A couple of months ago I took possession of two compact TriStar C100 9mm pistols which I intend to use for carry purposes for my wife and I. The C100 is made in Turkey by the Canik55 firm, and marketed in this country by the TriStar concern. It is closely modeled after the CZ 75 Compact, the most profound deviation from the CZ design being the use of an aluminum frame. The C100 has already been the subject of a multitude of formal reviews, including by the NRA, so I won't reinvent the wheel here, except to comment on certain areas of note. Here is a photo of the C100 in its factory case, which I have revised a bit to carry more gear.
I’ve now been able to conduct both an initial range test and a followup range test to verify a sight adjustment I needed to make to my pistol after the initial range outing. I’ll show some photos of the adjustment further on.
I began by carefully lubing both pistols and firing three 15 yard bench rest groups out of each pistol with three different loads. The purpose was to check zero and see just how well the pistols fed and grouped with different loads. I was especially interested in seeing how the Federal 124 grain standard pressure HST load would perform. Unfortunately, I developed a bad case of "fifth-shot-itis" and threw away every fifth shot in 4 of the 6 groups after having fired a really nice 4 shot group. So since I knew it was me and not the gun, I did not count the wild 5th shot in the group measurements. Here's how my wife's pistol did: (Test results and notes are on the photos.)
Here's how my pistol handled the same test:
Based on these results, I would have to say in all honesty that these little guns group about as well at 15 yards as any of my full size 9mm service pistols have. Included in that statement are a Beretta Brigadier 92FS, a Browning Hi Power and a couple of its clones, a S&W M5906. a CZ 85, two 85B's, and a Bersa Thunder 9 Pro. The C100's, in my estimation, are quite accurate pistols, especially for their short barrels and sight radius.
In the next test I wanted to test the pistols' ability to feed and group with the HST loads, to proof one mag per gun with that load, and I wanted to get familiar with their double action triggering characteristics. So here are two 15 shot DAO groups fired standing offhand with full sight alignment, two-hands, at 7 yards. I fired continuously slow fire without lowering either gun. Here's how my wife's gun did:
And here's how my gun did - note the "ohpooshot." It was not entirely my best day, heh.
Throughout these tests I found the two pistols to have remarkably similar triggering characteristics in both single and double action.
Most of the reviews of these guns I have read cite a tendency for them to shoot 3" low at around 10 yards. I found that my pistol shoots around 2" low at 15 yards, and a "click" left, while my wife's gun shoots dead bang center at both 7 and 15 yards. I don't worry about a minor elevation deviation in a defensive pistol, but before carrying it, I made it a point to get back up to the range after bumping the rear sight a hair right to center up the windage. Here’s a photo of the centered-up POI.
After doing these two range tests I am now firing for volume to break in these pistols. My pistol is now up to roughly 300 rounds while my wife’s pistol is still down around 100, but that will change as soon as the weather improves. I have had only one FTF in either gun, and that was due to a bad round, not the gun. My initial impressions of the gun’s accuracy and overall good performance are being verified every time I go to the range.
One really nice aspect of the C100 is that it will use magazines for the standard CZ 75 and the CZ 75 Compact. I recently fired 160 rounds in my gun using factory TriStar (MecGar) 15 round mags, CZ 75 Compact 14 round mags, the 16 round factory CZ 75 mags, and the MecGar 17 round CZ 75 magazine. The full size mags stick out the bottom of the mag well a bit, but I didn’t find that to cause any problems at all.
Given the C100’s obvious quality of manufacture, fit, and finish, as well as reliable functioning and pleasing accuracy, I think the C100 falls into the class of pistol that offers an unusually good value.
About the most thorough review I've seen on these pistols is the NRA Gun Of The Week Review back on April 22, 2013. It's worth a looksee if this gun appeals to you.
JayPee
I’ve now been able to conduct both an initial range test and a followup range test to verify a sight adjustment I needed to make to my pistol after the initial range outing. I’ll show some photos of the adjustment further on.
I began by carefully lubing both pistols and firing three 15 yard bench rest groups out of each pistol with three different loads. The purpose was to check zero and see just how well the pistols fed and grouped with different loads. I was especially interested in seeing how the Federal 124 grain standard pressure HST load would perform. Unfortunately, I developed a bad case of "fifth-shot-itis" and threw away every fifth shot in 4 of the 6 groups after having fired a really nice 4 shot group. So since I knew it was me and not the gun, I did not count the wild 5th shot in the group measurements. Here's how my wife's pistol did: (Test results and notes are on the photos.)
Here's how my pistol handled the same test:
Based on these results, I would have to say in all honesty that these little guns group about as well at 15 yards as any of my full size 9mm service pistols have. Included in that statement are a Beretta Brigadier 92FS, a Browning Hi Power and a couple of its clones, a S&W M5906. a CZ 85, two 85B's, and a Bersa Thunder 9 Pro. The C100's, in my estimation, are quite accurate pistols, especially for their short barrels and sight radius.
In the next test I wanted to test the pistols' ability to feed and group with the HST loads, to proof one mag per gun with that load, and I wanted to get familiar with their double action triggering characteristics. So here are two 15 shot DAO groups fired standing offhand with full sight alignment, two-hands, at 7 yards. I fired continuously slow fire without lowering either gun. Here's how my wife's gun did:
And here's how my gun did - note the "ohpooshot." It was not entirely my best day, heh.
Throughout these tests I found the two pistols to have remarkably similar triggering characteristics in both single and double action.
Most of the reviews of these guns I have read cite a tendency for them to shoot 3" low at around 10 yards. I found that my pistol shoots around 2" low at 15 yards, and a "click" left, while my wife's gun shoots dead bang center at both 7 and 15 yards. I don't worry about a minor elevation deviation in a defensive pistol, but before carrying it, I made it a point to get back up to the range after bumping the rear sight a hair right to center up the windage. Here’s a photo of the centered-up POI.
After doing these two range tests I am now firing for volume to break in these pistols. My pistol is now up to roughly 300 rounds while my wife’s pistol is still down around 100, but that will change as soon as the weather improves. I have had only one FTF in either gun, and that was due to a bad round, not the gun. My initial impressions of the gun’s accuracy and overall good performance are being verified every time I go to the range.
One really nice aspect of the C100 is that it will use magazines for the standard CZ 75 and the CZ 75 Compact. I recently fired 160 rounds in my gun using factory TriStar (MecGar) 15 round mags, CZ 75 Compact 14 round mags, the 16 round factory CZ 75 mags, and the MecGar 17 round CZ 75 magazine. The full size mags stick out the bottom of the mag well a bit, but I didn’t find that to cause any problems at all.
Given the C100’s obvious quality of manufacture, fit, and finish, as well as reliable functioning and pleasing accuracy, I think the C100 falls into the class of pistol that offers an unusually good value.
About the most thorough review I've seen on these pistols is the NRA Gun Of The Week Review back on April 22, 2013. It's worth a looksee if this gun appeals to you.
JayPee
