Kel-Tec PF-9 Week: Day 3 - Brick's Thoughts

My impressions..

Ammunition and Shooting
I'm not a great shooter and this isn't a very forgiving gun. If I had a better, stronger grip, I suspect the gun would perform better. I've not tried a lot of different ammunition with it, but the Federal 115gr RN seems to work best. It really did not like the Sellier & Bellot JHP (also 115gr I think). The Winchester White Box is marginal, too. When I try the WWB and have any looseness in my grip, I get a fail to feed. Blame me, blame the ammo, but the net effect is the same. The good news is that I'm aware of this, so when I practice, I'm working really hard to build better habits.

I can't complain about the accuracy of the PF-9 as I'm sure I am the limiting factor. I never intend on shooting this at long ranges, but I am comfortably consistent with it at short distances.

Size, Weight, Form
The PF-9 excels when it comes to size and weight. I don't carry all the time, but I don't feel uncomfortable when I do. I've got a pocket holster and an IWB that I use depending on the season and other circumstances.

I do have one issue with the layout of the controls. It doesn't happen all the time, but I occasionally hit the magazine release. The magazine drops just enough to prevent the next round from feeding. If you watched the Hickok45 videos yesterday, you will know he had the same problem.

Quality and Service
After shooting a few hundred rounds, my firing pin jumped out, disappearing in a pile of brass at the range, never to be found again. Some quick research revealed that this is a common issue and a little Blue Loctite will prevent the ejector from coming loose and subsequently freeing the firing pin to fly away. Kel-Tec sent me a free replacement firing pin quickly, but I'm surprised that they've not addressed the issue. It seems a simple fix.


Overall
Despite some issues, I'm happy with the gun. As I get better, it gets better. With the right ammo and a good grip, the gun works consistently. I would be perfectly happy with it if I could figure what I'm doing to make the magazine drop unintentionally.