Keltec pf9

I got mine when they first came out. I did a 200 round range session with no failures, thus it passed my main test for concealed carry.

The sights are good for a small pistol. I was mowing down the plate rack at short, medium, and long distance for a pocket gun. So it passed my other main criteria too with flying colors.

Recoil was ok. Small pistols with large proportionate rounds recoil harder, just a fact. Thus, I wouldn't recommend it for a newbie. But it's a good for someone with experience.
 
Most Keltecs are actually "expert's" guns.
They have to be held properly, practiced with, and maintained properly. Basically, you have to understand the gun. Many can't or won't do this. They should just get a revolver.
 
Ask George Zimmerman how reliable they are.

I've got one. Like to carry it, don't really enjoy shooting it.
 
I had no problems with my pf9 either. I always used the magazine extension and didn't have trouble shooting it. That said I wouldn't want to shoot it all day at the range.
 
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Bill DeShivs said:
Most Keltecs are actually "expert's" guns.
They have to be held properly, practiced with, and maintained properly. Basically, you have to understand the gun. Many can't or won't do this. They should just get a revolver.
Click to expand...

There's something to those statements.

One of my shooting buddies, a very competent shooters and a collector of high quality guns, which he shot well, hated anything Kel-Tec. At the range one day he raised hell about a P3AT he had owned, saying it was the biggest piece of crap he had ever shot! Said his wouldn't hit the broad side of the barn!! With other guns, he could out-shoot me. I pulled my P3AT out of the gun bag and said, "Try mine. Maybe you had a bad one."

We set up a target about 20 feet distant, and he shot away. And he was right, he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it. I reloaded it and shot a 3" group at 20' -- and I'm a so-so/mediocre shooter. I'd argue that the problem wasn't the gun, but simply that the gun wasn't a good fit for him.

As it turned out, the P3AT didn't fit me either, as the trigger guard jammed my trigger finger painfully with each shot. A near copy, the Ruger LCP, didn't cause the same pain, and I eventually got one of those.... I later moved up to small 9mm guns, instead. Not quite the same gun role, but close enough for me -- since I just gave up on "pocket" guns.

Kel-Tecs aren't for everybody. But then, neither are Ruger LCPs or LC9's, or LC9s's, etc. I'm not sure blaming the gun is the solution. Some people just can't make a K-T (or any SMALL) gun work for them.
 
To me a gun that has to be held " just so" is a bad design, to be avoided as a defensive firearm. A sudden attack may prevent you from getting the proper grip. And bad quality control is simply that. Asking purchasers to "fluff and buff," as Kel-Tec has for years, is really showing a measure of contempt for them. To those who like the brand, fine, hope you are happy, but OPs asking advice need to hear from the many of us who have found the brand to be less than adequate.
 
I had two PF9s, nice little guns, no problems with them except the trigger guard is small if you're wearing gloves. I live in Maine so that's an issue a good part of the year.

I've never had any troubles with Kel-tec. In addition to the PF9s I've owned a P-11, PLR-16, and a P32, still have a P3AT from when they first came out, and just recently bought a KSG-12 shotgun. They make good quality, innovative guns that work and give good value for the money, that's a pretty important niche to fill in this market and they own it.
 
Keltec has never asked their customers to "fluff and buff."
Keltecs are designed to be as light as possible, therefore need to be held firmly and properly. Most autos will malfunction without adequate grip.
As I said, Mosin- they are for experts. :D
 
I have all 4 KT pocket pistols. The P32, P3AT, & P11 are rough looking guns. The PF9 is the most polished but is also the harshest to shoot if it is not gripped properly. They are all reliable guns for the most part. Like any semi-auto, it has to be ran thru its paces for defensive use.
 
Anecdotes are just that, but here is my recent one with my brother. At his place out in the woods (no safety issues) he banged off 6 from his Model 64. "Try this", says I, handing him my PF9. He unloaded all 8 one handed in the general direction of a tree as fast as he could. No problem with function. He is not an experienced handgunner and that with revolvers. Just sayin'.
 
Bill De Shivs, you are the one who has suggested that Kel-tecs require "expert" handling to be reliable, and have identified yourself as such. Charming, but to me a pistol overly sensitive about the way it is gripped is a bad choice for defense.

I actually think Kel-tec's problem lies in the fact they haven't been able to assure sufficient quality control at their price point. No, they haven't ASKED their customers to "fluff and buff," but enough owners have felt compelled to do so that the phrase is almost synonymous with the brand, and may have been invented as a result of folks' experience with it. Maybe KT has improved, but that has been my miserable experience, and I am not inclined to try to find out if things have gotten better. In addition, as I've said, the PF9, to me, has excessive recoil and muzzle flip.

To me, the LCP has rendered the smaller Kel-tecs irrelevant, and for a belt/IWB gun, the Shield presents much higher quality and more pleasant shooting for a little over 100 bucks more. I haven't found a satisfactory pocket 9 yet, maybe that would be a good thread query.

I know I'm not going to convince you, Bill. You are the foremost champion of Kel-Tec on this site. It's like debating Kellgren's brother-in-law.......
 
Mine is my winter coat piece, carry it all the time and no issues. I had a friend who got one in trade and it would not shot because the magazine kept falling out of it. He offered it to me for $100 and I took it. It was a small plastic part initially which Keltec replaced with a metal part for free. I popped the old part out, put the new one in and had another good shooter. Another friend wanted it so I sold it to him since I already had one. One of the few pieces I have turned loose of after purchasing.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Keltec has never asked their customers to "fluff and buff."
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True.

Various Kel-Tec related forums suggest it.

All the Fluff and Buff routine entails -- as you know -- is doing manually what normal break-in does... smoothing parts that need to be smoothed. Not a big deal, actually. Some folks do it with other guns, including ones that cost 4-5 times more.

I prefer the Fluff and Buff to shooting a lot of ammo because it's cheaper and quicker. Other guns often require breaking in, too.
 
Keltec PF9 is a pain to shoot,no ftf problems, and when I had it had the mag ejected while shooting it several times even though it had the updated metal mag release sold it soon after.

P32 was garbage had several ftf mag after mag sent it to keltec they paid shipping and fixed it and I sold it soon after.

Keltec customer service is very good but their quality control sucks. My experiences were in 2012 so I dont know if they have made it better now, since I refuse to own another Keltec.
 
Keltec pf9
Anyone had any luck with the pf9. Or are they junk?
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Got one a while back (aug, 2010). Shot well, but with a light strike failure once every couple boxes, no matter what ammo. Sent it it, the replaced a bunch of parts, and it worked perfectly ever since.

But, since it came back it was much harsher to shoot.

Anyway, my personal rule lately is not to hold onto a gun unless I'd be OK with it being my last gun. My PF9 wasn't there, so I sold it off and replaced it with a Springfield XDS9.

Would I get another one? mabye.

Would I get a different Kel Tec, given it's market niche? maybe.
 
All the Fluff and Buff routine entails -- as you know -- is doing manually what normal break-in does... smoothing parts that need to be smoothed. Not a big deal, actually. Some folks do it with other guns, including ones that cost 4-5 times more.

I prefer the Fluff and Buff to shooting a lot of ammo because it's cheaper and quicker. Other guns often require breaking in, too.
Click to expand...

Yes and yes.

Currently "F&B"ing my new XDS45, waiting for the winter cold to break, and hoping it resolves some light strike failure to fire errors I experienced the first (only) couple times out. Reading on "teh Interwebs" makes me think it's a wear-in/break-in issue.
 
I never had a single problem with mine and my brother hasn't either. The trigger pulls are a little stout but in my experience these guns are completely reliable.
 
Walt - Fixed it for ya . . .

All the Fluff and Buff routine entails -- as you know -- is taking a Dremel & a 60 grit sanding attachment to the throat & chamber. :D
 
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