Are these pistols reliable?

Life expectancy/Round count-to-destruction?

How compare to Ruger LC9?

Tell me anything you know!

Kel Tec customer service is very good.  It used to be better but they changed their method of getting stuff.  Most parts are customer replaceable.

The PF-9, like all Kel Tecs can be touchy.  It has pretty much the same design as many of the others but for some reason it is more sensitive to hold and ammo than most small single stack guns.  It is hammer fired.

My often stove piped or failed to feed.  Being a tinkerer and often getting away with it, I traced the problems down to a timing situation.  The mag springs, IMHO, are a primary source of the failures I experienced.  I did the dirty.  I stretched the mag spring and the problem went away.  I feel the mag was not feeding the next round in fast enough and a stronger spring tension made all good.

The trigger is a long pull.  That is the safety.

I wound up trading mine in for a Ruger LCS- Pro, a striker fired gun with a much better trigger, only second to a S&W Shield Performance Center.

mine has been fine, the slide rails on the frame have worn and i have less than 500rds thru it. It is no where near the quality of a LCP, LC9S, or shield, XDS, etc. but its sub $180 when I got it. Mine is an around the house, run to the store thing. 9/10 i have my xdm.

It is very light in comparison to those other models, it's a snappy bugger.  Overall I have been happy with mine, if I were to go at it again prolly get an LC9s

Mine didn't run good after taking it home. I did alot of reading and after the "fluff&buff" and piggy backing the extractor spring with a second extractor spring (main culprit) it was reliable. I just couldn't hit a damn thing with it so I sold it after the G43 hit the market. Alot of guys on KTOG were using the two extractor spring mod.. cheap n easy. If you're gonna use two extractor springs make sure you use a slightly longer extractor screw. I had the firing pin fly out the back of the gun and hit me in the chest lol.

I've never had problems with mine.  I bought my used in 2011.  I tweaked my with a fluff and Buff and upgraded trigger to avoid trigger bite.  The biggest complaints from anybody that shot mine was the recoil.

Both me and a friend replaced our PF9s with Shields.  The day we went to the range, he also brought his PF9.  It was night and day between the brands.  The Shield was more comfortable to shoot.  Shooting his PF9 reminded me why I upgraded my trigger.

Overall, I loved the PF9.  It was a cheap conceal carry, filling that role well.  The current sale and rebate on the Shields made it worth the upgrade to 45 and 9mm.

Right now the Shield is at the same price point as PF9.  I'd suggest the Shield.

I loved the PF9. It was a cheap conceal carry, filling that role well until the extractor spring broke off when I was at the range.  Replaced it and sold that for a Kahr P9.

FWIW, I have 4 PF9's. Wife carries 1 and I edc 1. Bought the other 2 because I got a good deal on them. I had the intent on doing a torture/rd count/ abuse test on one just to see how far one could be pushed. However, death in family and moving has put that idea on hold. Mine that is my edc has about 500rds thru it with no issues. The trigger doesn't bother me and it is better than expected accurate to me. Finish on them if blued is rust prone, trust me. Wifes PF9 is the hard chrome finish, no wear yet on it.

I've got one.  I got it cheap before I could get my Glock 43.  I have't shot it a lot, but it's been reliable for me.   I've had good luck w/ Keltec over the years and I understand they have good customer service.  With 5 of their guns I've never needed it.

i carry a pf9. never had any issues. about 500 rounds thru it now.

Bought PF9.

Federal 124 FMJ.

Fired three shots.

PF9 deceased.

Smoke and noise on 3d shot.

Firing pin braze welded to firing pin slide way.

Found three cases.

All primers pierced.

One had burned away a small hole.

Primer material in firing pin slide way melted.

Friend dealer refund $.

Junk at any price is junk.

Buy LCP, LC9s, Shield.

Self defense loads sting a bit.

Sloppy and ugly, but mine works.  Had it for quite a while now.  My only complaint is that carrying IWB can release the magazine.  I've pulled it out and found the mag 1/4 of the way out on more than one occasion.

With the deals available on the shield, I'd think before I bought a pf9.

So your junk ammo killed your low priced gun?  Sounds like bad primers to me.

OP, the other guy talking about Shield prices is right.  Until there is a bigger price gap the PF9 isn't the best choice.  I own one and carry it every day (it's reliable enough with good ammo) but at 280 or whatever a Shield is a better value.

Thanks for the info. I have always had issues with my PF9 failing to feed I stretched the springs like you stated, and shot 100rds not a single failure. Before I couldn't make it through a magazine without a failure usually round 3 or 4.

Had one for quite a while.  Sold when I got my G43 but have been thinking about getting another to just keep in the truck.

All I did was polish feed ramp and shoot it.

Zero issues with mine, other than the fact the trigger was tough, and it was very snappy.  It is certainly not a range gun, but I did not experience all the issues that many seem to report.  I sold mine to a buddy, when the G43 came out, simply because I wanted a Glock and a better trigger.   I carried it for six years and wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

Federal is junk ammo now?  Sounds like an overly long firing pin.

The thing about the Kel Tec guns, and the PF9 is no exception, is that they are like guns made on Mars. They are totally different from the norm and some people can't deal with that. The things that many people don't like about them are the things that actually make them great.
One poster casually mentioned 'hammer-fired' and the person who is not familiar with this system just thinks 'Old-fashioned - striker-fired is the thing now.' They would be wrong. There is a hammer but you can't cock it. You really can't touch it at all until you cycle it with the trigger and then its not likely you will be able to catch it. The hammer is concealed, like a S&W 'Body Guard' revolver, and also like that revolver the action is DAO.
Because they made the trigger on the PF9 so much better than the P11, they also had to come up with a safety which the P11 doesn't need. So, without the crude and vulgar 'second trigger' of the Glock and Ruger LC9s, it has a smooth trigger with an internal safety that performs the same function. The hammer always lies on the firing pin, but with a lightweight pin and a strong spring, it is not possible to make it drop-fire.
The PF9 certainly has a better feel in my hand compared to the LC9. I went to the gun shop the other day to get my hand on one and could not believe what he handed me - it looked and felt flimsy and the grip frame seems to be 'deeper' (from front strap to back strap) and really irritated me just handling it in the store. Typically the Kel Tec small pistols have a pretty good feel in comparison.
Any 9mm pistol in this category is going to have a violent recoil impulse. You don't take this out and fire 100 rounds. In the first place, once you have fired it enough to get used to it, know how to aim it and settle on your ammo, you only would shoot it when shooting up your carry ammo semi-annually. So the poster who wants to know 'life-expectancy/round count' is asking this of the wrong pistol. I cannot imagine putting myself in the position of firing one to destruction because I think I would be destructed in the process. :)
The terms 'cheap' and 'junk' show up in Kel Tec discussions but the guns are decent. I rely on my P11 every day, and sometimes go for over a year without firing it or changing ammo. Then one day I take it to the range, pull it and without any examination or other preliminary just start shooting. It always works right down to the empty magazine. I take it home, clean/lube and load it again. This is not junk but they are inexpensive - is cheap really a bad thing when you get a good product?
One day years ago I dropped the barrel in the garage. The barrel hit the concrete floor, bounced and rang like a bell. Picking it up, I couldn't find a single mark on it. The slides are tough like that too, and the chassis is a CNC-machined forged-aluminum part, not a stamped sheet metal one like most of the other guns in the class.
And I'll take this opportunity to say again that I believe the P11 and PF9 are the safest carry pistols in the world.
What I'm saying is look at the gun and understand what you're looking at before calling it 'junk'.