Over the last few years, Canik pistols have made names for themselves as aggressive contenders in firearms, most especially in the military and law enforcement departments. Their sturdy build at pocket-friendly prices has made these handguns from Turkey very popular. This paper goes over the various models of Canik pistols on features and performance and which one would suit which application best.
Canik TP9SA: The Duty Pistol
The Canik TP9SA 9x19mm NATO Pistol impressed many people with its reliability and build quality. One user commented that the TP9SA “fed and consumed every style and type of 9mm ammunition” thrown at it. This model features a slide-mounted decocker, which remedies a major complaint about striker-fired handguns: A trigger press is required to take them down. The TP9SA Mod.2 improved on the original in several ways by using dovetailed front and rear sights that make it easy upgrading to Tritium sights.
Canik TP9SFx: Competition Ready
The TP9SFx is Canik’s entry into competitive shooting. It features a match barrel of 5.2,” and this model has a long slide with two 20-round magazines. It is optic-ready and comes with an optic kit that hosts four different mounting plates for various mini-red dot sights. One reviewer was impressed with the accuracy of this TP9SFx: “The gun has more accuracy potential than ninety-nine percent of the hands that hold them.” The MSRP for the TP9SFx comes in at around $550, though customers can add on a Vortex Viper mini-red dot and bring the price up to $825.
Canik TP9SF Elite: Compact but Full of Options
The TP9SF Elite offers an excellent middle-ground size versus functionality, making it adequate for CCW use and combat. At a compact size, with its 4.19-inch barrel and 7.28-inch slide length, the Elite will be reliable for these applications. Built to the NATO military standard, the Elite has undergone some serious durability testing. One tester buried the Elite in the powder-like sand of coastal Mississippi, and it “ran like a champ,” gobbling up different types of 9x19mm ammo without a hitch.
Canik TP9SF Elite Subcompact: Deep Concealment
Those wanting an extremely deep concealed carry solution won’t be let down by the TP9SF Elite Subcompact SC. Where the SC sets itself apart, though, is in the dimension lengths: slide length of 6.7 inches and barrel length of 3.6 inches makes it suited for discreet carry while still being an effective fighting tool. Of course, it maintained the great trigger we all love in other guns from Canik that this little SC variant can still do respectable accuracy. The SC sports a red dot-ready slide made particularly for the Shield Sights mini-red dot.
Canik TP9DA: Respect for the Classics
The TP9DA is a nod towards tradition in having a double-action trigger for those who were weaned on the Walther P99 or the S&W99. It has a two-stage trigger. The first shot, though, will be a long, striker-cocking motion, while the others will be much lighter single-action. Testing the TP9DA yielded no malfunctions with various kinds of ammunition and shooting conditions. From what it could do, it proved that this pistol genuinely belongs to the top end.
Conclusion
Duty pistols, competition guns, compact carry—Canik has models designed to suit any application. The pistols are well built, making them very reliable; moreover, their aggressive competitive pricing makes for a serious argument toward military and law enforcement acceptance. Probably one review summed it best: Canik pistols are “rhino tough” and represent exceptional value for their price.