The Canik TP-9 is imported from Turkey by Century International Arms and comes to market somewhere between $300-350. That alone is enough to get the attention of many but when I heard the specs of the pistol it really caught my eye so I picked one up. Here’s what we found:
Reliability
For me, guns have to be reliable to be interesting and this one meets that requirement. The cold hammer forged barrel ate anything I fed it. It was 100% reliable with everything from cheap steel cased Wolf and Silver Bear ammo to quality defensive ammunition like Speer Gold Dots.
Ergonomics
When you first see the Canik TP-9 many will notice the similarity to the Walther P99 AS. Well, it’s almost an identical copy of the pistol and there’s simply no denying it. In the case of ergonomics, that’s a very good thing. The P99 grip is widely renowned for its’ excellent feel in the hand and natural pointing; the TP-9 mirrors those results. The pistol ships with two backstraps and I replaced the small (comes installed) with the large to accommodate my relatively large hands.
Trigger
The trigger system on the TP-9 is what they call “double action, single action” but that doesn’t really describe what it is. In reality it’s a striker fired gun that has the ability to fire from the de-cocked position as well as the partially cocked position. Insert a full mag, release the slide, and the striker will be partially cocked and the trigger pull is a very short, crisp 9 pounds. Repeat the process but hit the de-cocker button on the top of the slide and the trigger is a long 11 pound pull. Following the shot, the reset will be very short, audible, and tactile regardless of which mode you fired from.
While the trigger is heavy, it’s crisp and doesn’t feel like it’s 9 pounds. Most folks I had dry fire it guessed it to be in the 6 or 7 pound range. I’d like to see it a few pounds lighter but it’s not so heavy that the pistol can’t be shot well so it’s not a huge issue.
Miscellaneous
The gun comes with a very serviceable “Serpa-esque” holster that can be configured with belt loops or a paddle. Also included are two 18 round Mec-Gar magazines, 2 different height front sights, user manual (in English), lock, and the tool to adjust the windage on the rear sight.
The only real “cons” I see to the gun are that the trigger’s a little heavy and the fit/finish is not quite on par with what you’d see from some higher end guns. But, my model is the tan one and from what I understand the black and chrome versions have very even finishes for what it’s worth.
All in all, I think this gun will continue to grow in popularity and the aftermarket accessory market will also continue to increase. Great reliability, ergos, and all around performance combined with two Mec-Gar mags and a holster for a street price of $300-350 will make this gun a winner for Canik for sure.
Video Review
Here’s the video review of the pistol with some shooting footage and a discussion of the features of the pistol that I discussed above:
