Tell me about the Kel-Tec PF-9

[DerbyDale]

I'm looking at getting a Kel-Tec PF-9 pistol for CCW. Ideally I would like to have a Springfield XD subcompact to go with my XD-9 Tactical. Problem is, I don't have $500+ to spend right now (family needs first).

My local gun shop is currently out-of-stock on the PF-9, so I had them put my name on a list. Since they are out right now, I have not had the chance to even see/hold one yet. I think they can get them for around $235ish for the all black model.

I'm a little Leary of getting a Kel-Tec for CCW, as I don't know if it will be as reliable as my XD. However, the super small size looks right, and I cant complain about the price either.

I guess my question is, how reliable are these things? Are they accurate? Anyone using them for CCW? Is there any particular brand of ammo they don't like? What type of SD ammo works well in them? What type of holster do you use for it? I don't want to spend what I have in the gun (or more) for a holster.



Thanks

 

[357fan]

Well, mine has been flawless through about 250 rounds, all fired below freezing, some with the temp near 0 degrees F.

It shoots far better with heavier bullets, so go for 124's or 147's. The 115's are kinda all over for me past 10 yards. Yours may be different.

Long story short...I love mine, so long as I'm using at least 124's.

 

[Dan-O]

I like mine. I have about 500 rounds through mine and have not had any issues. I had the slide slightly melted and ceracoated as I primarily carry in my front right pocket, or on my right hip with the factory clip.

 

[rbernie]

I seem to recall reading that KelTec has been thru a series of modifications on these since their introduction, and I've been kinda waiting for the dust to settle out before buying one myself...

Supposedly, the first two/three characters of the SN tell the tale as to how old it is/how many of the factory upgrades are in any given example. If folk are going to post about how well/poorly they've liked their PF-9, it might be useful to indicate the SN range as well.

 

[DerbyDale]

I'm hoping that they have all the bugs worked out.

I'm also thinking about this laser package for it as well. The price seems to be an exceptional value as well, and they make IWB holsters for the PF-9 with the laser.

http://www.armalaser.com/Kel_Tec_PF_9-KEL_TEC_PF_9.html

IWB Holster

 

[gbelleh]

My experience: My PF-9 is a parkerized serial #R0Txx and it has been flawless out of the box with over 800 rounds so far. I carried it all last summer with Golden Saber 124 gr +p ammo or Gold Dot 124 gr +p. Accuracy is plenty good for self defense ranges and it is so flat and light I forget it's there. I carry it IWB in a thin suede holster made for a PPK.

 

[Rustynuts]

My second KT broken pretty much out of the box. 380 came with a broken barrel lug. KT fixed it and has been solid ever since, maybe 3-500 rds. My new PF-9, serial Rxxx, broke after 50-rds. Hammer spring gave at the base, right at the start of the coils. I would shoot the crap out of these before trusting them. I think their suppliers must have some iffy quality control.

PS Look around, you can get these online, shipped, for under $275. Pay your FFL transfer and you are out the door at $300 or less. Plenty of money left for a holster and ammo. When you call, ensure you get new stock. Serial should start with R5 or higher (R, etc.), but anything over R3 has been updated with all the latest design changes.

 

[hybridgenius]

These things are illegal here in massachusetts so I couldnt say anything. They sure look promising though lol.

 

[Rustynuts]

What? How or why are these illegal? Too small and concealable?

 

[Rustynuts]

Dup.

 

[DerbyDale]

After seeing stuff like that... I'm starting to think this may not be a good choice for CCW. It looks like the Kel-Tec may be a cheap plinker/range gun. I'm also reading allot of threads on KTOG talking about different problems like FTF, Stovepipes and FTE.

 

[littlelefty]

They seem to have lovers and haters. I bought a used P11 a while back and it's been flawless. It's ugly, a little snappy to shoot, and the trigger is fairly long and hard (but I'm comparing it to my 1911). I carry the P11 when I just can't or don't feel like toting the 1911. For me it fills a niche very nicely.

A friend has a PF-9 that I have shot. Very similar to the P11 for me, but a little more slim and a few less rounds in the mag.

 

[SEMO Shooter]

My wife has one. It is just not dependable enough for a carry gun. Spend more money and buy something that will always go bang when you pull the trigger.
My opinion. Yours may vary.

 

[littlelefty]

I did not read all of your questions....
My P11 eats all of the cheap 9mm I've fed it (Fiocchi, WWB, and others) and I use Remington 100-pack 115 gr jhp in it for self defense.
For holsters I switch between a Desantis Nemesis pocket holster and a Don Hume 715 (I think) IWB, with the later being my most often used.

 

[denfoote]

Mine suffered from a common malady when I first got it. Everything functioned out of the box, beautifully. However, the gun's recoil caused the ejector pin to drift toward the hammer. Kel-Tec already had a new frame design in production that eliminated this problem. I sent it in and now it works perfectly.
It's now my primary carry gun.

 

[Travis McGee]

I like my P-11. It goes right into a cargo pants pocket when I go on walks around the hood. Recently I added an Armalaser, and I like that a lot too. (It goes on when the trigger finger touches the front of the trigger guard, stays on for 12 seconds, or as long as your finger goes into the trigger guard and stays there.) It's a good gun for the price, with a lot of "real" 9mm bullets in a compact package.

 

[cthshooter85]

Stronly recommend this gun. Its reliable, durable, and compact. When I got mine, my local gun dealer said when a Kel-tec shippment arrives they can't hold on to them. It shoots very well considering its size!! I've got the hard chrome and olive green polymer model.

 

[tinygnat219]

Here's a review I posted on another forum (www.firearmsforum.com). I no longer have the gun, but it worked fine for me while I had it:


Well,

I have to say that my evaluation period has ended for this pistol, and I have to report on what I have found:

Total rounds through it: 500 breakout is below:

200 S&B FMJ 115 Grain.

100 WWB FMJ 115 Grain.

100 Federal 135 Grain JHP "Low recoil"

50 rounds of Winchester SXT 147 Grain JHP

50 rounds of Cor Bon 115 Grain +P JHP

I had 0 Failures to extract with any of the ammo here, I only had 3 misfires all with the S&B ammo, and I had no jams. All in all, a fairly impressive pistol in a somewhat abbreviated testing period. Accuracy was ok, the long DAO trigger and stout recoil made follow-up shots a little longer than they should have been. Ammo costs were just getting too high to really continue with the evaluation, so I figured I would stop and look at my notes to see what has been done.

Felt Recoil: Stout, but controllable. Almost too painful to fire +P ammo out of. My hand was shaking after the 50 rounds were fired and I had to call an end to the range trip early.

I cleaned the pistol after each range session, why? Well, it's because I like to do it and I figure defensive tools need to be kept clean. After all, I wasn't trying to test it's MTBOF or anything like that, or see how hot I could get the gun, I just wanted to see how it did with some select ammo with all possible excuses removed. It functioned, as expected, well and reliable.

So, in part of keeping with my role as "Kel-Tec apologist", I delved deeper into the pistol. In my original evaluation for this pistol, I didn't check the Kel-Tec Owners Group when I first picked it up. I should have.

I stumbled upon several threads in the Kel-Tec Owner's Group about problems, fixes, and other stuff. To be honest, it got to be a headache considering all the things that could fail with this pistol, or the obvious shortcuts the company takes to finish its product. Let me repeat, there's nothing wrong with my gun, but when I see things like these in the KTOG:

Failure to Feed
Problems with Magazine follower
Light Strikes
Cracked Slides
Assembly Pins losing threading unexpectedly
Triggers going slack, from spring "popping" out of place

I figure that I just don't want to put up with that kind of possibility. The fact that a NIB gun requires this much work and has this many problems to run reliably where it should be in the first place is simply too much. The KTOG has a LOT more issues where those came from. So, to make a long story short, I have decided to sell it. It's on Gunbroker right now. I paid 235.00 for it and I expect to get most of money back for it since shops around here sell them for 310 and 350.00 respectively NIB.

 

[GBExpat]

http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?board=newpistol