Gun Review – Kel Tec PF9 Review
Is it kind of ugly? Yes. Would you care if it got trashed? Probably not!
Realistically this gun review should have happened around a year ago, since that’s when the Kel Tec PF9 was originally introduced to the micro/subcompact 9mm CCW gun world. Then again, Haus of Guns hadn’t even been born yet, so let’s pretend like you’ll cut us some slack and still hear what we have to say about this super bargain of a little carry pistol. Since we posted our review on the Ruger LC9 a few months back, there have been several shooters pushing me to offer a comparison between the two. In fact it appears that Ruger and Kel Tec are destined to be pit against one another as long as both are cruising around in similar markets.
The finish is a bit rough for frequent shooting, but the fit is tight and reliable.
I prefer to let the video review speak for itself on this piece, but for the sake of those who prefer to read their content I’ve listed the ups and downs of this gun below. There’s a fair amount on both side and it’s in the 50/50 unbiased format because I’m not in much of a writing or “crafting a story” mode. Hope this gun review is beneficial anyway.
Pros:
- Light Weight – 12.07 ounces is pretty skimpy firing some hot 9mm ammo, but this handled it like a champ and with manageable recoil.
- Trigger – It’s a double action, yes, but it’s only a 5 pound double action! It’s smooth, crisp and consistent.
- Sights – Easy to see, easy to line up, and fast recovery from the bright white three dot system.
- Width – .88 of an inch at it’s WIDEST makes this skinny minnie easy to conceal. I’ve carried mine ALL summer in an OWB (outside the waistband holster)!
- Accurate – Our accuracy off hand was better than the Ruger LC9 was at the same distance. In fact our group size almost shrunk to half that of its cousin. I ran paces with this gun destroying a 15″ flat panel computer monitor at all distances even shooting fast. The pointability is very good even while squeezing the trigger at high speeds. The video is proof.
- Zero external safety. Just because I’m saying this doesn’t mean I’m unsafe. Kel Tec’s internal safety and double trigger fail safe are ideal for concealed carry. If I want to make a fast shot I need one in the chamber, not one more thing to remember, i.e. racking the slide to take it hot.
- The Grip – This baby works for a variety of hand sizes, even as narrow as it is.
- Lots of options on color/finish configurations from Kel Tec.
- Reliable - Some fellas have expressed the need for a break-in period or even having to send theirs back to Kel Tec to have bugs worked out, but we had no such issues with our PF9. On our testing day we had ZERO failures to feed, eject, and only one misfire with the same S&B ammo the LC9 had 5 misfires under with fewer rounds fired than the Ruger. I shot fast, slow and in between. Notsomuch as a hiccup with Remington UMC, PMC, and Winchester White Box.
- Disassembly - With a little practice disassembly and reassembly are a snap and can even be properly done in the field with the rim of your 9mm cartridge.
Cons: (yes there are a few)
The sights are natural and draw the shooters eyes across them very well. Coupled with it's grip angle, accuracy comes with ease.
- Rough grip finish – While it did make positive traction easy, the finish is more abrasive than it is comfortable to put rounds through. Wear gloves while practicing.
- Overall finish – I come at this with hesitancy. This is a practical, reliable and low priced (sub $300) handgun so I understand if there are some rough edges. That said, the consumer should know what they’re getting. It’s performed and looked just as I expected, but some ordering online sight unseen may be disappointed.
- Kel Tec added an accessory rail. Is this kind of cool? Yes. Is it pointless? Totally. I know very few guys who have the discipline to carry concealed daily. I know even fewer who care to outfit their daily carry with accessories. On top of that, it adds another sharp edge to potentially get in the way. A disclaimer I’ll allow would site this rail as a spot to mount a universal low profile laser. Okay, I buy that.
- The Trigger - Wait a minute I thought this was a PRO? Yes it is, but it’s double action. It’s one of the shortest and smoothest double actions I’ve shot myself, but I’m a 1911 guy, which means I’ve got a jones for single action triggers. All things considered, this is a pretty accurate gun with its current setup.
- The Magazine – For some reason the factory magazine that came with my PF9 will only hold 6 rounds, even though it advertises 7. This isn’t a total deal breaker, but it would be nice if it worked at full capacity. Granted I haven’t contacted Kel Tec about this issue yet, and I’ve heard they are actually pretty good about fixing small malfunctions like this.
- Slide Release – Even after several hundred break-in rounds, it’s very difficult to drop the slide with the thumb on your strong hand. I’ve done a lot of reading in forums and other guys feelings that suggests this is really just to be used as a slide stop and not a release at all. Supposedly the slide should be released by pulling it back and dropping it rather than dropping the slide stop.
The Verdict: I love this handgun. It’s a good little beater and is reliable, true, fast and accurate, everything I want in a carry gun. Does it beat out the LC9? In my opinion yes. Even with the same ammo, the Kel Tec PF9 did have one misfire, but I even fed the stubborn round through again and it fired without a hitch. That was the only hiccup with the Sellier and Bellot ammo where the Ruger LC9 had many, many more and they were unsolved at that. The accuracy was better and honestly it feels better in my hand. Sure the edges aren’t as smooth, and the texture is rough and even a bit offensive, but this thing works!
The PF9 comes in a nice little tupperware box with one factory magazine. I got mine for well under $300 and at that price, I don't feel like I can complain about the lack of surplus gear.
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13 Responses to Kel Tec PF9 Review
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Nice write up.
I love it when people bemoan the finish of a Kel-Tec and say its a deal breaker. Its like saying “this a monkey wrench just doesn’t look good enough for me, so I’m gonna pay twice as much for one to fix my sink”.
When it comes down to personal defense, who cares.
Haha, GREAT insight about the monkey wrench and exactly how I feel. It doesn’t have much trade value, it’s not pretty and it feels like sandpaper… BUT (the word that cancels all previous statements) it points well, shoots well, and is reliable. On top of that, I don’t give a rip about whether or not it gets beat up!
Great review Ebbs! I need to try and get my hands on a PF9, I’ve only heard great things. I’ve been pleased with the LC9 but it would be interesting to compare the two.
Honestly it’s really only a fair comparison if you’re able to shoot them both, not just speculate on one or the other. It really seems like for most guns it’s coming down to reliability and how it feels in the hand. For me the PF9 feels better in the hand and was more reliable than my Ruger LC9. Feels easier to conceal too.
[...] Kel Tec PF9 Review Weatherby PA-459 12 Gauge Shotgun Review [...]
thanks, ive been looking for a review of the two, and so far im leaning pf-9.
but one thing, sellier and bellot is czech, so it would be czech, not french, that you dont speak.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sellier_%26_Bellot
[...] along with the rest, guns that break the sub $400 (See Ruger LC9) and especially sub $300 barrier (See Keltec PF9) hold their value better than most. They didn’t cost much to begin with, and because people [...]
Just picked up my PF9 last month 1/12. Put 150 rounds of Remington UMC and Winchester rounds through it last weekend and had 25-30 fail to ejects. Just returned it to Kel Tec this morning for repair. I’ve read of similar failures from other owners. When speaking with a Kel Tec rep on the phone they were quick to offer a fix. Love the gun and your review is very accurate to my experience. Can’t wait to get my back. Back to carrying my Body Guard 380.
I picked up a PF9 in January for every day carry. I was having problems with the extractor jumping off the rim of the Winchester white box ammo I was using to break it in with 2-3 times each magazine full. E-mailed KT support and they sent me a new extractor kit (extractor, spring, and screw) I took the old parts off my gun when it showed up and compared them and the only difference I could see was that the new spring had a little more bend in it. I put the new parts back in the bag and took a couple pair of pliers and put a little more bend in the old extractor spring and it works flawless. When I ran out of the wwb ammo, I went to get more 9mm and my local gunshop did not have any, the local Farm & Ranch store wanted about $25/50, so I went to Walmart and got 100 Federal Fusion for $20. The first thing I noticed when I picked up the first round out of the box was that the cases were a lot slicker. The gun ran 100% flawless.
I agree the grip is pretty sharp, and as it comes from the factory, a person needs to wear gloves if they are going to do any extended shooting. I fixed that problem by taking a knife and shaving the edges off the “corners” of the grip with a pocket knife thus flattening them out so they were not sharp at all. Now I can run 100 rounds through the gun bare handed and not be any worse for wear.
You listed the accessory rail as a con. For me, that was a pro. For EDC, one could get the side mount laser and a small light like the S & W Micro to go on the rail.
For those having the issue with FTF’s / FTE’s. I found this fix online:
easybakegunclub.com/forum/thread/34/Kel-Tec-pf9-FTE—Failure-To-Eject-problems.html
After the fix, I can get through roughly 100-200 rounds before the tiny gun is just too dirty and starts having problems anyway. That said, it made me comfortable with the PF9 as my daily carry again.
I just bought a PF9 yesterday after looking at some Glocks. I have a Ruger P90, but it is too heavy for daily carry. I love the feel of it, weight is 3 1/2 oz less than my wife’s Sig P230!
Love your review, it steered me torwards the PF9 for conceal carry. I’ll use the P90 for my practice shooting, but the Kel-Tec is perfect for what I bought it for.
I have the pf9 my friend has the lc9, we went to range for a test, 100 rnds each person we both used 50 rnds for each gun then swap guns tried other 50 rnds. my friend is now trying tosell or trade his lc9 for a pf9.we both had better shooting with pf9. the lc9 does look nicer but when it all comes down to it its what works better getting rnds on target. to many ftf, fte with lc9 for both of us. pf9 100% from both of us.
[...] the weirdest thing. I like it and hate it at the same time. Almost similarly to the trigger on the Kel-Tec PF9 in fact but not entirely the same. The trigger on the SU-16C is terrible and wonderful. The pull [...]