Comprehensive CANiK TTI Combat Review

A TTI Combat Master pistol will forever be on my list of guns I want to own one day. But the price tag can be hard for most people to swallow. The great news is that the latest collaboration between CANiK and TTI makes owning a Combat pistol much more realistic. It’s a hell of a gun loaded with features. Likewise, it comes with everything you need to compete or just plink around, straight from the gun shop to the shooting range.

What the CANiK TTI Combat Comes With

CANiK is killing it with everything it includes when you buy a handgun from the company. I’ve purchased many CANiKs over the years and have always been blown away by the value offered with its firearms. CANiK includes optic plates, spare front sight fiber, different magazine release sizes, cleaning tools, various back strap sizes, a holster, and more, depending on what gun you purchase.

The CANiK TTI Combat is an Affordable TTI Pistol.

I don’t know of any other handgun manufacturer that includes all of this when you purchase a gun. I almost always must purchase or “claim” a third-party optic plate and wait for it to ship before I can mount my red dot of choice.

The CANiK TTI Combat comes with a hard case fully loaded with extras, including:

Holster
Collector coin
Optic plates
Optic torque tools
Two magazines (one with an extended base pad)
Interchangeable back straps
Cleaning tools and a punch
Speedloader
Mini CANiK containing spare set screws
Recoil spring.

The pistol comes with everything you need to get you on the range right out of the box. — (Photo by Kelly Zachary)

I’m unsure if the CANiK TTI Combat will include the MECANIK MO3 competition red dot optic. However, this optic, manufactured by CANiK, shipped with mine. I was excited to see this optic for myself, as I haven’t been able to try it yet.

In this review, I’ll go over the value of what this gun comes with and the performance of the pistol so far.

Hard Case

First, you get a super nice hard travel case that is TSA-approved and ready to fly. The quality of the hard case is crucial for air travel. You need something rugged and durable that can withstand being tossed around while staying locked and sealed.

To understand the value in that alone, similar Pelican, Nanuk, or Plano pistol hard cases run $50-$80. There are two locking keyholes for locks and a carrying handle to make transportation easy.

The most impressive part is the inside foam has outlined cuts for everything the gun comes with. You’d have to spend a lot of time custom shaping an aftermarket hard case to fit your gun, magazines, optic, holster, and whatever else you need.

The CANiK TTI Combat comes in a solid TSA-approved case. — (Photo by Kelly Zachary)

Custom Holster

The CANiK TTI Combat comes with a custom holster molded specifically for this pistol with an adjustable retention knob. I own several CANiK pistols, and each new design requires a new holster to fit each one properly.

Often, when a new pistol hits the market, the aftermarket support, especially in the holster world, is nonexistent. It can take a while before you see holster manufacturers catch up to new models and make proper retention holsters for them.

This is a big issue for people who plan to use their new gun for concealed carry, duty, or competition. Not to mention wanting a place to retain it while out on the range.

You might not prefer the specific holster design or retention level. However, CANiK makes it possible for you to enjoy your new pistol as soon as you open the hard case.

Taran Tactical Innovation Base Pads

With the combination of Taran Tactical Innovations (TTI) and CANiK, this pistol is a total knockout for both brands. This Combat comes with two TTI base pads, one flush fit, and one that adds +3 rounds of capacity.

Some firearm manufacturers have caught up with the times and include these optional magazine extensions, as they are in demand by many end users. To purchase more extended base pads, you can visit TaranTacticalInnovations.com.

I own the CANiK SFx, Rival, and Rival-S, in addition to the TTI Combat. All the full-size magazines manufactured by CANiK fit these handguns. This makes it easy for anyone who already has a collection of magazines to be ready to compete with the TTI Combat immediately.

Commemorative CANiK/TTI Coin

Who doesn’t love a custom, special challenge coin? Each CANiK TTI Combat ships with a commemorative coin that you can proudly display in a case or on a wall. It comes enclosed in a hard, clear plastic case. One side is engraved with the TTI logo, and the other is engraved with the CANiK logo.

Recoil Spring and Compensator

I was shocked to see that one of the parts CANiK included was an extra recoil spring guide assembly. This is the first time one of their handguns came with this. If you’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs of pistol compensators or tuning a handgun to your ammunition, this one part can be crucial for performance.

The compensator and extra recoil spring and guide help to mitigate recoil. — (Photo by Kelly Zachary)

The compensator is easily removable if the shooting sports division you want to compete in does not allow for it. Or if you just prefer shooting without the compensator.

A compensator can help reduce felt recoil and is usually best paired with ammunition that has a higher velocity to make it run more effectively. For example, there is typically a large variance in velocity between 115-grain and 147-grain 9mm. The heavier projectile is slower and can be too slow for the compensator to do its job. This leads to improper cycling of the slide.

The author shooting the CANiK TTI Combat. — (Photo by Kelly Zachary)

Other factors that contribute to the pistol’s proper cycling are the recoil spring and whether you add a mass (optic) on top of the slide. I suggest trying the recoil spring guide assembly that the gun comes with. Then try the additional one with whatever optic you choose to mount and with a handful of types of ammunition.

This gun absolutely sings with the right combination of all these things and is a joy to shoot once you get the recipe right.

Feeding the TTI Combat

I found the Federal Syntech and Blazer 115-grain 9mm ammunition to work the compensator the best. The gun’s performance was what I expected it to be, and CANiK, as usual, built an accurate shooting pistol.

The flared magwell helps facilitate faster reloads. — (Photo by Kelly Zachary)

I like to shoot 147-grain 9mm through most of my polymer pistols. This is because the lower velocity causes much less felt recoil and allows the gun to return to zero faster.

The Super Vel 147-grain competition 9mm worked best without the compensator. However, it still meets the power factor if you shoot USPSA, IDPA, or other shooting sports that require a minimum average velocity through your gun.

MECANiK MO3 Red Dot Optic

The CANiK TTI Combat pistol is optics-ready and has a low-profile mounting plate with the Trijicon RMR footprint. The MECANiK MO3 red dot was designed with this popular footprint and can be mounted immediately to the pistol.

The CANiK TTI Combat has an optic cut, with the Trijicon RMR footprint. — (Photo by Kelly Zachary)

Lately, the trend in the competition world has been bigger windows and larger MOA dots. Some of the most popular competition optics these days are the Holosun 507Comp, Trijicon SRO, and Leupold Delta Point Pro, to name a few. These all have large windows and large dot sizes or multiple reticle options. The MO3 is on par with the size of the window, and I think CANiK was right to design it with a 6 MOA dot.

The major difference between the MO3 and these optics is the price. It’s a third of the price of an SRO, half the price of a Leupold, and a little more than half the price of the Holosun.

The MECANiK MO3 red dot was designed with this popular footprint and can be mounted immediately to the pistol.

It uses the popular CR2032 battery and is motion-activated like the Holosun Shake Awake Technology. Likewise, it has an auto-shutoff mode and two night and eight daylight brightness settings. CANiK advertises an up to 60,000-hour battery life, and the optic is covered by the MECANiK optic warranty.

CANiK TTI Combat: Worth the Hype?

I have been a fan of CANiK pistols since before anyone really knew about the company and the quality of these firearms. As I mentioned earlier, I own the SFx, Rival, and Rival-S pistols and don’t keep them in my gun safe. I have competed with all three of these pistols in USPSA and 3-Gun competitions.

The author has many CANiK pistols like the TTI Combat, SFx, Rival, and Rival-S. — (Photo by Kelly Zachary)

The Rival is probably my favorite gun of them all because it was truly designed for competition. From the trigger design to the texturing on the grip to being optic-ready, it has everything I need in the box to go compete.

I have experienced shooting targets out to 50 yards with a pistol in multiple 3-Gun competitions and can attest to the accuracy of the CANiK pistols. Plus, the reliability of these guns is on point. They run in all temperatures and conditions, whether I clean and oil them or not.

Getting back to the CANiK TTI Combat pistol. I have shot this gun multiple times before getting my hands on my own. Now, I have already shot 800 rounds of 9mm through mine. As with my previous experiences with CANiK pistols, it’s reliable, accurate, and a steal of a value with all its extras.

I am once again blown away by what CANiK is cooking up in Turkey. Likewise, I am excited to see this gun hit the market and show up in my competition shooting world soon!

For more information, please visit CANiKUSA.com.

CANiK TTI Combat Specs

Action	Semi-automatic/Striker-fired
Caliber	9mm
Barrel Length	4.6 inches
Barrel Details	Ported/Spiral Fluted Barrel (non-threaded) with a Quick Detach Compensator
Length	7.85 inches
Width	1.41 inches
Height	5.87 inches
Weight	29.3 ounces
Capacity	18 or 21 rounds
Front Sight	Dovetailed/Fiber Optic Front Sight
Rear Sight	Dovetailed/Blacked Out/Serrated Rear Sight
Grip	Aggressive TTI Grip Texturing
Magwell	Removable Aluminum Competition Magwell
Slide	Lightning Cut Slide
MSRP	$949.99