Keltec PF9

[jeff43]

Anybody like these?I know there not a gun to shoot everyday , but how do y'all like them for a cheap back up gun?

[felinesNfreedom]

I had one a few years back. It's a nice little pistol to throw in a pocket and carry. Decent capacity for a small nine and went bang every time I pulled the trigger. Accuracy was terrible but you would not be using it to shoot IDPA. I miss it, it was stolen out of my truck.

 

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention, pain in the A$$ to shoot. Very rough on you.

Edited September 14, 2015 by XxthejuicexX

[musicman]

Exactly. Cheap backup gun. Imho, for just a little more scratch one can get a BUG that is also fun to shoot like a Shield, XDS, etc. Just a smidge bigger, but oh so much more pleasant to shoot.

[tartanphantom]

I have one that I use pretty regularly for concealment in the spring & summertime. Mine shoots low... from a bench rest. I thought it was just me at first, but having two other people shoot it from the same rest with very similar results confirmed that it was not just operator error on my part. Also, if you have large hands like me, The thin grip (less than one inch wide) may give you problems if you "over-grip" it. When i first got it, I was pulling everything to the left of center... correcting my positioning on the thin grip helped fix this... but there is a bit of a learning curve.

 

At the Kel-Tec forums, these pistols do have a bit of a reputation for shooting low-- Kel-Tec sells a shim kit for the rear sight, but I made my own to correct the issue. even after elevating the rear sight a bit, I still have to aim for the target head to hit the chest-- center-mass aiming results in groin shots.As long as I know that, I'm comfortable with it.

Never had a feed or reliability issue though, have about 350-400 rounds through mine. YMMV.

Edited September 14, 2015 by tartanphantom

[NRA]

It is ok, kicks like a mule and back in the day it was the only game in town. Now I think there are better options

[TNWNGR]

Had one some years back and carried it as an off duty and back up gun. While it worked reliably the small trigger guard was brutal on my trigger finger during recoil. I seriously considered reworking the front of the trigger guard but instead gave it to the wife who had smaller hands. I then purchased a Ruger LC9 which for all intent and purposes is a more refined  take off of the PF9. It I liked even less. So the bottom line is maybe it'll be a good fit for you, maybe it won't only you can tell that story.

[Patton]

I owned one and I have nothing but love for Keltecs; they are great for what they are. The P11 is a great gun and the p32 is also. I don't see buying a p3at over a LCP, but the p3at is a good gun. The Pf9 is one of the worst handling guns I have ever shot. My 357 mag j frame recoils less than a pf9. The Shield is three times the gun for only a few dollars more.

[jeff43]

Got a P3AT I keep in the truck for a pocket gun to get out and get gas or run in a store quick,instead of taking my Glock 19.Just thought I'd like to get some type of 9mm slim "pocket " gun for something easy to carry when I jump out of the truck getting gas.

[Wingshooter]

I've had a hard chrome/black one for years. I've put 100's of rounds through it (mostly 147g JHp) with only one issue... it started dropping the mag after every shot. I called Keltec, and they expidited me a free mag catch/release no questions asked (my early model originally had plastic, and this was the newer metal one). I replaced the part, and it is 100% again. I've never had any other failures. Mine is crazy accurate. It will flat drill out the center, but it's painful to shoot about 1/2 way through a box of ammo. I sanded the rough edges off of the grip, trigger and trigger guard, and that helped a lot. I carry it more than any gun I have. It's very easy, light and thin to carry.

ETA: the trigger reset on the PF9 sucks because it gives a "false click" on the reset before the actual reset.

I like the PF9, but the Kahr CM9 is probably a more refined choice in the same price range. The Shield is an excellent choice, but I believe the PF9 is slightly smaller/lighter (could be wrong) Edited September 14, 2015 by Wingshooter

[jeff43]

Also thought about a Kahr CM9 , but don't know much about them.About $100 higher.Is the CM 9 the smallest Kahr 9mm?

[Wingshooter]

Also thought about a Kahr CM9 , but don't know much about them.About $100 higher.Is the CM 9 the smallest Kahr 9mm?

I didn't realize the price difference. The CM9 and PM9 are the smallest 9mm Kahrs. The CM9 is bassically a PM9 with different barrel riffling, non dovetailed sights, and not as fancy of a slide. The PM9 costs a lot more than the CM9, but I think the CM9 is just as good.

The Kahr triggers are looong but smooth. Kinda feels like a revolver. I have shot the CM9 next to my PF9. My PF9 was more accurate but the Kahr had a better trigger and felt better in my hand.

[jgradyc]

Have you considered the Shield or the Kel Tec P11? The KTOG forum has lots of mods for the P11... mostly to improve the trigger pull. Lots of hobbyists sand down the edges so it fits the hand better. It's an old design and prone to "limp-wristing" just like its smaller 380 counterpart, the P3AT. Once you figure out how to hold the gun, it shoots well enough. For the money, it's a better gun than the PF9 if you're willing to do the trigger mods or have someone add the aftermarket trigger for you.

[kieefer]

I had one that had a few problems, sent it back to Kel and swapped it off when it came back.

Also upgraded to one of the early LC9's and think the new "S" models would be a better choice.

Might also look at Bersa's BP9cc.

[Moped]

I've had a hard chrome/black one for years. I've put 100's of rounds through it (mostly 147g JHp) with only one issue... it started dropping the mag after every shot. I called Keltec, and they expidited me a free mag catch/release no questions asked (my early model originally had plastic, and this was the newer metal one). I replaced the part, and it is 100% again. I've never had any other failures. Mine is crazy accurate. It will flat drill out the center, but it's painful to shoot about 1/2 way through a box of ammo. I sanded the rough edges off of the grip, trigger and trigger guard, and that helped a lot. I carry it more than any gun I have. It's very easy, light and thin to carry.

ETA: the trigger reset on the PF9 sucks because it gives a "false click" on the reset before the actual reset.

I like the PF9, but the Kahr CM9 is probably a more refined choice in the same price range. The Shield is an excellent choice, but I believe the PF9 is slightly smaller/lighter (could be wrong)

I had one and it dropped the mag about every second round. I no longer have that pistol. Loved the size though. Now I am toting a S&W Model 38 and I like it much better!

Sent from my SM-G860P using Tapatalk

[seez52]

I've got a pf9 and p11 they both shoot well, are light weight and I like the belt clip. They will conceal easily. Not necessary one you'll shoot a lot at the range as they can be painful but I've always had good reliability. If i carried the P11 more I'd put one of the Northwood triggers in it. If you wrap too much of your finger around the trigger the tip of your finger can bottom out before you get the trigger back far enough. I put a rubber grip band on them that helps make them more comfortable. 

[Refleks]

I used to have a P3AT for those minimal carry days (belt clip + MIC holster).  I sold it and regretted it.... so when I went to buy a new one, I couldn't help but notice a PF9 was only $20 more, and it's in 9mm, so I pulled the trigger.

The PF9 is a small, slim 9mm and I set it up like the P3AT (belt clip + MIC holster), but it didn't "disappear" like the P3AT does.   It's pretty punishing to shoot as others have mentioned, and I was not happy with my accuracy with it compared to my other firearms so I ended up selling it.  I'd say it's a good budget option as long as you thoroughly test it to prove it's reliability before carrying. Mine went bang every time, my friends had tons of malfunctions, being a kel tec they can be reliable but you'll have to do it on a case by case basis.

 

Of course, if you look around you can probably find a shield for less than $100 more...

[frankmako]

i got one and it has over 1,500 rounds down range.  it was one of the first and it gave me some problems at first.  got them fixed and now the gun is good to go.  not a range gun.  it is a point shoot gun good for close up work.  easy to carry.  yes you can spend more money for other brands.  but they all have some type of problems.  when you put the 9 mm in a small lite weight gun you can get problems. what i have seen and experience is that any small lite 9 mm can have problems. 

[jeff43]

Sounds like they are not to fun to shoot.

[felinesNfreedom]

Sounds like they are not to fun to shoot.

 

 

Not really, could not hit the broad side of the barn unless the muzzle was touching it. Still up close and personal, I would take it. 

[Wingshooter]

Sounds like they are not to fun to shoot.

The grip, trigger guard and trigger have some sharp edges and seams from the factory. I took some fine grit sandpaper and smoothed it all out. However, the curvature of the trigger hits my finger wrong and doesn't feel good after a few rounds. It's just not that comfortable in the bare hand when firing. The sights are not bad except they're plastic. Otherwise they line up well for me. I enjoy shooting mine for the first 15 rounds or so, then I start to notice the dicomfort. It's really not a bad gun for the price. I still have mine and carry it often.

[Wingshooter]

Not really, could not hit the broad side of the barn unless the muzzle was touching it. Still up close and personal, I would take it.

Mine is pretty accurate out to about 20yds

[felinesNfreedom]

Mine is pretty accurate out to about 20yds

 

Damn, Mine was terrible. I could hit a target at 10 yards but not accurately.  I remember shooting one day and I could not hit a bowling pin at maybe 8-10 yards to save my life with the pf-9. I got mad, pulled out my 1911 and put 11 rounds into the pin with no problem. I still liked the PF-9 and one day might get another . 

[Wingshooter]

Damn, Mine was terrible. I could hit a target at 10 yards but not accurately.  I remember shooting one day and I could not hit a bowling pin at maybe 8-10 yards to save my life with the pf-9. I got mad, pulled out my 1911 and put 11 rounds into the pin with no problem. I still liked the PF-9 and one day might get another .

When I got mine, it seemed like there were good ones and bad ones. Hit or miss so to speak. I think I got lucky and got a good one.:) I would think (or hope) that the quality control and consistency has improved over the years, but ya never know.

Now my P3AT on the other hand... I had all sorts of problems with it from day one. I finally got them sorted out, but I still have a hard time trusting it.

[felinesNfreedom]

When I got mine, it seemed like there were good ones and bad ones. Hit or miss so to speak. I think I got lucky and got a good one. :) I would think (or hope) that the quality control and consistency has improved over the years, but ya never know.

Now my P3AT on the other hand... I had all sorts of problems with it from day one. I finally got them sorted out, but I still have a hard time trusting it.

 

 

Like I said before, it went bang every time I pulled the trigger. My friend was so impressed with the size and how reliable it was he got two of them. I have been really thinking about getting a PMR-30 for my wife. I think she would like shooting it. 

[seez52]

I don't have any trouble hitting steel plates at 30 yards.