Kel Tec PF9 opinions

[chrisnoel27]

Just ordered from cheaper then dirt for 215$. Reviews are mostly sound, what about you guys and gals? What say you?

 

[mgmorden]

Mostly good. I'm not sure if Kel-tec is putting in the metal mag releases standard now, but if not, if it has the plastic one then I'd go ahead and order the metal one. It's less than $10 and the plastic mag release (which tends to wear over time causing premature release of the magazine during fire) is the only major negative I've heard about the gun.

 

[Ghost Tracker]

I have an acquaintance who's with the U.S. Marshall Service DFRS (I think that's "Dangerous Felon Recovery Squad"). Anyway, he spends a lot of time all over the country chasing & catching some seriously bad badguys. I was quite surprised when he showed me a recent production PF9 (steel mag release) & told me his whole gang had recently been issued them as a BUG.

 

[J_McLeod]

I bought mine back in 09 and it has a steel mag release. It's not much fun to shoot, but it's my favorite carry gun, and I carry it more than my other 5 pistols combined. It's always been reliable for me with all kinds of ammo. I'd recommend it to anyone that wants a good carry gun.

 

[KennyFSU]

Mine is a few years old and it came with a metal mag release as well. It's been a great gun and I carry it every day. I recently bought a PM9 but I still keep the PF9 in rotation. It has been 100% reliable.

 

[TxBobS]

Love it. It has been flawless and is a great EDC gun.

 

[Dr_2_B]

Mine's been good. Snappy recoil though.

 

[CTGunner]

I like mine ok for what it is. I have had issues with light strikes..which doesn't inspire confidence. The upside - I think the trigger is nice and it conceals very well. The price is also right.

 

[dusty14u]

I have carried one for the past 3-1/2 yrs and it is my main edc. It has been reliable and highly concealable. I recommend the hard coated slide as mine has never rusted. Good ccw option.

 

[Remllez]

Very hard to beat for the money....mine runs fine with any ammo I have shot through it.
You'll like carrying it IWB, pocket or on the belt.

 

[Geneseo1911]

I'm glad to hear so many good reviews.

I had mine for less than two weeks before the slide cracked and warped and I had to send it in. I've been spending a lot of time reading at the Kel-Toc Owners Group website (http://www.thektog.org/forum). If you spend too much time in the PF9 section you'll think they're all junk. I keep telling myself that only the people with problems show up there. It is apparent though that there is an all too common failure to extract problem.

That the Marshall Service would buy them makes me feel a lot better. Hopefully a couple of weeks at the beach will get mine all freshened up and reliable.

 

[psyshack]

I carry a PF-9 daily and shoot it a lot. Yeah it's a cheap little bastard and KT's can be strange in some folks hands. And it's not a pistol for the mass's.

But I trust my life to my PF-9.

 

[dusty14u]

One thing I have heard about KT is their great CS. I have two KT products, a hard coated PF9 and a Sub2000 9mm that takes Glock mags. I have had zero issues so I can't attest to the CS dept competency. I took the step sons shooting last weekend and they are in love with the Sub2k but I doubt I will be able to find some for them quickly.

KT is an American company with a great CS rep so if something does go wrong I would hope and expect them to make it right.

 

[The Sarge]

It is a crap shoot. Maybe you will get one "that has been flawless for a kabillion rounds" and maybe you will get one that really likes Florida better than your location. Nobody can say for sure which it will be.

 

[martywj]

I have a PF9 that is my EDC weapon. The gun is light weight and easy to conceal. Accuracy is good out to about 7 yards, longer than it is iffy. It is not a range gun by any means the light weight contributes to a very snappy recoil. I have added the pinky extenstion on all my mags and skate board tape to the grip to have a good hold on the thing. Mine has been very reliable with about 500 rounds through it and no issues at all. I have the blued model.
I also have another Kel Tec, the P3AT .380. It is also a good weapon.

Marty

 

[jahwarrior]

Mostly good. I'm not sure if Kel-tec is putting in the metal mag releases standard now, but if not, if it has the plastic one then I'd go ahead and order the metal one. It's less than $10 and the plastic mag release (which tends to wear over time causing premature release of the magazine during fire) is the only major negative I've heard about the gun.

if you send them the gun, they'll swap the old mag release for the new steel ones free of charge.

my brother bought the PF9 when they were first released. it ran flawlessly, but after carrying it for two days, the slide was horribly pitted and rusted. he kept it cleaned and oiled, so this shouldn't have happened. he sent it back to them, and they sent him one with a new slide, plus the new mag release, and an extra mag. it had no other problems since then. it ate everything he put through it, and was more accurate than i thought possible.

the recoil does suck, though.

 

[GBExpat]

I bought one in the year that they were first available and have carried it daily (even when I am home) ever since ... mostly back pocket of my 501s in a DeSantis Nemesis holster).

I have read of several folks who have experienced corrosion issues with pocket carry, but I only clean/oil mine about once/twice a year after shooting the pocket lint out of it and have never had any problem with corrosion.

My PF9 is reliable & accurate and I like it very much.

 

[kokapelli]

I had one and it did work, but I sold it after I got a PM9.

The PM9 is a lot more expensive but it is also a much better shooter than the PF9 in every respect.

Now that the almost identical to the PM9, CM9 is available at a very reasonable price I don't know why anyone would not purchase it over the PF9.

 

[Dr_2_B]

Now that the almost identical to the PM9, CM9 is available at a very reasonable price I don't know why anyone would not purchase it over the PF9.

I agree that the CM9 is a great pistol at a great deal. I have the PM9 but will buy either the newly introduced CM40 or the expected-to-be-released CM45.

Only downside is the shiny slide. I like all black pistols because they conceal better. Whatever I buy, I will have duracoated or something.

 

[sigbear]

Mine, welllllllll.

I bought one back in Aug. of this year and I guess I must have got bad one. I traded it in for a Ruger LC9 after only 200 rounds and had no problems with it.

 

[gbelleh]

I carried an early PF-9 (with plastic mag release) for over 3 years, and it ran 100% during that time. But eventually, the ejector snapped in half while shooting at the range. KT fixed it and replaced almost everything except the plastic outer frame, but I did lose some confidence in it. I still carry the PF-9 as a BUG occasionally, but it has pretty much been replaced with a PM9 which is MUCH more comfortable to shoot, and seems more solidly built.

But, for the money, the PF-9 is hard to beat.

 

[skoro]

What say you?

I've carried a PF-9 for three years. No complaints. It's not a fine example of the gunmaker's art and it's not one you'll grow attached to. It's a compact, lightweight pocket pistol that packs a full-size punch. It does what it's intended to at a very reasonable price.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Mine about 6 months old it a great pistol Has become my #1 carry pistol . My 1911's hate it can't keep in same safe .

 

[toivo]

I just bought one yesterday! I got the parkerized finish, because I have pocket-carried a parkerized P32 for two years with not a speck of rust. I haven't shot the PF-9 yet, but just dry-firing on a snap cap brings up one issue: the shape of the trigger. It has too much of curve, IMO, and it forces my trigger finger up high, where it gets pinched by the frame cutout where the trigger goes in. If I move my finger down lower, my finger gets pinched between the trigger guard and the bottom of the trigger, which is quite pointy.

I did some online research on this issue, and ended up ordering one of these:

http://www.northwoodcomp.com/

I hope it works as well as they say it does. KTOG users seem to like it.

 

[Blacklabel82]

I have the park / OD green model...great carry piece. Always been reliable and 100% if I keep it clean! It doesn't like limp-wristing, but feeds any ammo I put through it. I've been very happy with all of my keltecs.