Canik TP9 Elite Combat: Why Canik's 'Combat' Pistol Is Ideal For Defense

What happens when Salient Arms International meets Century Arms? The answer is one of the most innovative collaborations to hit the firearms industry. Merging their strengths, the two companies built upon the popular and versatile Canik TP9 Elite, creating the Canik TP9 Elite Combat (TP9EC). The creation of the TP9EC has brought about the most advanced Canik pistol to date, eliminating the term “optional.” This pistol, designed with Canik ingenuity, comes standard with performance upgrades designed by Salient Arms. This possibly ushers in an entirely new generation of Canik handguns.

I had the pleasure of visiting with Century Arms to talk about the new handgun and was thrilled to have an opportunity to run it. The first thing to catch my eye was the new flat-face aluminum trigger design. This seemingly small difference made a huge impact because the trigger safety is the full width of the trigger. This allows for better ergonomics, giving a more comfortable feel while shooting. The flat-face aluminum trigger also helps to eliminate pre-travel or “take-up.” This is the distance in which the trigger travels before engaging the sear. Combined, this generates a smooth and clean trigger press breaking at just 5 pounds.

I was also able to get a good purchase on the grip, while the fiber-optic sights allowed for quick sight acquisition. I always say that I am not a “fan girl” of any gun, but I found myself not wanting to put it down. Even in the cold with the rain/snow, I stayed, thoroughly impressed while shooting the TP9EC.

Custom Features

Salient Arms designed many of the custom features on the TP9EC. The handgun come with a proprietary, convex-thread protector with 13.5x1mm left-hand threads. This protects the threads when not running it suppressed. A fluted and nitride-coated, match-grade barrel is one of the components that make this pistol so accurate. Match grade barrels have a higher tolerance, giving improved accuracy, while the nitride coating brings more durability. An aluminum speed funnel magazine well assists with fast feeding of magazines. The fiber-optic sight set rounds out Salient’s contribution to the TP9EC.

New custom Canik features include an aluminum magazine extension that adds three round to capacity. The new flat-faced aluminum trigger design, creating better ergonomics. An extended magazine release enables a shorter reach, while giving quicker manipulations on releasing the magazine. The internal components and small parts are nitride or high-wear nickel-coated, giving it long life and resistance to harsh environments. The slide, barrel and small steel parts are also nitride-coated, giving the same benefits. Additionally, Canik coated the slide with FDE Cerackote. This slide also comes optics ready with adapter plates and charging handle.

Defensive Wonder

All this culminated into one pistol makes the Canik TP9 Elite Combat a wonderful option for defense. Obviously ready to go as a personal-defense, everyday carry gun. But it also is a great option for home defense. It’s optic ready and the addition of a light and laser would make it a perfect for the home. Either way, you can’t go wrong with the TP9EC.

As you can see, the collaboration between Salient Arms and Century Arms was not just “thrown together.” They gave time and attention to customers’ needs. The TP9 Elite Combat is truly a unique gun that gives you out of the box options that otherwise would have to be sought out. If you get the opportunity, I recommend trying the TP9EC out for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.