What's the deal with Canik?
- Thread starter Yukon_Cola
- Start date
First time I saw a good price on a Turkish made gun, I thought how far the country is behind in technology. Then I thought about why a 1911 is called a 1911. Surely they couldn't be 100 years behind.
They build a decent 1911.
Plastic framed pistols have been produced since the 70s The Turks have had 50 years to figure out how to copy it from somebody. That should be long enough to do it right.
Never owned a Canik, but I wouldn't pass it up for a good price just because it's made in Turkey.
They build a decent 1911.
Plastic framed pistols have been produced since the 70s The Turks have had 50 years to figure out how to copy it from somebody. That should be long enough to do it right.
Never owned a Canik, but I wouldn't pass it up for a good price just because it's made in Turkey.
doubleh
Member
An excellent idea IMO.
JTQ
Member
Shooting it is one thing, but it's probably not breaking on him during a match (or training), so that's probably a valuable data point. Though I suppose he probably has half a dozen (or more) back up guns.Nils can beat 99% of people using a Hi Point. So I’m not sure that’s a good data point to use.
Styx
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Canik pistols are also the side arm of Turkish military and Special Forces. Many models are also NATO approved, e.i., they past NATO testing requirements. Keep in mind that Turkey ranks 11th in the world in military power out of 145 countries, and are routinely putting their firearms to use in conflicts.
Canik is ISO-9001 and AQAP-2110 certified. An AQAP-2110 certification is a standards for quality assurance systems developed by NATO. They make military grade firearms... The only reoccurring gripe I've honestly heard over the couple of decades Caniks have been imported into the U.S. is that they are manufactured in Turkey and some hate Turkey so they find reasons to bash their firearms for political reasons. I haven't heard of any on going widespread issues, recalls, or customer complaints over the years.
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Targa
Member
I have absolutely no log in this fire but from my limited research the Turk knock offs have been very good, I might be missing something though as I do not care enough to dive to deeply into it.
I will say though that I have been quite impressed with my Turkish shotguns. If I were in the market and the Canik had my interest I would buy it.
I will say though that I have been quite impressed with my Turkish shotguns. If I were in the market and the Canik had my interest I would buy it.
Blkhrt13
Member
My two caniks fire reliably and accurately. I have a c100 and a t100. I have only put a couple of boxes of ammo through each. But they are worth having still. I have shot a Turkish eastern arms shotgun in 16 gauge for about 25 years. It’s always made supper. I don’t know what else there is to say
Yukon_Cola
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Seems to be a lot of love for turk made guns here! I made this thread because I've seen love for Canik but didn't know if it was YouTube influencer praise or legit. The other turk made guns I've shot/handled were shoddy and amongst my circles, they have a reputation being cheaply made and unreliable but I hadn't heard the same rhetoric directed toward Canik. If I find an outstanding deal on one then maybe I'll pick it up.
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Styx
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Do research and check out web forums for personal reviews because there are some subpar shotgun offerings, so I can only assume the same is true for some pistol designs too although I am not aware of any. All of the manufacturers there aren't affiliated or monolithic. You'll have to do your due diligence by researching the specific company and model you're interested. I wouldn't automatically assume all offerings from Turkey or either good or bad. It just depends on the particular company and importer.
The only brand I would really trust, am interested in, and see as being on par with other duty and military pistols, e.g., Glock, Sig, S&W M&P, HK VP9, etc, would be Caniks IMHO. The only con is the importer is Century Arms. They have a spotty reputation, but I hear they've gotten much better. YMMV.
Yukon_Cola
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I'll put a TP9 on the list. After I'm done checking off the other "wants" I think I'll try to find one to tinker with.
jar
Contributing Member
SAR is also ISO 9001 & NATO certified.
Yukon_Cola
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jar
Contributing Member
That's always a possibility. When you contacted the seller what did they say? When you contacted SAR USA what did they say?
Every producer puts out lemons occasionally, and modern marketing theory makes us all beta testers. Customer service either rises to the occasion or gets the treatment on social media. I have an SKB target gun made in Turkey that has not been a problem. Some others I have seen could be fired out of battery. Best advice is to make sure you have an opportunity to inspect, are satisfied with the specimen you buy, and run many rounds through it to make sure it will meet your needs. If not, back to the factory for fixing.
Sometimes we see things on youtube or elsewhere that were made to get clicks. Please be cautious about some of these hit jobs that don't tell the whole story or they would make the youtuber look bad.
Sometimes we see things on youtube or elsewhere that were made to get clicks. Please be cautious about some of these hit jobs that don't tell the whole story or they would make the youtuber look bad.
If I would have listened to all the YouTube naysayers, I would have never bought my Glock G44 because they all said it was junk when the G44 was first released. The G44 came out in Jan 2020 and I bought mine in Feb 2020. I have over 20,000 trouble free rounds fired through mine.
Back on subject, Yes Canik makes a good reliable pistol and like I stated in my earlier reply, Canik pistols are being seen more and more in pistol competitions. You normally won't see a junk pistol being used in competition shooting.
Back on subject, Yes Canik makes a good reliable pistol and like I stated in my earlier reply, Canik pistols are being seen more and more in pistol competitions. You normally won't see a junk pistol being used in competition shooting.
What ammo were you using? 115 grain? If so you made the same mistake I did and not read the owner's manual. The SAR9 was originally built as a Turkish military sidearm thus built to take 124 grain NATO rounds. I've been told it will shoot 115 grain after the break in period but until then you're going to have the same problem with non-NATO spec rounds.
Yukon_Cola
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Well, I went out and handled a new Canik TP9 today at a LGS. It seemed solid. The fit and finish looked good, action was smooth, there a few rough spots but I've seen a whole lot worse on guns that cost twice as much. I have to say, I'm moderately impressed. If I wanted a budget 9mm I didn't mind flogging it would be a little further up the list. I still might buy one just to beat it up and see how she holds up.
I can say that the Canik has a better trigger than any Glock I have shot. My neighbors Canik METE has the best trigger out of all the Canik models I have shot so far. Even the trigger on my Elite SC is good. While I have a few Glocks and also a few Glock Clones, I will take the Canik over all of them.
mljdeckard
Member
Here's what I think.
Glock broke the model for building guns. They proved that rather than machining and fitting, you can make a design that bypasses those processes. That time savings was more than worth it. The problem for Glock is.....once the cat was out of the bag, everyone else could do it too. If Glock can make a simple and cheap design that works every time, someone else can too.
I have handled a friend's Canik, I have never shot one. But it seems to me, that a lot of designers and engineers have had about 40 years to test and tweak the Glock ideas to imitate and tweak them. It seems a bit naive to assume that only name brands in Europe can do this.
So, is a Canik as good as these similar designs? Maybe. Maybe not. But will it work for the vast majority of shooters for how they will train and use them? Very likely, yes.
Glock broke the model for building guns. They proved that rather than machining and fitting, you can make a design that bypasses those processes. That time savings was more than worth it. The problem for Glock is.....once the cat was out of the bag, everyone else could do it too. If Glock can make a simple and cheap design that works every time, someone else can too.
I have handled a friend's Canik, I have never shot one. But it seems to me, that a lot of designers and engineers have had about 40 years to test and tweak the Glock ideas to imitate and tweak them. It seems a bit naive to assume that only name brands in Europe can do this.
So, is a Canik as good as these similar designs? Maybe. Maybe not. But will it work for the vast majority of shooters for how they will train and use them? Very likely, yes.
highlander 5
Member
I've a Canik Mete SFX and other than problems with the 1st hundred rds ( Blazer aluminum case 115gr) the pistol runs like a scalded ape fits my hand better than Glock/S&W M&P. Very good trigger and excellent sights.
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