KelTec PR-5.7 Pistol: Stripper Clip Semiautomatic

KelTec has resurrected the long-deceased stripper clip-fed handgun.

October 21, 2025 By Logan Metesh

KelTec is no stranger to bucking tradition and making unconventional products, so if ever any company was going to revive stripper clip pistols, they would be the ones to do it.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely did not have a stripper clip-fed handgun on my 2025 Firearms Bingo Card. That said, being a firearms historian, my interest was more than just piqued. The first gun of its kind debuted back in 1896, but KelTec didn’t let 129 years of firearms development keep them from introducing the PR-5.7 earlier this year.

Make no mistake, though; the PR-5.7 is a radically different gun than the Mauser C96 or the Steyr M1912. In the simplest of terms, the only things that those guns and the PR-5.7 have in common is that they’re fed by stripper clips and they go bang. The frame is made of polymer in your choice of black, green, or tan, and the slide is rounded on the top for a look that is unlike anything else on the market. The slide also has front and rear serrations for quick and easy manipulation while the frame has KelTec’s signature gator grip pattern of textured blocks that ensure a solid yet comfortable purchase on the gun.

Equipped with a rotary barrel, the design allows the PR-5.7 to be a whopping 40% lighter than the next lightest 5.7 pistol on the market. For reference, the gun weighs just 13.86 ounces.

Design and Chambering

inserting stripper clips — (Photo courtesy of Logan Metesh)

KelTec’s PR-5.7, so named because it is chambered for the 5.7x28mm cartridge, holds a total of 21 rounds in its fixed internal magazine. The pistol ships with two stripper clips so that you can load the full 20 rounds from the two stripper clips and then top off manually with the 21st round. If you’re not in a hurry, you can also load all 21 rounds into the gun by hand one at a time.

The ability to hold so many cartridges means the PR-5.7 has a capacity far and above any other similarly-sized gun on the market. With a four-inch barrel, overall height of five inches, and an overall length of 7.16 inches, the PR-5.7 is a sleek gun that comes in at a diminutive 0.937 inches wide at its widest point.

All of these specifications result in a gun that isn’t just a fun range gun, but also a viable option for concealed carry. As was mentioned before, the capacity is unmatched and the cartridge’s performance is impressive for self-defense use. Since we’re now well into the 21st century, there’s absolutely no reason any gun intended for concealed carry should not have a rail for a light or laser and be cut for an optic. As such, the PR-5.7 is equipped with both and has an adapter plate for the optic of your choice.

If you find yourself in a situation where 21 rounds isn’t enough and you need to reload, the clips are small and discrete. You can drop them in your pocket and no one would have any clue what’s actually in your pocket.

Not Yesterday's Stripper Clips

pistol on table — (Photo courtesy of Logan Metesh)

While some guns intended for concealed carry get launched without holster support, which defeats the purpose entirely, KelTec offers both IWB and OWB holsters and there are also some aftermarket options available as well.

The stripper clips are unlike others you may have seen in the past. First of all, these are made of polymer and not metal. Instead of just having rear guide lips that hold the base of the cartridge, these also have a front lip that is key in proper loading. The clips have a small lip on the front that interfaces with the top of the slide. Insertion of one into the other ensures alignment of the clip with the internal magazine. Once lined up, you simply press down on the plunger that sits at the top of the clip to charge the rounds into the magazine.

The plunger is not attached to the clip, so if you’re prone to losing small pieces, that might happen to you. Luckily, it is not an essential part. You can still use the clips and just press down on the top round to load like you would with other stripper clips. When the gun is loaded to full capacity, the bottom section of the magazine follower will protrude out the bottom so that it is flush with the base plate. This acts as a visual loaded chamber indicator.

Since the magazine is not detachable, unloading the gun is a little different. The simplest way to do it is to rack the slide over and over, ejecting one round at a time, until the gun is empty. If you’d rather not do that, then you can use a ⅛” roll pin to unlock the base plate from the frame. Once unlocked, you can slide the plate forward and the rounds will simply fall out.

Disassembly is quick, easy, and safe. Push the trigger forward until it clicks. You can then take the slide off the front of the frame. From there, you can remove the dual recoil spring assembly, trunnion, and barrel. To reassemble, put the slide back on the frame, lock it in the open position, and push the trigger forward until it clicks again. From there, drop the slide and you’re good to go.

Now, all of this is well and good, but it amounts to nothing if the gun doesn’t actually work. So, how does it perform?

Let’s start with the clips and the loading procedure. Putting 10 rounds into each clip is pretty straightforward. You push the plunger to the top and feed the rounds in from the bottom. The clips only fit into the gun one way, so KelTec has made the design foolproof for getting them into the gun.

Loading from the clip into the magazine is equally easy; just push straight down. In my experience, the rounds don’t always go down in one fluid motion. Sometimes there was a bit of resistance, but the more times I did it, the easier it got and the less hangups I experienced. It’s just like any other reload. The more times you do it, the easier and faster you become at it.

Trigger Pull and Accuracy

close up of rotating barrel — (Photo courtesy of Logan Metesh)

As a hammer-fired, double-action pistol, I was expecting a heavy trigger pull. Sure, there’s quite a bit of travel to account for the hammer being cocked, but KelTec advertises the PR-5.7 to have a 4.5 pound trigger pull. When I actually shot the gun, I was very pleasantly surprised. After the travel, the gun breaks incredibly clean and crisp. I’m no human trigger weight gauge, but it felt lighter than 4.5 pounds to me. Back at the bench, I did five test pulls. Each and every one came back at exactly 2.5 pounds.

The gun shot right where I aimed out of the box. There’s no way to adjust the white-dot sights on the gun, so I was very happy to find that KelTec got them dialed in just right. Factory loaded 5.7 ammo makes for fast and flat shooting with very minimal recoil.

The shooting experience was great. I was using Hornady Critical Defense with 40-grain FTX bullets as well as Hornady Black with 40-grain V-MAX bullets. Both advertise a muzzle velocity of 1,810 fps. I ran a total of 200 rounds through the gun. I know that’s hardly a comprehensive test, but the PR-5.7 passed admirably. Both of the Hornady loads have polymer-tipped bullets, but I had no issues getting them to feed into the chamber. Likewise, I had no failures to eject or stovepipes.

Whether you’re looking for a new gun to spend some fun time plinking at the range, or if you want to try something new in your concealed carry rotation, KelTec’s PR-5.7 is a gun that I’d be sure to investigate. I can see where the gator grip texture on the grip might be a bit uncomfortable for concealed carry, but I can guarantee that you’ll have a ton of fun just shooting this gun on the range.