Images by the author
First off, let me state that I am a fan of Canik pistols. I own an MC9L compact that sports a red dot. I really like this gun, so much so that when HiLight Tactical (weapon lights and lasers) offered to send me their new PX-4 light to review and wanted to know what pistol I would put it on, I asked that it fit the MC9L. It’s a very nice carry gun. For my review of that pistol, go here.
So, when I got the chance to review something from Canik with a longer barrel and higher capacity, I said yes, please. I inquired about a full-size 9mm, the Mete SFT Pro, and was sent one to review. This pistol features a five-inch barrel and one each 18- and 20-round magazine. It also has an RMR optics cut, a threaded barrel, and a very nice trigger. Talk about being set up for competition… You also get a reversible magazine release with optional different-sized buttons and an ambidextrous slide release. We’ll look at the specs and features in a minute.
I’ve had questions about the “Mete” part of the model designation of this line of Canik pistols. Here’s what I put in the earlier review… I’ll paraphrase it here in answer to those questions.
“Mete”?
I was curious about the term “mete”. In English, if you mete out justice, you dispense or administer justice. But Caniks are made in Turkey, so I looked it up. I was correct in assuming it means something different. Here is the reason they named this line of pistols Mete, according to Mr. Google…
Canik named their pistol line “METE” after a legendary Turkish hero, reflecting the line’s meaning of “evolution of superiority” and the firearm’s role as an upgrade to their older TP series pistols. The name also pays homage to Mete Khan, founder of the Xiongnu Empire, and means “king” or “nobleman” in ancient Turkish, fitting the firearms’ esteemed status as the next generation of Canik pistols.
And, you pronounce it “MEH-te”, with both e’s short, as in “bed”, accent on the first syllable.
Now we know where the “Mete” name originated. Once a teacher, always a teacher… sorry!
Why A Full-Size 9?
Now that we know where “mete” comes from, let’s look at another question. Why would you want a full-size 9mm? To be a smarty-aleck, why not? Not everyone is looking for a small-frame gun to stick in an IWB holster. Some of us like larger guns. Still, even though I’m a fan of full-size pistols – I own a 1911 and a High-Power clone, along with a longer-barreled 10mm and yet two other 5-inch 9s, and this doesn’t cover my revolvers – I wouldn’t want to try to carry them concealed. Shorter, smaller pistols have their place, and I own several of those.
But… what if you need a larger pistol? Even though the smaller-framed guns tend to drive the market these days, a longer-barreled gun still has its place. I can think of three quick reasons to own one.
First, there’s the “range toy” aspect. A five-inch-barreled 9mm will be eminently shootable in terms of recoil and muzzle flip. They’re just heavier and larger. You can put a couple of boxes of ammo through one and not have a sore hand or be otherwise inconvenienced afterwards.
Next, there’s the competition aspect. One of our sons really likes Steel Challenge contests and has a Ruger Mk IV .22 pistol all tricked out with Tandemkross accessories, a red dot, and a suppressor. But he has shot a 9mm in competition, too. He’s on the lookout for his/the perfect full-size 9mm comp gun and has a 2011 in the works. I could see this SFT 9 Pro being used in competitions, as well. As I mentioned above, it has a great trigger with a short reset, an optics cut, and a threaded barrel. Knowing that it comes with an 18- and a 20-round magazine helps, and you can buy extras with that higher capacity. Add in a suitable pistol range case, and you’re set.
Finally, this pistol would be great as a home defender. Gather in a few extra magazines, some quality ammo, and a decent light, and you’d be set. Living out as we do, I never know what I’ll find roaming around the property. I’m not as concerned about two-legged varmints as I am four-legged ones. We have a chicken coop that predators love. It’s been the final stop before oblivion for I don’t know how many possums, raccoons, and related critters. A full-frame 9mm with a suitable light/laser combo would go far to help instill a little peace of mind where chicken-related security is concerned. Add in a suppressor, and you’d have what I believe to be the perfect varmint problem-solver.
So… we see that full-size guns have their place. Now, let’s look at this pistol’s specifications and features…
Specifications
| Weight | 1.74 lbs (28 oz.), with an empty magazine |
| Capacity | 18 and 20, with one magazine each included |
| Front Sight | Tritium |
| Rear Sight | Blacked out, serrated |
| Finish Color | Stingray (Black, Razorback, and Stingray Two-Tone, optional) |
| Action Type | semi-auto |
| Frame Material | Synthetic |
| Overall Length | 8.10” |
| Barrel Length | 5.00” |
| Height | 5.75” |
| Width | 1.41” |
| MSRP | $624.99 |
Also included:
- Chrome-plated, fluted, ½ x 28 threaded barrel
- Magazine E-Z Loader & Gun Lock
- IWB/OWB RH Holster
- (2) Alternate backstraps for a custom fit
- Angled rear sight edge for emergency one-hand operation
- (2) Optic Plates & Co-Witness optics ready slide cut
- Low-profile ambidextrous slide stop release for easier engagement
- Canik Punch/Tool Kit & Cleaning Kit
- Short reset Single-Action Polymer trigger design with nickel-coated action components
- Aggressive front and rear slide serrations for positive-traction handling
- 1913 Picatinny under-barrel rail
- Removable magazine well
- Loaded chamber indicator
- Cocked striker indicator
- Limited Lifetime Warranty
What’s In The Box?
I was impressed with what came with the other Canik I reviewed. Open the hard plastic case, and you will find (besides the pistol, of course):
- Two extra backstraps
- One extra magazine
- A cute “tiny pistol” tool kit with bits
- A bore brush
- A bore jag-tip rod
- A punch for the grip adapter pin
- The ever-present lock
- A wrench to remove the threaded barrel cover nut
- And, a right-hand IWB holster
- Two red dot adapter plates
- The owner’s manual and other documents
To say they go overboard with extras is an understatement. The little pistol-shaped tool kit is not only great engineering, but it looks good sitting in the foam.
Note that the rear sight has what some call a “tactical ledge” that allows you to cycle the slide one-handed.
Here’s a bit more detail on the extras…
The “tool kit” is very handy. It includes what you see here:
The mag well is removable if you don’t want it.
I replaced the backstrap that came installed on the gun with a smaller one. This gun’s grip is large enough that I didn’t need the extra curve in the strap, so I swapped it out. Pretty easy.
To change the backstrap, remove the mag well – one hex-head screw and the included tool kit will allow that, above. Then, use the included punch and press the backstrap’s roll pin out. I didn’t need a hammer – It came out fairly easily, but it’s stout enough not to move once in place.
More Photos
I deliberately chose the “Stingray” finish over plain black, as it’s different. I saw a YouTube review of this particular gun, and I liked the way it looked. It is attractive in its own way. I know of at least one daughter-in-law who would love to end up with it, since it’s a good shooter and not black… that says something for the Stingray color, I reckon!
Anyway, here you go…
In terms of sights, the front tritium has a white ring around it, which makes it easy to acquire. If you want, you can mount the new Trijicon footprint RMRCC red dot directly on the slide. You also get two adapter plates to mount a Shield RMS/SMS sight, as well. This gun has a loaded chamber indicator – a slot cut into the rear of the barrel – and a cocked striker indicator. You can see that below:
The rear sight’s cut isn’t exactly square, and it isn’t exactly a U-notch… It’s square, but wth rounded corners, if that makes sense. That’s visible in the shot above. It works.
As for the slide and barrel, I didn’t take the muzzle nut off, but you get the idea. The feed ramp is polished Springfield-Armory-bright…
Note the thread designation 1/2×28. Also, the flutes are straight… that’s something I don’t see a lot of the time. Usually, they’re in a spiral configuration.
The inside of the frame. When I look at this pistol, one word comes to mind: clean. Everything is clean and sharp, from the machining to the finish.
Here’s a close-up of the right side, showing the flat-faced trigger, slide release, and takedown lever. Each side has a small, textured rectangle above the front of the trigger guard. I imagine this is supposed to be a resting spot for your off-hand thumb, and, on the other side, a place to stage your trigger finger before it hits the trigger. The trigger guard is undercut pretty deeply.
Speaking of that trigger, I can’t say enough good things about it. It had, maybe, a quarter-inch of take-up. When you hit the wall, it broke at a measured 3 pounds, 10 ounces average. The trigger reset occurred when it had moved about ⅛” forward. I have reviewed dozens of pistols over many years, and it is extremely rare to find one with such properties. Talk about a great trigger for a competition gun!
You get one 18- and one 20-round magazine…
One touch that I wanted to highlight is the magazine release button. If you don’t like this one, you can get others. Notice how high it sits – it’s hard to miss. My only problem is that it interferes with my wrong-handed, lefty grip. I will move it to the other side – that’s a solution. The actual process isn’t easy – there are YouTube videos that show how to do it – but once moved, it’s out of the way.
All in all, this is one decent-looking, decent-shooting pistol.
Range Time
Black Hills provides ammo for my reviews, for which I am grateful. I took an assortment of their 9mm ammo to my brand-new hand-built shooting bench in my backyard and set some targets up at 25 yards.
I tried three 9mm loads: 115-grain FMJ, 124-grain JHP, and 100-grain HoneyBadger (no typo). I wanted to see if the Lehigh-bullet-stoked HB load was the most accurate of the three, as has happened in several previous reviews. The fastest load, the most accurate… a novel concept! Plus, it typically shoots close to the point of aim. This defense load is amazing… it usually penetrates deeply into my Clear Ballistics gel blocks, but does not deform. We’ve dug these machined, solid copper bullets out of wood, and they look like they could be loaded again. Talk about an interesting bullet and load!
I feel I need to mention that I have had a few vision issues, and I sometimes have a bit of a problem keeping the front and rear sights in focus on the target. This is not said as an excuse, but please understand that younger eyes (or possibly a red dot) might show better accuracy. I just didn’t have a red dot handy that would fit this gun.
The gun shot high and to the right. The “right” would be easily corrected, either by drifting the rear sight to the left or by adding a red dot. A red dot is about the only way to solve the “high”, unless you adopt a 6:00 hold. Anyway, here are a few representative targets…
125-grain subsonic HoneyBadger
115-grain FMJ
124-grain JHP
These targets don’t reveal pinpoint accuracy. That might be because they were shot just about as soon as I could get the gun home and out of its case… I was anxious to try it after dry-firing. I realized just how sweet the crisp trigger and miniscule reset were, and I wanted to sling some lead. I set a Birchwood Casey bag on my new bench and put targets up. These were among the first targets I shot… I hope to do more when the weather breaks. It’s been a real doozy of a winter in the Hoosier state, and now it’s colder than a well-digger’s belt buckle. As for the large, green Bear Creek Arsenal targets, I like to use those when I’m not sure how far off center a gun will put its shots. This gun was one that needed larger targets, as the gun shot high and to the right. I’m glad I didn’t pull out my smaller, eight-inch targets.
All in all, the point of impact issue could be resolved as I explained above. I’m not worried about it. If I decided to run this pistol in the next Steel Challenge competition, it would be fine. I do hope they wait ‘til it warms up a bit…
Other than the high/right thing, how did the gun shoot? It was very soft-shooting. Even though its weight is under 30 ounces, the gun’s larger size and grip allowed me to hold it on target easily. The five-inch barrel tends not to rise as far in recoil as shorter barrels. Since I shoot left-handed, having the longer-levered slide release replicated on the right side really helped. Along the same line, I could see moving the mag release to the right side, as well, as mentioned above..
Taking It Apart
So, we just shot it, so now we clean it, right? I’ll discuss the coming-apart process, as it’s just a bit different than what you may be used to. It is really easier to take this apart than the Glock-style levers that you have to pull down. The slide doesn’t. Doesn’t slide off, that is… it just pops off and goes back on very easily.
- First, pull the mag and empty the chamber.
- Next, pull the trigger to lower the striker.
- Now, pull the two takedown tabs over the trigger down.
- With your other thumb, push the slide forward about an inch.
- Pull the slide up and off the frame. Separate the spring and barrel and clean.
To reassemble:
- First, put the barrel back into the slide.
- Next, put the spring in with the large flat end facing the chamber.
- Then, use your thumb to press the spring down and toward the muzzle.
- Line the slide grooves up with the frame tabs and press it down.
- Cycle the slide and test for function.
To Sum It Up
I don’t think this pistol will be carried concealed much, but who knows… It may, however, be staged in a competitive or home defense scenario.
What it will do is be shot, probably a lot. The gun is flat-out fun to shoot. There’s not much recoil, and it has a nice grip to hold onto. Add in a threaded barrel, the great rigger, and an optics cut… there’s a lot to like here. Even if you don’t mount a red dot, you still have a really nice tritium front sight with a serrated, black rear sight. Add in the high-capacity magazines, removable mag well, and interchangeable backstraps, and you have a pistol that becomes very interesting very quickly.
The included holster is just icing on the cake. For a full-size, striker-fired pistol, this one is definitely worth a look.
Links To Items Used In This Review
- Bear Creek Arsenal Paper Target, 25 Pack, $10
- Birchwood Casey Filled Shooting Bags, $40
- Black Hills Ammunition
- Caldwell 66% AR500 Steel Silhouette Target, $127
- Caldwell Ultimate Target Stand, $33
- Clear Ballistics Gel, various prices
- GPS Medium Range Bag, $150
- UpLULA universal pistol magazine loader, $35
- Walker Game Ear Firemax Active Hearing Protection, $160
- Wheeler Trigger Pull Gauge, $88
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