Kel Tec PF9?

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I have one and carried it for years. Two things that I do NOT like about it is the typical Kel-Tec mile long trigger pull and it is a bit hard for me to rack the slide with my arthritis and fibromyalgia. Other than that, it always goes bang and has decent accuracy for it being a small pistol. My PF9 got replaced as my EDC with a Sig P938 which is easier for me to use and shoot.
 
I'll buck the trend. I traded a friend out of one. Mine jammed. It's been a while now but I recall it doing similar to a three point jam. I did some research and there is a forum dedicated to keltecs. So I did their recommended fluff and buff, as it was called, and it helped but didn't cure the issue. Swapped it off. Should have tried to get keltec to fix it, except if had to pay shipping to send it back.

I liked it though other than that. It carried nice.
 
I had a PF9. It was a jam-o-matic, even after a trip back to Kel Tec. I still own a P11 and a P32. The P32 is my warm weather EDC. The P11 a "truck gun" when I'm down in FL for the winter.
 
Has anyone handled or fired a Kel Tec PF9? If so, how are they? Thanks.
I had one and really liked it. The only reason I sold it was due to finances. I never had any problem with it, and would buy another.

However, after bragging to my dad about it, I let him shoot it, and the casing flew back and hit him right between the eyes. I thought it was pretty funny, but he wasn't amused.
 
I had one. There were a few JHP cartridges it was finicky about, but it was otherwise reliable. It was moderately unpleasant to shoot, so when the LC9 came out I replaced it, and have had no regrets.
 
I shot one and was impressed. If you like the S&W shield AND the S&W 642 airweight J frame you will like the PF9, because it combines the attributes of both. Similar to 642 in weight and trigger pull, although DA pull lacks that nice rebound of the revolver’s. It pockets very well because of how the rear of slide is slanted 45 degrees like a LCP instead of 90 degrees like shield or Glock: Comes right out of your pocket. No safety, like a DA revolver. Recoil similar to the shield and the 642. If you can handle recoil of either you can handle the PF9; Like either of those, it needs a firm grip. Not great for practical accuracy, but good for what it is.
 
I forgot to mention, the feed problems I had was with ball ammo. I tried several makes at the time.

I had a sub2k rifle sometime before that, that have me problems as well. I didn't sent it back neither. At the time I was young and dumb okay? But anyways I sold it to the gunsmith and moved on. I really like both guns though.
 
Another "I had a PF9" story. It was functional enough but never could get use to the long and heavy trigger pull. Traded it in on a KelTec P3AT which has a slightly better trigger and is the perfect size for pocket carry.
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I've been carrying one since 2010. I bought it used when they were in low supply and high demand, and happened across it while "popping in the store for ammo or something."

Mine has yet to malfunction beyond the one time the slide closed on an empty case that had fallen back into the ejection port. Yes, I saw it happen.

The PF9 is light and hard-hitting, on both ends. It's rude in the hands, and more than a few magazines at a session will make you feel like you've been high-fiving a hammer, but it's certainly manageable for its intended mission. It does require a determined grip, and is reportedly easy to limp-wrist. Mine feels best with 115-grain ammunition, and that is what it's loaded with, but it's likely sighted more for 124-grain fodder, so it hits a little on the low side beyond 15-20 feet or so. At 25 yards, aimed head shots hit mid-chest.

The trigger is firm and not for the Glock-minded. As a well-experienced revolver shooter, it didn't occur to me that it's crappy until I read it on the Internet. It's neither a Glock trigger nor a match-grade one, but it's perfectly functional in a defensive or fighting context. Pistol snipers, look elsewhere. The trigger action is of a hybrid-DAO mechanism, with the hammer only fully at-rest if it's dropped on an empty chamber (or dud round.) Between chamberings/shots, it's partially-cocked; each trigger pull moves the hammer the rest of the way to the rear and then releases it. The reciprocating slide resets it to that partially-cocked position. There is no "second-strike" capability, but you can reset the hammer by retracting the slide about a quarter of an inch; you'll hear it click.

The Kel-Tec P11, by comparison, has a true DAO trigger/hammer mechanism, with the hammer always fully at-rest.

My blued slide started to rust about two years after I got it (my gun appears to have been made in 2006) so I upgraded to Kel-Tec's hard-chromed one. It's held up well.

With all of the other micro-nines that have arrived since the PF9 opened the market, the KT may not be quite as relevant anymore, especially since interest is shifting toward micro-double-stack nines these days. Still, the PF9 remains the lightest and flattest 9mm pistol on the market with a seven-round magazine (The Diamondback DB9 is smaller, but gives up a round in capacity.) I keep wanting to switch to newer guns, or even older revolvers for carry, as I do appreciate steel, but I keep coming back to the KT because it just makes sense, though I do have a Taurus G2C I have yet to try. Still, for concealability, there is no comparison.

Incidentally, the year after I got it, I bought a new P32 for deep-conceal. It has backed up the PF9 pretty much every day since.

Hope this helps a little..
 
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Good summary MedWheeler!

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I got my P3AT in Dec'05 and my PF9 in Jul'07. I still have and carry them both, periodically, and the PF9 was my primary EDG for about 7 years.

Yes, I "Fluffed & Buffed" both ... but I have long done that with all of my new (especially) pistols anyway.

As you can see in the pic below, I carefully thinned the trigger guard and modded some mag extensions so the I could comfortably get all 3 fingers on the grip. What does not appear in the pic is the aluminum replacement trigger that I subsequently installed. Not a fan of the plastic OEM trigger. Very uncomfortable for me.

I have always run mine with 124s and found the accuracy to be more than adequate for what this pistol is.

The little pistol is a shooting-handful but it has always been reliable & accurate for me.

From what I have read over the years, the finish on these guns varies with its "born date". Mine has never rusted even though I have often retrieved it, sweat-soaked, from its carry pocket (in its DeSantis Nemesis holster). I just wipe the outside dry and put it front of a fan for awhile. I have been blessed with relatively non-corrosive perspiration, though. A couple of fellows that I have known over the years could have turned this pistol (heck, any pistol) into a lump of Fe2O3 in a heartbeat. :)

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Off to work on the house water system ... only 33 years online and the Pressure Switch starts getting twitchy on me. Hard to believe. ;)


EDIT:

KelTec forums link ...

https://www.thektog.org/forums/



.
 
I bought mine new when they were hard to get. It's fine for what it is but the slide is sloppy, mine is not very accurate, and the trigger is what everyone else says. I still have it as a hideout gun in the house but now carry a Diamondback 9mm. The Diamondback is vastly superior to the PF-9 IMO. Better trigger, smaller, and lighter, plus it is more accurate.
 
I had one for many years and found the same issues. Mine went bang every time and was accurate, but not something you wanted to spend a lot of range time on. I carried mine in a Remorsa holster in my coat pocket in the winter mainly. I traded mine in on a SIG365.

PF9 is a great carry gun , trigger is long and mushy.
 
I bought my P3AT before buying the PF9 and there is definitely a difference in the quality of the finish. The P3AT slide rusted right away even in a good leather IWB holster while the PF9 has not.

Like I said before, I have never had any function issues with mine, I just never could get used to the long trigger pull. I was the same way with the Taurus 24/7 Pro C I had years ago. If you are used to a long double action trigger pull, then the Kel-Tec triggers won't bother you. In my case, I am an old single action guy that is used to the triggers on 1911's and single action revolvers.
 
I had one and liked it fine.
I never had a jam, but other people who shot it did. I believe they need to be held pretty solid to function.
Traded it and $100 for a S&W 637-2.
I'll probably get another one someday
 
I had a couple p11s and then a pf9. I liked the 11s better but the pf9 was a nice enough gun considering it was intended to be a belly gun. The reason I sold it was that it had a very tight but in-spec chamber which caused a lot of jams with factory ammo. I couldn’t get reloads to feed in it at all. Traded it towards a Taurus 85ch that I liked for a day or two then hated and sold quickly. I won’t own a DAO version of a gun designed to be da/sa ever again.
 
I had one for a while. Very snappy to shoot -- not really fun at the range. Very light and slim -- easy to carry. On mine, the slide started peening badly at the front of the ejection port and occasionally would lock open just from friction of the slide and barrel in that area. Kel-Tec said it was a bad batch of steel and replaced the slide for me, but after that I was a little spooked and traded it off.

I'm not a Kel-Tec hater. I have a P32, and I love it.
 
This is my impression of Keltec 9mm carry pistols: They aren't unreliable after a break in period or equivalent fluff and buff. That's my experience, anyway.

Where they fall short is in the durability department. My P 11 was (after a fluff and buff) reliable enough to be my carry gun. At about 1200-1500 rounds, however, small parts started breaking. First it was this, then it was that. When I would mention that to folks, Keltec fans would say, "Hey...these aren't high round count guns!" to which I would respond, "1200-1500 rounds is a high count??"

I didn't dislike the long stiff Keltec trigger like many shooters do - I felt it was a valid safety feature - but one needs to practice a lot with such a trigger to stay proficient. However, a lot of practice is going to get you to 1500 rounds pretty quickly. Then you need to buy another gun, if my experience is any indication.

If you don't shoot a lot, the Keltecs will last well enough, I suppose, but most people who don't shoot much want easier triggers. I'd stay away from Keltec.
 
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I have one and it has been stellar.

The first day I took it to the range was just one of those rare magical sessions where me and the gun could do no wrong.

First off, I carried the P11 for 11 years before finding my grail EDC (Rohrbaugh), so I was used to a craptacular trigger. Thus, I was ok with the PF 9 trigger.

I started off easy with the gun at 7 yards and was pleased with a bit less than fist sized groups.

Then on to the plate rack. That little tiger just mowed them down. I kept moving back 5 yards at a time and the gun just would not choke. I think I quit pushing my luck at 25 0r 30 yards.

I had so much fun, I burned through somewhere between 200-250 rounds.

Could I repeat those results today? Probably not, but I know what the potential is; besides, I’m 15 years older now.

Even though I don’t carry it, my life does depend on it. It is a stash gun in my shop. Many times I work all through the night till dawn with the over head door wide open and the Keltec within easy reach.


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Triggernosis writes:

The PF-9 worked pretty well for that Zimmerman guy.

Hardly good testimony in that case, to be fair. The shooter and the target were actively tussling with one another, the gun was fired only once, and it failed to go into battery after that (likely due to being in contact with the target.) Any crap gun that fired its first shot would have delivered similar results. Some would even argue that, in that specific incident, had a second shot been necessary, George would have fared better with a revolver.

Still, I favor the PF9, per post 12 above.
 
Reinz writes:

The first day I took it to the range was just one of those rare magical sessions where me and the gun could do no wrong......
...I had so much fun, I burned through somewhere between 200-250 rounds.

I recall one gun with which I felt the same way, a Bersa Thunder 380. I could not get that one to disappoint me. My PF9 was nearly as good, just more of a handful.
 
I have several KelTecs and apparently have been lucky. All of them have worked fine, although none have over 1000 rounds. As others have noted, I find the PF9 unpleasant to shoot. It shares that quality with my Makarovs.

I appreciate that it's light and compact. It currently rides in the handlebar bag of my bicycle.
 
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