CZ 75 SP-01 v/s Canik tp9sfx

I paid $659 and tax for my TP9SFx with the red dot included.

I'm not a big polymer pistol fan and I traditionally haven't shot them very well. The Canik changed all that. It has an awesome trigger right out of the box. I've got a load worked up and dialed in. You can shoot the target then put the red dot on that hole and hit the hole every time if you do your part.

I shoot the monthly defensive pistol match at my club. I was shooting a 1911 and the reloads were killing my times. Now with the Canik I rarely have to reload due to the 20+1 capacity.

The biggest question you should ask yourself is if you want a SA/DA pistol or a SA pistol.

Those are pretty different guns. Do you want a striker-fired gun or a hammer-fired gun? Do you want a fairly heavy steel frame or polymer? Do you intend to have a dot sight or iron sights on it?

The CZ is a lot of gun. The Canik is a lot of gun for the money.

I'm fan of the CZ's - while I know you don't want to upgrade starting with a basic 75 would be even cheaper. I also like all steel guns as they soak up the recoil better (for me as I'm getting older) and don't use these for carry.

I have a 75B that shoots extremely well. Only upgrades so far are new grips and I replaces the trigger return spring to reduce the trigger pull while dry firing. Only other upgrade I'm looking at is to replace the front sight with a fiber optic one.

Aren't both of these Autoloaders ?

One possible piece of information to consider. USPSA is a practical shooting game that is all about "shooting for accuracy and speed." That sport has equipment divisions (sort of like car classes in motorsports, or weight classes in fighting sports). The division that is the home for 9mm DA/SA service-type guns with iron sights is Production.

Several hundred competitors traveled to the middle of nowhere, central Florida for the national championship last year. They just released the equipment survey, which shows what people were using. In Production division, CZ's (mostly Shadow and Shadow 2's, but also some SP-01's) were used by 48% of the field; their close cousins, the Tanfoglios/EAA Witneses were at 20%. The top polymer-framed striker-fired gun brand was Glock, at only 11%. If there were any Caniks there, they fell into "other" at >5%. The top of the leaderboard was very heavy on Tanfoglio - top 4, 6 of top 8.

Caniks are newish. Maybe they will reverse the multi-year trend towards steel-framed, hammer-fired pistols for pure shooting speed-and-accuracy-combined handgun performance (as opposed to, say, carryability or suitability as a duty weapon). But I doubt it. The competition world strongly suggests that, all else being equal, the steel-framed SA/DA type has a narrow advantage over the polymer/striker type.

Steel SP-01 will likely be the best pure shooter, simply due to the weight out front with the longer frame.

I had the TP9SA and it felt good in my hand and had a very nice trigger. It is a nice pistol.

However, if for any reason you are not comfortable changing sights or fiddling with the gun a little, or if getting a gun that out of the box was not sighted in very well would make you annoyed, you might want to ask around about the Canik and sight adjustment out of the box. I am basing this comment on my one experience and my discussion with the distrubutor two years ago.

I had the TP9SA a few years ago and it really did shoot low and left by about three inches, even when the other three people at the range used it.

I called the distributer and they said a lot of them did that and needed adjustment and they could not do it for me.

Now lots of people will say "man up and adjust the gun." Blah blah. Fine. But if you are not comfortable doing this sort of thing, you might want to think about this, especially if you are target shooting. Supposedly the rear sight cut in the new ones can handle other sights, so I guess you could get a set of adjustable sight for 80 bucks and put them on if you are target shooting with it.

Maybe they have worked this out?? I can't see why not, really.

M.T.E.--------check out this video and watch this guy shoot the gun. Might help.
Canik TP9SFX Take 2
on youtube.com

Vote for the SP-01

M.T.E. said:

I just got home from a couple of local gun shops and was able to handle a few of the options. The Canik option is out,..just feel to similar to my Sig P320 and I am wanting a steel gun.

So now I need to decide which CZ. One of the stores had a CZ Shadow used for $1200, I really like the gun and sights but I can't justify that amount of money for a "back yard competition gun", maybe if I get more serious down the road. So that leaves 3 different choices, I think?

CZ 75 B all steel- $539.00
CZ 75 SP-01 polymer Phantom- $529.00
CZ 75 SP-01 all steel Phantom- $629.00

Seems like there was a couple of polymer SP-01 models? I am not real sure what the difference is in these 75's so I decided to wait and do some more research, and of course get you guys opinion!

p.s.- I liked the feel of the steel SP-01, it seemed to have better/upgraded grips but grips are easily changed.

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You should be able to get a brand new Shadow 2 for less than that used one. Still for about half that the SP01 SKU 91152 steel frame with the safety is a sweet deal. The DA trigger pull will be heavy out of the box but get better with time and a simple hammer spring change can lighten that quite a bit. The SA trigger should be pretty decent out of the box with some creep but that will get better with time too but most will enjoy shooting it right out of the box. There is also SP01 with decocker if you prefer decocker over safety.

I have a CZ Shadow built by CZ Custom. Super light trigger, short reset and a very nice competition pistol all around. But the funny thing is, I actually shoot a EAA Tanfoglio more accurately which were selling for $264 last year. The Tanfoglio comes out of the box with a decent trigger and it's white dot sights make it easier (for me) to pick up compared to CZ's fiber optics. Of course the Shadow's action and target acquisition is much much quicker.
The point is....any of the CZ's you've listed are fine choices with the caveat that they may require trigger work to realize their full potential. That's the experiences I've had with the exception of the Shadow. Fortunately, a good trigger job isn't terribly expensive done professionally and a lot a guys even do it themselves. But do some research on Tanfoglio's before you decide.

What about the Canik 75 clones? Sold under the Tristar name? I've shot a couple and they are nice guns at a nice price. They are available for less than $400 from a bunch of places.

hemiram said:

What about the Canik 75 clones? Sold under the Tristar name? I've shot a couple and they are nice guns at a nice price. They are available for less than $400 from a bunch of places.

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I had one of the Tristar Canik C-100's as a truck gun. I liked it okay. The fit and finish was better on the CZ. The trigger on the CZ was smoother.

It's like comparing a Browning High Power to a Hungarian FEG. Yeah, the BHP is nicer, but the FEG totally works and isn't half bad.



CZ Compact mags cycled in the C-100 and I didn't have so much as a single malfunction in it.

I eventually sold it to a co-worker. It's a pretty good gun. Solid and dependable. It just wasn't so awesome that it stayed in the permanent rotation.

The Canik Tp9SFX has the best striker fired trigger out of the box. It:s very accurate. The CZ Sp01 is a great pistol and there is lots of stuff you can do to make it better. Like parts from cz custom or Cajun gun works. Also easy to take apart and polish parts like the trigger bar or hammer spur etc.

I have a CZ Shadow 2 I converted to SA with a flat trigger. I also polished the inside parts. It has a 2 lbs trigger and short reset.

CZ are great guns!

The cz can be made into the superior firearm. Out of the box, the canik will have a better trigger and sights, and be a lot easier to detail strip for cleaning. If you drop another $400 into the cz you will wind up with better ergos, possibly better trigger, equal sights, marginally less recoil. And 2x or more the price of the canik.

Personally, I prefer the canik elites to the regular tp9s. The more compact frame just seems to fit my hand better. My hand sits between a medium and a large glove. If you're looking at the cz and canik, have you checked out the cz p07 and p10? Those are 4 of my favorite guns.

I have all three models of the SP 01. My latest is the Phantom and I’ll admit I like the lighter weight. Out of the box, the triggers are fine. With use they become better and better. I’ve upgraded to a fiber optic front sight and am very happy. I also have a regular 75 model that shoots every bit as well as the more expensive SP 01s.