Why I believe the Canik TP9 Series should be the end of "first pistol" discussion threads...

I have a Turkish SAR K2P and while it may not be a CZ, it's a very well appointed auto for the price and has been reliable for well over 2000 rounds for me. It seems more accurate than a 3.5" barrel should be. It doesn't really leave me wanting for anything as far as full frame, hammer fired, da/sa, poly pistols go. I would definitely buy another Sar. My loyalty to Toyota started the same way with a well designed, reliable automobile at an affordable price.
 
Last edited:
I haven't yet shot the Canik tp9sa that my friend bought. But he was surprised with the light trigger...and not in a good way. He NG'd a round through his bed. Yeah I said NG. Not going to sugar coat it. Light trigger, subtle loaded chamber indicator, and maybe too easy resetting of the striker are 3 reasons I don't think the Canik is a good first....at least for the inexperienced.
 
Turkey has been making guns for centuries, BTW. ;) A lot of CZ imported shotguns are Turkish in origin. Generally speaking, my personal experience is that most Turk guns tend to be pretty decent solid performers.
 
armoredman said:
Turkey has been making guns for centuries, BTW. ;) A lot of CZ imported shotguns are Turkish in origin. Generally speaking, my personal experience is that most Turk guns tend to be pretty decent solid performers.
Click to expand...

Turkey makes CZ 75 clones in steel and also aluminum, as well as polymer the above poster noted.
 
Yes, and Sarsilmaz was actually a Tanfoglio distributor before they started making clones as well, a clone of a clone, then Canik and a few others picked up the CZ-75 clone gig. They tend to be quite good, serviceable sidearms.
 
Must be compact or full size.
Must be in a commonly available caliber. (lets be real - 9mm is hands down the obvious choice here, its the most popular, affordable and available defensive round. Get out of here with that out dated .40! - more of my opinionatedness)
Must be a gun that is readily available.
Must be a gun that is purchased new.
Must be affordable.
Must be striker fired. ( I know this will get a bunch of backlash. But when teaching a new shooter how to be proficient in self defense, accuracy, maintenance of the weapon, ect... I feel that a striker fired firearm is going to serve the general public better than a DA/SA and better than a SAO with a safety to fight with and train on.)
Click to expand...

Basically, I think must can generally agree those will be the criteria, like it or not.

Still, I explain to new shooters:
Full size cause you have to shoot a lot comfortably to improve.
Available locally is often key to the new shooter.
New is often important to them.
Affordable varies, but many want to go bottom shelf. I guess their families safety is often bottom shelf starting out.
Striker fired I agree, but don't like it. Still lots of fantastic plastic striker gun are the rage today.
Last, I'll add must have thumb safety option. Most newbs and many experienced shooters don't like to administratively handle a gun without a safety.


The Canik is a fine pistol I'm sure. I have a few questions that apply to newbs and maybe experienced alike:
What is general trainer knowledge of these?
Am I likely to be offended whe Joe trainer says don't buy a Turkish dud and put it in your night stand?(these statements should often be viewed as ignorance unless personal experience can be explained.)
Can I find a local gunsmith with Canik experience?
What are my sight options?
Are spare parts available? From where?
How is warranty service?
Who makes holsters? Blue gun available?

For these questions, Ruger options look pretty good. They also feel great in the hand.

Also, I'm not sure if the days of the $350 XD9 are over, but that is another great option.
 
Sarsilmaz has been making firearms since the late 1800s. Springfield xd line of pistols are made in Croatia and haven't even been around for 20 years. I don't understand why they are always suggested as a better option. Someone please explain that to me.
 
Because you can answer the questions about parts, holsters and warranty fairly easily...

Century Arms has some parts and mags.

There are some Canik Holsters available online. Selection is limited, but I see them.

Sights - I see Ameriglo, Warren, Meprolight and Xpress....looks good.
 
Last edited:
That's a good answer, Nathan. Thank you. Perhaps if/when Sarsilmaz establishes themselves within the US, that will change. Based off of the quality I've experienced, I can't imagine the prices will stay as low if that ever happens.

I wonder what, besides the Springfield name, helped the xd line gain such a following so quickly.
 
I was thinking about buying one for testing....at $340-$450 from Grabagun, this is above what I call bargain basement, but still a good price.


I compare that to $412 for the XD9 on the same website. I think that is why the XD comparison.

I paid $400 for my gen3 g23 nib also.

My point is the Canik is competing with the big boys at $350 or so. It does come with a Serpa :eek: Holster though!
 
I agree the Canik's pricing makes it less competitive against the better established makers out there and the sub $300 bargain guns. It does have an aftermarket and Smith's that work on them. There is also factory testing that suggests a high round count without failure (60,000 rounds).
 
Wish it had a manual safety....or at least a version with on. Would be fun to work it out...maybe replace my Glock 23. I know the Glock doesn't have a manual safety.
 
I was talking to a Canik fan on Saturday. An ex Canik owner. He really liked the guns, had three that I know of; but he asked himself Nathan's questions and concluded that aftermarket was nil, importer support marginal, and future cloudy. So he sold up.

So he bought a S&W Plastic M&P. Its firing pin broke and S&W declined to sell him a replacement, saying it was a factory fitted part and the gun had to be sent in for repair. He did so, then sold it.

He is now shooting a Glock. Not his favorite gun, he bought it for its ubiquity.
 
He should have checked with Midway, I got a complete striker assembly for $30.00 and replaced it myself in less than 5 minutes. Put a couple thousand rounds through it since with no problems.
 
Why? You can teach someone with a 22lr, but they don't need to buy one if they don't want/can't afford one. If they want to buy a SD sidearm and can't afford to buy two guns, then a prudent person would buy something that they can learn to shoot well and cheaply on that still has decent oomph for an SD sidearm.
My first pistol was a 22lr, but that was because I could only afford a cheap Jennings J-22, not because I wanted one! :)
 
I think it depends on the age of the shooter, but looking back on my development as a shooter for just learning the basics of gunmanship surprise d nobody mentioned a .22. I did not have access to a .22 pistol but did learn on an old Winchester lever action and many of the benefits of that apply to pistols if you are talking safety and can also remove recoil from the equation if you want to learn to be an effective shooter always a great starting option. It’s what all my daughters are learning on and can be had on a budget and shot on a budget.
 
I had a Canik TP9 SA for a couple of years, and had no problems with it at all, except I had to replace the front sight with a taller one, and file it down to hit point of aim.

It shot several inches high (about 3 IIRC) until I changed it out.

Function, fit, finish, etc were all very good. Good trigger. No failures with any ammo I tried.

I finally sold it because of the lack of a safety. I would not carry cocked but not locked with a SA firearm. Still won't.
 
I have a very smart friend who has never been a "gun person". He and his wife had a series of discussions, and ended up deciding that they wanted to purchase a handgun to keep in their house for HD. He had basically zero preconceptions. He came to my house, we discussed caliber, and then he held a couple of dozen handguns to see which ones felt good to him. We went to the shooting range several times and he shot all of the ones he was interested in. Of the various handguns that felt good on his hand, that he shot well, and that were in good SD calibers, he preferred the Ruger SP101 in 357 magnum. We went to a local gun show and he bought one brand-new for a little over $300.


I don't really think there's a simple answer to the "What's the best first handgun for SD?" If every first-time buyer was as meticulous as my friend was in choosing their first handgun, their purchases would vary wildly.


And FWIW, I have a Turkish 1911 that I've owned for around five years, shot hundreds of rounds through, and it has never given me any trouble. Sample size of one. YMMV.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top