# Salty's Gun Review: Kel-tec PF9 9mm CCW



## Salt-N-Pepper

I am going to be posting short gun reviews for "survival guns" that I own and use, from my own personal perspective... if you folks actually care to read them. If you don't, well then I won't post any more The views expressed are my own, and I will pull no punches... these are guns I own or have owned, and that I have shot extensively, and I will address them from a "prepping/survival perspective".

Today's review is the Kel-tec PF9 9mm concealed carry gun. The PF9 is a compact 9mm semi-auto double-action only weapon. Is this gun a great answer for concealed carry? Perhaps for you, definitely not for me.









Philosophy Of use: There's only one reason to own a PF9 (or similar guns like a Ruger LC9 or LCP, and other guns of this ilk) and that's concealed carry personal defense. These are not range guns (even though, of course, if you own one you need to train often with it), they are small guns that can turn into your big can of whoop-ass at need. The PF9 is one of the least expensive 9mm guns on the market (not including ring-of-fire Saturday-night-special manufacturers).

Design:

The PF9 is small and light, and is quite thin. It's smaller than most CC firearms, and it has an adequate 7 round magazine which you can carry 7+1. The slide action is brisk but not overly slick, and unlike some of these small pistols the slide is easy to grip when charging the gun.

It has a semi-external hammer, the hammer is recessed in the gun when the trigger is at rest, but as you pull the trigger back, the hammer comes out a slot in the back of the frame and slide. Trigger pull is hard. The factory states the gun has a 5 pound pull, when tested my gun's pull was 6 pounds 8 ounces and was quite stiff throughout.

The magazine release is very easy to engage (more on that later), and the polymer frame features a rail for mounting a light or lasers. The sights are fairly typical, with a post sight on the front and a v sigh on the back, both marked with white dots. The rear sight is adjustable for "windage".

The trigger guard is quite small and oddly shaped, and it would be very difficult to use this gun with gloves on.

Tale Of The Tape

Caliber:	9mm Luger
Weight unloaded:	12.7 oz.	360g
Loaded magazine:	2.8 oz.	81g
Length:	5.85"	149mm
Height:	4.3"	109mm
Width:	0.88"	22mm
Barrel Length:	3.1"	79mm
Capacity: 7 + 1
Trigger Pull:	5 lbs advertised, mine was 6 lbs 8 oz.

Shooting:

Lets face it, compact CC 9mm's are not known to be "joys to shoot at the range" and the PF9 certainly isn't. Being such a small gun, the felt recoil is quite harsh considering the power of the round, but the PF9 has two very annoying bad habits that made me hate the gun.

The first was trigger slap. I don't know if it was just my gun, or if it's a larger issue, but my PF9 had a severe problem with trigger slap, catching my trigger finger on the rebound and throwing it up against the front of the trigger guard. The first day I went out to shoot 100 rounds through my PF9 I came home from the range with my trigger finger bleeding after about 60 rounds. Guns should not cause the shooter to bleed.

The second shooting issue I have is one of the largest complaints against the gun, the placement of the magazine release. The release works VERY well... unfortunately, it works TOO well. My thumb naturally sits right on top of the magazine release, and I tended to drop the magazine with every shot if I didn't alter my grip into something quite uncomfortable and unnatural. Even altered, my thumb STILL hit the release button. The only way I could find to reliably not hit the button was to shoot left handed. Many other PF9 shooters have had this same problem, so if you are considering a PF9, I encourage you to range shoot it before buying.

On the reliability front, I have only good things to say about the gun. When you pull the trigger, it goes bang, every time. If you can keep from dropping the magazine, then mag dumps are flawless.

Accuracy is as good as any gun of it's type. No problems with that. Trigger pull is double action, and mine was pretty stout, significantly harder than what the manufacturer advertises. Shooting a double action gun of that compact size with a 6 1/2 pound trigger pull takes a bit of practice, but once you figure out the break over spot, it's not bad.

Ergonomics, other than the magazine release and trigger issue, are OK. It has a very thin grip, and you trade comfort for concealment. In a carry gun, I would rather have a slightly uncomfortable grip and a thinner gun, because most of the time I am more concerned about the weapon being comfortable when I carry and easy to conceal than I am about shooting comfort.

Dis-assembly for maintenance is very similar to that of a Glock, in fact the interior of the gun is quite Glock-ish. No worries on this.I don't really care for how the pin to open the gun works, but that's not a big deal, it's quite easy.

Verdict

If the gun fits your hand, and if the gun's trigger slap doesn't bother you (or you get one that doesn't do that), and if your finger doesn't squeeze the dumb magazine release every shot, then this gun might be a reasonable option for you for a CC firearm. It is accurate, and it goes bang when you pull the trigger, and there's a lot to be said for that.

I traded mine and cash in on a Ruger LC9. I can live with the trigger slap, but the possibility of recoil causing my thumb to turn my gun into a single shot? No.

---------------------------

Here are links of my other reviews:

Hi-Point 9mm Carbine

Henry AR-7 .22LR Semi-Auto Survival Rifle

Marlin X7 Bolt Action Rifle

The Ole Smoke Pole: Review & Discussion Of Single-Shot Shottys

Henry Golden Boy .22

Phoenix Arms HP22A

Chiappa 1911-22

Windham Weaponry M4 AR-15 SRC

Rock Island Armscor M200 .38 Special

Kel-tec PF9

Ruger American Rifle .22LR Bolt Action

ISSC .22LR Semi-Auto (Glock clone)

North American Arms .22 Magnum/22LR/L/S convertible w/holster grip

Nagant Revolver (just for fun)

Glock 26 as a CCW/BOB/GHB option

Crickett Kids Rifle For Training Younglings & As A BOB/GHB Option

Mossberg 702 Plinkster

Ye Ole .22 Single Shot

Ruger SR-22 Semi-Auto Pistol

Hi-Point C9 Semi Auto Pistol

Heritage Arms .22 Convertible Revolvers

Ruger LCR .357 and .22LR revolvers

Mossberg Maverick 88 Security 12 Gauge Shotgun

Ruger Mini-30

Cobra Small Derringer

Chiappa Little Badger Survival Rifle

Ye 'Ole .22 Single Shot Old Rifle


----------



## bigwheel

We have kin who had one. It was a POS. Thanks for the review.


----------



## Arklatex

Do you have any other keltec stuff to review?


----------



## Salt-N-Pepper

Arklatex said:


> Do you have any other keltec stuff to review?


A SUB-2K (9mm Glock version) which I will get to down the road. Honestly, I need to shoot it a bit more before I am ready to review it, I haven't owned it very long.


----------



## Salt-N-Pepper

BTW here's what I am doing on my reviews.

Many of the guns I have/use are not worth reviewing. I mean, my main home defense handgun is a Glock 17 Gen 4. Why on Earth would you need a review of a Glock 17? Everybody already knows what a Glock 17 is, what it does well and it's weaknesses... so... instead, I am going to do a review on the tritium night sights I have installed on my Glocks. I think something like that is more interesting, and not everybody has them but most may be interested in them.


----------



## Dalarast

Keep it up. Love the reviews with the facts and opinion. Looking forward to more.


----------



## SDF880

Thanks for review. I have 2 PF-9's and they both have shot flawless for me no issues. Like you said they are not fun to shoot but I do shoot them now and then.
I picked up several Kahr 9's and a Glock 26 after awhile and I like those much better. The fit , feel, and finish on the Kahr's is so much better than the Keltec's and
the Glock gen4 FDE so far looks good and always fires. The PF9's were reliable I just don't carry them and now they are in my SHTF collection.

I have a chrome 9MM SUB2000 and at the 600 round mark it is flawless! I look forward to your review on it. Other than the factory front sight I like it!


----------



## dannydefense

I would take an XDs, Glock 26 or M&p9c over one of these any day of the week. I realize that's not the point of your review, I'm just suggesting alternatives from a personal perspective for anyone looking at this gun.

As far as the trigger slap goes, that's a strange occurrence to say the least. Does it actively force the trigger after you break the shot, or when it resets?


----------



## Slippy

Good review Salty, keep em coming!

I too looked at the Keltec PF9 when I was shopping compact carry 9's. I opted for the MP Shield. The MP Shield is also an enjoyable range gun at least for me and Mrs. Slippy.


----------



## Salt-N-Pepper

dannydefense said:


> As far as the trigger slap goes, that's a strange occurrence to say the least. Does it actively force the trigger after you break the shot, or when it resets?


Honestly, I don't know. It's not the same kind of trigger slap you get when using an older WASR or other "plain Jane" AK... newer WASR's with the TAPCO trigger groups don't do this, but those first ones (the really bad ones) did.

With those WASR triggers, you got a bruised finger as the trigger slammed back onto your finger. With this one, what happens is it throws your finger forward into the rather sharp back side of the trigger guard. I was never able to figure out exactly what was going on, what I did to "fix" it is I stuck a band-aid to the back side of the front of the trigger guard, so it padded my finger when I shot it at the range. When done, I took off the bandage and cleaned the gun.

I wish I could give a better answer, but the recoil of a 9mm shell in a gun that light is a sudden/quick thing, and I couldn't quite sort it out. If I still had the gun, I could film it in slo-mo and analyze it, but I don't.


----------



## dannydefense

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> Honestly, I don't know. It's not the same kind of trigger slap you get when using an older WASR or other "plain Jane" AK... newer WASR's with the TAPCO trigger groups don't do this, but those first ones (the really bad ones) did.
> 
> With those WASR triggers, you got a bruised finger as the trigger slammed back onto your finger. With this one, what happens is it throws your finger forward into the rather sharp back side of the trigger guard. I was never able to figure out exactly what was going on, what I did to "fix" it is I stuck a band-aid to the back side of the front of the trigger guard, so it padded my finger when I shot it at the range. When done, I took off the bandage and cleaned the gun.
> 
> I wish I could give a better answer, but the recoil of a 9mm shell in a gun that light is a sudden/quick thing, and I couldn't quite sort it out. If I still had the gun, I could film it in slo-mo and analyze it, but I don't.


Thanks for trying, I'm curious enough to head down to the shop later and dry fire one. I wouldn't put it past Kel-tec to try and be innovative (they would reinvent the wheel if they could make it tacticool) and do something silly with the springs in the trigger group.


----------



## Salt-N-Pepper

dannydefense said:


> Thanks for trying, I'm curious enough to head down to the shop later and dry fire one. I wouldn't put it past Kel-tec to try and be innovative (they would reinvent the wheel if they could make it tacticool) and do something silly with the springs in the trigger group.


While you are at it see if your thumb rests on the mag release... some do, some don't. Mine did, my wife's didn't.


----------



## dannydefense

Salt-N-Pepper said:


> While you are at it see if your thumb rests on the mag release... some do, some don't. Mine did, my wife's didn't.


I'll let you know for sure, but looking at it I don't believe it will. I grip as high into the tang as possible and when shooting two handed the palm of my left hand should be making contact in that area; when shooting one handed I still ride the thumb high (thinking it should sit right on or below the slide lock) because I find it helps me control the recoil. I'm curious if my palm will activate it, but at the same time I'm thinking due to the size of the gun, contact from my palm will be lessened in that area by the fingers of my right hand.

We shall see!


----------



## jimb1972

I had one of those early Romanian Ak's, my finger hurts just thinking about it.


----------



## Salt-N-Pepper

jimb1972 said:


> I had one of those early Romanian Ak's, my finger hurts just thinking about it.


I had one too. Gun shot great, other than the trigger... it got a new trigger group pronto... on the AK's, it wasn't just the slap, it was also the fact that the "breakover" was mushtastic. Mine had one of the famous canted sights as well, but I fixed that and it was a decent gun.


----------

