Should I keep my NIB PMR-30?

[B!ngoFuelUSN]

So I had an opportunity to purchase a Kel-Tec PMR-30 recently and I promptly did so. I have a great FFL/gun shop owner who knows that I tend to like eclectic firearms and he had the opportunity to purchase a few and had me in mind as a likely buyer.
I've been tracking the PMR-30 and .22WMR for a few years. The reviews were interesting and generally positive, there have been some fun comparisons between the round and the (for example) the 5.7 (not a favorable comparison of course) and others and I find Kel-Tec to be an interesting company. One I've been watching (and whose products I've been trying to purchase but are rarely available) for years.
I haven't taken possession of it yet (but I own it), so in this interim period I've been searching for ammo for the gun and coming up fairly empty. Further the price of the ammo (.22 WMR) is pretty lofty. Seem especially high for a rimfire round.
So for those more informed, is this a temporary condition? Has WMR always been priced this high (seems like reasonable quality is $.35 per round and up)? And has availability always been so limited? I don't mind the cost but it's odd that it's more than 9x19 for example.
Seems like this ammo thing is taking the fun out of a fun range gun. Does anyone here shoot .22 WMR? What is your perspective?
B

 

[Eb1]

I'll buy it from you. FFL to FFL. What are you asking for it?

 

[Coyote3855]

I've had a PMR 30 for a couple of years and carry it a lot around the ranch for feral cats and ground squirrels. It's light weight, accurate, and reliable. .22 magnum ammunition seems to come and go around here, but I have a good stock and pick up extra boxes now and then from Sportsman's Warehouse or LGS. I've also carried hiking, backpacking, and traveling by car because it's light and handy.

 

[ttarp]

I recently picked one up as well, and experienced the same difficulty finding ammo. I did eventually find some for closer to $0.20 a round. If I were you I'd go ahead and shoot it when you get it, and if you don't want to hang on to it due to ammo availability, you will likely be able to sell it at a profit regardless of nib or not.

 

[jhb]

.22mag was never cheap or super easy to find, like once long ago .22lr was...........

If you like shooting .22mag like I do, then shoot it. While these pmr keltecs are pricey and harder to find due to the flipping scene that has been around them since they came out.........I don't see them being discontinued tomorrow.......so I'd shoot it if it were mine. That's me though and you are you.

If you are worried about ruining it's value as a collector way down the road from now.....buy another. there are hundreds on gunbroker .....where most end up........and use one or the other as a safe queen.

 

[Plastikosmd]

I love my wmr and it is a great carry around the farm gun. With this in mind, am I the only one that then has to carry hearing protection too? I find wmr to be way too loud without ear protection but a hassle to carry

 

[jhb]

I wear hearing protection with every firearm...whether handguns or long guns....regardless of caliber. If i head out with a gun i got ear plugs in. Except in the city of course. Although a .22lr rifle doesn't bother me without it, when in the field.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I was simply astounded by the performance of my new PMR-30. Light, great trigger, reliable, and shoots like a LASER. I've had several friends try it, and they all shoot small groups the first time they fire it. I even like the stock fibre-optic sights. The fact that K-T figued out how to put 30 rounds of RIMMED magnum .22 in a double-stack mag is also a surprise. Mine had never hiccuped.

The only problem with the PMR-30 is that the ammo it is sometimes hard to find and often more expensive than 9mm. (Kel-Tec specifies which ammo to use, and they say avoid stuff not made in the U.S. -- as the foreign ammo is typically a bit less potent in the .22 WMR loadings.) I mistakenly bought some of the Fiocchi they warned against -- and it shoots beautifully. But I followed their suggestions in subsequent purchases.

The .22 WMR round is LOUD -- folks at the range always come to see WHAT I'm shooting. And most of them (the PMR-30s) seem to shoot a very pretty, bright ring of fire as the round heads down range.

Whatever problems Kel-Tec had early on were corrected a year or two ago.

Go ahead and try it -- you'll like it.


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[g.willikers]

Phhffft.
A Silly Question to ask around here.
Of course you should keep it.

 

[BSA1]

I considered a PMR-30 but decided a 8 round Taurus M941 met my needs just as well.

Finding suitable ammo is a problem as the only cartridge that I have been able to find that the Taurus likes is Speer Gold Dot. I have not been able find any Hornady or Winchester cartridges for sell in my area.

However my little Taurus shoots Speer Gold Dots so well I can live with the inconvenience.
If I had a PMR-30 I would shoot it with different ammunition to determine whether it's accuracy and reliability is worth keeping.

 

[bannockburn]

My only experiences with .22 Magnum ammo has always been with revolvers. Even if the ammo is priced higher I would say keep it because you never know when you're going to find another PMR-30. I would love to have one if only for the sake of having a gun in .22 Magnum that can hold that many rounds.

 

[B!ngoFuelUSN]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I am leaning toward selling it as I have the sense that it is worth quite a lot - if only because KT is so slow in filling demand. Let me speak with my FFL about juggling some priorities. It might come up on the market shortly.
B

 

[B!ngoFuelUSN]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I am leaning toward selling it as I have the sense that it is worth quite a lot - if only because KT is so slow in filling demand and I have another purchase or two that this could help to fund.
Let me speak with my FFL about juggling some priorities. It might come up on the market shortly.
B

 

[krupparms]

I looked for a PMR, but could not find one. I settled for a 941 . I have plenty of ammo as I got it while it was cheap &plentiful. I will get one down the road. Until then the 941 works just fine.