A Tale of Two 9mm Pistols

[Doc Holliday]

3.1" barrel
7+1 capacity
12.6 oz unloaded
.88" wide
Hammer fired
$154.99 w/free delivery

vs.

3.41" barrel
10+1 capacity
18.70 oz unloaded
1.10" wide
Striker fired
399.99 w/free delivery

First one is the KelTec PF9, second one is the Glock 43X. Prices are current as of posting.
Worth the extra $250 for three more rounds?

 

[DRTDIVR]

What it's purpose?

Everyone will scream Glock reliability including me most of the time BUT I have a PF9 and that KelTec is smaller, cheaper, and has about 500ish rounds through it without a single issue. Hard to argue against it as a ccw option.

 

[Doc Holliday]

What it's purpose?

Everyone will scream Glock reliability including me most of the time BUT I have a PF9 and that KelTec is smaller, cheaper, and has about 500ish rounds through it without a single issue. Hard to argue against it as a ccw option.

Mostly carry a lot, shoot a little...work truck gun, ccw....when I get range time I do heavy plinking with the .22lr to save money on ammo...

 

[Solar_Empire]

Why not just get a Smith shield? Splits the difference, Gun.deals has a bunch of good prices listed and I think there is a rebate going on now. Although I'm biased because I'm one of those guys who won't touch a keltec. Burned twice.

 

[baja]

Or:

3.1 barrel
10+1 capacity
14 oz. Unloaded
Hammer fired
1" wide
$235 @ Buds, but I've seen them under $200.

Kel-tec P11

Great little guns, been around since the 90's.

 

[knockonit]

shield all the way, can pick'm up for 199 plus the tax, ship and xfer, awesome little shooters, so much so i own a few, did throw an apex trigger in my carry, whew howy, butta

 

[DRTDIVR]

What it's purpose?

Everyone will scream Glock reliability including me most of the time BUT I have a PF9 and that KelTec is smaller, cheaper, and has about 500ish rounds through it without a single issue. Hard to argue against it as a ccw option.

Mostly carry a lot, shoot a little...work truck gun, ccw....when I get range time I do heavy plinking with the .22lr to save money on ammo...

I have a shield to. That's another one of my go to's. I have nothing but good things to say about it as well. I do prefer Gen 1 to Gen 2 textures for carry. You can also get a shield from the factory with Trijicon night sights for less than $300. But since you didn't list it I'm assuming you didn't like it or shoot it well?

 

[Doc Holliday]

Well you can get Glock parts pretty much anywhere and keltec will send them out... But if you have an issue with a Smith & Wesson they want you to send the whole thing in and have it tied up for weeks... Parts availability and ease of complete disassembly for cleaning are two big requirements for me... But yeah I will take a look at the Shield series as well

 

[Basher]

Glock guy here, my choice would be obvious. KelTec does alright, but honestly, what is my life worth? I don’t buy cheap stuff anymore unless I intend it to be a last ditch effort or a throw away, and even then...

 

[smithers599]

I have owned, carried and shot three Kel-Tecs. One was a lemon; took me a long time to get it to work but I finally did. The others were fine. I now have a Ruger LC9 (a blatant knockoff of the Kel-Tec) that I carry frequently, usually in a pocket holster; sometimes with an aftermarket belt clip IWB (no holster).
IMO, the smaller size, lower price, and the double-action-only trigger are the advantages that make me recommend it over the Glock and other striker-fired guns. In particular, you will see countless stories on the internet of people having unintentional shootings with their Glocks (or other striker-fired guns) because shirttails, holster parts, keys, fingers and other stuff get inside the trigger guard. You never hear about that happening with .38 snubbies, for example.

Oh, but "you can't hit anything with a double-action trigger!" Except yes you can. People have been doing just fine with revolvers for years. I'm good on the 25-yard plate with the Kel-Tec or LCP. Police/PPC/Bianchi Cup/IDPA Revolver shooters have shown us that shooting accurately with a double action trigger can be done quite well.

For safety's sake, go with the Kel-Tec (or LCP).

 

[h8pvmnt]

I have owned 2 Keltec PF-9 pistols. One in FDE that i bought used that worked great and one with a stainless slide that i bought new. The Stainless one did not work right out of the box, had to send it back to Keltec 2 times to finally get it working. Big pain in the ass. I sold the FDE gun and still have the stainless one. But i don't carry it and don't trust my life to it. I Carry the SIG P365 now most of the time, but i have several shields and they are great guns. I have a G43x but it is just a little more bulky to carry so it does not get used. That 399.00 price is really good though.

 

[shooter444]

Doc,... I have had maybe a half dozen Kel Tec products in the past twenty years,... never a problem. But, to be honest, we do get what we pay for. I think the price of Kel Tec pocket pieces reflects what Kel Tec believes will be the use of that product. Pocket pistols are not range pieces and I doubt kel Tec expects very heavy use/wear on them,... hence the price break. But, I think testimonies kind-a blow that concept out of the water,.... way too many owners have published about very heavy use with great reliability.

Glocks, on the other hand, I have no experience with, never owned one, never shot one!

I graduated towards S&W Shield45, from Kel Tec. Great weapon, no problems EVER! And, in my favorite caliber.

As to your question about the extra cost, for a couple of extra rounds,... I believe it all depends on your state of mind. I have always believed that in any confrontation, the first round or two, are the deciding rounds,... so, 7 vs 10 rounds, is a non issue for me. I do carry one extra mag with my Shield, just for an outlying possibility.

All the best to you, in deciding.

 

[Suck My Glock]

I have both a PF9 and a G43 single stack, and I will answer YES, the Glock43X is worth it. But not for the extra 3 rounds on tap (although that is indeed cool). I say YAY to Glock because the trigger is not the horrendous affair of the PF9. I agree the PF9 is a worthwhile pocket gun and reliable. I don't knock it. But it just doesn't shoot as well as the G43 or G43X. A good trigger makes for better accuracy, and as we all know, ONLY HITS COUNT.

I do not feel ill-armed with my PF9, but I feel better armed with my G43.

 

[smithers599]

I have always believed that in any confrontation, the first round or two, are the deciding rounds,...

One round out of a Kel-Tec PF9 worked for little Tray-Tray.

 

[sharp]

Don't have any experience with the Kel-Tec, but the G43X is a good, reliable and accurate gun. I get a pinch on my trigger finger though that is annoying.

 

[paulgt2164]

Owned a few Kel-tecs.

Hated them all.

I had three of the PF-9s. Two I owned wouldn't function even after being sent back to the factory (one twice.) I sold the third slightly more reliable-yet-still-wasn't-100% one on the old forum, as a semi-reliable ammo picky project at a loss. I sold the non-op two to a adventurous friend.


I bought a PMR30. That one went back once. Still didn't work (stovepipes and failure to extracts...) Sold it cheap to a friend as a "project."

Will not buy another Kel-Tec. I would rather carry a large stick after my experiences.

I gave them 4 tries, and sent firearms back to them 5 or 6 times in total. Still never had a properly functioning handgun.

YMMV - but that is my experience.

 

[Brlux]

I like the PF-9 for the belt clip option. The factory belt clip option works better for me than any aftermarket Teckan Clip type add-on belt clip on a different gun. I hardly know I am carrying a PF-9 with a belt clip.

 

[Pawe17]

I bought a PF9 because of Nutnfancy from youtube. lol
Decent and reliable gun but it rattles and feels cheap so I sold it.

 

[sharp]

Now with the availability of a 15 rnd mag for the G43X, this is more of a no brainer, at least to me.