For Concealed Carry: S&W 642 or Kel-Tec PF9

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I like a revolver for a ccw

I prefer a revolver for a CCW. When a CCW comes in to play, it's all business, and at close range too - ( 9 - 25 feet away). No time for jacking a round into the chamber,, ??? the saftey off ???, de-cock ??? all that BS going through your mind.

With a revolver - it's all business when it appears !!!! No other motion but target selection !!

As an open carry = GLOCK 21 in .45 acp. CCW = S&W 686 in .357 or .38 PLUS P. or a Charter arms in 38 spl. w/ a 2 inch barrel.
 
Only an idiot carries with an empty chamber, and the PF-9 is DAO, so there's no difference prep-wise between it and a revolver...Just pull it out and go to work. I prefer the flatter and more easily concealed PF-9...BTW, if you have to use it, it will be confiscated, and if and/or when it's returned, you aren't likely to be happy with the condition it's in...I'd rather have that happen to a less expensive gun, all other things being equal.
 
Well as a member of the 642 club and proud owner of a 642 & 442 I'll stick with what I know works.
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Considering the luck I had with the 4 KT pistols I owned I have to recommend the S&W, I prefer the 638 with the fully shrouded hammer and the DA/SA capability.
 
Now you boys are making me wonder. I have both a P3AT, and a PF9 on order.

I wanted them for a "Pocket gun", and figured if I got both, I could decide what one I felt more "comfy" with.
 
I went with autos for ccw myself , normaly carrying a Kahr tho i do have a p3at that gets some use . For me Slim is inn when it comes to a ccw gun .
 
I like a slim auto over a revolver. I think the PF9 will be a good pistol. Are they available yet?

When using the P3AT I like the finger grip on the mag floorplate and a rubber grip. It helps with follow up shots as the P3AT jumps a bit.
 
I have a P3AT that I have no problems with and carry when absolutely nothing else can be concealed or detection would be very bad. Neat little gun.

That said, as a primary CCW I would wholeheartedly recomend the 642. Perfect for pocket carry. I have a much easier time concealing the 642 in my pocket than I did a nominally smaller Kahr PM9. The shape of the revolver blends better than the blocky outline of the auto. I've been carrying my 642 in the same place everyday at work for...an indeterminate amount of time that is longer than our approved BUG policy (allegedly). Today I pulled it out of the pocket holster and all to show a couple of officers on the shift who were curious about the new approved weapon and was met by suprise as they had no idea it was there. I really like the gun and it is on my very short list of weapons that will never be sold or traded.

So is the P3AT.

I HAD a P11, but it spontaneously decided to disassemble itself while shooting.
 
I have a S&W M638 and a KT P-32 and carry both. I prefer my revolver but in the summer wearing shorts and a T shirt I find myself carrying the P-32 more and more.

In your case the PF9 is no smaller than the M642 so you will have to choose which one you think will be better protection. (I would choose the revolver!! LOL)
 
Fondled a PF9 at my favorite local gunstore/moneysink last week.

I wanted to like it, I really did. It sort of seemed okay, more or less.

But the one thing I flat couldn't abide was trying to drop the magazine.

Not only was the darn thing kinda hard to get the magazine out of, you had to do weird contortions with your wrist to grip it properly to manage to adequately press the magazine release. It was pretty much a two-handed operation to get the freaking mag out.

Forget speed reloads. Whatever task you needed to accomplish with a PF9, you'd better be able to do it with the initial loading. I swear a revolver reload would be just as fast or maybe faster.

But that was just my experience with one gun. YMMV.

:)

After more consideration, I do have to say that the PF9 did have quite a nice trigger. Much friendlier than my Smith 442. Pros and cons. Everything has its good and bad points, I suppose.
 
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I ditched my 642-2 for a Kel Tec P-11 for a
couple of reasons.The Kel tec is slimmer
and carries better in my pocket,no cylinder
digging into my leg while i'am kneeling.

I also like 10+1 of 9mm vs 5 rounds of 38
special and the P-11 has easier to see
sights,which is important since most of my
deliveries are done at night.

I know Kel tecs are not every ones cup of
tea but this one has been 100% out of
the box,i've only added a slip on grip and
trimmed the tip of the trigger back 3/16".
 
I have a S&W 638 and a Kel Tec P3AT. I carry either or, depending on what I am wearing and my mood. The KT is definitely flatter and easier to conceal, but with some of the pockets in my pants, it is so small it floats around! That is when I grab the S&W. Both are carried in DeSantis Nemesis pocket holsters. Of course, when I am dressed for it, I am wearing a Taurus PT 145 IWB. My wife has shoes. I have guns. :evil:

Overall I think revolver reliability is probably better, but practice and experience with an autoloader offsets a lot of that. It is important to know that the gun is going to function properly when you need it. Anything can fail. I had a few failures to feed with my KT a while ago, and I discovered that it only likes round nosed bullets, but as long as I keep it reasonably clean, it fires when I pull the trigger. The Smith has gone bang without fail every time, but it is bulkier than the KT.
 
I've got no experience with the PF9 but have heard good things about it. The S&W is obviously going to be dead on reliable for you, but I don't like the recoil or the 5 round limitation personally. I can handle it if necessary, but I tend to carry my Kahr PM9 for a few more rounds (6+1) and a tad more power (9mm +P cor bon DPX or +P Rem. Golden Sabers). My PM9 has about 600 rounds through it with zero troubles. All that to say that if you can find a 100 percent reliable PF9, I would personally go that direction!
 
I find this discussion intersting. I have the Kahr PM-9, and the only problem with it is that sometimes it doesn't close all the way when I load the first bullet. However, I've put about 250 rounds through it without a jam.

I've been thinking about the S&W or the Kel-Tec PF-9 for my wife. I've been leaning toward the Kel-Tec for the simplicity of shooting the same ammo. However, I haven't been able to find the PF-9 in stock. Anyone know an online seller who has these things right now? I prefer to work with Bud's or RRArms, but neither has this gun in stock.
 
I pocket carried a 642 for awhile. Great gun. Certainly nothing wrong with it. I have since replaced it with a Kel-Tec PF9. I've never had a failure with it and I prefer 8 rounds of 9mm +P to 5 rounds of .38 Special in the same size package. No reason other than that.

My Dad now carries the 642 and loves it.
 
I pocket carry a Kahr pm9 from time to time and it works fine . I have not seen a PF9 yet but most of the " range reports " i have read online seem pretty positive after the first 100 or so production pistols that seemed to have some issues ( which kel-tec addressed quickly ) . If i did not allready have the Kahr i would look long and hard at a pf9 before spending the extra for the PM9 .
 
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