Picked up my new Kel-Tec PF-9
See: http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/pf9.htm on Monday. Today was the first trip to the range!
Overview. First, the firearm: The PF-9 is a sub-compact, 7+1 9mm, locked breech pistol. Polymer frame (Black) with a blued slide. Sights are smaller than my Glock 19, but usable, and as a bonus, adjustable using a hex key. I touched up the grip with a scotch-brite pad to soften the rough edges and remove some molding flash, but DID NOT polish the feed ramp or do anything other than a quick field strip and clean.
Size. It is smaller in each dimension (LWD) than my Glock, though not as small as I imagined it to be. The PF-9 weighed a lot less, though. I was looking for a more concealable pistol for use when I am not wearing a jacket or covering shirt. It actually does fit in my front pants pocket. I expect to get a pocket holster before I will pocket carry it, but wearing it for a day loaded with snap caps it seemed very acceptable. It's funny that even though it was only a bit smaller than the G-19, those smaller dimensions really do make the difference in terms of being tolerable in the pocket: the PF-9 really can live in a pocket.
Shooting. Ah, well. This is where the operator (me) ran into some challenges. My goal for this range trip was to go through 100 rounds of ball, and at least one magazine of my SD JHP load. I wanted to give it a chance to break in and see if it can establish my trust in it as well. I was less worried about accuracy.
I am happy to report that I had absolutely no FTE or any other glitches. I ran 108 rounds through it in 40 minutes, and it was flawless! Good news.
I have absolutely no complaints about feeding; it was perfect.
Recoil was significant, but manageable. Sincerely not bad at all. No problems here.
The only negative of the day was, well, my trigger pull. The pull on the PF-9 is, well, long, and heavy. After about 20 rounds, it became difficult to have a smooth pull as my muscles were getting fatigued. Accuracy suffered some, but was not horrendous. I've never had this issue with the Glock. The Kel-Tec's draw back is much longer than the Glock. I'm guessing that there may be some residual of the carpal-tunnel surgery I had some years ago, or maybe just lack of strenuous exercise. Anyway, I expect some quality time with the snap caps and extensive dry firing will build my strength up. I wouldn't say it's a huge concern, and in fact translates into an excuse to spend more quality time at the range. Darn!
Overall: I'm happy with the size, weight, and concealability of the PF-9. It gives me another option for CC on those days when the Glock 19 wouldn't work for me. It ran ball and JHPs flawlessly. I need to build up my trigger pull strength, and once I do, I will work on accuracy. For the price (Significantly less than $300), I'm quite pleased with the PF-9. It's a good addition to my Glock, but I'll be keeping my Glock 19 as my preferred CC weapon when it's cooler out and I'm wearing a jacket or other covering garment.
