PMR-30 Blow Ups?

[spirithawk]

Guys, I'm a long time Kel Tec fan. I've carried a PF-9 and a P-32 24/7 365 for over 3 years so far and they have performed flawlessly. I'm in a serious argument with a guy on another forum who claims all Kel Tecs are junk because he found a few pics of the PMR-30 blown up. He has avoided my insisting he post links to the pics and the info saying why it happened. I'm not saying it couldn't have happened but I certainly aint just taking his word for it. Can you guys fill me in on if it did happen and what was found to be the cause. Try as I might I can't realy find much about it at all. I did find one post that said it was due to a particular brand of ammo but that was about it and I've no idea if that is true either. Thanks guys. Hoping you can help me defend Kel Tec's honor.

[magman454]

Here are some vids I found. May be the same guy, may not be.









Here is what KTWM (A Kel-Tec employee, and a member here as well.) had to say about this particular incident:

Out of battery firing is not possible on the PMR-30 (the trigger bar will not allow the hammer to drop unless it is fully closed, and the hammer cant even hit the firingpin unless the slide is forward), and you really can't assume that the bolt was at a certain place by looking at the brass of a ruptured thin case like the 22wmr. *Once the case starts to rupture the gasses exiting will force the case to spread out from the inital point of rupture, this spreading will push the slide back from the barrel (makeing it look like the slide was way open when the case ruptured)....sometimes the case may actually extract and eject like normal.

I'm not sure about the cause of this particular case rupture, but I have had similar case failures by simulating a squib-load before firing a live round. Damage was similar.

The slide lock lever coming off and the spring slipping off often happens after a case rupture. The extra pressure pushes the lever out, and spreads the grips just enough to pop the spring off.

Can't really call it a case head seperation, since the 22WMR doesn't really have a case "head"...case rupture is a realistic description.

According to the owner, the pistol was sent back to KT. After it's return, it has fired over 500 trouble free rounds. The ammo was CCI, but I do not know the exact type. It may be mentioned in the comments somewhere. I just haven't read them all.

The original thread that I found this at is here.

[Haugrdr]

You gave him the same quotes I did over next door.

I didn't find the vids though.

[rctxag]

I'm in a serious argument with a guy on another forum who claims all Kel Tecs are junk because he found a few pics of the PMR-30 blown up.

You could approach this a different way. Ask him what gun he thinks is not junk. Then google whatever he says + kaboom. Guns are made by humans, so every model is going to have some issue at some point. Even if you found the "perfect" gun, if you shoot it enough you will find the bad round that spikes over pressure, which will give you the same result.

He has avoided my insisting he post links to the pics and the info saying why it happened.

If it were me, I would step back and evaluate the "serious argument" and why I was a willing participant, as this sounds more like getting trolled.

[spirithawk]

Thanks guys. I think he was mainly refering to one owned by Jeff Quin but I have found next to nothing on it even on Quin's site. However he insisted the net was flooded with reports of them blowing up which is why I yelled foul! Key to me is not if it happened but when, as in before or after the upgrade by Kel Tec. Working out the bugs on a new firearm is something every company has faced. On KTOG they told me that out of 72,000 there were 12 documented cases and that ammo was suspected. I was also told that the part that failed was plastic and that Kel Tec changed that part to machined aluminum and that since the change there hasn't been another case anyone at KOTG has heard of. This jerk claims his Ruger LC9 is not only superior, using superior materials, to anything Kel Tec has but that it's 100% flawless! I told him that was a crock and then told him why. He ranted about Kel Tec using plastic for the part that failed and didn't like it much when I pointed out that the LC9's whole frame is made of plastic! So much for superior materials huh? I just stuck it out, the arguing was on his part, and instead of arguing did my best to present facts and told folks to decide for themselves. It pretty much worked too because in desperation, he couldn't provide any proof to truly justify his bashing, he ended by trashing any company that resides in Florida, the state itself and anyone who lives there! I finaly told him thanks as his trash talk and my pointing out it's intentional errors even made us a few new Kel Tec fans interested in the PMR30 and the PF-9! Like my Granny always said, " Give a man enough rope!"

[Skilly]

After reading and viewing everything I could find. It won't deter me from waiting for the one I have on order. Mine has been on order for six months now. The only thing I wish is that not so many PMR 30s were being sold on the Internet auction sites. 50 or so a day are sold on Internet auctions never making it to a retail customer. Want a pair with sequential serial numbers ? They have them.


Skilly

[markster]

Stick almost any gun barrel in the mud and pull the trigger and see what happens........just sayin......

[spirithawk]

I posted pics of blown up Rugers and several owner's complaints about his pet Ruger LC9 blowing the extractor, extractor spring and a pin that appears to hold it all together out the top of the gun. Effectively shut him as he's not made another post.

[TucsonMTB]

Effectively shut him as he's not made another post.

Well done, sir!

Sort of like the skirmish at the Little Big Horn.

[spirithawk]

Well done, sir!

Sort of like the skirmish at the Little Big Horn.

Wado ( thanks)! Exactly like that!