In the 1980s, the semi-automatic pistols produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H. of Austria inspired a series of paradigm shifts in materials, manufacturing practices and features that still drive the defensive handgun market today. New-production pistols are likely to be striker-fired, employ injection-molded polymer frames, sport triggers with integral blade safeties and be offered in fairly uniform sizes, including Standard, Compact and Subcompact options. These unofficial-official industry standards are largely based on the Glock business model.
By the early 1990s, the writing was on the wall. If pistol makers wanted to keep up with customer demands, they would need to get on board the plastic pistol train. In the decades-long dash to produce the next best polymer pistol, many companies have tried to duplicate the Glock. Others have found their own corner in the marketplace by following key trends while developing models that stand out from the crowd.
Among the standouts is the Canik series of Mete MC9 concealed carry 9mm pistols. Manufactured in Turkey by Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS) Industry, Canik pistols have gained a reputation for providing affordable, reliable and feature-rich pistols at more affordable prices. Here is a quick look at how these semi-automatics came to be, followed by an evaluation of their latest and greatest offering in the line-up, the fully tricked out Mete MC9 Prime.
The Canik Mete SFX (Top) and TP9 Elite SC (Bottom) feature the typical Duty-size frames.
Canik Joins the Polymer Pistol Market
In the late 1990s, Canik launched its first polymer-framed pistol, dubbed the Canik 55, which was inspired by the Walther P99 design. However, this early series was distributed primarily in Turkey with limited numbers leaving the country. It wouldn't be until the mid-2000s that Canik products would start to draw international attention. In 2009, Canik formed a U.S. distribution partnership with Century Arms which has proved to be a fruitful relationship for both companies.
The pistols were re-branded the “Canik TP9” series, which quickly gained in popularity with American shooting sports enthusiasts due to positive reviews, reliability and competitive pricing. In August of 2021, Canik was ready to introduce Americans to the next evolution of the TP9 platform, called the Mete (pronounced Met-A). This series incorporates ergonomic improvements over the TP9 along with enhancements in the slide design. Over the last few years, the Mete has been offered in a variety of configurations and sizes.
The Mete Migrates to the Micro Nines
Prior to the beginning of 2024, Canik followed the same production model for producing Compact and Subcompact 9mm pistols as Glock and other pistol makers. Start with a Duty-size TP9 or Mete slide assembly and frame. Then nip a bit of the length off of each and you have a Compact pistol. Cut a bit more at each end and voila, it’s a Subcompact. This approach has the advantage of producing pistols that are smaller and lighter while using most of the same components as the Duty size model. Even though the magazines are shorter they still provide 10-, 12- or 15-round ammunition capacities.
From the side, the length and height of the TP9 Elite SC (Left) and Mete MC9 (Right) are similar.
However, cropped Duty-size pistols tend to be relatively thick around the grip and slide making them somewhat bulky to carry. Some companies addressed the issue by offering notably slimmer subcompacts with single-stack magazines, including the Ruger EC9s, Savage Stance and the S&W M&P Shield EZ. But some folks were not happy about the reduction in magazine capacity (7 to 9 rounds) that the subcompact single-stacks provide. What customers really wanted was a skinny Subcompact that also accepts double-stack magazines.
In 2018, SIG Sauer met this demand with the release of the first version of the P365, which is 5.8” long, 4.3” tall, 1.06” wide, and has an unloaded weight of 17.8 oz. This makes it roughly the same size and weight as the single-stack 9 mm pistols but, best of all, it accepts 10- or 12-round double-stack magazines. Springfield Armory was hot on their heels with the release of the similarly sized Hellcat series in 2019. And thus the next concealed arms race was off and running with several other companies striving to launch their version of what would become known as the “Micro Compact” or “Micro Nine” class of concealed-carry pistols.
It’s from the back that the difference in thickness between the 1.25" wide TP9 Elite SC (Left) and the 1.025" wide Mete MC9 (Right) is clearly evident.
Shrinking a pistol's overall dimensions is a much more involved engineering process than simply cropping the barrel or grip. But after taking the time to do it right, Canik was ready to join the Micro Nine pistol fray in 2023 with the release of the Mete MC9 series. The slide width was reduced from 1.10" to 0.98" and the grip from 1.25", at its widest point, to 1.025" with the pistol's overall size and weight in line with other Micro Nines. It accepts either flush-fit 12-round or extended 15-round magazines. But the evolution of the MC9 platform was not complete just yet.
The Mete MC9 Crossover Models
In the last few years, the Micro Nine pistol fans have been learning the same lessons in physics that the Smith & Wesson J-Frame .38 Special revolvers have been teaching folks since the 1950s. It goes something like this: Take a handgun chambered in a mid-size cartridge and trim it down to the smallest size and lightest weight possible. The gun will be tangibly easier to carry concealed but it will also become noticeably harder to shoot.
The Mete MC9 (left) and the MC9L (right) are the same gun except for the grip length.
Several factors come into play here, but let's take the top two. First, guns that weigh less kick more than heavier guns. Secondly, guns with short grips are harder to control when they recoil. Since folks want carry guns to be light weight, they are going to stay light weight. Don't look for heavier pistols to catch on any time soon.
But as for the too-short grips, that's an easy fix. Keep the rest of the Micro Nine pistol just as it is but extend the grip frame from a Subcompact to a Compact length. This has the dual benefits of providing full support for all of the shooting hand fingers, making the gun more controllable, and making room inside of the grip for magazines that hold more ammunition. This mixing and matching of micro-size slides with Compact-length frames led to the release of the Hybrid or Crossover Micro Compact pistol models that have been cropping up the last few years.
The Mete MC9L (left) and the MC9LS (right) are the same except the MCLS barrel is about half an inch longer.
Canik answered customer requests for a Crossover model with the release of the Mete MC9L (Long) in 2024. The grip frame is about 0.75" longer and accepts a flush-fit magazine that holds up to 17 rounds instead of 12 rounds. While the company was at it, they went ahead and released the Mete MC9LS (Long Slide) at the same time. This model has a barrel which has been extended from 3.18” to 3.64” to squeeze a bit more performance out of defense-grade 9 mm ammunition.
The Mete MC9LS serves as the starting point for the Prime version.
I had the Mete MC9LS fitted with one of this company's in-house Mecanik M01 micro red-dot optics all lined up and ready to test for this review. By my contacts said to hold off for just a bit and see what they were going to be launching at the 2025 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. What I found there was worth the wait!
Introducing the American-Made Canik Mete MC9 Prime
Canik's U.S.-based manufacturing facility is located in West Palm Beach, Florida. This joint venture between Century Arms and Canik of Turkey began full production in December of 2024. The manufacturing process is conducted here by Canik staff members using the same the materials, machines and metrics as the plant in Turkey. When the American-made guns are ready, they are transported to Century Arm's facility in Delray Beach, Florida. for distribution around the country.
The Prime blends the best of Canik’s concealed-carry and competition pistols features.
Canik USA's very first American-made product is the Mete MC9 Prime. Based on the Mete MC9LS, it incorporates a set of design cues and upgrades derived from Canik's competition and factory-custom models like the SFx Rival-S and the TTI Combat. Despite all the extras and enhancements, its suggested retail price is only $149.99 more than the Mete MC9LS.
The Prime arrives with a useful set of support gear including a convertible G-Code Kydex holster system.
The slide's styling, including the lightening ports, bevels and aggressive cocking serrations, mirror those of the SFx Rival-S. An additional three ports are cut into the slide to align with the three vents cut into the muzzle of the compensated barrel. On top of the slide, behind the chamber is a visible and tactile loaded chamber indicator. The metallic sight set has been upgraded from white dots to Night Fision tritium night sights that feature a bright orange dot front sight that lines up neatly with the U-notch cut into the rear sight.
The Prime’s grip and key touch points feature an aggressive molded in stippling for improved purchase.
The slide's cutout is sized for RMCs footprint red dot optics. Although the Prime has been available for a while now, I held off completing the evaluation for a bit in order to include Canik's latest model, the Mecanik M04 fully enclosed reflex sight. This model features a durable 7074 aluminum housing with a solar panel on top to extend battery life. The aiming reticle can be set to project a central 3 MOA red dot, a 36 MOA crosshair circle or the dot and circle together.
The slide assembly is enhanced with a compensated barrel, night sights and lightening cut outs.
A single CR 1620 button-cell battery provides up to 50,000 hours of run time. Other features include motion activation, automatic off, eight daytime illumination settings and an O-ring seal for an IPX7 water resistance ratting at a more affordable suggested retail price of $299. And for those who are curious to know, the pistol's factory night sights are clearly visible and useful when looking through this optic.
The flat-faced aluminum trigger breaks cleanly at 90 degrees.
In addition to the compensated muzzle, the 3.64” long cold-hammer-forged barrel features traditional land-and-groove rifling, a serrated chamber, flat fluting for added rigidity and a corrosion resistant matte black nitride finish. The black polymer frame sports a 1.50" 3-slot accessory rail, molded into the dust cover. A new, more aggressive stippling is applied to all sides of the grip, the front of the trigger guard and other touch points for improved purchase. The generously sized trigger guard is now double under cut for deeper hand placement. This pistol arrives with an extended ambidextrous slide stop lever, serrated magazine release button, three interchangeable grip backstraps, a low profile aluminum magwell extension and two 17-round blued steel magazines. Canik provides several other accessories including a high quality travel case, a G-Code Kydex holster system and maintenance tools.
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The new fully Mecanik M04 optic is fully enclosed with multiple reticle and brightness settings.
There is a good deal to like about the Prime, from the top-tier fit and finish, the modern styling and a grip frame that feels like it was custom fit to my somewhat smaller hands. But if there is one feature that pushes this gun out in front of the polymer-framed pistol pack, it’s the flat-faced, competition-style aluminum trigger. Sporting an extra wide checkered aluminum safety lever, the trigger is designed to break cleanly at 90 degrees with just 3 lbs. 9 oz. of trigger pull. The trigger reset is impressively short as well. Although the trigger's arc of travel is similar to other striker-fired pistols, the light take up, the firm vertical stop and the break almost duplicates the feel of a finely tuned AR-15 two-stage trigger. Canik's factory installed triggers have long been a step up from other manufacturers’ typical options. But the Prime's trigger is likely to convince folks to make the switch to this model.
The Mete MC9 series pistols break down quickly into five major components for routine cleaning.
Prime Range Time
The relatively stubby Micro Nines have a well earned reputation for producing snappy levels of felt recoil. It's by no means uncontrollable, or overly punishing, but you do have to get used to it. The Prime's Crossover grip has the benefits of being relatively slim but long enough to provide full support for the shooting hand. This in conjunction with the grip stippling and the short, light trigger pull make the Prime a noticeably more controllable and comfortable pistol to work with.
The author found the Prime to be noticeably more comfortable to shoot than some other Micro Nine and Crossover pistols.
But Canik took the Prime's recoil management a step further by compensating the barrel. The two side ports vent the hot, high-pressure gases produced by the ignited gun powder in a V-pattern while the third central port vents the gases straight up. The result is an effective reduction in muzzle flip that contributes to getting the pistol back on target quickly and easily. Overall, this is a subcompact 9mm pistol that will be enjoyable to shoot at the range.
The Prime fed, fired and ejected properly with all ammunition and magazines tested.
As expected from previous Canik pistol evaluations, the Prime fed, fired and ejected all of the 9 mm loads tested without any malfunctions. The six factory magazines also proved to be utterly reliable throughout the course of informal and formal testing. The set included practice to premium-grade loads in standard and +P configurations. If there was an ammunition related issue, it was that I wanted to keep shooting it up after the evaluation was completed.
The tightest individual 5-shot group of 1.17” was punched out using the Winchester USA Ready Load.
Formal benchrested, 5-shot group accuracy testing was conducted at 15 yards using the Mecanik M04 optic. The ammunition used included Hornady's American Gunner, Novx ARX and Winchester USA Ready loads. A Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph was on hand to capture the average bullet muzzle velocities for 10-shot strings. Here are the results:
Parting Shots
I've been a fan of what Canik has to offer ever since my first evaluation of their pistols a few years ago. In the years since, the company has kept innovating and evolving without moving away from their core tenets of quality, reliability and affordable pricing. In particular, I appreciate the respect and appreciation the company shows to their customers by providing useful sets of support gear with their pistols. It's so gratifying to not have to dig around the internet looking for the basics like a second magazine, a holster that fits the pistol or a set of optics hardware.
The Canik Mete MC9 series now includes four configurations with suggested prices ranging from $439.99 to $649.99. Any one of them would be a solid choice for daily concealed carry. The tricked out American-Made Prime version is currently selling for real-world prices around $599. With the compensated barrel, night sights, competition-grade trigger and other upgrades, it can easily go toe-to-toe with competing models that cost more. For additional information about this and other Canik models distributed by Century Arms, visit centuryarms.com.
Pistol Specifications:
Distributor: Century Arms
Manufacturer: Canik USA
Model: Canik Mete MC9 Prime
Action: recoil-operated, locked-breech, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: 9 mm Luger
Barrel: 3.64” cold-hammer-forged steel, matte black nitride finish,six-groove rifling; 1:10" RH twist
Slide: carbon steel, matte black nitride finish
Frame: textured polymer
Sights: Night Fision Tritium, optics ready
Magazine: 17-round detachable box
Overall Length: 6.73”
Height: 5.43”
Width: 0.98" slide, 1.025" grip frame
Weight: 23.8-ozs. (with empty magazine and M04 optic)
Accessories: foam-lined travel case, two magazines, three backstraps, optics hardware and tools, belt holster with paddle, bronze bore brush, patch handle, roll pin punch, magazine loader, trigger lock, owner's manual
MSRP: $649.99
