[propellerhead]

I sold my PT-145 today. I don't have any Taurus firearms anymore. :-[

I'll still lurk around here. I'll be picking up a Keltec PF-9 tomorrow.

 

[NYPD]

Sorry to hear that---but you should check out the November edition of Gun Tests before you buy the PF-9.

 

[Steelheart]

Unless you're a subscriber you can only read the into paragraph.

Steelheart

 

[propellerhead]

I really enjoyed my PT-145 but I have wanted a pocket gun for a while now. I had my eye open for the Keltec P3AT but this PF-9 deal came along. The PT-145 was the least used pistol in my safe so it was the chosen one to go. I listed it on a local car forum and amazingly it sold in less than 24 hrs for my asking price.

I found a lot of positive feedback on the PF-9 and some negative feedback about Gun Tests magazine.

 

[NYPD]

Unless you're a subscriber you can only read the into paragraph.

Steelheart

Kel-Tec PF-9 9mm, $335

This was the shortest gun in the test, with an OAL of 5.9 inches with a 3.0-inch barrel and a sight radius of 4.6 inches. It stood 4.75 inches tall and weighed 12.7 ounces with an empty magazine. It came in a box with one magazines and a lock.

It carried 7+1 rounds in its magazine, and was only 1 inch wide across the slide, 0.9 inch wide across the grip, and 5.0 inches around at the thickest part of the grip. The frontstrap was 1.9 inches long and the backstrap was 3.1 inches long, measured from the bottom of the beavertail, along the frame, to the bottom of the magazine. There were no finish problems.

Other Kel-Tec pistols we have tested have usually had a good combination of low price and good quality, but we couldn’t recommend this one at any price.

This harsh initial assessment comes despite our recognition of the PF-9’s qualities. For instance, the PF-9 easily fit in a pants or jacket pocket and was the lightest pistol tested. Offsetting this size advantage, however, is its 7+1 capacity, but we didn’t dock the gun for that—some compromises have to be made for carry comfort.

Elsewhere, the rear two-dot sights were the same size as the CZ’s (a little on the small side), but the front white dot sight was larger, which most shooters preferred. Only the rear sight was dovetailed.

It was the only pistol in the test that had a rail, but felt the rail was not needed on a pistol of this size. The pistol only came with one magazine, but it did come with an optional extended magazine floor plate. Even with the extended magazine floor plate installed, the grip was the shortest and least comfortable of the guns tested, we thought.

What we couldn’t tolerate was the trigger function. The trigger was the longest and heaviest of those tested, but we could have gotten used to it, if it were not for what we consider to be a design flaw. We believe in properly resetting the trigger after each shot to increase accuracy. After we fire a pistol we hold the trigger to the rear of the trigger guard and then release it forward until a click is heard, and then we apply steady pressure for the next shot. If you try that with this pistol, you will only hear a click instead of a bang.

According to the Kel-Tec manual on page 12 under the subhead "Malfunctioning," a misfire is most likely the result of faulty ammunition. Then, the manual continues, "Another potential cause is that the trigger was not allowed to fully reset after firing. The hammer is then dropped from the hammer block, which will not fire the cartridge."

Once that happens the only thing you can do is rack the slide, chambering a new round (if there is one left in the magazine) and pull the trigger again. To avoid the problem, when you are resetting the trigger you must continue to release the trigger past the first click and listen for the second click, then you can pull the trigger again and the gun will fire.

In practice, this adds a sluggishness to the gun that we simply can’t recommend to GT readers. We tried some rapid-fire strings with all the pistols tested. The HK was the fastest with the CZ not far behind, but the Kel-Tec was much slower, and in at least one in three strings we experienced a misfire because of the poor trigger design and the 7.9-pound double action trigger pull.

We invited many shooters to try out the pistol without warning them about the trigger design, and half of them experienced misfires. We also had one failure to feed, but did not experience any failures on the other two pistols tested.

This pistol had the most felt recoil and was the least accurate—we suspect because of the heavy trigger.

Above is the article; sorry about the link. Yes, Gun Tests has a lot of retractors but remember they are evaluating handguns for mostly defensive purposes and if that firearm does not perform they won't recommend it. Granted, guns are like cars--you're going to get a lemon once in a while. I'm not denouncing the PF-9 or Kel-Tec---I think they're great pocket guns. I was only putting a little info out there.

 

[Steelheart]

I've heard feedback both ways on the PF-9's. If it was me I'd wait until next summer to get one to see what, if any, changes are made to the design.

I used to subscribe to Guntests. The only real complaint that I had was during some of their testing they would not continue the evaulation with any products that failed one of their tests. This would have been fine if the readers had the same criteria as GT but...

Steelheart

 

[propellerhead]

I got it at a good price face to face so there was no shipping, tax or FFL fees. We'll see how it goes.

PS. That's not my rear end.

 

[LikesToShoot]

Good luck with your Keltec.
It sure looks small untill it's sticking out of that back pocket.


(yup, he traded his 10+1 45acp for a 7+1 9mm) :???:

 

[propellerhead]

(yup, he traded his 10+1 45acp for a 7+1 9mm) :???:

When you put it in those terms it does sound illogical. But there's more to it actually. I have an XD45 4-inch for home defense, an XD40 3-inch for daily concealed carry, and an XD9 4-inch for target practice and IDPA. My PT-145 didn't really have a primary role other than a backup carry pistol. The KT PF-9 complements my trifecta of XDs. It fullfils the role of a carry gun for light days. I now have a pocket gun that I didn't have before and it replace a gun that was redundant and sat in the safe.

 

[Flyer]

PS. That's not my rear end.

I figured it was way to nice to be yours.

That's definantly a pocket gun though ... You got what you were wanting for sure.

 

[dbsoundguy]

that sure is small..cool gun though...doesn't Glock make something like that too

 

[LikesToShoot]

I've had both the PT145 and the PF9 on my wish list for some time now. Recent reviews on the PT145 have led me to take it off my wish list for now. I really like the size of the PF9, your wallet pictures are really helpful. Thanks!
"Untill I get a AR-15 utility rifle I must refrain from buying any more hand guns".
That's what I MUST say to myself every time I see a cool new gun.

 

[propellerhead]

I really liked my PT-145. It was a pleasure to shoot. But ever since the firing pin return spring broke, my confidence in it diminished. I've wanted a pocket gun for some time too and this PF-9 just happened to cross my path. I already told myself I'll hold off on the pocket gun since winter is here and going out in gym shorts and t-shirts isn't really going to be happening. The price on the PF-9 was right and my PT-145 sold in under 24 hours.

I took the PF-9 to the range today. It was harsh! Surely not a range gun. After 50 rounds, I quit. It's not as harsh as the P3AT though. The trigger is long but smooth. Some shots felt fine while some seemed to kick more. I was shooting CCI Blazer Aluminum 115 gr 9mm and in my experience, this ammo is pretty consistent. So I don't think it was the ammo. It was probably the way I was holding the pistol. Being a single stack, it's rather narrow. I guess I have to learn how to grip this pistol, which appears different from the way I grip my XDs. For some odd reason, it seemed easier to handle one handed. So maybe it was in the way I was gripping it. The pistol operated without a hitch.

 

[Qwiks draw]

Sending this to Other Guns as it belongs there.

 

[PAPACHUCK]

I sold my PT145PRO as well, but only to help fund a Sig P229R. Man, I'm happy!

 

[LikesToShoot]

Papachuck, Looks like you traded up.
Congrats on the new gun.
Range report? Pics?

 

[paulrabe78]

propellerhead try one of these. http://www.hogueinc.com/getgrip/merchant.ihtml?pid=147&lastcatid=114&step=4 I put one on my P-11 and one on my dad's PF-9. They make a huge difference. I think they even help with recoil because you have a better grip on the gun.

 

[barta]

sorry for your loss buddy. post some pics of the new toy when you can please.

 

[paulrabe78]

I bought a cheap laser like this http://www.m1surplus.com/laser sight with mount.htm for my dad and he's got it on his PF-9. He really likes it. It is his new possom exterminator. He had to do a little filing on the laser mount to get the pin to seat right with the gun but now it stays in place. Before that it would start to slide off the rail while shooting because we couldn't get the pin to go in the rail slot.