Great fun or jam-o-matic?
In 2013 I finally got my CHL and I began the search for a pistol to carry. Being I am a short guy I could not comfortably carry a full size pistol so I began looking at subcompact pistols in 9mm. After handling a lot of them I decided the keltec pf9 fit my needs perfectly. So I found a used one at a good deal and picked it up.
For those that don't know, the pf9 is one of the smallest 9mm semiautomatic pistols made. Only the slide and barrel are steel and the rest is a composite. It is a 7+1 single stack so it is also very slim.
Well, after purchasing it I started to wonder if I had made a poor decision when I read multiple reviews telling of how bad it would jam up when trying to eject a round. I must admit that I too had a couple FTEs during my first 50 rounds that I fired it, until I figured out why it was happening.
Come to find out, it had nothing to do with the pistol and everything to do with me. Specifically how I was holding it wrong. I was only holding it with 2 fingers as my pinky finger had no where to hold on to. The fix was pinky extensions on the magazines. Once this was done I no longer had ANY FTEs even after putting 400+ rounds through it.
Then I let some family members shoot it and this confirmed why these little pistols have such a bad reputation. When my little brother shot it, it was constantly jamming(large hands and weak grip). When my dad shot it(large hands strong grip)it still jammed but not as bad as it did with my brother. When i shot it(small hands and the hand strength of a mechanic) I never saw a jam at all.
So this leads me to the conclusion that if you have large hands, stay away from the pf9. If you have small but strong hands, it can be a great gun but is not a fun gun to shoot. Since it is sooo light, it is a VERY snappy gun. Shoot off a magazine or two and your hand will be tingling. Shoot a few more magazines and your hand will start to feel bruised. My daily limit is no more than 50 rounds.
But I still like it and have carried it every day for 3 years with zero mechanical failures while feeding it 147 grain rounds.
In 2013 I finally got my CHL and I began the search for a pistol to carry. Being I am a short guy I could not comfortably carry a full size pistol so I began looking at subcompact pistols in 9mm. After handling a lot of them I decided the keltec pf9 fit my needs perfectly. So I found a used one at a good deal and picked it up.
For those that don't know, the pf9 is one of the smallest 9mm semiautomatic pistols made. Only the slide and barrel are steel and the rest is a composite. It is a 7+1 single stack so it is also very slim.
Well, after purchasing it I started to wonder if I had made a poor decision when I read multiple reviews telling of how bad it would jam up when trying to eject a round. I must admit that I too had a couple FTEs during my first 50 rounds that I fired it, until I figured out why it was happening.
Come to find out, it had nothing to do with the pistol and everything to do with me. Specifically how I was holding it wrong. I was only holding it with 2 fingers as my pinky finger had no where to hold on to. The fix was pinky extensions on the magazines. Once this was done I no longer had ANY FTEs even after putting 400+ rounds through it.
Then I let some family members shoot it and this confirmed why these little pistols have such a bad reputation. When my little brother shot it, it was constantly jamming(large hands and weak grip). When my dad shot it(large hands strong grip)it still jammed but not as bad as it did with my brother. When i shot it(small hands and the hand strength of a mechanic) I never saw a jam at all.
So this leads me to the conclusion that if you have large hands, stay away from the pf9. If you have small but strong hands, it can be a great gun but is not a fun gun to shoot. Since it is sooo light, it is a VERY snappy gun. Shoot off a magazine or two and your hand will be tingling. Shoot a few more magazines and your hand will start to feel bruised. My daily limit is no more than 50 rounds.
But I still like it and have carried it every day for 3 years with zero mechanical failures while feeding it 147 grain rounds.
Comment