It was a veritable gun buffet. A horde of new-hungry Athlon Outdoors gun scribes gathered once again in the Teton Valley last October to get a taste of what’s new in the gun world at the annual Rendezvous. A couple of items of note were the Canik METE series, with the METE SFX and METE SFT.
The Canik METE Series
Imported by Century Arms from Turkey, the METE is a polymer-framed, striker-fired 9mm with enough accessories to make TV pitchman Billy Mays proud. When you flip the lid on the METE’s polymer hard-side case you’ll find small, medium, and large grip extensions, a paddle holster, three magazines, flared magwell, mag loader, punch, and in the words of pitchman Bill, “There’s more!”
Canik got a leg up in the handgun market a few years ago with their initial offering, their TP9SA model for under $400. I got to visit with Canik importer Century Arms’ Adam Ruonala to get the skinny on the new Canik.
Based near the Turkish mountain bearing its name, Canik has been a significant player in the aerospace defense industry for 22 years, 12 of which as a significant firearms manufacturer. The new METE series incorporates changes, like an integrally flared mag-well, aggressive texturing, a double undercut trigger guard, a low-profile slide stop lever, and angled rear sight.
Digging a little deeper, the METE offers a very impressive trigger pull. As good as any striker-fired pistol you can find. The low-profile magazine release is ambidextrous, too.
A three-dot front-and-rear sight combination is pretty standard fare, but the METE offers a co-witnessing optics-ready slide cut, too. Remove the cover plate and you can mount a Trijicon RMRcc or several other micro-optics. Another prime feature of the METE is the internals of this pistol are held together with a series of pins. Hence the included punch to make quick mods of clean up after a day of range work.
Great Looking Affordable Option
The METE offers a pretty cool look, too, with its two-tone styling. The slide, with front and rear serrations, is Ceracote black. The frame is FDE polymer. Ready to mount a weapon light, well, the METE offers a Pic rail, too.
A little trigger time with the METE didn’t disappoint, either. I got to put a half dozen 18-round mags through the pistol without a hiccup. The METE won’t bust the budget, either. When you can find them (rest assured Canik is building and shipping as fast as possible), the METE will have an MSRP of $519.99 (METE SFT) or $574.99 (METE SFX).
For more information, please visit Canikusa.com.
Canik METE Series SFT Specs
Weight: 1.74 lbs
Capacity: 18/20+1 rounds
Front Sight: White Dot
Rear Sight: White Dot
Cartridge: 9mm Luger
Magazine Type: Canik Full Size Magazine
Finish Color: Black Slide, FDE Frame
Action Type: Semi-Automatic
Frame Material: Synthetic
Overall Length: 7.56 inches
Barrel Length: 4.46 inches
Height: 5.72 inches
Width: 1.41 inches
MSRP: $519.99
Canik METE Series SFX Specs
Weight: 1.88 lbs
Capacity: 18/20+1 rounds
Front Sight: White Dot
Rear Sight: White Dot
Cartridge: 9mm Luger
Magazine Type: Canik Full Size Magazine
Finish Color: Black Slide, FDE Frame
Action Type: Semi-Automatic
Frame Material: Synthetic
Overall Length: 8.29 inches
Barrel Length: 5.2 inches
Height: 5.75 inches
Width: 1.41 inches
MSRP: $574.99
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