This is not a thread to debate gun control, etc.
I purchased a brand new Kel Tec pf9 compact 9mm. I feel i got a good deal.
When i took it to ccw class today, range instructor told me i wasn't allowed to fire it on his range due to them having a tendancy to jam, misfire, and explode.
After googling, i see very mixed reviews.
I trust this place more than anywhere else. Before I use this weapon, what us the reality? Was the range instructor blowing things out of proportion? Was he factual? Do i have a hand grenade when i pull the trigger?
I bought this specifically for ccw. My hope is to only ever fire at the range, but it will see a few hundred rounds a year.
kel-tec doesn't have the best reputation for reliability, if i were going CCW 9mm i'd probably put the taurus 709 and ruger lc9s above anything kel-tec on the list. that said, I haven't heard anything specific about that model, I'd take it to the range and shoot it, if its reliable, its reliable. if not, send it back to kel-tec as many times as it takes to get right.
Probably overblown. There's a couple of comments about failure to extract but to explode... Quite frankly the only way that is happening is if you have a squib load and fail to notice.
Shoot it at the range, hopefully you have access to an action range, and make sure you're comfortable it'll function if you ever need it. If you have any doubt I'd trade it in and look for something else.
Range instructor is a dick, but Kel Tec does have a sketch history/reputation.
I don't want to come across as a gun snob, any CCW is better than not having one, if heaven forbid the time comes you need one, but Kel Tec wouldn't be my first choice. Shoot it, see how it behaves, if it has issues, send it back, or move on to something else, if you're comfortable with it, and it proves reliable for you, use it.
I would like to own a CMR-30, PMR-30, and have come real close to buying a Glock Mag Sub-2000 the last few times Palmetto State emailed me them in their "weekend deals," the repercussions of when SWMBO finds out is the only thing that's stopped me. 
So it's not that I'm anti Kel Tec, I just know their reputation, and would be willing to live with something that's a little temperamental for a "fun gun," less so for a CCW.
YMMV
Yeah. Explode. Sure. Dick. Do you know how many times my Colt 1911A1 has jammed on me? My dad had a S&W revolver. It jammed. My Desert Eagle jammed. I bet that thing cost triple anything the "range instructor" owns.
Try it out, see if it works. Use some 115 GR ammo, not hot or heavy stuff.
Sounds to me like the range director is trying to act like a big shot, no pun intended.
After a thorough cleaning and oiling,I would find a different range and put a few hundred rounds through it. I would not be afraid of it blowing up, but this will let you know if it is reliable. Use good, but not match grade ammo. I personally stay away from ammo named after bears, silver, brown and golden.
I've had several different issues with that particular breed of Russian ammo.
Strizzo mentioned the Ruger LC9 as a possible replacement if you are not happy or confident with the Kel Tec. I have one as one of my EDC weapons.
4 or 5 years into owning it, I am still very happy with it.
My other EDC is an OLD S&W model 10 .38 snubbie.
I would have a hard time picking a favorite, but the LC9 does hold a couple more rounds that I hope to never need.
Main thing is to be comfortable and confident in your choice.
I had originally planned to carry my .38 snub. Ut it honestly prints more than i would like. After shooting a shield compact, i began looking at 9mm. Bought this one based on comfort in my hands and price.
I think i will goy to Roy's place and run a hundred rounds through it. See what i really think.
Somebody mentioned sending it back if not right. Can you elaborate?
Almost all of the big manufacturers will repair or replace a weapon if it is defective.
If you just don't like it, you're on your own, but you can always trade it in.
A buddy bought a Ruger Mk3 in pieces. These things are "challenging" just to field strip and reassemble. This one had been disassembled WAY beyond field strip. He brought it to me, I tried to reassemble, no luck. I took it to 2 different "gun guys" that know a lot more than I do. They both gave up.
Fast forward a couple years, he sends in to Ruger like I suggested to begin with.
Couple weeks later, it's back, in one pc looking and working like new.
No Charge, other than shipping.
Dusterbd13 wrote:
Somebody mentioned sending it back if not right. Can you elaborate?
They claim to have a lifetime warranty, you should be able to have it shipped back for warranty repair through any authorized dealer.
As for the .38 printing, I use an ankle holster for that one.
The LC9 just goes in my pocket. It's a bit heavy, I have to wear a belt with it in my pocket.
In reply to SaltyDog:
It's really awesome until the company goes out of business and you don't know it.
I bought a used llama 45 a few years ago, as my dad was rather fond of his few 380s, the price was right, and they had a lifetime warranty. HAD. the company went under about a year before I bought it, which made all the important parts NLA, like magazines and recoil springs. Total POS pistol for shooting, but man did I get fast at clearing FTFs and stovepipes.
Hi point did take one of their pistols back 3 times for repair before I even had a box of shells through it, but that's standard for them, the factory just doesn't build them right and they need worked on out of the box. There's another company with a reputation for exploding 9mms, but you can find real pictures of the aftermath, so they've earned it.
Yeah, Hi Points aren't known for quality.
Not saying they can't explode, I've just not personally seen the aftermath. I would also suspect the ammo first.
The only actual explosion I've ever seen the result of was Chinese ammo caused.
Big, full frame S&W .357 blew up. Broke the cylinder and frame!
The round being fired exploded, detonating the 2 adjacent rounds.
Luckily, being a full size framed revolver, the shooter wasn't injured.
Better than a Jimenez! Side note, he is blowing it out of proportion.
A Kimber .380 micro carry is a fantastic CCW gun you might want to look at in a similar size but upped quality.
If you don't mind larger, I carry a Colt New Agent with trench sights in .45 or a full size Glock 20 in 10mm. The thing with CCW is, if you pull it out it better be to save you or someone else's life. For that task I want something that will absolutely work every time.
Range officer douche. Probably won't buy Goodyear tires either because he saw them blow up on TV on a race car. Take your money elsewhere for the class, or push back on him and see if you can use the Kel Tec.
I've got the P3AT Kel Tec and it works fine. Great pocket gun. Hurts me like hell when I shoot it - seem like all the energy goes through the trigger/trigger guard and into my trigger finger when I fire it. I'm sure if I ever had to use it to defend my life I wouldn't feel a thing and the gun would work fine.
The range douche is a douche. I've had a keltec p32 in my pocket for 8 years. And on the occaions I want a bit more power I carry my pf9. The only times either of them had failed had been shooter related. My wife limp wristed and it stovepiped... she had been shooting all day and was tired. And I let it get dirty once, like really dirty and the firing pin somehow wasn't sliding out with enough force to hit the round hard enough or whatever.
I'd love a kimber, but they don't seem to be any more reliable than my reliable keltecs, but much nicer finished. And more accurate from what I've experienced.
The lc9 is like a really nicely done copy of a pf9.
If I'm buying a gun, why waste my time and money and trust on a gun with questionable build quality. Isn't the reason behind concealed carry for personal protection? Trust in a weapon in that situation is paramount.
Say you end up not liking it in the future? The resale on junk guns is, well, junk. You'd never loose money on a Kimber or Smith & Wesson.
I wouldn't waste my time.
He sounds like a typical pro. Only the best is good enough.
I have no opinion about the Kel Tec, but my beater gun is a ultra cheap Lorcin 9mm that jambs every clip. Without fail, it stovepipes the last casing. But, that's after firing 13 rounds and if I can't hit something by then, I deserve whatever is coming my way.
Hopefully, if it's brand new, it would have all the factory updates or upgrades correcting issues previous buyers found with their PF9s. I would agree with the advice to find another CCW class as well.
Well, i borrowed a .38 snub from a classmate to finish up the class. Passed at 27/30 witha gun id never shot before. Sights were much different than my snub.
So i am ccw class approved, just need to go to the sheriffs office.
The kel tec was bought from the widow of one of my old customers. He bought it the week before he passed. Bought it from a local gun shop here in town. I paid 250 for it an a hundred rounds of ammo. Thought that was a reasonable price, as my snub was 250 used.
I like the idea of take it apart, clean and lube, and run some rounds through it. See what i really think. But i don't know if i still have a warranty or not.
I would suspect the clean and lube will do wonders for it. I'm assuming it has never been apart.
As for my earlier post regarding the Ruger Mk3, my buddy was the 2nd or 3rd owner, and he had owned it for a couple years before he sent it in and they still took care of it.
Regarding the Kimber endorsements, yes they are fantastic. I have owned a couple. The last one I bought as a package deal which also came with a Glock that I didn't really want.
Long story short, I still own the Glock. Kimber is long gone. Cost 2X as much as the Glock.
Comparing the 2 is an apples and oranges kind of thing, 2 completely different animals.
Keltec handguns tend to be just fine it is the RDB bull pups that were terrible. Same with a Hi-Point you can BEAT on a Hi-Point and it will fire every single time. Like run it over with a truck or leave it at the bottom of a lake and never clean it sort of beating. I really like the new shields and I have one in a compact for the wife but with the size of my hands and the target shooting I do it is not compatible with what I want
Personally for a CCW if your going to go polymer you buy a glock and that is that. I like my 1911's for the range and with self defense ammo it will work perfectly every single time. Still would carry the glock.
Don't know of any modern guns just blowing up. The only ones blown up I have seen have been linked to ammo (usually crap reloads) Or some type of user error like a 12/20 burst in a shotgun or obstructed barrel. Don't generally recommend keltec to people but never really heard of issues other than just feeling cheaply made. For a similar sized gun I would suggest a S&W shield or a Glock 43.
Off topic, but Michael, Good luck tomorrow.
Terry
Work first, Sherriff's office 2nd.
