Kel-Tec PF9 value and quality ?

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ChopperKen

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I bought a PF9 from a friend of mine today. For$100.00
It has some holster wear but shoots well.
I plan on stripping the rest of the slide and blueing
With cold blue since I have the complete kit sitting around.
WhAt is this thing worth And would it make a good carry peice?
 
Sold mine for $200 not long ago because I upgraded to the XDS. There was nothing wrong with it; just wanted a 45.

I never had a single malfunction. It fed hollow points fine...at least the ones I tried. The recoil is pretty intense, but, as a LGS clerk said, it's like shooting a 9mm from a water pistol.
 
I bought one and it was without a doubt the worst pistol I've ever bought. Failures to feed, fire, and eject. Gunshop I bought it from did a fluff and buff and the gun still wouldn't shoot.

For $100, you can't go wrong. I doubt I will ever buy Kel-Tec again, but for that price I'd be tempted to, just to see if it shoots.
 
Stumpers, I've shot this one a few times over the last year
and it hasn't malfunctioned yet. It's just ugly ( slide wear)

Outlaw Man, yes it does pack a punch.
 
My son had one for a year and it cycled almost any ammo available. (almost) It's not a super high end pistol but they don't claim it is. He only sold it to upgrade to a larger pistol with more capacity. He never had a problem with his...
 
I carried a PF-9 for several years until SA came out with the XDs, then I switched over to it. When I bought the PF-9, I did the fluff and buff, and a few other things to smooth it out. I never had the first problem with the function of the gun. But it was painful to shoot.

The XDs is a great pistol, and meets every CCW criteria I had. That said, $100 for a PF-9 is a great price, if it functions properly.
 
Had mine for 3 years. Carry it everyday everywhere using the belt clip. Only put 800 rounds through it. Never had a single problem. Ever. I love it and my XD9, but the PF9 is so much easier to carry. I would buy them all day long for $100.
 
I thought $100.00 was cheap for it. It came in the original
box wit all the tools and manual.
He said he was buying a Sig so he didn't need the Kel-tek.
I would have kept it as a back up.
Hope I have some free time to strip and finish the slide today.
 
ChopperKen said:
Hope I have some free time to strip and finish the slide today.
Click to expand...
I know above you said you already have a cold bluing kit but I highly suggest you use nothing other than Brownells Oxpho-Blue. It's the best product on the marker bar none and it's the easiest to use. You will not be happy with the results you get if you're using a Birchwood Casey Perma Blue kit. That kit will work but the results are nowhere near as good as when you use Brownells Oxpho-Blue, no comparison.
 
$100 bucks you can't go wrong.

New they run for around $279 in my area, for a literal value comparison. Quality is good, better than the P11 and better trigger and finish. Downsides is that it comes with one mag, and the feed ramp is not polished which is known to cause issues for many.

I bought one a couple years back, brand new from a shop and it was a problematic one. Magazine issue mostly (FTF), but also stove-piped and FTE. I liked how it was so light and slim, but for a new pistol that I paid full price I was not confident in carrying it. Sold it after a month and bought a Taurus 709Slim instead that was problem free and came with 2mags.

If you find one that has no issues, then its worth it.
 
Well I stripped and blued it today. Didn't turn out too bad
At least it's all one color now.
Shot it when I got home and it still works so I must have
put it back together right.
It just might make a good carry gun for when I don't want
to carry my 1911.
 
Reassembly after cleaning can be a problem. I found that using a broken-off Q-Tip as a slave pin to hold the barrel in place while putting it together is a good idea, otherwise it may lock up out of battery for you. I mean really lock up, so you have to jiggle it around and fuss with it until it comes apart again.

I hate mine. I can handle the recoil, but I have never considered it reliable enough to use as a carry gun. I sent it in to the factory and it was just as bad when it came back as when I sent it in.

Mine has the short feed ramp. They later redesigned it to have a longer feed ramp, which might account for the differences you hear about in terms of reliability. The short feed ramp is on the right:

keltecbbls.jpg


Terry, 230RN

Pic credit unavailable, but I think it's from the Kelt-Tec user's group. If a problem arises with use of this pic, please advise and I will give proper credit or delete the pic.
 
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Just checked: I have the short feed ramp and I haven't had any feed issues.
 
Mine's my EDC, and has been since early 2010. Been absolutely reliable, and pretty easy to hit with out to around 12-15 yards or so. I upgraded to the hard-chrome slide to fight Florida rust.

For one bill, I would definitely have picked up another. If it were my first, I would have sent the slide off for hard-chroming; KT gets about another $75 to do that.
 
I would grab a PF-9 for $100 in a second even if it had problems. These are the ultimate DIY pistols and can be easily brought back to service with some TLC. Some folks like that and some don't. I'm a cheapskate and a tinkerer, so that's right up my alley.

If rust is a problem, obtain an product called "No-Ox" by Sanchem. The actual name is No-Ox-ID "A Special," but when you search that's all you'll find as the other variations are for heavy industry. You can find it on ebay or google it. It's primary purpose is to prevent rust and corrosion in electrical applications, but it works to prevent rust on any metal surface. Becoming popular in model railroading to keep track from oxidizing. It is an ointment you smear on very thinly, leave overnight, then wipe off. Bonds directly to the metal surface right through bluing or any finish. Trust me, it won't rust. I use it on my car battery posts and cables. No more of those salts buildup.
 
My two cents' worth...

Good value, so-so quality.

Mine's been in a 3 gun carry rotation for over 4 years now. I did the fluff n' buff on it back in 2008, and just routine clean and lube since then. It's worked flawlessly since.

It isn't pretty. It isn't a fine example of the guncrafter's art. It isn't expensive. It's a basic, compact pocket pistol that packs a wallop. I feel very confident that it would serve well if the situation ever arises.
 
For $100, you can't beat it. Retail is around $250 new. It's an inexpensive pocket 9mm that is reliable if broken in properly and perhaps a fluff/buff. Recoil is snappy but manageable especially when used for its purpose - CCW not range toy.
 
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