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21 Comments

1. SportsmanGuide.com sells 45 grain critical defence ammo for the 22mag, This stuff runs very well through the keltec. And packs a little more punch.

   1. And if you have a PMR 30 do you have .22 magnums with 2 ,30 round magazine that’s 60 shots each CMR & PMR that are interchangeable

2. 22 Magnum, another round to stock in quantity? You’re in a SHTF firefight and run out of 22 Mag so you turn to one of the other guys … you know, the ones using 223/556 and then you realize that you’re the only one in the string of 12 freedom fighters using an oddball round and magazine.

   I’ve no doubt it’s a great gun, but the practicality factor is not present. The common military rounds are 556, 9mm, 45 ACP, and 762 not 22 mags.

   The same applies for the magazine commonality.

   I guess, in my own cirlcle, I’ve prepped for common weapons, and save the money for oddball purchases for the day I’m richer, perhaps you are already there.

   1. One You Tube I saw someone trying to say a handgun in 454 Casual was the way to go. Now someone is pushing the 22Mag. No way!. I would not even consider it. A firearm is useless if you can not obtain ammo for it.

      Stick with the common calibers.

3. Not owning a gun I can’t reload for except 22lr and that would be a scoped bolt action or single shot for hunting squirrels and rabbits.

4. I took my sons up in the mountains to shoot their rifles. One had his 22, the other had his 22 mag.

   Targets were put on 2 pine trees. The 22 mag was going all the way through 7 inches of pine. That’s something to think about!

   If I was only allowed one caliber to survive with, it would be a 22 mag.

   1. A .22 LR will penetrate 1″ pine at 100 yards. Most animals that one would hunt with a .22 Magnum can be taken with a .22 LR.

      I checked Midway USA for pricing. Given that .223 is not much more expensive than .22 Magnum, I’m sticking with .22 LR and .223 (and 7.62×39, .308, 300 Win Mag, etc., etc., etc.)

5. This is a nice little carbine and it takes the same magazines as the KelTec PMR 30 pistol. Rifle & pistol fully loaded weigh less than an empty AR 15 and you have 60 rounds available rite quick. Muzzle blast on the PMR 30 could be an issue at night but the carbine should be no problem

6. I seem to remember rifles chambered in .22 LR and .22 Mag back when I was a teenager. I never had one but I feel like I remember others who did own them. Maybe my memory is flawed but I seem to remember them being pretty popular and common where I lived at the time.

   Was that dual chambering real or just my imagination? Are there still some of those around? If they did exist and don’t anymore why did they go away?

   1. Several revolvers [with spare cylinders] you can shoot either 22 LR or Mag but not aware of a rifle. You can if needed fire a 22 LR in the Mag but the case usually swells and splits making extraction harder and accuracy usually not the best.

      1. .22 wrf is what should be used instead of .22lr. It is a tad larger, the correct size.
         https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=10&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwixup6WrN_iAhXUs54KHbiSDEgQFjAJegQIABAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chuckhawks.com%2F22WRF.htm&usg=AOvVaw0vDQfKFbm81YQVDQjcZtxu

7. Many years ago my brother had a kel-tec break-down carbine in 9mm. From what I remember it was a good gun, at the time he wanted something his wife could shoot easily and accurately. In retrospect the break-down would make it an excellent vehicle weapon, but alas it was sold years ago.

   I’m not planning on acquiring one, but I will concede that it would be immensely cheaper to train with .22 mag than .223…

8. I looked into the cmr-30 and almost bought one. I have the same problem Gregory Knox ( see above) has. Instead, I bought the Kel-Tec sub 2000 for a super lightweight carbine. With a 32 round Glock magizine in 9mm it has plenty of firepower, and will fit in a small computer case when folded ! M- Carbo makes all kind of accessories for it too.

9. I was a bit surprised to see the CMR30 reviewed here. I am pleased, but still surprised, since this carbine is “outside the AR15/AK47 box”. Still, I believe it has a niche in the preps of many of us.

   I own one of these handy little carbines, bought for use by a spouse with a short stature and scant experience with firearms. Its light weight, handiness, the power to size/weight ratio of the ammo, the fact that it is less threatening for someone without any firearms experience than either an AR or AK, and it’s extremely low recoil/report seemed to make it a good choice.

   If my plans ever include traveling on foot for any lengthy distance during a crisis (I.e., my only resources being what I carry on my back) I would carry this (and a full power pistol). One can carry multiple rounds of .22Mag for the same weight and volume of either the 5.56 or 7.62 ammo. Magazines are also much more compact than those for the AR or AK, allowing me to carry many, many more rounds and ready reloads than either of the other rifles.

   Over the years I had not been a fan of the .22Mag. I felt, like survivormann99, that there was little practical difference between the .22LR and .22Mag. A recent study of .22Mag ballistics has opened my eyes. The velocity difference between the two is quite substantial. The velocity of the .22Mag, especially from a rifle length barrel, is a substantial fraction of the 5.56, even more so when the 5.56 is fired from one of the pistol length barrels which seem so ubiquitous these days.

   The loadings for all .22Mag ammo are a compromise. It has to be so. They must be able to function equally well in a 16 inch barrel rifle and a 1 inch barreled mini-revolver, and everything in between. In my research I learned of a test which showed that barrels longer than 12 inches give no additional velocity in .22Mag. JWR has it right. A shorter barreled version would be very handy and just as effective as the full length one. Just the opposite of the short barreled AR or AK which lose velocity quickly when barrel lengths are shorter.

   Being a grown, gun totin’, man I will keep my AR and 91 for most tasks. They are good tools and I possess the knowledge, training, and skills use them effectively. If I were a novice gunner, anxious around a rifle, or were forced to travel great distances on foot, perhaps to get to a retreat or a back up location, I would gladly take my CMR30 and LOTS of ammo.

   Thanks Pat, for thinking outside the box and showing us a new option.

10. Just for fun, I’d like to see a vz.63 Skorpion with an “arm brace”. Or perhaps the wooden appendage at the rear of a 10″ M1927 Thompson could experience a similar change in nomenclature.

    A few years ago, .22 Magnum had all but vanished. One local store did have a large supply of .22 WRF. I believe this could be fired in revolvers and single shot rifles chambered for .22 Mag. There was a store I recall that had a huge supply of .257 Roberts. Sometimes those “rare” or “oddball” cartridges could be locally abundant.

11. I have at least 5 .22LR rifles. But last year bought my first .22WMR, a 16 inch barrel Ruger American bolt gun. Very nice accurate and powerful shooting little rifle. When I have the extra coin I have always wanted the CMR. I own at least 3 other Keltec firearms so know them well. Innovative and cool. One could do way worse than to stash this CMR in their bugout pack. Pat is right with this eval. One real tactical advantage know one mentioned was less noise when fired than an AR or AK type rifle. This could be critical in certain situations. Don’t want to attract unwelcome attention of the undesirable sort.

12. Great review love the 22 mag round. My first pistol was a stainless steel ruger revolver with interchangeable cylinders. That got me hooked on the round for woodchuck hunting as it has more reach and knock down. Yet i liked it because it lacked the big gun noise and was prefect for country shooting where we have some homes in the distance you wanted to b careful about.

13. Your polymer Mags are fine unless you hump them in your firearm all day everyday for months at a time. The mag catch on the polymer Mags will wear over time and fail to engage. I didn’t know this until one day they failed me. Metal mags all the way. I can’t say they won’t last for months, but I can say they won’t last for years if the use is sustained. This is just from experience. To each his own. I’ll go with what I know won’t get wore out.

14. I’ve used the .22 WMR for a long time for some of my hunting. I think Kel-Tec was smart for choosing this cartridge – it has some advantages over larger, more powerful rounds. Magnum autoloaders have been hit and miss (mostly miss as the pressure of cartridge and blowback operation require precise work) and I hope Kel-Tec got it right.

15. I have hunted legally for years with the .22 WMR taking deer many other N. American species. This is a great cartridge when used within it’s capabilities (one needs to know this). A rifle pared with a pistol/revolver in the same caliber could be a very good choice for the minimalist/frugal preppier.

16. Go PMags for the AK too! They work without a hitch in both Type 56 and Pap M70.

    I run both AK and AR weapons for the bunker. AR’s for primary duty, and AK’s as backup or squad auto role with drums. Each weapon has 10 duty mags and 5 spares.

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