The KelTec CP33 .22 LR Pistol

Futuristic — And Fun

Written By J.B. Wood

2020

The CP33 doesn’t have a trigger “flipper” safety. Note the over-hang at the rear,
there for a number of reasons.

Ten years ago, the design wizards at KelTec startled us with the PMR30, a neat pistol in .22 Magnum with a magazine capacity of 30 rounds. Well, they’ve done it again. This time, it’s in .22 Long Rifle, and the mag figure is 33 rounds. It’s the CP33, the model number an obvious tribute to the amazing capacity.

In appearance, its most notable feature is the generous rear-overhang of the frame. There are several design reasons for this. One of them is an internal bolt, and a separate cycling handle not moving in the firing sequence. Another advantage is it gives a standard-rail top of more than 7″ so you can mount a red dot, or whatever.

The long top also results in a sight radius of 8.62″. The sights are square-picture, and the rear is fully screw-adjustable. Both sights have fiber-optic dots. The front is green, and the rear one has red on each side of the notch. The sight set-up on the CP33 is excellent.

The rear over-hang also centers the pistol perfectly over the hand. The shape of the grip-frame contributes to the good hold. At its widest point, at lower rear, the width is a slim 1.0″, tapering to 0.81″ at the front. Even if you have a smaller hand, it’s comfortable.

The KelTec CP33 pistol is much like their .22 Magnum version, but in .22 LR. It likes
High Velocity ammo, like this CCI Mini-Mag.

You can see every round in the CP33 magazine, and you need to load it carefully —
read the instructions! It’s not shown fully loaded here.

Well-Thought-Out

The weight is also a factor. With a full magazine, it’s 31.2 oz. With an empty one, 25.7 oz. The other numbers: OAL is 10.6″, height is 6″ and width right at 1.7″. At the muzzle, the 5.5″ barrel has a suppressor-mounting extension, covered by a beautifully checkered ring.

The manual safety levers, both sides, are moved as you would expect; down to fire, up for on-safe. Inside, the safety blocks the sear and disconnects the trigger bar. Two things not there are worthy of praise. There’s no “magazine-safety” and no “flipper” in the trigger.

After the final shot, the internal bolt locks open. The protrusion of the external bolt-release is minimal and a small bolt-retraction is an easier way to release it. The magazine-release is at the lower rear, pushed toward the front to operate. It’s easily accessible to either hand. These, and the two safety levers, make the CP33 friendly to left-handers.

The trigger is wide and smooth-faced, as it should be. The take-up is minimal, and a small projection on its rear limits over-travel. The well-written manual lists the trigger pull at 4 lbs., and my Lyman electronic gauge says they got it right. The CP33 is not striker-fired but has an internal pivoting hammer, and this contributes to the superb trigger pull.

The bolt-retraction unit is shown closed, but doesn’t move when the CP33 is fired.
Sights are good and fully adjustable.

Magazine Magnificence

The 33-round magazine is a marvelous piece of design work. When you get your own CP33, read the manual about loading. Not difficult, you just have to be careful to avoid “rim-lock.” Fortunately, the magazines are made of transparent polymer so you can see instantly if you have done this. The first few times you go out to shoot, it’s a good idea to load only 20 or 25 rounds, until the spring eases up.

The CP33 is designed for use with .22 LR High-Velocity loads, so don’t try light target ammo. They might affect its awesome reliability. There are many excellent .22 LR HV loads out there, but mostly from habit, I have always used Mini-Mags from CCI.

The magazine release is at the base of the mag, and the safety goes on and off in a natural movement.

The standard-rail top is over 7" long with plenty of room for various optical sight ideas.

A Tack-Driver

To those accustomed to solid shooting benches and concrete walkways, my testing accoutrements will likely be amusing. They involve a folding campstool, an MTM Shooting-Stick and target-stand, and a Champion 100-yard sight-in target with an 8″ bull. Hey, it works for me.

Someone at KelTec had adjusted the sights and was having a good day. All groups were well-centered, with no flyers. At 25 yards, the groups averaged 4″. At 15 yards, one beautiful little group was at 2″. The CP33 is extremely accurate, even for older eyes and hands.

I’m sure George Kellgren may have tweaked the design here and there, but overall, the CP33 was the work of Tobias Obermeit. For the black version shown here, the MSRP is $475. In Desert-tan, it’s $50 more. Out there on the market, somebody will offer it for less. Either way, for the features, quality, and reliability, it’s a good buy.

For more info: www.keltecweapons.com, Ph: (800) 515-9983

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