The rare Grendel R-31 22 Magnum Rifle
With the new Kel Tec CMR-30 carbine hitting the streets, now is a perfect time to reflect on its earlier half-brother, the beautiful and often overlooked Grendel R-31 rifle of the 1990s.
In 1990, Kel Tec founder George Kellgren was running its predecessor, Grendel firearms in Rockledge, Florida. Known for his innovative polymer framed guns, Kellgren introduced a very interesting semi-auto pistol chambered in .22WMR. This simple blowback handgun, with a 5-inch barrel, had the benefit of a detachable Zytel plastic magazine that you could cram an amazing 30-rounds into while still retaining the capability to fit completely inside the pistol grip.
This handgun, the P30, looked funny but was ground breaking. (And wound up being rebooted in 2009 as the Kel Tec PMR-30).
With that being said, if a handgun were good, a carbine with a 16-inch barrel using the same action would be great, right? Well GK apparently thought so because that’s what came out next.
