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Mousegunner's Review of the
Kel-Tec PF-9 Pistol
Updated January 8, 2011

This review reflects my own experience with my (no longer) new Kel-Tec PF-9 (Kel-Tec's Website is HERE), but I have also drawn on articles and reviews found on the internet in various places. The photos are my own, but you are welcome to borrow them, if you like. For more resources and some specific acknowledgements see the last paragraph of this article.

Kel-Tec has a lot of vocal fans, and they begged for a single-stack 9mm pistol for years. Finally, Kel-Tec heard their cries, and came through with the PF-9. I bought my first one in August 2007. Every now and then I trade for something else, but I always end up coming back to the PF-9. I bought number four in August of 2010. These days Kel-Tec sells the PF-9 in a nice cushioned black plastic box...

My latest PF-9

Kel-Tec announced impending production on their website, and on the KTOG forums on November 11, 2005--and made an official public announcement at the SHOT show in February of 2006. The Kel-Tec announcement read:

'The PF-9 is a semi-automatic, locked breech pistol, chambered for the 9 mm Luger cartridge. It has been developed from our highly successful P-11 and P-3AT pistols with maximum concealability in mind. The PF-9 has a single stack magazine holding 7 rounds. It is the lightest and flattest 9 mm ever made. Firing mechanism is Double-Action Only with an automatic hammer block safety. The PF-9 will be available in blued, parkerized, and hard chrome finishes. Grips will be in black, grey, and olive drab. The PF-9 accessory rail will accept the latest compact weapon lights and lasers.

'The PF-9 retains the best features from our P-11 and P-3AT pistols combined into the flattest and lightest single stack 9mm configuration ever made. The barrel, locking system, slide stop, assembly pin, front sight, recoil springs and guide rod are adapted from the P-11. The PF-9 is nearly identical to the P-11 in length and height and shares the same exterior controls. The shorter trigger system with integral hammer block and the extraction system are adapted from the P-3AT. Just like the P-11, the PF-9 will accept +P ammunition, however, not with continuous use.

'The rear sight is a new design and is adjustable for windage with the supplied allen wrench as well as for elevation with the use of shims (not included). The included 7 round rectangular magazine is supplied with a finger extension base plate and numbered holes. The under barrel accessory rail shares the dimensions of the MIL-STD-1913 picatinny rail although there is only one locking notch in the forward position.'

My first PF-9

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICES AS OF AUGUST 2007 (Not much change as of July 2008)

PF-9 Pistol, Blued $333.00
PF-9 Pistol, Parkerized $377.00
PF-9 Pistol, Hard Chrome $390.00

Actual prices, of course, will be whatever the marketplace decides. I bought my first blued slide PF-9 in Chattanooga, TN on August 8, 2007, for $269.00 plus sales tax. Prices in Fall of 2010 may be $75 to $100 higher. Prices in other areas of the country will vary. A good way to check current retail prices is to visit www.gunbroker.com.

The PF-9 pistol is a good-looking gun, and comes with one 7 round magazine, a pinky finger extension base plate, and a gun lock (padlock). Extra magazines may be ordered directly from Kel-Tec for $21.85 each. I have two extra magazines.

According to a knowledgeable PF-9 owner, two weak points in the PF-9 design are the plastic magazine release and the magazine follower. The mag release may wear out quickly unless care is taken to hold in the mag release button while inserting the mag. Mag followers may wear on the front left corner if you allow the slide to lock back on an empty mag very often. The negative effect of that is that your pistol will not lock back the slide consistently after the last round in the mag is fired.

I have read that a good way to shoot your PF-9 at the range is to always leave one cartridge remaining in the magazine, which will preclude the slide locking back, and which will then preserve the plastic follower. 'Two Pistol Packer' on the KTOG Forum has created metal replacement parts that may wear better. Here is a link to his excellent instructions for disassembly, reassembly and replacement of various parts.

The original shipment date was supposed to be May of 2006, but it kept being postponed. Production did not start until September of 2006, and things got off to a rocky start with the new pistol.

The first 100 PF9s were mostly bought by the factory employees and distributors. George Kellgren (gun designer, chief engineer and owner of Kel-Tec) himself took the first 19 off the assembly line. PF-9s began to be released to the public in late September 2006.

The first run of PF-9s had many problems. (This is a summary of information presented by Two Pistol Packer on the KTOG Forums.)

1. Some early barrels had SHORT THROATS that would not chamber the longer 147 grain ammo.
Here's a photo I found in a KTOG forum post by Kel-Tec fan 'Wilson,' showing the old and new PF-9 barrels...

2. Kel-Tec used the same screw for the sight as for the extractor. But when the screw was tightened during production this caused it to intrude into the hammer arc which caused hammer peening from hitting the screw, which caused hammer slide scoring, which caused additional wear to the hammer, which then caused more hammer slide scoring etc. etc.
3. There was a lot of fine brass dust created from the cartridges being shaved by the rough hammer slide.
4. The firing pin channel in the slide was too large, and allowed the firing pin to wobble around and strike the primer crookedly, resulting in failures to fire. The large hole also quickly attracted brass shavings. Pf9 Serial Number Chart

5. The slide lock tab was too large, and rubbed against the bullet noses and piled up shavings.
6. Sometimes cartridges would feed oddly and lock open the breech, with the cartridge nose trapped under the slide stop tab.
7. First run PF-9s also had problems with the first 3 rounds in the magazine tending to nose dive into the feed ramp.
8. The magazine follower was a soft material and quickly developed a gouge caused by the last round flipping end for end and smacking its rim into the top of the follower.
9. The slide was not properly hardened, and this this caused slide bending which gradually caused barrel and breech peening, and light strikes from the slide not properly closing into battery.
Pf9 serial number chart printable

10. Sometimes slides also cracked at the slide stop notch.
11. Some of the grip accessory rails drooped.
12. Magazine problems: The PF9 magazine followers were a soft plastic that dented easily, and the sharper slide lock tabs tended to dig holes in them. These mags also apparently have sharper edges in the mag catch area and tend to wear the plastic mag catches quickly if the catch button is not depressed during mag insertion.

All who returned these first run models received back brand new parkerized guns with their old serial numbers stamped thereon. Almost all of the first model problems were corrected in short order, and production quality was quickly improved.

Newer PF-9s have a completely new barrel, with a longer feed ramp, to facilitate the use of hollow point bullets. Some PF-9s may still experience a problem with the trigger spring popping out of its groove. Beginning in July of 2007, Kel-Tec began installing a new trigger bar for the PF-9 with a deeper groove in it. On 01/17/07 Kel-Tec announ