Have you ever held a Canik or had a chance to shoot one of their pistols? It’s an experience that will put a smile on your face. Especially when you see the quality for yourself, not to mention the price tag. Canik is currently imported into the USA from Turkey via Century Arms. Another powerhouse of a company in itself. Recently, Canik released two new models in their METE line: the MC9L (L= Long Grip) and the MC9LS (LS= Long Grip & Slide).
The Canik METE MC9L & MC9LS
I’ve had the opportunity to play with most of the Canik METE series of pistols. I have to say that I’m very impressed. Gone are the days of old, when Canik was a newer company that put out Walther P99 and CZ Clones.
The quality was always there, but the technology was antiquated. Then Century Arms brought in some brilliant minds to help lead them into the 21st century. Both companies started producing some of the finer firearms in the industry but without the “sell your kidney” price tag. I’ll take that as a win any day.
Seriously, when Canik released the TP9 Elite Subcompact a few years back, I tested it for PDW Concealed Carry Handguns magazine. Then, we had the idea to shoot a brand-new Glock 26 (Gen4) side by side while at the range.
I invited a couple of other shooters over to check it out and shoot both with my ammo. Hey, only a weirdo passes up an opportunity to shoot someone else’s guns and ammo.
After they were done shooting the Canik, I asked them which gun they preferred. Which gun was more comfortable to shoot and had a better factory trigger? Basically, which pistol did they like best? It was a unanimous agreement that, based on that experience, the Canik came out on top over the Glock.
Two pistols of almost equal size and capacity, but not exactly “equal” in every way. There is a reason for this. Follow me for a few minutes, and I’ll elaborate.
The METE Series Comes Ready to Go
The new Canik METE series MC9L and MC9LS are both newer offerings from Canik Firearms. Aesthetically, they are attractive-looking pistols. Both models are available in three separate offerings: all black, all FDE (Flat Dark Earth), and finally, a 2-tone with a black slide and FDE frame.
Each comes with a hard case that contains a chamber and patch brush, a punch, and a neat little screw and driver holder that is shaped like a little Canik pistol. Also inside the case is the obligatory gun lock, two different frame backstraps, and a right-handed holster.
Oh, did I forget to mention each ship with two 17-round mags? That’s a lot of freedom seeds in the grip! Well, only if you don’t live in a restrictive state like I do here in Washington. Mine had to be 10-rounders to be “complaint” with the laws here.
That’s okay, a road trip out of state for the standard capacity 17-rounders is worth it.
The MC9L and MC9LS Accessory Options
Both the Canik METE MC9L & MC9LS are optics-ready and accept the modified RMSc/Holosun K series footprint. For the dimensions of these pistols, it’s a perfect-sized footprint for a compact red dot.
Each of these models offers a 3-slot rail on the frame for attaching a light or laser or Maglite with duct tape if that’s your thing. The slide-stop lever is particularly nice on both sides of the frame, which is handy for the Southpaws out there.
We know that the designers over at Canik also have a sense of humor because, behind the slide stop lever on the left side of the frame, it’s stamped “Read Manual Before Use.”
Most of us know to always assume a firearm is loaded. However, the Canik utilizes two different methods to tell the user that it’s locked, cocked, and ready to rock. The first is a loaded chamber indicator that pops up just behind the ejection window. The second is a red striker indicator visible through a port in the slide end cap, indicating the striker is retracted and ready to fire.
Getting on Target
Personally, I don’t understand why Canik uses dovetail-patterned front and rear iron sights. Glock pattern sights would be easier to install for most people and much easier to find aftermarket choices for replacements.
However, with that said, if you run an optic, my advice would be to leave the factory sights on. Just take some matte black model paint and carefully dab over the white dot on the front sight post. This way, your front and rear sights are blacked out and won’t interfere with your dot acquisition in a hurry but are available if you have a total optics failure of some sort.
It just makes sense and a pistol red dot course over at the renowned Thunder Ranch confirmed as much.
If you plan on running either of these pistols with just iron sights, I highly recommend replacing the factory sights. Unfortunately, since Canik chooses to be different with their sight “footprint,” you are very limited.
The recommended factory replacement night sights are made by Night Fision and are offered on the Canik product web page for $108 MSRP. I advise spending the extra dough on the Holosun SCS Carry and black out the factory front sight.
Other than the style of sights, I honestly can’t find anything that I don’t like about either of these pistols.
A Tried-and-True Factory Trigger
Have you tried the factory trigger on these heaters? Canik has become known for its amazing factory triggers. Using a Wheeler trigger pull gauge, I was getting consistent hits at 5 lbs. for each model. That is actually a perfect weight for defense. Most law enforcement agencies won’t approve anything under 4.5 lbs for a duty/off-duty gun anyway.
The easiest way to put it, it feels like a fine two-stage trigger in a pistol. Once you put your finger on the bang switch, you can pull it until it sends a freedom seed. Or you can bring the trigger straight back to the wall and stay there or let off if the threat no longer exists.
Don’t forget to say “please” a lot and thank the bad guy for their cooperation as a crowd will undoubtedly be filming you. Those might help offset all of the F-bombs that you’re subconsciously hurling at the turd who is posing a threat.
Running the METE Duo with an Optic
I chose the new Holosun SCS Carry for this project with a green 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle. For the record, Canik offers their own line of optics called the “Mecanik.” However, I did not have one on hand for this review and wanted to try a closed-emitter type of optic on the Canik MC9LS.
There is no external serviceable battery on the SCS line from Holosun. It’s an internal 20,000-hour rated battery that is charged by the sun called Solar Failsafe. There is a really cool feature that auto-adjusts the brightness of the dot or circle to your environment, such as going from a sunny outside into a darkened room. It also allows the user to override it if they want a constant setting.
The Holosun Shake Awake feature has been a crowd favorite for some time and doesn’t disappoint on the SCS, either. Shake Awake automatically powers down the optic when it’s not in use but instantly powers on when it senses even the slightest movement. Think of the optic as being in a kind of hibernation that is also hyper-aware. It prolongs the battery life.
All of these features are housed in a tough-as-nails 7075 T6 aluminum housing. So far, it’s a solid optic, which I never doubted. I’ve got an older Holosun 507 ACSS that is missing a couple of the small solar panels on top due to a torture test. However, it still works just like the day It came out of the box.
The SCS Carry is just the right-sized optic for either of these pistols, and it’s cut so that the factory sights can still be utilized. Be confident when using Holosun optics, they can take a serious beating and still work as designed.
MC9L and MC9LS Details
Here are a couple of interesting tidbits for comparison if you are shopping for a compact/subcompact pistol. Canik really did its homework on the METE MC9L & MC9LS.
For fans of the Glock 43X MOS, check this out. The Glock 43X is 6.5 inches L x 1.10 inches W x 5.04 inches tall (with mag). It weighs in at 18.55 ounces and has a 3.41-inch barrel. The Canik METE MC9L, on the other hand, is 6.27 inches L x 1.14 inches W x 5.43 inches tall (with mag) and weighs in at 22.22 ounces with a 3.18-inch barrel length.
Now, take those comparisons and look at them closely. Understand that Glock once again dropped the ball and offered the market a 10-round standard mag. However, Canik retrieved Glock’s fumble and carried it in for a touchdown with a standard 17-round magazine.
Also noteworthy is that the 20-rounders from my Canik Mete SFT fit these new compact offerings from Canik.
Fair to mention, the Glock 43X MOS comes with a couple of 10-rounders and a trigger lock for an MSRP of $531.99. The Canik METE MC9L and all of its goodies come in at $499.99.
I’m not the best at math. As a matter of fact, I still do cop math, meaning that if I run out of fingers, I take off my boots and count my toes. It doesn’t take an underwater basketweaving rocket scientist, though, to see the better deal here.
Shooting the METE MC9L and MC9L
These pistols were a genuine pleasure to shoot. Out of about 150 rounds shot through each gun, there was no malfunction or stoppage to note. Both of these Canik’s ran flawlessly! As you can see from the shot tables below, they cycled through six different loads each.
Neither of these Canik’s showed more recoil than any other make/model heater of this size. Likewise, both were easy as pie to bring back on target after each shot. Performing Mozambique (failure) drills were stupid simple, despite the shorter barrel lengths. All of this was done in 37 degrees (F) overcast weather, with it lightly raining.
The more people get their hands on a Canik, the more popular they become. Think about it logically for a moment. You are more apt to be involved in a self-defense shooting today than at any point in our nation’s history.
You can spend thousands of dollars on an EDC gun, and that is just fine. But understand, you’ll most likely lose it for a while, if not forever once the cops are involved, if you do have to defend yourself.
The goal is to have a firearm that will go bang every time, while still not breaking the bank. After all, one simply cannot put a price tag on a life. That said, if you can spend $499 on an unquestioningly reliable subcompact Canik that holds more rounds than a Glock 19, then you have extra coin for the Holosun SCS Carry. It’s a win/win.
Buy either of these Canik models with nothing but confidence.
For more information, please visit Canik.com.
Canik METE MC9L Specs
| Caliber | 9mm (9×19) |
| Magazine Capacity | 17+1 |
| Trigger Weight | Approx. 5 pounds |
| Sights | Factory white dot |
| Barrel Length | 3.18 inches |
| Weight | 22.22 ounces (empty mag) |
| Overall Length | 6.27 inches |
| Height | 5.43 inches |
| Safety | Striker Fired |
| MSRP | $499.99 |
Performance
| Prvi Partizan 124gr. FMJ | |
| Velocity | 956 FPS |
| Accuracy | 1 inches |
| PMC 115 gr. FMJ | |
| Velocity | 1042 FPS |
| Accuracy | 1.7 inches |
| Federal Syntech Range 115gr. TSJ | |
| Velocity | 1094 FPS |
| Accuracy | .8 inches |
| HSM 115 JHP | |
| Velocity | 1089 FPS |
| Accuracy | 1 inches |
| Federal Syntech Defense 138gr. SJHP | |
| Velocity | 1017 FPS |
| Accuracy | 1.1 inches |
| Hornady FlexLock Critical Duty 135gr. | |
| Velocity | 1096 FPS |
| Accuracy | .7 inches |
Canik METE MC9LS Specs
| Caliber | 9mm (9×19) |
| Magazine Capacity | 17+1 |
| Trigger Weight | Approx. 5lbs |
| Sights | Factory white dot |
| Barrel Length | 3.64 inches |
| Weight | 23.77 ounces |
| Overall Length | 6.75 inches |
| Height | 5.43 inches |
| Safety | Striker Fired |
| Optic | Holosun SCS Carry – MSRP $470.00 |
| MSRP | $499.99 (pistol only) |
Performance
| Prvi Partizan 124gr. FMJ | |
| Velocity | 1022 FPS |
| Accuracy | 1.3 inches |
| PMC 115 gr. FMJ | |
| Velocity | 1026 FPS |
| Accuracy | .9 inches |
| Federal Syntech Range 115gr. TSJ | |
| Velocity | 1111 FPS |
| Accuracy | 1.1 inches |
| HSM 115 JHP | |
| Velocity | 1080 FPS |
| Accuracy | .7 inches |
| Federal Syntech Defense 138gr. SJHP | |
| Velocity | 1069 FPS |
| Accuracy | .8 inches |
| Hornady FlexLock Critical Duty 135gr. | |
| Velocity | 1160 FPS |
| Accuracy | 1.3 inches |
Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in FPS by Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph, and accuracy in inches for best three-shot groupings at 10 yards, from an MTM High-Low Shooting Table. Ambient Temp was 37 degrees F. w/ light rain. Garman Chronograph protected by Pelican!
