• PRIO--- Kel-Tec CP33 .22 Long Rifle competition pistol

Kel-Tec CP33 .22 Long Rifle competition pistol

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Kel-Tec CP33 .22 Long Rifle competition pistol

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SHOT Show 2019 – Kel-Tec's new CP33 rimfire sporting pistol is built around a PMR-30 frame, albeit departing greatly from its general outline and offering a staggering capacity: 33 rounds of .22 Long Rifle ammunition

New for 2019, the CP33 semi-automatic rimfire pistol is the latest entry in the extensive catalogue of Kel-Tec CNC Industries handguns. Albeit based on what clearly is the frame, grip and fire control of Kel-Tec's previous PMR-30 pistol, the new CP33 is distinctive and unique under many points of view.

Kel-Tec CP33 .22 Long Rifle competition pistol

In what some may consider a "downgrade" from the PMR-30, the new Kel-Tec CP33 semi-automatic pistol shifts from .22 Magnum to .22 Long Rifle in caliber. Magazines, however, are a class on its own: manufactured out of translucent plastic, despite being dimensionally similar to those of the PMR-30, they're quad-stack and hold a staggering count of 33 rounds. And indeed, CP33 stands for "Competition Pistol, 33-rounds".

The inner "wall", or separator, of the magazine also dubs as the spring guide. Observers who were able to follow the development process and try out the first samples of the Kel-Tec CP33 pistol revealed that they've been tested on machine-pistols firing at 2000 rounds per minute to ensure their reliability on rapid fire. The new design also makes them easier to load.

The upper portion of the Kel-Tec CP33 pistol is also new, precision-machined out of aluminum and featuring venting slots around the barrel area, a top Picatinny rail, and a set of fiber-optic sights. A shorter rail segment for accessories can be attached under the barrel.

PRIO--- Kel-Tec CP33 .22 Long Rifle competition pistol

PRIO--- Kel-Tec CP33 .22 Long Rifle competition pistol

Other features of the Kel-Tec CP33 pistol include a grip heel-mounted magazine release button and a PMR-30 style ambidextrous frame-mounted manual safety. The cocking handle is T-shaped much like that of an AR-15 rifle variant and operates in the same way, making it easier for modern sporting rifle users to familiarize and being generally easier to rack than a slide.

The 5.5" long (13,97 cm) barrel of the Kel-Tec CP33 pistol is threaded at the muzzle for flash hiders, muzzle brakes, or silencers (where legal). A blowback-operated firearm, the Kel-Tec CP33 has been reported by early observers to have close to zero gas blowback, and thus being very suppressor-friendly, as well neutrally-balanced and thus very easily to shoot accurately.