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Kel-Tec PF-9: what do I need to know?

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Nothing. Nobody seems to have ever heard it happening before. Nobody had any idea what the problem could be including the factory tech, (who IMO should be delivering pizza). Obviously the tab broke and got jammed in the hammer/trigger bar mechanism. I guess anyone can get a bum part once in a while. We'll see if the new one holds up. I imagine it will. I like the pistol other than the broken part. Feels and looks good, and lots of power for very light and thin package.
 
1k,

Excellent work on fixing your PF flyer (hey sneakers or plastic pistol same stuff basically, eh?) I actually like KelTec and have one for every day carry though it is a old model P32.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and for doing the You Tube vid.

Good luck with getting this gun working and up to speed.

Keep us informed would you?

...about Helga as well.....

-kBob
 
New trigger bar arrived today and I got it all back together with a minimum of fuss. Pretty cool design. 8 mags worth of 124 ball went through it without further issue. I didn't notice trigger finger discomfort until about magazine 7, but I definitely understand why people trade out the trigger now. Also got a little discomfort on my middle finger, first knuckle. And it prints high for me... I was wondering why I couldn't hit as well as I do with G43, PM9, or Shield but I moved closer to the plates and found I was hitting high. Switched to a 6-o'clock hold and started hitting every shot.

I'll do a full report and comparo with the other small 9mms in a week or so. Thanks again for all the help.
 
I have a PF9 and the frame pins were replaced with screws by the previous owner. As I try to remove the screws, the pin just spins. Since the back side head is smooth, there is no way to stop it from spinning.

Anyone have any thoughts or solutions?
 
While I've owned several Kel-Tecs, I'm no expert. (Joining one of the Kel-Tec forums might be the place for the best answers.)

Some thoughts:

If the screw is spinning, that would suggest that the screws aren't HOLDING in the material. Have you tried driving the screws OUT (as you would a PIN)?

If that work, you'll have to replace the loose screws before you can use the gun again. I suspect that the only real solution might be sending it back to Kel-Tec (which may cost you, as they no longer offer warranties for used guns) or install slightly larger diameter screws or pins. Most hardware start MIGHT have metal screws or roll pins that can be cut to length with a Dremel.
 
Walt, thanks for the reply.
I guess I stated it wrong.
When I turn the screw, the entire post spins.
So it's not the screw that's stripped but the screw is so tight that it won't come out of the post and is spinning the post.

Since the post backside is smooth, there is no way to stop it from spinning

That's my problem
 
Strange goings on with someone replacing the pins with screws! o_O

Keep us updated on how you resolve that please. Thanks!

The only thing that ever bothered me about my PF9 was that rail on the front for mounting an accessory...light, laser, mini-bayonet or whatever. That made the little pistol look buck toothed to me.

So I "pulled" that tooth with a little cosmetic dental surgery. :D

413145877.jpg
 
Dovo1037 said:
I guess I stated it wrong.
When I turn the screw, the entire post spins.
So it's not the screw that's stripped but the screw is so tight that it won't come out of the post and is spinning the post.

Since the post backside is smooth, there is no way to stop it from spinning

That's my problem
Click to expand...

You might be able to CUT a groove in the other end of that piece with a dremel and use a flat-blade screwdriver to hold it still -- or as I've seen done elsewhere, attach something metal to the smooth area with epoxy, and use that "attachment" to hold it still while you undo the screw. (Even super glue MIGHT work and I'd probably try that first.)

Sounds as though someone installed the belt clip, then removed it, reinstalled the Belt Clip screws rather than shifting the gun back to true "stock" condition. (When I sold my PF9 I did that, and later forgot to warn the buyer that I still had the clip itself still in the gunsafe.)

You may later have to cut off the attachment. If you used super glue, some acetone might be enough to get it loose. You could just order some new pins from Kel-Tec and go back to STOCK.
 
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I think Walt Sherrill has it figured out! Looks like Walt and I probably live approx. 35+- miles from each other in NC. Good logic come from our part of the state...more so from where he lives than Lexington it appears!
 
NacsMXer said:
The hook-shaped plastic trigger can be uncomfortable to some.
Click to expand...

Yes, me. It hurt like the dickens.
There's an aluminum trigger available which helps some.
I've also heard of softening the trigger with heat & taking some of the curve out of it.
Good Luck.
I tried but just couldn't do away with that "gotcha" on the trigger.
 
Hondo 60 said:
Yes, me. It hurt like the dickens.
There's an aluminum trigger available which helps some.
I've also heard of softening the trigger with heat & taking some of the curve out of it.
Good Luck.
I tried but just couldn't do away with that "gotcha" on the trigger.
Click to expand...
did you try the aluminum trigger?
 
So if I'm not using the clip, I shouldn't use the pins with screws?
Click to expand...

You still need something in there to keep things together (and the cover on the frame...)

Just ordering new pins from Kel-Tec may be a solution. (I don't know how much replacement pins might cost, but it can't be much. Part 407 in the manual.)

Or leave the screws in, once you figure out HOW to take the thing apart (if, in fact, you really need to take it apart).. The pins and screws don't hurt anything.
 
I had the same problem on my P-11 when I removed the belt clip and decided to leave the screws in instead putting the plastic pins back in. At a later date when I wanted to remove the screws they did not want to release and just spun as yours are doing. I used a pair of needle nose pliers to grasp the edge of the rounded pins (using the pointed ends of the pliers) and they broke free then. There isn't much of a lip there to grasp them but after several tries I was able to get them out, did not mark the frame at all. If you don't want to re-use them just give Kel-Tec a call, even if they charge you they are cheap.
 
I put two layers of electrical heat shrink tubing over the trigger on my PF9. Improved the "bite" for less than a buck.
 
I've felt this type of trigger bite on a gun once once (and not in a gun I owned), and hear of it with some CZ compacts. I wish I understood what causes it. (I think I saw a possible explanation once, but it didn't stick with me... and I didn't make a copy for later reference. Duh.)

Because it's not present with all guns, it's clearly something that can be modified (or a part that can be replaced) in the guns that have the "problem."
 
I think it's dependent upon the individual. Some report getting pinched between the step in the trigger at the top and the frame (I don't); some report getting pinched between the top of the finger and the triggerguard (I don't); others feel discomfort or trigger sting or trigger slap supposedly related to the shape of the trigger, the sharp recoil of the pistol or the design or a combination. That's where I am. I shot it back to back with a Kahr PM9, which I love to shoot, and the overall recoil impulse is very similar. However I get zero trigger finger pain with the Kahr and significant pain with the Kel-Tec. This makes the PF-9 FEEL like it kicks much harder but it's all in the trigger. Which is weird. I'll try heat shrink tubing and then try straightening it. If that doesn't work I'll try the aluminum trigger. I like this pistol but it hurts.
 
I don't think it's really all that dependent on the individual. (How well a person shoots a Kel-Tec gun does seems to be very much dependent on how the Kel-Tec and a shooter fit each other, but not this particular issue.) Some folks just can't make a Kel-Tec do what it should!

I've fired a PF9 and felt a strong STING through the trigger mechanism, and heard others complain of the same in other Kel-Tecs and in CZ compact guns. (I've had a number of CZ Compact and never felt that happening.) Unlike the gun mentioned above, my PF9 didn't sting my trigger finger, and I'm sure I shot the guns in the same manner. You couldn't see an obvious difference in the two PF9s before the guns were shot, but you could feel a difference when you pulled the trigger.

I think there's some kind of "harmonic" vibration in some of these guns that causes the shooter discomfort. Which is why I suggested that a part change or a minor adjustment could solve the problem, if we just knew what needed to be tweaked or replaced.

.
 
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Walt Sherrill said:
I've fired a PF9 and felt a strong STING through the trigger mechanism, and heard others complain of the same in other Kel-Tecs and in CZ compact guns. (I've had a number of CZ Compact and never felt that happening.) Unlike the gun mentioned above, my PF9 didn't sting my trigger finger, and I'm sure I shot the guns in the same manner.
.
Click to expand...
Funny. I describe the recoil from the PF9 as stingy vs more of a hard thud from my XDS 45.

I wouldn't say the PF9 is bad but it's not something I want to shoot all day. I will say though that the more I've shot it the more it seemed to break in and be easier to shoot. I'm not sure if that's me getting more comfortable with it, getting more experience shooting or a combo of both.

Being an inexpensive compact I wonder if many of the "problems" with them are due to new shooters with little to no experience and/or high demand and a hard time with consistent quality conttol.

I know as I learn I'm now becoming better able to explain what I'm experiencing. I still have a long way to go but range time and experience with different guns is helping.

Personally I love discussions like this as there is so much good info. From how the OP solved an issue to all the great comments
 
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