Recently purchased a pf9. It will cycle and shoot round nose ammo fine. However when I have switched to hollow points it did not want to cycle. The rounds just butted up on the feed ramp. Anyone else have this problem?
From what I have read about KelTec, mostly just the P3AT, they are not hollow point friendly.
Polishing the ramp may help. Look into it and confirm before you do it though as I would hate to see you ruin a firearm.
I just bought a PF9 a week ago and have since put 100 rounds through it. 50 115gr. fmj, 25 115gr. jacketed hollow-point (Federal Hi-Shok), 25 147gr. Winchester Ranger. The heavy bullets were the ones that didn't cycle well. I have read that the longer nose hollow-points cycle the best. What type of hollow-points were you using.
Did you buy the gun new or used? I know the new production PF9's are better quality and function better than some of the older ones.
Any round with a more conical shape (Critical Defense) or a more rounded shape (Golden Saber) should work fine. I shoot Golden Saber 124 gr.and Federal Classic 115 gr. in mine with no problems.
Sometimes a particular gun likes a particular ammo. You may have to try several before finding a good load. If all else fails, Cor-Bon Power-Ball should work. I would also suggest getting a bit of 0000 steel wool and lightly polishing the feed ramp (break that sharp edge on it a bit).
I bought my PF9 new a few years back and fed it nothing but Winchester white box HP. I can run those through it all day long with no problems. A few months back I actually found some Hornady CD and decided to try it out. Out of one magazine four were failure to feed. For whatever reason the point of the bullet was catching on the feed ramp. I decided to polish the feed ramp. It solved the problem. Don't be afraid to get in there and make the ramp look like a mirror. You will be amazed at the difference it makes.
My wife has a PF-9, bought it new. She broke it in with Brown Bear ammo, and Winchester ranger +P+ 115gr hollow points. With a little research, I decided that the super nuclear 9mm wasnt the best for that little gun, and switched her to Fed 147gr Hydrashocks. The current 9mm load we both have in our small 9s and my Hi-power are Remington 124gr GS +Ps. All of these, and my 124gr XTP handloads have been 100% in her PF-9.
The only issue I have had with the little gun is the Mag release, as its just perfectly in the wrong place for a 2 handed grip on the gun. I had to relearn to hold it so I didnt drop the mag every time I shoot it.