PMR-30 Keyholing Update

Thanks to the due diligence of fellow gunbrony and official Lurking Rhythmically fact-checker The Jack, I have determined the source for the key-holing that occurred during testing:

After extensive testing with various ammunition we have concluded that all remaining key-holing issues have been isolated to one particular brand and weight of ammunition. Unfortunately this seems to be the most common and available ammunition: CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr.

The 30gr and 50gr varieties of CCI shoot flawlessly, as do other brands of 30gr., 40gr., and 50gr. ammunition. For some reason, though, it seems that the 40gr. CCI Maxi-Mag in particular still has sporadic key-holing. At this point in time we have deemed it ammunition specific and recommend trying a different grain or brand of ammunition if your PMR-30 is still continuing to key-hole with an updated barrel.

On the one hand, this is great news.

• They've fixed the chronic key-holing with a new barrel;
• They sent me a proper barrel instead of an older version;
• A 10% key-hole rate for one specific kind of ammo is quite acceptable. 

On the other hand, CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr was specifically recommended in the literature that came with the pistol. While I understand not wanting to change the manual for something like this, the fact that this card was included in the case bothers me:

Come on, guys. If you're going to include a "Oh by the way" card, you need to get your information right. 

I'm not anti-other guys, I'm pro-catsuit

Have you donated to Kilted to Kick Cancer yet?  If not, then be advised that brony and holster-maker extraordinaire Evyl Robot Michael has upped the ante significantly:

JayG offered to shave his face. 

Kelly offered to shave half his ‘stache. 

Then, Stingray offered to wax his junk. 

These guys are talking like I’m not even in the room, and it’s very irritating. As of yesterday, I was in third place. As of this writing, I am in fourth, but it’s by a narrow margin. This is not a competition between the three of them. I have spoken with my lovely wife and we have a new offer. 

If I win first place in the KTKC 2012, I will publish a video of the sexy Jennifer.
In a shiny, black, vinyl catsuit. 

Shooting a Barrett M82A1. 

I’m talking multiple angles, with some high-speed stuff. So, who’s in?

So just to be clear, if Michael wins:

• Lots of money is donated to prostate cancer research;
• A brony gets nice prizes;
• You guys get fanservice of an attractive lady in a tight black vinyl catsuit shooting a large gun. 

This is what we call a "win-win" scenario. So donate in the name of catsuit fanservice!

Calling all Hoosier dog lovers!

My dear friend Miakoda wants to share this information:

"Dog-people, I know a lovely golden English Lab who needs a new home ASAP. She's an adult, very curious and friendly, and seems good with children from what we can tell, but she and the Malinois (Belgian Shepherd) she lives with are not getting along. We would love to have her but don't have a good yard for her. Please let me know if you're interested, and I can put you in touch with her owners."

The dog is currently in Elkhart County, IN.  Please contact Shari (or me, and I'll get the message to her) if you are interested.  Thanks!

Nerd Trifecta

Day 2 of Allergy/Sinus hell. Cannot accomplish anything due to all the sneezing and headaches.  Here, have a collection of awesome geeky videos.

1) My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
My Little One Piece -- We Go




2) Star Wars
Tie Fighter Anime




3) Team Fortress 2
Needa Dispensah Heeah

Monday Gunday: the Kel-Tec PMR-30

The Kel-Tec PMR-30 is, without a doubt, the finest anti-zombie pistol ever made.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS (from the Kel-Tec website)

Calibers:	.22 Magnum	(.22WMR)
Weight unloaded:	13.6oz.	385.6g
Loaded Magazine:	6oz.	170.1g
Length:	7.9"	200.7mm
Height:	5.8"	147.3mm
Width:	1.3"	33.0mm
Barrel length:	4.3"	109.2mm
Sight radius:	6.9"	175.3mm
Energy (40gr):	138ft-lbs	187J
Capacity:	30 rounds
Trigger pull:	4-6 lbs	17.8-26.7N

Not that I'd ever want to be within pistol distance of a zombie, mind you; I think they are best eliminated sniper-style, over a range of several hundred yards. But if I had to clear a house in the zombie apocalypse, this is what I'd want to use.

Why? Well, let's start with the big reason: It has a thirty-round magazine.  If zombie movies have taught me anything, it's that you run out of ammunition at a fast rate. With 30 rounds in your gun, you will be changing magazines less often. And carrying extras won't be a problem: the magazine is almost all polymer (I think that the spring is the only metallic component) which makes it very light, and the .22 Magnum round it carries is also very light. Three full magazines would be negligible weight; six would be barely noticed. I imagine (though I cannot prove) that 10 magazines -- 300 rounds -- would constitute a manageable combat load. Bulk would be more of an issue than weight.

Comes with two magazines: one in the pistol, and one spare. 

Actually, I think the real issue would be continued supply of ammunition. On the good side, the .22 WMR is a commonly available (if pricey) cartridge, such that stocking up prior to Z-Day, or scavenging supplies in wrecked Wal-Marts post-Z, is entirely possible. On the bad side, it's a rimfire cartridge, meaning that it can't be reloaded. And the manual specifically says not to use anything but .22 WMR, so no loading it with .22 Long Rifle.

But the best thing about the pistol is that it is screamingly accurate. Bright fiber-optic sights make target acquisition easy, even in dim lighting. The .22 WMR cartridge is essentially flat-shooting, and its already low recoil is further mitigated by a full-size frame.

Sexy fibre-optic sights. 

In short, the pistol handles exactly how you imagined guns worked as a kid: you pull the trigger, there is a flash and a bang, and the muzzle rises a little. There is barely any kick to it, and follow-up shots are fast and easy. 


THE TALE OF THE TAPE
Some photographic evidence to back up my claim. All shooting was performed at an indoor range under artificial light.

A full magazine at 25 feet (left) and 50 feet (right). The last 5 rounds of each magazine were shot quick-fire, to test how easily I could re-acquire a target.  As you can see, accuracy degrades with distance, but since the last 5 rounds were quick-fire, and there are 5 hits in the 7 ring, the decreased accuracy might be due to speed of shooting. 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm sure a better-trained shooter could wring far more accuracy from this pistol. 

Headshots at 12.5 feet (left) and 25 feet (right); 30 and 10 rounds, respectively. I leave it as a matter of debate whether or not missing the Shoot-N-C but still hitting the head counts as a hit or a miss.

OTHER THINGS I LIKE
In no particular order:

• The pistol is full-sized but extremely light, yet still absorbs recoil. 
• Integral accessory rail for mounting a laser or flashlight. 
• Top slide comes already drilled and tapped for mounting a sight. 
• Controls are ambidextrous and easy to manipulate.
• Magazines have windows for every 5 rounds. 
• Magazines insert and remove easily and ambidextrously. 

Grid squares are 1". 

THINGS I DON'T LIKE
Also in no particular order:

• The pistol requires a tool (a punch or unspent bullet) to remove a pin before you can field-strip it. 
• Getting the slide off is a bit of a trick. I discovered that once the pin was removed, racking and releasing the slide was the best way to get it started down the track. 
• The recoil spring is not the easiest thing in the world to remove. I had to grab the spring, pull it toward the muzzle, and practically wrestle it out of place. Fortunately, putting it back together is much less difficult. 
• The length of the .22 Magnum round means the grip is surprisingly wide. However,  Kel-Tec can't really do anything about that. 

THINGS WHICH ARE NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
There is a special way to load the magazines, which is clearly illustrated in the manual. If you try to load the magazine the traditional way, not only will it be a lot harder, the cartridges will seize and bind. Do yourself a favor and Read The Manual.


WOULD I RECOMMEND THIS PISTOL
Absolutely yes. It's a bit of a specialty gun, to be clear, but I would recommend it for the following uses:

• As a farm, kit, truck or trail gun. Not only can it be used on small game, or against varmints such as foxes or coyotes, the muzzle flash and loud bang of the magnum could serve as further discouragement to larger predators such as wolves and mountain lions. 
• As a training gun for novice shooters who have progressed past .22LR but are not yet ready for the increased recoil of larger calibers. The combination of flash, loud bang, but low recoil would be excellent in helping them overcome anticipatory flinch. 
• As a self-defense pistol for those who find regular pistols too heavy, or recoil too severe. The only drawback to this is that its full-size frame could make it difficult to carry concealed.*
• As a sidearm for a zombie apocalypse. 

Photo courtesy of Oleg Volk. 

IN CONCLUSION

The PMR-30 is a fun pistol, and you owe it to yourself to shoot it at least once in your life. 

It is a specialty pistol, I grant you, and I would not want it in a war zone (zombies excepted). But for what it is -- trail gun, varminter, trainer -- it does its job very well.

*I think that if Kel-Tec were to sell a model with a shorter barrel and 20-round magazine, it would be a dandy concealed-carry pistol for the elderly and the infirm.**
** A version in .22 LR would probably also sell very well, since the leading semi-auto pistol in that caliber is has a magazine capacity of only 10 rounds. 

EDITED TO ADD:
Yes, I am aware that about 1 in 10 rounds seem to keyhole. Several astute readers pointed this out to me and explained why this is bad. I sincerely thank them for curing my ignorance.

It is my understanding that keyholing was an issue with earlier versions of this gun, and they have since increased the twist rate of the barrel. In addition, the manual makes it plain which ammunition to use.

Per the manual, the following cartridges are also recommended:
* CCI Maxi-Mag JHP+V 30gr
* Federal Game-Shok JHP 50gr
* Winchester Super-X FMJ 40gr
* Remington Premier Magnum 33gr

The following cartridges are NOT recommended, also per manual:
* Armscor 40gr
* Fiocchi 40gr
* Winchester Dynapoint 45gr
* Winchester Supreme 30gr
* Any other Non-U.S. made ammunition

Unfortunately, I was using 40-grain CCI Maxi-Mag, which is specifically recommended by name for "reliable functioning."   Rest assured that I will mention this to Kel-Tec in an email.


SECOND EDIT:  The Mystery of the 10% Key-Hole has been solved. 

Obligatory FTC disclaimer: I received this pistol to test and evaluate for 90 days. No monetary compensation was given for me to write this article. 

Kilted to Kick Cancer

Over a year ago I wrote a ranty screed (is there any other kind?) about how I felt it was unfair that prostate cancer wasn't getting the same publicity as breast cancer, and how that should be changed.

I later found out this was ironic timing on my part, because September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and said ranty screed was published on September 1, 2011.

Blue for boys, pink for girls. (Colon cancer's ribbon is unisex brown.)

So now that I am a bit more clued-in to things this year, it also turns out that every September, many bloggers wear kilts all month long in order to raise not just awareness, but also funds, for prostate cancer research. This is known as Kilted to Kick Cancer.

Now since I'm not a boy, I can't wear a proper kilt (and no one would notice anyway), but I can throw my wholehearted support behind those lads who are, and I encourage you to do so as well.

SO GO AND DONATE!

Something to take the sting out

I have to admit, seeing things like this make me feel a LOT better.





There are still guilty parties within the Libyan police and government, but it's good to know that the people in the street recognize this is a terrible thing and are apologizing for it, rather than celebrating.

Well done, people of Benghazi. You are a class act.