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Kel-Tec Fail

Kel-Tec PF9

Over at Gun Nuts Media, Caleb talks about quality control at various companies: specifically Kel-Tec and Smith & Wesson.

It seems that a shooter over at Reddit had a bit of a problem with a PF-9.  In this case the barrel lug sheared off after about 300 rounds of factory ammo.  Well, that’s not good…

When the gun owner called Kel-Tec, the customer service rep was friendly and stated :

…[the company] had a batch of PF-9 barrels that had weak lugs and were just now surfacing after they had been shot an extended amount of time.

I don’t know about anyone else, but 300 rounds is a relaxing afternoon and not an “extended amount” of shooting.

I agree with Caleb’s assessment on the value of quality control, and I am comfortable with spending a little more money to get a more reliable firearm.  But, I am disappointed in Kel-Tec for failing to warn people on their website about what appears to be a known problem.

Checking the front page and the news page of the Kel-Tec site, I could not find any reference to PF-9 pistols having shipped with weak lugs.  If the problem was limited to a specific batch of barrels, the company should be able to identify a serial number range that is affected.  It is my opinion that the responsible thing to do is to recall those specific pistols and swap out the barrels.

Many people rely on these pistols for self-defense, and if there is a known defect in the guns, it is my opinion that the company is irresponsible in not (1) warning the owners and (2) fixing the problems.  Can you imagine pulling your PF-9 in when confronted with a lethal threat only to have the gun catastrophically fail?

By Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is a gun writer, amateur historian and - most importantly - a dad. He's done a lot of silly things in his life, but quitting police work to follow his passion of writing about guns was one of the smartest things he ever did. He founded this site and continues to manage its operation.

One reply on “Kel-Tec Fail”

I had a P-32 I carried for over a month before I got it out to the range. Then it didn’t fire. It didn’t do ANYTHING when you pulled the trigger, not even a click sound. They fixed it after a return trip to the factory, but I just sold it at that point.
Still, I would like to try their .308 bull pup.

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