Video - Century Arms 9mm Canik55 Stingray-C

[duelist1954]

We'll shoot the 9mm Stingray-C. This pistol is built by Canik in Turkey and is imported by Century International Arms. It is a high quality pistol built on the CZ75 design. The finish is hard chrome, and it has a nice set of LPA adjustable sights.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8-DCMvXV9w

 

[dcarch]

Very nice! And, just for what it's worth, you were shootin' a whole lot better than I could. Ol' Evil Roy was getting lit up out there. I wish the Canik would get imported by someone other than Century Arms, because if there were any sort of support out there for this gun, I would buy one in a heartbeat.

 

[ultradoc]

nice looking weapon and nice vid.

 

[duelist1954]

I think Charles Daly will have a different Canik model later this year.

 

[Okiegunner]

Canik55

I am a big fan of Turk made handguns. I own the MKEK Girsan Yavuz 16 (Beretta 92f clone) The best shooting automatic I own.

I believe the Canik55 is more of a clone of a clone. Does anyone besides me see an uncanny resemblence to the Tanfoglio Force? The Tan itself was a clone of the CZ-75. The youtube video referenced by a previuos poster show a version of the Canik55, that looks exactly like my Tanfoglio Force, save for the finish.

I wonder if parts are interchangable. The "Turks" are known for doing some of the finest, part for part, reverse engineering out there, when it comes to handguns.

According to Wikipedia, the Canik55 is carried by the officer corps in the Turk military, whil;e the Girsan Yavuz 16 is carried by non-coms, and enlisted soldiers as a sidearm.

At what price-point does Century have these? At around $300 or so , I believe it would be a nice purchase.

 

[bdb benzino]

I believe the Canik55 is more of a clone of a clone. Does anyone besides me see an uncanny resemblence to the Tanfoglio Force? The Tan itself was a clone of the CZ-75

Don't know if I can agree with you there, maybee this model a little, but the regular Canik55 with out the rail looks exactly like a CZ 75 Compact. It has the same front end cuts in the frame and slide just like the CZ 75. The railed one might look a little more like a Tan, but I'm guessing they are CZ clones not Tan clones.YMMV.

OP, I have had my eye uot for one of those without the rail, as they are lightweight and can be carried C'd & L'd unlike any lightweight CZ. Good looking guns too. Thanks for the video!

 

[Walt Sherrill]

All of the OTHER Turkish guns I've seen were knock-offs of the Tanfoglio/CZ guns. If this is actually more close to the CZ, it'll be different.

One of the Turkish companies, early on, got rights to make their own version of the Tanfolgio guns, and other started building clones, too.

Someone, when they finally get their hands on one of each, and compare them side by side, should be able to see whether there is a mag brake or not, look at the firing pin block design, and the length of the compact mags (Tanfoglio mags are too short to work in a CZ-based compact), along with a few other differences, to see which gun was the source of the Canik design.

 

[Ultravox]

I am unable to find any online dealers that have this pistol. Is it currently available, and where?

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Century Arms has them on its website for $349... (Don't know about shipping costs.) Your local FFL/dealer, Gunsmith, or Pawnshop (if they do guns) could order one for you. Nice looking guns.

 

[Ash]

This certainly looks CZ to me. It looks, even like they copied the CZ firing pin block. That would be a shame, because Tanfoglio, which introduced the firing pin block a decade before CZ, has a better design which drops the block upon firing while the CZ raises the block while firing. As a result, the Tanfoglio will always have an advantage in trigger quality over the CZ, all other things being equal (of course, rarely are other things equal).

 

[Walt Sherrill]

This certainly looks CZ to me. It looks, even like they copied the CZ firing pin block.

What external clues hint at the CZ-style FPB?

What seems to be a roll/solid pin through the slide hints at a CZ approach (i.e., no firing pin stop), but that doesn't tell us much about the firing pin block. (That might just be a cost-cutting move...)

 

[Ash]

What other purpose would the roll-pin serve?

 

[Walt Sherrill]

The roll pin RETAINS the firing pin; its used in place of a firing pin stop plate. In the CZ, they apparently used the roll pin to simplify the construction of the slide and it has nothing to do with the firing pin BLOCK mechanism.

A gun maker could use the firing pin retention pin to keep the firing pin for coming out the back of the slide (ala CZ) and still use a Witness-style firing pin block.

 

[Ash]

How does the firing pin block come out, then? And why, then, does the CZ-85 Combat NOT use the roll pin, if that pin serves only to retain the firing pin? The 85 Combat lacks both the firing pin block and the roll pin. On CZ pistols, it exists only on B models.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

How does the firing pin block come out, then? And why, then, does the CZ-85 Combat NOT use the roll pin, if that pin serves only to retain the firing pin? The 85 Combat lacks both the firing pin block and the roll pin. On CZ pistols, it exists only on B models.

The firing pin comes out when you drive out the firing pin retention roll pin. It's that simple. (You cover the end of the slide so that the liberated firing pin doesn't fly across the room...) The retention pin goes back in pretty simply. You don't need to take it out ALL THE WAY.

I think CZ is now using a solid pin on newer models, by the way, so they may not call it a "roll pin" any more.

It's important to have the firing pin itself turned right when you reinstall it, so that the retention pin can slide along an indented area on the top of the firing pin. You can see this in the parts diagram.

The CZ-85 Combat is, in effect, a pre-B. It uses a firing pin stop (a plate) at the end of the slide, to retain the firing pin. As you note, the 85 Combat does not have a firing pin block. (I have an 85 Combat, and have had a number of pre-Bs over the years.) The 85 B does have the block and does not have a firing pin stop. By not using the firing pin block, CZ had to add other features to meet the "POINTS" standard required for import into the U.S.. That's why the CZ-85 Combat has an adjustable sight.

The firing pin retention roll pin ONLY retains the firing pin in the B models. This can be seen by examining the parts diagram. And, yes, the firing pin retention roll pin exists only on the "B" models. (None of the B models use a firing pin stop plate.)

If you haven't already done so, you might find it useful to visit the CZ Forum www.czfirearms.us/ There's a lot of good information in the FAQ area, and you'll have access to some real authorities on the weapon and it's development.


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[Ash]

Walt, you know me. I'm Southern Forester from that site. I know CZ's, predominately the Pre B, as well as Tanfoglio. I don't go there often, probably for the same reason you stopped posting. I know my stuff and probably rank as one of the more knowledgeable sources of Tanfoglio pistols (not the most by a stretch) and know the inside and out of CZ's, particularly the history of CZ pistols.

My logic was why copy the newer retaining style without using the firing pin block? Otherwise, use the older retention style that is much more prevalent, used even by CZ. A leads to B, so to speak. Even CZ sees no reason to use retention pin in pistols lacking the firing pin block, so why would anyone else? Seeing the pin is an immediate tell-tale sign of the block's existence in all CZ-75 based pistols. If the Turks are copying the CZ, that pin is a logical indicator.

And it appears, that the Turks did in fact copy the CZ firing pin bloc as well as the retention pin location.

http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=40930.0

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Ash:

You may be correct, but until we see a CANIK parts diagram we won't know for sure.

CZ apparently went to the firing pin retention roll pin to reduce the costs of manufacture.

The 85 Combat and the 75 Tactical Sport (and other IPSC guns) don't use the firing pin block, and use a firing pin stop. The Kadet Kit top-end uses a firing pin stop (rather than a retention pin) and can be used with a firing pin block linkage-equipped frame, but the FPB doesn't work -- 'cause there isn't one in the slide. My 75B and 75B Compact slides also functioned properly on my 85 Combat frame -- the firing pin block mechanism and the firing pin retention method are not functionally related or interconnected.

The first Turkish-made guns were made under license from Tanfoglio -- but I don't know that is still the case. The AR guns seem to be unlike both the Tanfoglio and CZ guns in a lot of little ways. That being the case, there's no reason that a company couldn't use CZ-style Firing Pin Retention design as a cost-cutting measure and also use Tanfoglio's better firing pin block design, which is less obtrusive and no more complicated.

As soon as we get access to a CANIK parts diagram we'll be able to tell. I didn't see one on the Century website; maybe I missed it.

 

[Ash]

The link I sent has photos of the firing pin block.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I looked initially, but didn't see ANYTHING about the firing pin block in the initial write up -- just the sear assembly. With a reread, I see that the FPB has been discussed in later comments.

As noted below, the CANIK FPB is apparently LIKE the Tanfoglio design. I saw many other minor differences, and several part incompatibilities -- which were commented on by the various participants in that CZ Forum message chain. Among these differences:

• -trigger return spring fits into a tunnel in the frame rather than the groove CZ uses.
• -the safety has a small ball bearing/spring that it uses to get a 'click' feel when moving. (The CZ has a small, internal spring and plastic detent on the inside of the frame.)
• -sear interlocks into side of firing pin block lifter; they move each other.
• -there is no firing pin block lifter spring. The firing pin block apparently works like a Tanfoglio FPB, slightly different than the Tanfoglio design but unlike the CZ.
• -hammer retaining pin pushes into a groove in the hammer pin, rather than blocking the pin movement.
• -disconnector is EAA/Tanfoglio style
• -there were differences in some of the radius cuts on the slide stop, sear, etc.
• -A CZ slide will not fit onto the Canik frame, but Canik slide will fit CZ frame. (The Canik frame rails are just slightly too wide for a CZ slide.)
• -CZ "compact" mags won't stay in, even though the importer says they should. Full size CZ mags DO work. If one does, the other should. (Tanfoglio compact mags are noticeably shorter than CZ compact mags.)

To me, it looks as though CANIK has used features of both the CZ and Tanfoglio designs -- a hybrid, so to speak. Maybe they've used the best of both?! I'd like to see how the barrels differ, if they do, and whether they are interchangeable. The CZ and Tanfoglio barrels are quite different in size and locking lugs. It looks as though the Canik is as different from the CZ and Tanfoglio guns as the CZ and Tanfoglio guns are from each other -- lots of simularities and lots of differences.

I checked again, and Century, the U.S. importer, does not have a manual for download -- but does offer them for most of their weapons. Hope to see a manual, soon, somewhere. (A fairly thorough web search hasn't uncovered one, yet.)

 

[rust collector]

stingray C manual

Seems to be here: http://www.centuryarms.com/manuals/pdf_flipbook/Stingray-C%20Pistol%20Manual/index.html#/3/zoomed

Parts diagram is on page 29, but it's a bit blurry for me. Good Luck!

This pistol seems to emulate the P-01 in outward appearance, but without the decocker. I like my PCR and EAA witness early model, so will be watching the reports for this gun.

There is also an interesting variant called the Shark C. Manufacturer's site is here:
http://www.canik55.com/index.php?lang=en

I am seeing many Turkish guns being imported. Most seem to copy other designs. I do not know about their metallurgy, however.

Thanks for your information on this intriguing pistol.

 

[Ash]

Walt, I think you're right about the pistol being a hybrid. The Tanfoglio certainly has a better firing pin block design than the CZ. For the general group, the CZ actively pushes the block out of the way (not that different from the way the CZ-52 FPB works). This degrades the CZ's trigger, if only by the slightest amount. The Tanfoglio, on the other hand, is passive, allowing the block to fall down with the trigger pull. In effect, the FPB in the Tanfoglio design serves to actually aid the trigger pull, if ever-so-slightly. I imagine that is why the Tanfoglio-based pistols tend to have better triggers, pre-tuning, than CZ's.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

I can't really see anything to examine it closely -- I can't enlarge the display using my browser. It's a PDF-type file display, but I haven't found a way to download the PDF manual, itself.

I'll keep playing, and maybe find a way.

From what I can see of it, I like the Canik...

Interesting aside: I logged in using the DEALER side -- because I have a C&R FFL. There are many fewer manuals shown on the dealer side of the site than on the Consumer side. Thanks for finding the manual -- I'll know to look on BOTH SIDES, next time. I just wish I could blow up the parts diagram and list...

YOU could see a manual listed, and it wasn't listed where I looked.

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[LUPUS]

Sarsılmaz manufacturing Tanfgolio clones. The firing pin retaining method, the firing pin block working direction, one part sear and firing pin lever are exactly the same as the Tanfoglio pistols.

Yurt Savunma produces the Canik pistols. The firing pin retaining method, firing pin block working direction, a seperate sear and firing pin block lever are exactly the same as the CZ 75 B. The only difference in Canik pistol the firing pin lever and the sear matched with each other with a recess.

Sarsılmaz pistols are being used by National Police and Armed Forces, some models of GIRSAN pistols are being used by National Police and Armed Forces, none of the Canik versions are being used by any government department.

Best.