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Is a Canik really as good as the hype?

Z

ziffusion

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I am fairly excited about getting a METE SFT. But along with all the good things you hear about the gun, there is also all the FUD. So many doubters saying things like -
  1. How good can a Turkish gun be?
  2. The brand has not been proven yet.
  3. Established brands like Sig and Walther can be trusted for reliability etc.
  4. And so on and so forth.
Can someone who is knowledgeable please lay this out for me please? How good are these guns? Have they been tested in battle like some of the more traditional brands? Is Turkey really that advanced in its gun making technology?
I would appreciate it.
 
I've got 850 rounds through a Canik TP9SF that I recently purchased and not a single malfunction, with factory ammo and reloads. It fits my hand like a glove, shoots a tight 1.5 inch group at 10 yards and a very decent trigger. Holds 18 in the mag (which doesn't apply to MA residents) and one in the chamber. With two double spare mag holders, that's 91 rounds available.
I'll absolutely be buying another one this Saturday when I go to my local gunshop.

Price doesn't always determine whether a gun is good or bad, it's whether it performs for you or not.
 
Anyone saying they aren't proven will probably say something else stupid like you need a gun that won't jam like a revolver.

Caniks are great shooters some like them some don't

I've owned every duty 9 you can own

Its my personal preference.
 
My Rival S is the best shooting gun I’ve ever owned. Now it took a 1,000 rounds and $200 in springs to make it reliable. And still waiting on aftermarket parts to be made. But it’s hands down my favorite pistol purchase of all time. However my favorite guns aren’t necessarily carry worthy. I would never in a million years carry one. M&Ps and Glocks for carry.
 
Well... there is no perfect gun and you have to start your journey somewhere. In a couple months you will probably own 7 other guns.
 
We have 3 Caniks.
I shot a TP9sf in IDPA and USPSA had no problems. Reliable, accurate, an I paid $299 back then.
Decided to upgrade to a Walther Q5 Match, got extra mags and TF+6 bases.
Not a great difference. Going back to IDPA and the Walther will be sold, the Canik kept.
 
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ziffusion said:
How good are these guns? Have they been tested in battle like some of the more traditional brands? Is Turkey really that advanced in its gun making technology?
Click to expand...
Canik started out in the US market as a dirt cheap handgun (<$300) that happened to work because it was made in Turkey (think: cheaper labor) and had copied the Walther P99. I was not impressed, especially with the "feel" and materials quality, but for a person who could only afford a $300 gun... or who wanted a $300 gun just to mess around with... it was a gun that worked with little/no competition at that price point. That is it's US market "roots" and I'll admit now that I probably should have bought one for $300 way back when just to "mess around with" despite my largely negative first/early impressions. It was a good $300 gun. I just had no need at the time for a good $300 gun.

Wild success in the very-low-end market brought price increases and price increases enabled Canik to go upscale. It's still basically the same cheap plastic gun underneath it all, but with more frills and cosmetics now... and certainly improvements... and crafty targeting of competitive shooters. I would imagine that continued success will breed even more frills, features and improvements. It's really quite an interesting success story to me... and that is my main attraction to the Canik line-up at this time.

So, are they comparable to the best-of-the-best premium self-defense guns? Or are they still a niche market player for cheap plastic guns with a lot of fun, frills and features? For now, I'd have to say the latter, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. 🤔
 
EJFudd said:
a niche market player for cheap plastic guns
Click to expand...
Ah. So, in your opinion, Caniks are merely cheap plastic guns. I am curious. What parts exactly in the Caniks are cheap plastic? Is this a gut feeling, or have you actually looked?

I am assuming your remark is not referring to the polymer frame - which most handguns these days have, even the ones you might consider more upscale.
 
The big name gun makers *should* be embarrassed that these guys in Turkey of all places figured out how to make a gun with a *great* trigger right out of the box.

I think we've just come to accept that stock triggers need to suck and we'll need to spend money on them to make them great....nope, not true.
 
Some of the more accomplished shots at USPSA and Steel Challenge matches have been shooting Rivals in Production for the 2023 season. I have inquired to those folks and they are very satisfied. However, each one of them had problems from the factory and required minor interventions to run reliably... but once sorted out at least the Rivals seem to offer very good bang for the buck.

Said the above- I would not carry a non- proven manufacturer. Compete with one- sure, but in a life and death situation it is going to be a 100% stock gun from one of the major manufacturers.
 
My pro tip…

1. Buy gun, this one is perfectly fine
2. Make friends at range
3. Shoot other guns or rent guns
4. Buy more guns based on experience

The best carry gun is the one you personally can conceal and shoots reliably. You won’t figure that out on the internet.

For me that ended up being the greatest gun ever created, the P365 macro.

But remember, the range is bad as the gym, it’s full of idiots with bad advice.
 
alx said:
Some of the more accomplished shots at USPSA and Steel Challenge matches have been shooting Rivals in Production for the 2023 season. I have inquired to those folks and they are very satisfied.
Click to expand...
it is a relatively light gun, what is the benefit there for competition specifically compared to any cz or staccato or anything else made from the solid metal?
or may be to expand the question - what specifically makes this rival so appealing? price wise it is around $900, so, not really that cheap neither - a lot of options in that price segment.
 
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EJFudd said:
Canik started out in the US market as a dirt cheap handgun (<$300) that happened to work because it was made in Turkey (think: cheaper labor) and had copied the Walther P99. I was not impressed, especially with the "feel" and materials quality, but for a person who could only afford a $300 gun... or who wanted a $300 gun just to mess around with... it was a gun that worked with little/no competition at that price point. That is it's US market "roots" and I'll admit now that I probably should have bought one for $300 way back when just to "mess around with" despite my largely negative first/early impressions. It was a good $300 gun. I just had no need at the time for a good $300 gun.

Wild success in the very-low-end market brought price increases and price increases enabled Canik to go upscale. It's still basically the same cheap plastic gun underneath it all, but with more frills and cosmetics now... and certainly improvements... and crafty targeting of competitive shooters. I would imagine that continued success will breed even more frills, features and improvements. It's really quite an interesting success story to me... and that is my main attraction to the Canik line-up at this time.

So, are they comparable to the best-of-the-best premium self-defense guns? Or are they still a niche market player for cheap plastic guns with a lot of fun, frills and features? For now, I'd have to say the latter, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. 🤔
Click to expand...
There is little no spare parts available and extra magazines seem expensive compared to Glock but about average compared to Smith and Wesson (which are made in Italy by Mec Gar).
and turkey… really? Hamas and Hezbola supporter…..

no thanks…
 
paul73 said:
it is a relatively light gun, what is the benefit there for competition specifically compared to any cz or staccato or anything else made from the solid metal?
Click to expand...

I have bolded its main advantage. At some point of your skill level practically any 9mm recoil becomes mitigated by good grip technique. However one thing that will always help with your speed transitions is weight of gun- the lighter the gun the easier transition. And fast matches are won by quick transitions.

Ofcourse the price point of the Rival also plays a role no doubt. It is half the money of a TS2 (which also needs couple hundred bucks to make it competition ready anyway).
 
ziffusion said:
I am fairly excited about getting a METE SFT. But along with all the good things you hear about the gun, there is also all the FUD. So many doubters saying things like -
  1. How good can a Turkish gun be?
  2. The brand has not been proven yet.
  3. Established brands like Sig and Walther can be trusted for reliability etc.
  4. And so on and so forth.
Can someone who is knowledgeable please lay this out for me please? How good are these guns? Have they been tested in battle like some of the more traditional brands? Is Turkey really that advanced in its gun making technology?
I would appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Are Turkish guns good, cheap and reliable Yes.

I've owned Caniks, Tisas 1911's, and have several Impala Plus shotguns, Stoeger 20 Gauge Autoloader. they all function flawlessly, and are pretty good for quality at a price I want to pay because they are guns that are gonna get bumped around, carried and used alot and I don't want to care about them.

Odds are my first free state purchase will be a Canik SFX Because its a fantastic range gun, with a fantastic stock trigger. If I competed I'd probably look at something different in a 1911 trigger type flavor, but I don't. So until Smith or Glock makes something with a nice trigger (Yeah, right) I'll take the Canik all day long..

Odds are I will also buy a BRG 9mm elite because its 190 bucks as well to stuff and leave in my glove box forever, while I carry my Mossberg MC2C which is also cheap and equally reliable, and if they made a full size gun, I would probably buy that for the range...but they don't.

If I gave a fxck who supported who anymore i wouldn't buy anything. To these people that do, odds are you buy your deodorant or shit paper from some stupid woke company, or person at the top of that company that supports Hamas too. Jesus fxck, the politicians we pay our taxes to, to sit on their ass and do nothing but import illegals, and waste money on themselves, hate us and our gun rights. That's worse than buying a Turkish gun IMHO.

I'm too old to worry about that shit anymore.
 
Last edited:
ziffusion said:
Ah. So, in your opinion, Caniks are merely cheap plastic guns.
Click to expand...
You say that like it's a bad thing. [laugh] Why??? 🤔

Anyway... Correct! 👍 That was (and still is to a large extent) their US market focus. That is how and where they found great success. That is their "raison d'être" as a Frenchman might say. :) A lot of "bang for the buck" in a relatively cheap plastic handgun. [cheers]

Like I mentioned in another of your Canik threads, I now own two and will likely buy one more eventually. I'm getting into handgun optics and Canik offers some good, cheap testbeds in that regard. No regrets so far. [thumbsup]

Cheap is not necessarily bad. Remember that. ;)
 
Mark from MA said:
Are Turkish guns good, cheap and reliable Yes.

I've owned Caniks, Tisas 1911's, and have several Impala Plus shotguns, Stoeger 20 Gauge Autoloader. they all function flawlessly, and are pretty good for quality at a price I want to pay because they are guns that are gonna get bumped around, carried and used alot and I don't want to care about them.

Odds are my first free state purchase will be a Canik SFX Because its a fantastic range gun, with a fantastic stock trigger. If I competed I'd probably look at something different in a 1911 trigger type flavor, but I don't. So until Smith or Glock makes something with a nice trigger (Yeah, right) I'll take the Canik all day long..

Odds are I will also buy a BRG 9mm elite because its 190 bucks as well to stuff and leave in my glove box forever, while I carry my Mossberg MC2C which is also cheap and equally reliable, and if they made a full size gun, I would probably buy that for the range...but they don't.

If I gave a fxck who supported who anymore i wouldn't buy anything. To these people that do, odds are you buy your deodorant or shit paper from some stupid woke company, or person at the top of that company that supports Hamas too. Jesus fxck, the politicians we pay our taxes to, to sit on their ass and do nothing but import illegals, and waste money on themselves, hate us and our gun rights. That's worse than buying a Turkish gun IMHO.

I'm too old to worry about that shit anymore.
Click to expand...
I just grabbed an ata benelli knock off shotty

Thing is freaking money for 450 bucks
 

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