Whats your feeling on a Keltec PF9 or P3AT?

[SmokeJumper]

Agree

I'll second that, my PM9 has been great for BUG duty. Although do have the LCP too. It's easy to conceal, just not my ideal carry gun for a primary.

[spdldr]

Many don't even bother to consider the P32. As for myself, I consider the .380 cartridge a bit much for such a tiny pistol. The .32 holds one more round, locks the slide back on empty, and is slightly lighter weight.(especially in the Gen. I)

FMJ rounds give greater penetration, which is about all one has in these short barreled tiny guns with their weak ammunition. For over 50 years the .32 auto was considered adequate for European police and even military rear echelon use. This round and weapon are a better balance for shooting and function in my opinion. It is one you will have with you instead of at home or in the car.

Dave
Boonie Packer

[jc75754]

P3AT - For pocket carry I use the DeSantis Nemesis

I have a "clip" that I used when I was teaching high school, carried it at 12 o'clock.

Not trying to hijack.

I also am a high school teacher in NC. I did not think you could carry in school. Is it different in your state?

[scjbash]

I've carried a p3at as a BUG for a couple years. I don't shoot it as much as I should, but it's been problem free through about 600 rounds. Adding a Hogue Handall Jr and a mag extension made it a lot more enjoyable to shoot. This link shows how to modify the Handall to fit a p3at.

http://www.1bad69.com/keltec/handalljr.htm

[Irish10]

I bought a P3AT about six years ago and it has been flawless since day 1. I did the recommended "fluff & buff" from the Kel-Tec owners forum and overall it's a great little pocket gun. Corbon Powerball is the best ammo I have found for it and for it's size it kicks like a mule!

[Lincoln7]

I really like my PF9. The minor issues I had early on were quickly and easily resolved by KelTec. I have over 1k rounds through mine and it's running great. It does what it is designed to well: Be small, comfortable to carry, and pack the power of a 9mm.

[rjacobs]

I just picked up a PF9 this afternoon. Going to shoot it a bit tomorrow, the range was packed today. I figured if I dont like it I can sell it and at least get my money back out of it. So far I am fairly impressed by it. Just took it apart and cleaned it up good. I am going to do a fluff and buff on it, probably tomorrow or tuesday.

Anybody have any holster recommendations? I think I am going to pickup a Desanti nemesis pocket holster, but I also want some type of IWB similar to a Phantom(they dont offer a PF9 holster).

[Hmac]

A buddy has a PF-9. Fluff n' buff is mandatory, but even then it's VERY finicky about ammo. The thing hates hollowpoints.

[BillSWPA]

I own a first generation P-32 and second generation P3AT. I also have 2 friends with P3AT's. They are all reliable guns. However, keep the following in mind to maximize this reliability.

DO NOT do the fluff and buff that is recommended on the KTOG website. I have heard from a gunsmith employed by Kel-Tec that MANY guns that left the factory in spec were returned out of spec after this procedure was performed. This procedure may also cause some warranty issues. Just shoot the gun instead.

Both pistols function best with recoil springs that are 2 lb. heavier than factory standard. So, I use Wolff 11 lb. springs in the P-32 (9 lb. is standard) and 13 lb. recoil springs in the P3AT (11 lb. is standard). Wolff +10% magazine springs are also known to maximize reliability in these guns.

Particularly in the case of the P-32, test your gun at the range with a fully loaded magazine plus one in the chamber. If you do this with the standard springs and the P-32, you will likely get many jams on the first round due to the rim of the top cartridge being caught in the groove of the cartridge below it. The 9 lb. spring will not overcome this condition with a fully loaded magazine, but the 11 lb. spring will.

If you are using a P-32,. load your magazines carefully to avoid rimlock (the rim of one round behind the rim of the one below it in the magazine. Be sure not to put too much pressure on the front of the cartridges in the magazine, which could cause the rims to separate, allowing cartridges to slide with respect to each other into a rimlock position. I have done considerable experimentation with spacers to eliminate the rimlock problem, and have found that they cause more problems than they solve - usually premature slidelock. Loading the magazine carefully will eliminate the problem.

Despite the rimlock issue, the P-32 is generally a bit more reliable than the P3AT.

Clean the lint out of the area between the hammer and firing pin frequently, and clean the firing pin channel frequently. Failure to do so can result in light strikes. The extractor screw is also what holds in the firing pin, which is held to the rear by the firing pin spring.

Despite the number of suggestions I made here for maximizing the reliability of these guns, I regard them, along with North American Arms, as the most reliable true pocket guns you will find.

The Crimson Trace LaserGuard makes these guns considerably easier to shoot accurately. Holsters for these guns when so equipped are plentiful. I'll add another vote for the DeSantis Superfly, as well as the C Rusty Sherrick Dirty Doug pocket holster. Rusty also made one of his ankle holsters for me to accommodate the laser.

While I do not own a PF-9, I have followed the development of this pistol online. Earlier models had a scary number and frequency of problems, and it took numerous modifications to the design over a period of a few years to get it right. Today, they are likely to be as reliable as any other 9mm in its size/weight class. NONE of the super-compact 9mm's are totally trouble free, including some much more expensive ones.

For me, it is tough to justify a PF-9 when I already own a Glock 26.

[ghettomedic]

In the great PF9 vs. P3AT debate, most folks forget the other boy in the band, the P11.

I shot and carried a P11 for the first 2-3 years I had my CCW. I bought it used at a gun show for $175, replaced the sights and springs, did the fluff and buff and it was GTG with a variety of ammo. It handled 147 gr. Winchester Ranger JHPs without a hitch, I probably put 500 rounds of this loading and another 1000 of 115 gr. FMJ through the gun during my time with it. I carried it as a BUG for the past year or so before selling it to fund a 1911 purchase.

Best of all, I found it much more pointable than the PF9 and MUCH more controllable that the P3AT. The dimensions are incrementally larger than the PF9 and you gain 4 rounds of capacity.

PF9:

Length - 5.85"
Height - 4.3"
Width - 0.88"
Weight - 12.7 oz.
Capacity - 7+1

P11

Length - 5.6"
Height - 4.3"
Width - 1.0"
Weight - 14 oz.
Capacity - 10+1

Check it out, I guarantee you'll be surprised. One word of caution, however. The 12 round flush-fit mags are just the 10 round mags with the follower legs cut off and the same spring, as far as I can tell. I experienced numerous FTF with this setup, particularly rounds nosediving into the feed ramp. Stick with the 10 round MecGar mags or S&W 6906 12 round mags if you want extra capacity.