Kel-tec PF-9

No experience with the keltec other than holding it at the gun shop. I picked the S&w bodyguard instead. It is very easy to shoot, very smooth, and well made. I like the fact that it has a safety since when I carry it I just put it in my pocket, no holster.

 

I've got one and haven't had any problems with it yet, only 150 rds through it though. It has gone bang every time and I've shot several types of ammo through it as well.

It is a $259 gun, so don't expect the fit and finish of a custom 1911. The trigger pull is like a stapler gun, but not too bad. I found it to be just a little too big for pocket carry, so now I just use it as my truck gun and carry a LCP 87% of the time.

 

you might not need a reload but you may certainly have a magazine failure....id rather have an extra than not have one...

 

Safety???????????????? Make sure you click it down when the thug startles the bat sqeezeout of you before you draw and fire!! Otherwise............nice bloggin with you!

 

I have the Bodyguard in the .38 revolver. All the glock fanboys love to give me hell for it but the fact of the matter is, it will almost never jam or misfire and I can shoot groups inside a CD at 20' - Good enough for a self-defense carry weapon.

It also has a laser and people in the thread are right. Its somewhat intimidating to see one on you. Might even buy you an extra second or 2 against your attacker who now has to process another piece of info.

 

I had one, for a short time. It was surprisingly accurate for a subcompact, and never had any failures over 700+ rounds. I must have gotten lucky.

 

Speaking of diamondbacks, I played around with one the other day and I was impressed with its initial quality. Basically a miniaturized Glock that shoots singlestack 380 but with a vertical grip and not Glock's Lugerish grip.

I have not shot one so I can't speak to reliability but we'll be hearing more about the Diamondback 380 for sure.

http://www.gunblast.com/Diamondback380.htm

 

diamondback makes a 9mm too dunno if its out yet or not though....

 

The Kel-Tec PF-9 has a very, very light firing pin. (Which is why they tell you not to dry-fire it.) This keeps the gun from going off when dropped but means it doesn't like some primers.

If you have a load that has misifires and doesn't work in this $300 gun then don't use that load. Find loads that work with the light firing pin and the gun will run fine.

 

Wow thank you all for the great feed back!

I've considered the s&w bodyguard, both the 380 and 38spl. The khar is a nice firearm but out of my price range.

My only concern with the s&w's are the trigger pulls. Now i've read that the trigger pull on the kel tek ranges from 5-10lbs DAO. anyone know the numbers of trigger weight for the Bodyguards?

 

I have heard of these and saw a review on youtube where the guy fired 150rds and got 5 FTF 1 FTE and a stove pipe. The gun was brand new.

 

for the bodyguard
im not sure on the trigger pull weight but I will say that it is a very long pull leaving you wondering when its going to go bang. My wife refused to shoot it after about 3 rounds. She said she thought she was doing something wrong bc it wouldnt shoot.

Im sure it just takes some time behind the gun to get use to it though.

 

See if the range has any of the makes/ caliber(s) you're looking at. The best way to find out what you like is to shoot 'em. Good luck.

 

I bought a Kel-Tec P11 shortly after they first came out. I wish I had also bough the 40 cal version as they don't make it anymore. Buuuuuut. I bought this gun for CCW because at the time it was the lightest 9mm and still had a 10 round magazine capacity (which was important at the time, still kind of is) sooo my theory is if its not light and comfortable you will eventually stop carrying it.
now I the only issue firing it I have had was a couple rounds in the first 100 rounds, and then a couple when I know I didn't have a solid grip on it and they specifically say that these light weight polymer guns you must have a solid grip or the punch of the action will not properly feed sometimes.
That being said the only complaint I have ever had with P-11 is that you can't get a front fit laser for it, and for ccw self defense I really want this. so I am going to get the newer version (PF9) with a laser. It holds a few less rounds but I will trade that for having a laser and keeping a very light thin easy carry gun. just my .02$

 

This is just me thinking... in a life threatening situation, will you remember to turn on the laser? Will you look for the red dot?
I know in the (comparatively) insignificant stress of IDPA competition I have trouble keeping the front sight in focus, and instinctive point shooting comes into play. At short distances I usually hit well even though I might be moving, or running from cover to cover. That's why a rail is useless to me. Hopefully I'll never need a gun to save me or my family, but I try to be realistic about what thought processes I'll have if that ever happens.

 

The laser I would use would have the pressure switch on the grip that's activated during your normal grip of the gun so there is no remembering to turn it on. I agree you should always practice your draw and aim with grip control and front sight acquisition. And in an emergency draw aim fire rapid sequence situation a laser or night sights or anythig else won't do a thing for you. The only thing that will let you hit your target will be your repetitive practice and just "knowing" where its aimed because its sitting right in your hands. However, if (and I hope I never do) have to draw a ccw and if it's a threat advancing but not the need to fire immediately, having the laser sight with even a few seconds to work with (IMO) will aid you in confirming your aim and hopefully the sight of the laser and the dot on their chest will increase the chance the threat stops in their tracks and this avoiding a situation where I have to fire a shot. To each their own, but this is just my thought. I appreciate where you're coming from though.

 

Several points in no real order- all guns need a break in period of 200rnds or so. Trigger pull tends to improve the more you shoot it as parts wear together. You can help this along by polishing the parts. There are forums and videos for darn near everything made these days where you can info on how to do this.

Kel-Tecs seem to come about 95% finished from the factory and need the "fluff and buff" that you can read about on KTOG. The current Kel-Tec folding carbine is the Sub2000 and yes, they tend to work well but still need the plastic flashing cleaned up and usually the magwell; they benefit greatly from polishing the trigger the parts.

Diamondbacks used to suck but supposedly they've gotten better; I haven't messed with one in a few years.

Not carrying a spare magazine isn't very bright- the most common failure point in a semi-auto is the magazine. Magazines occasionally get ejected by accident, folks shoot more rounds than they think under stress, small calibers generally take more rounds to be as effective as larger rounds, etc. For revolvers carry an extra reload also.

Take at least one good defensive handgun class in addition to whatever class you have to take for your CWP.