It is good to have an affordable option in the striker fired polymer frame handgun field. It is also good to have an alternative that some will prefer regardless of price. Among the pistols that have performed well in my test programs and training classes is the Canik METE series. The Canik METE is a striker fired pistol with polymer frame in 9mm Luger caliber. In most ways it resembles a Walther product but may stand on its own in other regards. The pistol is a compact size with a compact grip and mid length size. It is in a sweet spot for concealed carry. The pistol is developed from the original Canik and now features an optics cut slide. There have been detail changes as well while the action remains unchanged. This is a locked breech pistol with a single action striker fired action.
The pistol is nicely finished in two tone in my example, some of the METE 9mm handguns are solid black. The slide lock is ambidextrous and the controls nicely designed for rapid manipulation. The magazines in my METE SF version hold 15 cartridges. The pistol is made ready by racking the slide and locking it to the rear, inserting a loaded magazine, dropping the slide, and pressing the trigger to fire. This is a simple handgun easily operated with a minimum of training. The pistol features a safety lever set in the trigger that prevents lateral discharge. The frame features a rail for mounting combat lights. The striker is visible in the rear of the slide when the pistol is cocked and ready to fire. The pistol features forward cocking serrations. The Canik METE SF isn’t difficult to manipulate.
The grip frame fits most hand sizes well. The pebble grain finish and undercut trigger guard make for a good balance of adhesion and abrasion. The backstrap is particularly nicely designed for good purchase with wet or sweaty hands. The grips feature concave depressions similar to the Walther pistols. When executing firing drills the long easy to operate slide lock made for rapid manipulation. The tapered magazine loads quickly into the generous magazine well. For some time the move was to rounded trigger guards. The squared off Canik trigger guard allows a good thumbs forward grip. The slide features a hard Cerakote finish that seems durable in long use. The pistol features high profile sights with three dot inserts. The sights are quickly picked up in rapid fire but also make for good deliberate slow fire shooting. The pistol is supplied with a spare magazine, plastic holster, and cleaning rod as well as grip inserts.
The Glock is a double action only trigger while the Canik is a single action trigger. I arrived at this definition based on mechanical operation and striker load when the pistol is cocked. The Canik trigger makes for good shooting as the break is clean. My pistol’s trigger breaks at 4.5 pounds and clean for a striker fired trigger. The trigger face features a red painted safety lever. The trigger’s internal parts are nickel plated a nice touch. The face of the trigger is curved. There is minimal take up then harder pressure and then the actual break. Reset is rapid. A good reset is as important as a clean break in combat shooting. After examining the pistol I find a well made and attractive handgun. The first step is essential. I tripled checked the handgun to make certain it was unloaded then engaged in a dry fire program to acclimate to the trigger. I found it good.
Canik has a Single Action Trigger
Firing Tests
Much of the firing tests was with affordable FMJ ammunition including Fiocchi’s 115 and 147 grain 9mm loads. The magazines were loaded and the pistol was fired at 5, 7, and 10 yards. The pistol clears the holster quickly and gets on target with a good balance. The Canik responds well to a trained shooter. A combination of good sights and a good trigger made firing pleasant. The targets were punished and the center ate out of the target at all ranges. 10 yard groups were nicely centered. A steel slide pistol with a polymer frame is sometimes slide heavy. The balance is good but you must push the pistol toward the target, true of any polymer frame pistol. That said the Canik seems to balance better than Glock handguns. I also fired a handload using the Hornady 124 grain XTP at 1200 fps a +P loading with good results. Recoil remained controllable. The pistol never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject in firing 150 rounds in the combat stage.
Moving to absolute accuracy testing I braced the pistol on a Birchwood Casey firing rest and fired five shot groups with several top rated defense loads. Reliability remained faultless. Accuracy was better than expected. Range was 25 yards.
Load Average five shot group in inches
Hornady 135 grain FlexLock 2.0 in.
Hornady 115 grain XTP 2.6 in.
Hornady 115 grain Critical Defense 2.5 in.
This pistol gets a clean bill of health. It is reliable, handles well, and shoots better than it should. It isn’t cheap it is affordable and represents perhaps the best buy on the mark in the striker fired polymer frame handgun.
Carrying the Canik
I had on hand a Galco Concealable for the Glock 19- it was a perfect fit for the Canik. This is among my favorite holsters of all time. In the early 1970s, Galco founder Richard Gallagher made a major improvement on the basic pancake holster design when he invented forward molding. The Concealable was the first holster to use his innovative construction method. Its unique two-piece construction is contoured on the body side to the natural curve of the hip, keeping all the molding on the front of the holster, allowing for significantly more comfortable carry and a narrower profile than an ordinary pancake type holster. It is a great design for any hand.
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