Pistol review · editorial reference

Kel-Tec CP33 Review: 33 Rounds of .22 LR, and Who Needs Them

The CP33 is a .22 that sells on capacity and attitude. Whether it is a bargain or a distraction depends on how much you value a long magazine and how much patience you have for loading it.

Short answer

The CP33 is a good fit for shooters who want a long-magazine .22 pistol for steel, plinking or a suppressor, and who will take the time to load the quad-stack magazine correctly. If you want a simple, trouble-free first .22, a conventional pistol is the easier buy.

The pitch, and what it costs you

The Kel-Tec CP33 gets noticed for one reason: its magazine. A 33-round stack in a .22 LR pistol means a full Steel Challenge stage on a single load, or a long plinking session before you have to stop and feed anything. Everything else about the gun is built to support that idea, from the long top rail to the threaded muzzle.

The catch is the same thing. A quad-stack rimfire magazine is a demanding component, and the CP33 asks you to be a careful operator in exchange for those 33 rounds. Whether that is a fair trade is the whole review.

One thing to know before you start shopping: Ammunition Depot's catalog includes the 33-round CP33 magazine as its own product but does not list the pistol. For the pistol itself, browse the firearms category, because listings rotate and a firearm ships through a licensed dealer.

This review draws on the manufacturer's published features, the product listings and general rimfire reasoning. We have not fired this pistol. The existing CP33 guide covers setup details; this piece focuses on the buying decision.

What you are actually buying

From the listings and published information:

Feature	What it means for you
33-round magazine (listing)	Long strings of fire; also the part to treat carefully
Threaded barrel	Suppressor-ready where legal; check the thread pitch
Full-length top rail	Many optics fit without an adapter plate
.22 LR chambering	Cheap enough to shoot a lot, which is the argument for the pistol
Reliability dependence	Magazine loading and ammunition choice matter more than average

The value argument, honestly

There is a "fun-per-dollar" case for the CP33, and it is worth stating clearly. A .22 pistol is inexpensive to feed, and a pistol that holds 33 rounds lets you spend your time shooting instead of reloading. For a shooter whose goal is volume, that is a genuine selling point.

The counter-argument is that fun-per-dollar only works if the pistol runs. A pistol that stops every few magazines is a worse buy than a plain one that never does. So the review has to be about what makes the CP33 run and who is willing to do that work.

The magazine is the product

Rimfire cartridges have rims, and rims can lock over one another. In a single-stack magazine, the problem is minor. In a quad-stack magazine holding 33 rounds, there is more opportunity for a round to sit forward of the one below it, and when that happens the stack jams.

Kel-Tec's instructions are to seat each round fully to the rear as you load. That is not hard, but it requires discipline. A clear-bodied magazine helps, because you can see the stack and confirm each rim sits behind the one above it. A loading tool can speed the process; see our magazines and loaders roundup.

Practical consequences:

Budget for spare magazines. A pistol that depends on its magazine is worth owning two or three of. Browse the CP33 magazine listing for one.
Number your magazines. If stoppages follow one body, retire it.
Load a little more carefully than feels necessary until it becomes automatic.

Ammunition and cycling

As with every rimfire semi-auto, the first suggestion is a high-velocity copper-plated load, which supplies the energy to cycle a blowback action cleanly and tends to feed smoothly. The CP33 is a larger, heavier pistol than a slim polymer plinker, which can make it more forgiving of ammunition, but that is a tendency rather than a guarantee.

Our ammo guide for rimfire pistols goes through the choices and a test method. If you plan to shoot suppressed, test your intended subsonic load before relying on it; see the subsonic ammunition category for the kinds of loads available, and our subsonic comparison for how they differ.

As a suppressor host

The threaded barrel is a large part of the CP33's appeal. A heavy .22 pistol with a long sight radius and a can on the end is a pleasant combination. Two cautions:

Legal ownership. Suppressors are regulated federally and by many states, and the rules have been moving. Verify the current requirements before you buy one. SuppressorReady tracks the status in its NFA coverage and compares options in its rimfire hosts article.
Fouling. Suppressed rimfire shooting is dirty, and a suppressor adds a cleaning chore. Our suppressor fouling guide covers baffle strikes and lead buildup.

Who should buy a CP33

Buy it if:

You want long strings of fire for steel or action-style games.
You are comfortable being methodical about magazine loading.
You want a threaded, rail-equipped .22 pistol to mount an optic or a suppressor.
You will own spare magazines.

Think twice if:

This is your first handgun, or your first .22. A simpler pistol will teach better habits with fewer headaches.
You want to carry it. This is a range pistol.
You value the quietest trouble-free experience over capacity.

First-week checklist

If you decide the CP33 is for you, a few habits in the first week will save frustration.

Read the manual's section on magazine loading before you load the first round.
Number every magazine with a paint pen or tape.
Run a high-velocity plated load through each magazine separately and log any stoppage.
Clean the chamber and bolt face before the second session.
Mount your optic only after the pistol has proven reliable, so you are not troubleshooting two things at once.

The alternatives, briefly

If capacity is not the point, a conventional .22 pistol is easier to live with. The Ruger Mark IV Target is the classic for accuracy and cleaning, and our best .22 pistols by role sorts the options by what you want to do. The CP33 earns its place when you want what it is built to do: shoot a lot, with a lot of rounds, with an optic or a can.

Verdict

The CP33 is an enthusiast's pistol. It rewards the shooter who treats the magazine as a precision component and it punishes the one who does not. If you fit the first description, the extra capacity is a real pleasure. If you fit the second, you will enjoy a simpler pistol more.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications and publicly available information. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and legality for your own situation.

Frequently asked questions

Is the CP33 reliable?

Reliability with this pistol depends heavily on how the magazine is loaded and on ammunition choice. Load each round fully rearward so rims stack in order, and test several magazines of a high-velocity plated load before relying on it.

Can you put a suppressor on a CP33?

The pistol is sold with a threaded barrel, which makes it a common suppressor host where suppressors are legal. Ownership rules are federal and state matters, so verify current requirements before acquiring one.

Can you mount an optic on the CP33?

It has a full-length top rail, so Picatinny-mounted optics fit directly. Smaller slide-cut red dots need an adapter.

Where can I find a CP33 magazine?

Ammunition Depot lists the 33-round magazine as its own product, but not the pistol itself. For the pistol, browse the firearms category, since availability changes.