My Kel Tec PF 9 Finally Broke

[deacon8]

I would also like to add something else. I live in an area of Idaho where an animal, of the more aggressive sort, is more likely to attack me than a man with a knife. Therefore, I don't really carry a pocket pistol all that much. I am also not too worried about concealed carry too much. So maybe there is just a little "disconnect" there. However, depending on where I'm going and what I'm doing, I'll throw the .380 in my back pocket. I shoot a LOT on my property, just not so much with my "little guy."

For whatever that's worth.

 

[Jbabbler]

The issue is that if a gun's construction is such that it fails at 1k rounds there is a good chance another from the same mold will fail a 100 rounds. No one is saying that a pocket pistol should be a range gun. Manufacturing capability is all about statistics and this is a red flag folks.

I don't know that an issue with 1 gun is a "red flag". There are thousands more out there that have put many thousands of rounds down range w/o any problems at all. If I saw a pattern developing then I may be concerned. But, best as I can tell the Pf9 is an ugly gun with a sloppy slide and a poor finish. The grip plastic is sharp and the edges need to be sanded. But, aside from the 1st year feeding issues (corrected in 2nd gen) it has a proven track record of being a reliable gun that works.

 

[crebralfix]

Kel-Tec will fix it. I've had no problems with any of my Kel-Tecs, but all guns can break at any time

While it is true guns can break, there are different levels of breakage. A cracked frame at 1,000 rounds is very different from a cracked alloy frame on a 1911 at 50,000 rounds. On a Glock, I cannot fix a cracked frame, but I can fix any small parts breakage in 10 minutes or less since I keep a pool of spare parts.

The point is, a quality gun will tend not to break across the entire production run. Failures should be very small; not so with the KelTecs. If it's "designed not to be shot", that's simply an emotional justification for the purchase of a low quality gun. In other words: the manufacturer (or owners or gunsmiths or whoever) is saying that the design is weak and will not hold up.

Would you purchase a fire extinguisher with such characteristics?

As Tom Gresham (Gun Talk) says: "A gun is a life saving device."

Stop being cheap and get something that will last. There are numerous quality alternatives.

 

[Jbabbler]

As Tom Gresham (Gun Talk) says: "A gun is a life saving device."

Stop being cheap and get something that will last. There are numerous quality alternatives.

I don't think most people buy Kel-tecs because they are cheap. I think that most people buy them because they are small and easy to conceal. In fact, in every gun they make they are the smallest xxx in the world. Find me a 7rd 9mm smaller/lighter more concealable than a PF9 or a 12rd 9mm smaller than a P11. The same can be said for the P3at and P32.

That being said, I sold my Pf9 because I wanted a less sloppy gun with a more durable finish. It shot great and never malfunctioned but it was sloppy as hell after only 100 rounds and the bluing was worn through on the edges after a few weeks.

 

[crebralfix]

Kahr PM9: 6+1 capacity with other mags available. MK9 also available.

It's a step up in quality.

Just because it's small doesn't make it good for the purposes of effectively fighting. It just means it's small and harder to use.

Additionally, Frank mentions several other defects with the PF9. More nails on the PF9's coffin.

Regarding the training posts, above: I think what the posters really meant is that a gun is not convenient. People try to turn this into something convenient. They get fat and expect the gun to "protect" them, as if it were a magic talisman to ward off evil. In the end, it's about fighting. Fighting effectively requires fitness, mindset, tactics, and appropriate tools. The world's smallest 380 pistol is all fine and dandy, but it's not the only trick I'd want in my bag if I were out to kill goblins*.



* THR Nannies: Fighting is what it's about. We'll say certain things in court, such as "I was shooting to stop him". However, the reality is lethal force is LETHAL for a reason: it's an attempt to kill. We dress it all up for presentation in court, but that's all. Call it for what it is and keep the courtroom phrases for that audience. Unfortunately, too many people insist upon hiding behind the reality of this by using the courtroom language exclusively.

 

[Girodin]

Therefore, you could get a lot of practice done at home.

I absolutely agree. Much can be gained without ever firing a shot IMO. That said there is a need to be actually firing as well IMO.

Obviously we all need to evaluate our own skills and determine what we are comfortable with and capable of doing in terms of training. we also need to determine what our risk level is and as you stated for some people it is VERY low and if they don't enjoy firearms training might be hard to justify all the time and money that goes into it. Not having snow tires and a 4wd vehicle was nuts when I lived in the mountains of north west MT it would be perfectly rational in Miami.

I do enjoy shooting all of my guns including my small pocket guns just for fun as well as training. Not all of my shooting is "training." Some is just fun. Truth be told even the training is fun to me.

All of that aside 1K rounds is simply not a lot to be shooting even if one isn't doing it all the time or doing it. If one went to the range only once a month and shot only one 25 round box of shells, which is only a few mags. That means that in just over three years one will have reached that many rounds and that is if they fail to test the gun/ammo for reliability upon first getting it. That alone should probably be at least a couple hundred rounds. If it is a carry gun doing so really should be done. This means a thousand rounds will be reached even faster. One should be able to expect to have a weapon that sees only a box of rounds every month for much more than 3 years. If a pistol is worn out after three years

Philosophies on training aside 1k is simply not a super high round count. A pistol should be able to be shot more than that plain and simple. Now is this Pf9 a one off failure? One would hope so. I don't honestly don't know how many PF9s have problems. Kel tec probably does since they can track how many they have produced vs how many they service and for what. It would be interesting to know but I doubt they are making anyone privy to that type of info. My opinion on Kel tecs is they are simply not manufactured to the same level as many other makes of guns and that is a big part of why they are so inexpensive. Their price is a big selling point. Yes their small size is too but I think it is naive to believe price isn't a big factor.

To me a kel tec is not the the gun to buy if you want something out of the box 100% reliable and never want to have to tinker with it. If one is looking for an iron man pistol to last through heavy use they might also skip it. Kel tec even tells you it cannot hold up to a regular use of +P ammo. I have bought guns from kel tec in the past and may well again in the future. I don't have kel tec hate. They are the most poorly constructed guns I have owned though and form what I have seen there is a lot of variation in the quality of different exemplars of their products that I have handled.

 

[crebralfix]

I'm not sure why anyone would have "hate" for a gun, unless they're an Anti...which means they're ill anyway. OK...maybe some HK hate is deserved....

It's just a not so well made gun that would last 50 years if not shot more than a few times.

 

[Dr. Fresh]

It really doesn't take all that long to fire 1,000 rounds through any gun.

 

[40jjb]

PF9

Ihave a PF9 and up to the present day I have fed 9,500 rds through it no failiers, I gues I am lucky then

 

[Bailey Guns]

I have a P3AT that I bought used about 4 years ago. I've shot maybe several hundred trouble free rounds with it and I don't think the previous owner shot it any more than I have.

A few months ago I noticed a large chunk of plastic broken off the dust cover area. The chunk is missing on the left side of the frame. It runs from the front edge of the dust cover area towards the rear of the gun and it's maybe 1/2 long by 1/4 deep. I have no idea when or how it happened. But the gun still works fine.