Keltec PR57 Pistol Announced

The new Keltec PR57 was announced recently, and it's been making a splash around the gun world. For good reasons honestly—it's actually different from everything else on the market and has truly unique features. If you don't know already, it's a lightweight clip-fed internal 20 round magazine 5.7x28mm handgun with a rotating barrel and dual guide rods. 

The big thing here is that it uses an internal clip fed magazine instead of using detachable magazines like all other modern semi-automatic pistols.

Now that's a feature that most associate with much older pistols, most comparing it to the Mauser C96 or Steyr M1912.

While that is a really strange choice to make today, Keltec justifies it with the extremely light weight, size, and ease of use of the pistol. From their website: 

---

"Magazine-less: The top-loading design makes the frame profile slim and compact. 20 rounds fit into the grip of the gun which can be manually inserted one at a time, or by using two of the provided 10-round stripper clips for a quick speed load. 

 "Lightweight: The PR57’s innovative rotary barrel design sets it apart not only in appearance, but by dramatically reducing it’s overall weight. This pistol is nearly 40% lighter than the next lightest 5.7mm pistol on the market. 

 "Simplicity: Its design is not just unique, it’s practical. Fine motor skills are greatly diminished in high-stress situations. The PR57 focuses on a minimalistic approach that reduces room for error." 

---

The general consensus is that this pistol is aimed at people who would otherwise be tempted by the "ease of use" that revolvers are often put on a pedestal for. The idea that you can load a revolver and have something that's easy to pick up, point, and shoot is an appealing prospect for people who want a gun for self defense but don't necessarily want or can't put much time into training. Even if you don't personally like that idea, the niche is absolutely there and is probably a large factor in the sales of revolvers today. Now Keltec has a lightweight pistol that is easy to load, has very few controls, holds 20 rounds, and apparently has extremely manageable recoil. I've seen some guys seriously say "once this drops I'm getting one for grandma" lmao.

My personal opinion is that it's really interesting and I want to see what the consensus is once it's in the hands of consumers. The non-detachable magazine makes sense to me as a trade-off to get it so thin and light, and 5.7x28mm seems like a decent compromise for capacity/effectiveness. One thing I'm curious about is the trigger, I want to know what sort of drop safeties it has and what trigger system it uses (haven't seen if it's a striker or hammer, nor do I know if it's totally double action or uses something like a Glock system, or even something different than those). Really hoping this turns out to be cool and usable, it's so neat to see something that actually changes things up a bit and isn't just a gen 3 Glock clone!

Let me know what you guys think about it!