The Keltec PR57 is one of the more bizarre handguns to hit the market in years. It’s a modern uniquely-designed polymer gun that feeds like a WWI relic and costs less than a weekend worth of groceries. In this post, we are going to analyze hands-on experiences with this pistol as well as answer the most popular questions about it.
Mag Design: Why Stripper Clips in 2025?
The KelTec PR57 does not have a removable magazine. Instead, you feed a 20-round internal magazine through the top using proprietary 10-round polymer stripper clips. You might ask why?
Well, the gun was tailor-made for CC. This mag design allows the grip to be extremely thin – less than an inch wide at its thickest point. So despite having a barrel length and sight radius similar to a Glock 19, it simply vanishes under a t-shirt.
What also makes this gun CC-material is its weight. With the PR57, you get 20 rounds (+1 in the chamber) of 5.7x28mm in a package that weighs 18.3 ounces fully loaded (this is like the Glock 43X empty!)
Of course, this design has a trade-off – you can’t just drop a mag. To reload the Keltec PR57, you have to cycle the slide manually to eject every single live round. Some consider it a significant administrative handling risk. If you aren’t paying attention, that is a recipe for an ND.
But for real-life defense situations, a non-removable magazine is OK. If you need more than 21 rounds in a civilian self-defense scenario, you have bigger problems than your reload speed.
Reliability: The Break-In Period is Real
If you buy a Glock or a Sig, you expect it to run straight out of the box. With the PR57, you better take it to the range immediately to break it in.
Users usually experience a “rough” start. We’re talking failure-to-feed and failure-to-eject malfunctions – first 40-60 shots are particularly plagued with hiccups. But after lubing it up and putting more rounds through it (like 200-250) the failures do go away.
It seems the unique dual-recoil spring and rotating barrel system needs a bit of friction smoothing before it settles in.
So, if you experience jams out of the box, don’t panic. Clean it, lube it, and shoot it. It’s a temporary issue, not a permanent flaw. Besides, some owners have zero malfunctions out of the box from round one.
Ammo Compatibility: Feed It Right
The 5.7x28mm cartridge is finicky, and the PR57 definitely has preferences. Here is the consensus on what to feed it:
FN Gunr / FN SS197 40-grain and Speer Gold Dot 40-grain. These seem to run flawlessly in almost every test once the gun is broken in. If you plan to carry this for defense, Speer Gold Dot is the recurring recommendation for reliability and terminal ballistics.
Generally, the heavy bullet seems to provide enough backpressure to run that rotary action.
Federal American Eagle 40 grain. This is the most polarizing ammo. Some shooters report ejection issues and stovepipes with this specific load, while others run it fine. If your PR57 likes it, great. If not, don’t force it.
Watch out for the super light stuff. Some 30gr and 27gr bullets have been reported to keyhole (hit the target sideways) or fly erratically because of the 1:9 twist rate. There also might be more failures to feed and eject with lighter bullets.
Also, forget about subsonics. They likely won’t generate enough back-pressure to cycle the action reliably without a suppressor.
Shooting Impressions: Like a Hot .22
Shooting the PR57 is genuinely fun. The 5.7x28mm round is famous for low recoil, but KelTec’s rotary barrel system eats up even more of that kick. It shoots flat and fast. You can dump rounds on target quickly because the muzzle just doesn’t flip up like a 9mm.
The trigger is double action only (DAO). If you’re used to the crisp “wall” of a striker-fired Glock or Sig, this will feel weird. It’s a long pull – about 0.68 inches of travel – but it’s light, breaking around 4 pounds.
And here is a crucial warning from the field: don’t ride the reset. You have to let the trigger all the way out, or you might get a “dead trigger” where the hammer doesn’t reset.
Ballistics: Short Barrel, Fast Bullet
The 5.7 round relies on speed to do its job. The PR57 has a roughly 4-inch barrel, which is shorter than the FN Five-seveN or the Ruger-5.7.
Does it neuter the round? Not as much as you’d think. Paul Peterson chronographed the Speer Gold Dot 40gr at 1,591 fps. In gelatin tests, that round penetrated 20 to 21 inches with good expansion. B. Gil Horman got even higher numbers, pushing the Speer Gold Dot to 1,649 fps. 20-21 inches is deep – actually, it’s deeper than the FBI standards (12-18 inches).
It means that even with the shorter barrel, the PR57 isn’t under-penetrating. The bullet expands, tumbles, and creates a dynamic wound cavity that looks nasty.
To put that in perspective, a full-sized FN Five-seveN with a nearly 5-inch barrel might get you closer to 1,800 fps with certain loads. You are losing speed, yes, but 1,650 fps it’s still pretty fast compared to traditional handgun rounds.
What about other defense calibers? If we look at muzzle energy, the PR57 sits in the middle ground:
- 9mm (4″ barrel): Typically generates between 280-350+ ft-lbs of energy.
- KelTec PR57 (4″ barrel): Generates around 200 to 242 ft-lbs depending on the ammo.
- 380 ACP: Usually generates 180-220 ft-lbs.
The PR57 is not a 9mm killer in terms of raw energy. A heavy 9mm bullet simply hits with more brute force. However, the PR57 outperforms the .380 ACP. If you feel comfortable carrying a Ruger LCP or a Glock 42, the PR57 is objectively hitting harder than those, with a flatter trajectory to boot.
Concealed Carry: Is It a Viable CCW?
Is the Keltec PR57 good for concealed carry? Well, it’s under an inch wide, holds 20+1 rounds, and is roughly 18oz fully loaded. You are carrying a duty-sized loadout in a gun that carries like a subcompact.
However, there are a couple of problems. Holster options are currently limited to Rounded Gear. This will likely change, but right now, you can’t just walk into a store and grab a rig for it.
Also, there is no manual safety. Instead, the pistol relies on the long DA trigger pull. If you are comfortable carrying a revolver or a DA/SA pistol, you’ll be fine here.
The Bottom Line
The KelTec PR57 is not a beginner’s gun. It’s not a gun for someone who wants to buy it, load it once, and throw it in a drawer. It requires a specific manual of arms, a break-in period, and careful ammo selection.
But if you are willing to put in the range time to verify your specific pistol, you get something great: a gun that carries like a single-stack, shoots like a hot .22, holds 20 rounds, and hits like a defensive carbine.