Just before SHOTShow 2025 KelTec announced the release of a pistol that was strange and unusual; even for KelTec and that’s saying something. The PR57 is a compact double-action-only pistol, chambered in 5.7, with an internal 20-round magazine, which means this is a clip-loaded pistol.
Stripper clip pistols haven’t been common since the early 20th century. And nobody I know of has made a new one in decades. It is probably no coincidence that the most recent clip-loaded pistol was the Zytec Grendel which the founder of KelTec invented.
I had a chance to try out this pistol at the SHOT2025 Range Day. Jokes about KelTec reliability aside, it appeared solid and equal to KelTec’s pistols in build quality and construction. Notable was its double-action trigger (which is also becoming exceedingly uncommon) which also functioned as the slide disassembly lever when pushed forward.
It was remarkably light at 14oz unloaded and loading and unloading it was simple enough using their adapter/loader which functions like a stripper-clip in function. Shooting, it had had a lot less recoil and snap than a 9mm or .38 of similar size. It shot flat and accurately (I was able to hit an IPSC plate a few times at 100yrds though any misses were shooter error).
It is a much better pistol than I gave it credit. But I think it’s a solution looking for a problem as its utility seems to elude me. And 5.7 is not a caliber I want to get into due to its cost per round. THE PR57 will probably attract the gun buyers who want something very different at the range, that can cause other folks to ask to try it.
