You can call keltec and they will tell you what the latest serial numbers are The Kel-Tec serial numbers are a modified 34base. *The KT system doesn't use 'I' and 'O' since they would be confussed with '1' and '0'. *Also the two least significant places are base 10. * the first charector disingates what model 'J' for P3AT around fall 2006 'P' for PLR16 'A' for P11 'R' for PF9 'C' for P32 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B 9 10 11 C D E F G H J K 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 L M N 20 21 22 P Q R S T U V W 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 X Y Z 31 32 33 H Z Z 9 9 totals 33 X 3400 ______ 33 X 100 ______ 9 X 10 ______ 9 ______ sum ______ JCQ00=>43,200 j c q 0 0 totals 12 X 3400 40800 24 X 100 2400 0 X 10 0 0 0 sum 43200 FOR MORE DETAILED INFO GO TO KTOG.ORG.

I've spent a lot of time thinking about purchasing a new gun for everyday carry and have watched with severe interest in subcompact and pocket gun types of pistols. I did a search on the forum and could not find anything on any of our fellow INGO'ers owning or review any of the PF-9 but I thought I would pass along my findings in case anyone else was interested in purchasing a new or used PF-9. This thread from a board of Kel-Tec owners lists the severe faults with early PF-9 models and gives serial number designations for problematic guns as well as what may be 'refurbished' guns: According to this thread: Kel-Tec says a few things about their pistol that slightly discourage me from picking one up: 1. They do not recommend you use +P or high pressured ammo to be ran exclusively through their firearms. They do state that one can run the occasional mag of high pressure rounds. Their service sheet also lists that limp-wristing may cause the gun to misfire.

I've often heard this to be a fault of pistols before but I've never seen a manufacturer admit to it. Kudos to them for admitting it. I would like to shoot one to see if I could make one of their PF-9s stovepipe or failture to feed/fire. Not just the PF-9 but ALL Kel-Tecs have a shelf life of only '6,000 rounds or more' according to their official website's FAQ section: Granted, they could last much longer but the disclaimer makes me doubt their quality. A lot of reviews say that you get a lot of gun for very little money. I saw PF-9s at the 1500 in the $269-313 price range.

Aug 11, 2009  Thinking of buying a kel-tec but not sure what one I want the p3at or the pf-9? I want something for carry thats easier to pack in shorts and a tee than my sc. Im ok with.380 but I would prefer 9mm for protection.

The 'stock' or grip of the guns is interchangable and can be purchased from Kel-Tec directly. Grips come in black, olive drab, blue and grey. They can be interchanged because the serial number is on a separate section on the gun, just slightly below the hammer. Slides come in three finishes: (in order of least cost to highest cost) blued, parkerized and hard chromed. I feel a little more informed after my search but was wondering if anyone out there has any personal experience with the PF-9.

I tend to subscribe to the thinking of carrying the biggest possible weapon/caliber that you can and I plan on doing that but there are times when carrying something a bit more concealable makes sense. I want to stay away from the.380, not because I doubt its effectiveness as a self-defense round but because of current cost and availability. I'm also considering maybe a used Kahr but they are considerably more expensive. I'd gladly do a torture test of over 6,000 rounds if any of you want to sponsor me. I have one, bought it back in July. I shot some mis-sized reloads (mine) through it and damaged the extractor. Kel-Tec sent me a new one.

Other than the bad reloads, I have yet to have it malfunction. The trigger isn't great by any means, and I wish it were wider as I think that'd help bunches. I liked the feel of the Kel-Tec's grip over the Kahr or Taurus that are roughly the same size (thanks for having all three Bradis).