New CC pistol trying to work into my rotation...so far it's good!

1491 Views 14 Replies 12 Participants Last post by KnotRight, Apr 25, 2013

tooldawg99

Discussion Starter · Apr 21, 2013

Picked up a Kel-Tec a year ago for pocket carry, the P-32 and it was a total Gem: never had a failure, but it was .32acp. Finally decided it was time to try out the big brother and hope it was as reliable and accurate as the little .32

Enter the Kel-Tec PF-9, with a plus-1 baseplate giving it 9+1 capacity of 9mm firepower. Alas, it was very hard to find in Cerakote Tan, so I bought a black one, and had the frame Cerakoted in Coyote Tan ( plus $70 bucks). Why? I have no earthly idea. Call it a whim. My Glocks are both FDE, so I guess I just wanted to go with some color.

Anyway, the match is close to the factory Tan plus-one magazine adaptors, but not perfect. In regular daylight, it looks the same, but under a spotlight and a maginifed camera lens, it looks a shade off. But that's just cosmetics... how does it shoot? In fairness, I had the gunsmith give it a fluff and buff, feedramp and slight polish on the rails. Maybe it gives me a non-typical result, but I just wanted to have a good reliable back-up pistol, so what does it matter?

Anyway, with ammo being high AND hard to find, I only took 100 rounds to the range. Don't want to burn up what I can't replace easily, right?
Result: 100% function, no FTF, no FTE. 100 pulls of the trigger, 100 holes. In a row.

Not enough to put in my daily rotation, but very pleased with the result. Another 200 rounds with the same result and it will be in my rotation. Probably needs a good cleaning after 100 bangs anyway. So I will keep you posted, but for me and my $300, this little guy does the job just fine....maybe it just runs in the family!

See less See more

3

Reactions: 1

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

Tundra5.7

· #2 · Apr 21, 2013

Looks like whoever did the Cerakote did an outstanding job!

SFCDan

· #3 · Apr 21, 2013

tooldawg99 said:
Picked up a Kel-Tec a year ago for pocket carry, the P-32 and it was a total Gem: never had a failure, but it was .32acp. Finally decided it was time to try out the big brother and hope it was as reliable and accurate as the little .32

Enter the Kel-Tec PF-9, with a plus-1 baseplate giving it 9+1 capacity of 9mm firepower. Alas, it was very hard to find in Cerakote Tan, so I bought a black one, and had the frame Cerakoted in Coyote Tan ( plus $70 bucks). Why? I have no earthly idea. Call it a whim. My Glocks are both FDE, so I guess I just wanted to go with some color.

Anyway, the match is close to the factory Tan plus-one magazine adaptors, but not perfect. In regular daylight, it looks the same, but under a spotlight and a maginifed camera lens, it looks a shade off. But that's just cosmetics... how does it shoot? In fairness, I had the gunsmith give it a fluff and buff, feedramp and slight polish on the rails. Maybe it gives me a non-typical result, but I just wanted to have a good reliable back-up pistol, so what does it matter?

Anyway, with ammo being high AND hard to find, I only took 100 rounds to the range. Don't want to burn up what I can't replace easily, right?
Result: 100% function, no FTF, no FTE. 100 pulls of the trigger, 100 holes. In a row.

Not enough to put in my daily rotation, but very pleased with the result. Another 200 rounds with the same result and it will be in my rotation. Probably needs a good cleaning after 100 bangs anyway. So I will keep you posted, but for me and my $300, this little guy does the job just fine....maybe it just runs in the family!

Looks like a nice weapon. Do you pocket carry normally or as a back up to a primary? I have found difficult when I try to fire smaller size pistols accuracy versus full size or moderately compact.

tooldawg99

Discussion Starter · #4 · Apr 21, 2013

I am not currently carrying the Kel-Tec, but once I am 100% confident that it will fire when needed, my thinking was to relegate it to ankle or IWB/OWB carry in the holster shown as a B/U to my Glock 17 or G26. I generally wear them in a Galco shoulder rig. If I carry either of the Glock's in a OWB, the Kel-Tec would ride in my ankle rig. I found an older Bianchi ankle holster for med auto's that fits perfectly.

As for accuracy, the Kel-Tec PF-9 with the grip/mag extension offers me a full purchase grip on the pistol. It doesn't feel or act like a "smaller" pistol. In fact, the PF-11 is close to the same size as the G26, and the PF-9 is only marginally smaller. I'll try to go back and post a side by side of the PF-9 and the G26 so you can see how close in size they are. It's definitely NOT a "mini-gun", which is one the reasons I wanted to get one.

See less See more

Der Alte

· #5 · Apr 21, 2013

Have had a stainless PF-9 since they first came out back in 07. It has never failed to fire or eject.

patri0t

· #6 · Apr 21, 2013

I've had my PF9 for several years. Mine is blued with the black poly and has about 600 rounds through it. I used good 'full powered' ammo, so no problems.
I love that little 12 ouncer, especially in triple-digit weather. I use it with my motorcycle vest, too.
With Kel-Tecs, it seems you either get a good one or not. I've had 4 and they were all great. Sold my P11 when I consolidated calibers with .45acp coming out on top... it saves me some when buying my ammo in bulk.
The PF9 sure has a 'bite' to it, but it is pretty much done for range time and I usually use quality +P ammo in it, like Hornady XTPs, Corbon Pow'Rball, etc.
I expect 400 ft-lbs of energy from every round.
Also, I got the beltclip on it and it works perfectly under my belt or as a RF pocket clip. Otherwise, it goes in my LF bike Vest. So it doesn't need a holster.

I really love mine.
You are wise to run 300 rounds through it before calling it good.

See less See more

Bhamrichard

· #7 · Apr 22, 2013

tooldawg99 said:
Not enough to put in my daily rotation,

Forgive me if I sound... confused here. But why would you rotate firearms on a daily basis? The point of carrying a firearm, to most, is for self protection and preservation if necessary. Would it not make more sense to carry the firearm that your most comfortable, accustomed to, and most importantly, most accurate with?

tooldawg99

Discussion Starter · #8 · Apr 22, 2013

Nothing confusing about it. My daily activity and attire dictates which weapon I decide to carry.

Cool, wearing a blazer, moderate to high potential threat level: full-size Glock.

Tucked in shirt, warm to hot weather, moderate to low potential threat area: IWB Kel-Tec or ankle S&W

Un-tucked shirt, causal attire with unknown threat: anything I feel like carrying.

Having one gun is fine. However, most skilled tradesmen have more than one hammer. And more than one screwdriver. They select the tool based on the job they expect to have to do.

I guess I consider myself a skilled tradesman.

See less See more

Reactions: 1

ConcealedinPA

· #9 · Apr 23, 2013

My Kel-Tec was my first pistol 1998. It's since been collecting dust in the safe. Thx for reminding me. I'll be knocking the dust off it next time I hit the range.

sixgun

· #10 · Apr 23, 2013

tooldawg99 said:
Nothing confusing about it. My daily activity and attire dictates which weapon I decide to carry.

Cool, wearing a blazer, moderate to high potential threat level: full-size Glock.

Tucked in shirt, warm to hot weather, moderate to low potential threat area: IWB Kel-Tec or ankle S&W

Un-tucked shirt, causal attire with unknown threat: anything I feel like carrying.

Having one gun is fine. However, most skilled tradesmen have more than one hammer. And more than one screwdriver. They select the tool based on the job they expect to have to do.

I guess I consider myself a skilled tradesman.

This post is why I have 3 different guns for carry. Different tools for different jobs. Nice lookin pf-9 Hope it works out and becomes reliable for carry duties. I have the p-32 and love the little gun. Ya its only a 32 but at times when you need deep concealment it shines. And at least you have a gun. First rule of gunfighting. Have one.

tooldawg99

Discussion Starter · #11 · Apr 23, 2013

Could not agree more, sixgun!

And like I said, the Kel-tec P-32 I had was one of the best, most reliable, accurate guns I have ever owned. Period. Simple, small, and effective, for what it is. Kinda wish I had kept it, but like I said, I felt it was time to move up to 9mm and altho it won't fit in my pocket like the P-32, the PF-9 can be nicely tucked away IWB or in the pocket of a jacket, and it's a trade-up in ballistics that I feel comfortable with!

DetChris

· #12 · Apr 23, 2013

If I only had one gun and it had to conceal in all situations, I would have only owned my LCP................. That makes me sad. Very sad.

Phaedrus

· #13 · Apr 23, 2013

I agree, different CCW sidearms for different situations. You can have the best saw in the world but sometimes you need a hammer instead.

Bradyman1

· #14 · Apr 25, 2013

Nice looking pistol. I just got a pf9. I like it. I have about 300 rounds of mixed ammo through mine without a single ftf, fte, or stovepipe. Great little pistol for the money. I bought it for my edc.

KnotRight

· #15 · Apr 25, 2013

I bounce around between my Kel-Tec 380 and S&W 642. Both are ez to carry with shorts on and a T-shirt. In the winter time, I might carry my Glock 23 because people are wearing more clothing and it is ez to carry under a coat.

Thinking back, I used to carry a NAA 22mag everywhere I went. It was great on the motorcycle and in the summertime being all stainless steel.

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.