Canik as a company has long been synonymous with value. Their firearms offer a level of bang for your buck that is rarely matched, and almost never surpassed.
By integrating technologies and features generally reserved for high-end, high-dollar firearms into their pistols, Canik helps make competition and concealed carry more accessible, lowering the barrier to entry for new users and allowing access to more sophisticated and refined firearms, even for those unwilling or unable to empty their wallet for a new gun.
Company History
Compared to many firearms companies, Canik is the new kid on the block. While some manufacturers can boast legacies going back hundreds of years, Canik’s strength is the opposite: they’re new, high-tech, and high-performance.
But, with over twenty years of experience in the defense industry and more than ten as a firearms manufacturer, they are not so new as to be unproven, either. Canik pistols enjoy a well-established reputation for reliability, including a number of accolades from publications like Ballistic Magazine. Several of their models are also fielded by law enforcement in their home country of Turkey, further proving their resilience and capability.
In recent years, Canik partnered with Century Arms to import the TP series of pistols to the United States, which quickly became popular for its consistent performance and approachable price tag. Certain models, such as the TP9SFx, gained rapid acceptance as exceptional entry-level competition guns, delivering features and performance usually reserved for more expensive models at a fraction of the cost.
Century would then go on to partner with leading manufacturers such as Salient Arms International to produce their TP9 Elite Combat—an iteration of their classic TP9 pistol customized with Salient Arms upgrades—and most recently, Taran Tactical Innovations. Their partnership with TTi spawned the Canik TTi Combat, a brand-new cutting-edge performance pistol that has achieved instant acclaim for its striking appearance and, as always, impressive cost-to-performance ratio.
What Makes Canik Pistols Stand Out?
It’s hard for any striker-fired pistol to stand out from the ground these days. Walk into any gun store in America, and the guy behind the counter can happily show you a dozen different models from a dozen different manufacturers, all of which will be reliable, reasonably accurate, and perfectly suited to everyday carry or recreational target practice.
As such, it’s not Canik’s consistent reliability that makes them notable. Nor is it their accuracy, ergonomics, trigger feel, or any one other single attribute. Instead, it’s the way they’ve managed to marry all of these different features—and a few others besides—and still managed to come out at a lower price point than most of the competition.
While many pistols manage one or two of these features, it’s a rare gun that can boast all of them and even rarer that one can do so without demanding a premium.
Let’s take a look at a few of Canik’s most popular firearms.
Canik TP9 Series
The one that started it all, Canik’s TP9 series of firearms is their longest-running and most expansive series, encompassing everything from sub-compact carry guns to long-slide competition models. The quintessential TP9 is arguably the TP9SF Elite, a feature-loaded model that functions admirably in a wide range of roles.
The TP9SF Elite is a mid-sized handgun, one that might be described as a compact by other manufacturers: large enough for a full grip, but small enough to conceal effectively. The contoured frame offers interchangeable backstraps for a more customizable fit, and index points for thumb placement along the upper portion. Ambidextrous slide releases and a reversible magazine catch make this pistol suitable for all users, regardless of their dominant hand.
Unique to the SF Elite model are the Warren sights, which come standard and feature a blacked-out U-cut rear and a fiber optic front sight, delivering an optimal blend of speed and accuracy–a rare feature on a firearm with an MSRP under $500.
The TP9 series also includes the venerable TP9SFx, a competition-oriented model that has built a reputation as one of the most cost-effective ways to enter the action shooting scene. An extended slide delivers greater velocity by merit of its longer barrel length, while the increased sight radius allows for greater accuracy for those who eschew electronic optics. But, if you prefer to compete in an optic-friendly division, the TP9SFx has still got you covered, coming from the factory with an optic cut and an assortment of adapter plates.
The TP9SFx also features an impressive short-reset single-action trigger, extended capacity magazines, and an included holster, making it ready to go straight out of the box.
Canik Mete Series
The Mete series is a newer iteration of Canik’s tried-and-true striker-fired designs, building on the wealth of experience gained with the TP9 series to bring a modern tactical firearm to the market at a bargain of a price.
The flagship model of the Mete series is the SFT Pro, which delivers a staggering feature set for its price point. A redesigned optic cut accepts RMRcc-pattern optics natively and has adapter plates available for other optics. A full suite of aggressive slide serrations ensures secure handling and racking, no matter how sweaty or muddy your hands become, while precision-machined slide windows reduce reciprocating weight and boost cyclical speed.
The SFT Pro comes standard with a fluted, chrome-plated, and threaded barrel, ready for your compensator or suppressor of choice, as well as a flat-face 90-degree breaking trigger and removable flared magwell. A tritium front sight pairs with a blacked-out rear for increased low-light performance, but for even more capability, you can add the pistol light of your choice to the Picatinny rail molded into the lower frame.
The sum of the SFT Pro is a pistol that, unlike so many of its competitors, needs no modification out of the box; all of the most common upgrades have already been made at the factory. Like many of the earlier TP9 models, it even comes with a holster.
Canik Rival Series
Both the TP9 and Mete series of handguns included competition-driven models, but with the Rival series, Canik now has an entire line of pistols designed from the ground up for maximum performance across the full spectrum of pistol competition disciplines.
The Rival draws much of its inspiration from the Mete series; full-slide serrations, weight-reducing windows, and a premium, match-grade barrel all mark the two as siblings. It’s in the details, though, where the Rival series begins to diverge and show its competitive pedigree.
First and most obvious is the increased slide and barrel length, which perform the same functions as the increased length on the TP9SFx. Discerning users, though, will appreciate finer details like the adjustable target rear sight and fiber optic front, which trades the low-light capability of the METE SFT Pro’s tritium for faster sight picture acquisition and a more precise aiming point. Like so many modern pistols, though, it’s optic cut for those who prefer a red dot.
The trigger is the heart of any competition gun, and so the Rival features a flat-faced aluminum trigger with a suitably lightened pull and a 90-degree break. Coming standard from the factory with four magazines, a removable flared magwell, holster, cleaning kit, magazine loader, and a full complement of optic adapter plates, users will be hard-pressed to find a more capable competition-ready package.
New and Noteworthy: The Canik TTi Combat
The latest and greatest Canik creation, the TTi Combat is the product of their partnership with Taran Tactical Innovations, a custom manufacturer famous for their exceptionally high-performing and eye-catching competition firearms–as well as their involvement in training and equipping several movie productions.
TTi lent Canik their considerable experience in tactical and competition marksmanship, tastefully evolving Canik’s earlier designs into something new, bold, and unique.
Advanced Features
At the forefront of the TTI Combat’s design is its state-of-the-art compensator, which significantly reduces muzzle flip and recoil. This feature allows for faster follow-up shots, a critical advantage in both competitive and personal defensive use where rapid target re-engagement is necessary. Unlike most compensators, the TTI Combat’s is not an afterthought threaded onto the barrel, but an integral part of the firearm included in the design from the beginning.
The pistol also incorporates a highly responsive trigger system designed for a shorter reset and lighter pull weight. This contributes to easier, more accurate shots, particularly under pressure or stress.
Optimized for Speed and Efficiency
A notable enhancement in the TTi Combat is its flared magwell, which facilitates quicker and more efficient magazine changes. The magwell is removable, but still manages to blend nearly seamlessly into the grip when installed–the benefit of being a factory feature, rather than an aftermarket add-on.
The TTi Combat also features a slight redesign to its slide serrations, utilizing thinner, more frequent serrations to create greater contact with the user’s hand. These serrations have been extended to the slide release as well for more secure operation.
Superior Grip and Handling
The TTi Combat’s grip is meticulously designed with input from world champion competitive shooter Taran Butler of Taran Tactical Innovations to provide optimal handling under various environmental conditions. The most notable change is the more aggressive grip texture, which affords a more secure grip even in adverse conditions, such as with sweaty hands during a long stage in the summer sun.
A Refined Choice in Discerning Users
With these specialized features, the TTI Combat pistol sets itself apart as a new generation of Canik pistol, one embracing the latest technology like integrated compensators and flat-face triggers. Whether for competition, carry, or just target practice at the range, it’s hard to find any firearm that can rival the sheer depth and breadth of features delivered by the TTi Combat, even at considerably higher prices.
Coming from the factory with a rugged carrying case, custom holster, and commemorative challenge coin, it’s hard to argue with the exceptional value delivered by the TTi combat–or with its stunning visual appeal.
Conclusion
Canik is a company with a strong history, not just for the quality of their firearms, but for their willingness to bring high-grade equipment and cutting-edge technology to the everyman. Their commitment to excellence at every price point is admirable, particularly in a market increasingly focused on top-end performance, sometimes at the expense of average, everyday capability.
Between flagship models like the TP9SF Elite, Mete SFT Pro, and Rival, and their more niche sub-compact and full-size offerings, Canik now offers something for everyone. With the unveiling of their new TTi collaboration in the TTi Combat, the future for Canik is looking bright… and gold Cerakoted.
