make rimfire ammo involves the primer being sprayed into the base of the casing, and it is supposed to line the rim of the case when that happens. Well, as we all know, misfires with rimfire ammo are quite a bit more common than centerfire ammo. The reason being that during this manufacturing process, an air bubble forms in the primer chemical keeping the primer from filling the entire rim. And when your firing pin hits the rim where the bubble once formed, nothing happens.

This and the fact that .22 isn't a very powerful round are two good reasons not to carry a .22 rimfire. One caveat to all of this is if you have a double action .22 WMR revolver. If you get a misfire in a semi-auto .22, you have to rack the slide. In a revolver you just pull the trigger again and the cylinder will bring you a fresh round.

 

[09jisaac]

FYI .22 Magnum is rimfire, not centerfire. Judging by the context of your post, I'm assuming you meant to say centerfire, but I wanted to make sure that was clear.

I did mean to say rimfire. I thank you for correcting me, I always hate to spread misinformation.

I also appreciate you explaining how rimfire ammo is primed. I thought it was a putty that they compacted into the rime of the case but I never put too much thought into it.

 

[SovereignAxe]

I did mean to say rimfire. I thank you for correcting me, I always hate to spread misinformation.

I also appreciate you explaining how rimfire ammo is primed. I thought it was a putty that they compacted into the rime of the case but I never put too much thought into it.

eh, it could be a putty-that's just what my marksmanship instructor told us (IMO a putty or paste of some sort makes more sense). either way, it still explains why you can hit the rim, have nothing happen, and then rotate the round so that the firing pin hits another part of the rim and it fire. it's gaps in the primer distribution, and considering you're way more likely to hit primer than you are a small gap, there's no telling how many rounds have gaps in the primer that just don't get hit.

 

[Levi]

What gun is good for your lady? Dunno, that's a layered question. I would say if .22mag is the largest she'll go, then work with it. If there's some wiggle room, you might want to consider some other options.

I have a S&W J-frame I like very much. Every woman who has ever held it likes it until they've had to fire it. Then they put it down and reach for something else. Why? Because the damn thing kicks too much for them and the trigger pull is too hard.

Most of the women shooters I know use medium or large frame guns to be able to control the recoil. A full size .357mag using .38spl is very controllable and effective and so is a 1911 or a M9 chambered for 9mm. Then there's a 98lbs Asian girl I know that uses a .357mag and a 1911 .45 with heavy loads and has full control and no discomfort.

My personal preference is a revolver over a semi-auto. There's a lot fewer moving parts and I've never seen a revolver FTF/FTE/stovepipe. One more trigger pull brings you around to the next cartridge. While I'm not a pro gunslinger, I've seen people using speed loaders faster than I can reload an M9. The secret I've been told is to put your trigger finger through the frame to hold the cylinder.

Whatever firearm you choose, spend the money to have a good job done polishing the moving parts and ease up on the trigger until it feels good to her. Ultimately, she has to feel it's right for her so that she'll be able to practice with it and be ready for the WCS.

 

[Michigander]

An 8 year old can typically handle a decent sized 9mm if he or she tries to. I don't think less than a 9mm is a good idea for an adult to carry for defense unless they want a smaller handgun which conceals exceptionally well. For a full sized defensive piece, there is little to no reasonto carry less than 9mm, unless the reason is a physical problem with a person's body.

 

[Malcolm]

Ya, about that.

The PMR30, is a sweet gun. Can't wait to bet one with all the gadgets but I'd never use it for self defense. Some of the other posts were on the money, a mid frame 9mm. Very controllable and with a good defense round will provide all the stopping power needed. The Kahr CW9 is probably my favorite COMPACT 9mm. if your wife likes lots of bullets then a G19 or XDM would probably be up her alley. I wouldn't go 22 for lots of reasons...no takedown, FTF, FTE, all that jazz. PMR is a range gun and maybe a backpacker, but not a CC or OC. Oh ya, it would make an awesome zombie gun as well. I would recommend Kahr. They are thin, no external safeties, reliable, smooth trigger, 9mm, ergonomic and come in a variety of sizes. Put a CW9 in her hand and she won't want to let it go. (the grip is a little rough when shooting though, like Glock).

Anyway, good luck on picking a firearm for you lady.