Canik MC9 carried in CrossBreed Reckoning Holster

When it comes to concealed carry, the key to success is consistency. We consistently carry, day in and day out, even if we don’t perceive a threat. We consistently carry our firearms in the same place, in the same manner, so we don’t have to play the “Where is my gun?” game during an emergency.

Also, we shouldn’t change EDC guns like we change underwear. We need to decide on a gun that works for us and then rely on our faith and confidence in that gun to be our lifesaving tool in crisis.

Looking back at the last 30 plus years that I have been carrying a concealed handgun, I believe I have used four, perhaps five, different handguns since 1992 when I earned my Ohio State Peace Officers Certification.  

Canik USA METE MC9

A couple of years ago, my friends at Century Arms, owners of Canik USA, informed me that something big was in the works as far as the Canik pistol line was concerned. I got my hands on the METE SFT pistol and truly enjoyed shooting it. In my opinion, the METE  pistols are even better than the original TP9 series, which were great guns.

Last year when I heard that Canik was coming out with a “subcompact” gun, I thought I’d seen that movie before with the Canik TP9 Sub Elite.

As it turned out, the METE MC9 pistol uses the same magazines as the TP9 Sub Elite. However, as much as I appreciated the Sub Elite for CCW/EDC, the MC9 feels even better in the hand. Holding the gun steady at ten yards, the first two bullets of the Black Hills HoneyBadger ammunition I fired were on paper, right where the front sight was aimed. I was excited to test this new gun.

During my initial review of the MC9 pistol, I used a wide variety of 9x19mm ammunition from numerous manufacturers. The little pistol consumed it all without issue. My son Zach and I shot the pistol two-handed, single-hand right and single-hand left. No problems. From 15 yards, putting rounds onto a steel half-silhouette wasn’t an issue. 

We used the 12- and 15-round magazines that came with the pistol. Although the magazines are categorized as “subcompact” in the Canik USA literature, just like sticking a G17 magazine into a GLOCK 26, you can slide an 18-round SFT magazine into the MC9…it just hangs out, semi-naked from the grip.

Like its big brothers, the MC9 has an optic cut on the slide from the factory. You can mount a Shield RMSc optic directly on the MC9 slide without any adapters. All the tools and hardware to do so come in the MC9 pistol package.

The Canik pistol package also arrives with three different sizes of backstraps, a flat base and finger rest base for the 12 round mag, a mag loading tool, a tool to change the backstraps, and a polymer holster. Oh, and a cleaning brush.

At an MSRP of $439, it’s like you are stealing the gun. 

Carrying the Canik MC9

As mentioned at the outset, I take the subject of concealed carry seriously and I don’t change out my EDC gun lightly. Since I picked up the MC9 and did the initial review, I’ve been considering carrying the gun. Before I made the switch, though, I wanted to run through some more challenging drills.

Once more, I packed up the steel targets along with my gear bag and a can full of 9mm NATO ammunition for a day at the range. With every magazine I put through the little pistol, I grew to like it more and more until my feelings were bordering on love.

MC9 pistol will hold 15 plus 1 rounds with the extended magazine.

Having made the decision to carry the Canik METE MC9 pistol, I needed a serious CCW holster. The choice wasn’t difficult. I have been wearing a CrossBreed Reckoning in the IWB configuration for about three years now.

A trip to the CrossBreed website led me to order something a bit more fancy than the norm. I decided on a Reckoning holster with the “Freedom Fusion” red, white, and blue design. For the leather backing, I went with the horsehide.

If you’re serious about wearing an IWB holster day in and day out, spend the extra money and get the horsehide from CrossBreed. I learned that lesson about 12 years ago and haven’t looked back. To carry my spare magazine, I ordered a Confidant single mag carrier from CrossBreed as well. 

Additions and Extras 

Night Fision Tritium Sight

While the MC9 has quality steel sights, I truly believe in Night Fision tritium sights, having been working with them for several years now. The rear sight on the MC9 is perfect as is and didn’t need to be replaced. Night Fision will sell the front sight only or a set for the MC9.

Night Fision offers an inexpensive, easy to use Sight Installation Kit

I chose a Tritium front sight with the bright yellow (safety green) polymer ring. The polymer rings from Night Fision that hold the tritium gas tubes in place are translucent, thus allowing the sight to appear brighter than companies that use opaque polymers.

Night Fision has a fantastic and inexpensive sight installation kit. I ordered one with the front sight and I installed the new Tritium aiming point on my MC9 on a Saturday afternoon at my workbench. 

Night Fision Tritium front sight and Shield Optics RMSc

Shield RMSc Red Dot

As the MC9 has the factory slide cut for an optic, I decided to try out the Shield RMSc version from that company. The Shield optic fits perfectly on the slide and secures with the hardware that Canik supplies with the pistol. I even used the little tool kit they provided.

Because the optic mounts directly to the MC9 slide without the need for special mounting plates, it doesn’t block out the front sight or occlude the rear sight notch. Zeroing the aiming dot is simple. Take the tool supplied with the optic and adjust the dot until it sits on top of the front sight. Easy day.

As you can still see your standard sights through the red dot sight’s lens, the paranoia about pulling your gun and the battery being dead isn’t a crisis. If for some reason the red dot isn’t working, just use the standard sights.

Also, just to experiment, I had an Olight Valkyrie mini tactical light on hand. I mounted it onto the accessory rail on the MC9 and the fit was darn near perfect. If that’s your bag, this little Olight is rechargeable and puts out 600 lumens.  

The only other addition that I made was to disassemble the pistol, clean it with Froglube solvent and then apply the Froglube green CLP to the slide rails. At press time, I’m about 500 to 600 rounds into the evaluation of the MC9 and the gun has run flawlessly.   

CCW Paradise

Thanks in large part to Florida for kicking off the “Shall Issue” concealed carry system nearly forty years ago, we have turned the nation around and back toward the original intent of the 2nd Amendment; no government permission slips required in a majority of states.

When I left Marine Corps active duty in the early 90’s and became a cop, your choice for a compact concealed carry gun was either a Smith & Wesson J-frame (or similar revolver) or a semi-auto pistol of dubious reliability. Compact pistols almost never ran perfectly out of the box and those that did would invariably choke on JHP ammunition. 

During the last thirty years, what we’ve witnessed is nothing short of miraculous regarding the vast availability of very compact pistols that run reliably and sell for more than fair prices. The Canik METE MC9 pistol is one of many ultra-reliable, subcompact handguns that is, for all intents and purposes, perfect for everyday concealed carry.    

 

Paul G. Markel is the founder of Student the Gun University and has been teaching Small Arms & Tactics to military personnel, police officers, and citizens for over three decades. He is the author of numerous books and is a combat decorated United States Marine veteran.   

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

42 COMMENTS

  1. At the risk of spinning the resident ttag ‘Karen’, debbiew up, I don’t do Turkish. Period. I recently talked someone that had a Turkish shotgun into selling it and getting Mossberg.

    Friends don’t let friends Turkish.

    • it ain’t gettin’ better over there.
      pretty sure one of these can be trusted to operate.
      i can scrape up for a used czech, not everybody.

    • From what I hear their MP5 clones are ok. I am sure there are others as well but never had good interactions with anyone or anything Turkish so generally ignore the region unless I can’t.

      • Turkish delight candy can be pretty good. I like it. Just don’t eat any magic Turkish delight conjured up by a witchy woman riding around on a sleigh, like Edmond did.

    • jwm – I agree, just like I ‘try’ to not support companies (china) that are located in less than free states, not always possible of course but all one can do is try.

  3. Still prefer a .357 magnum revolver and a speedloader loaded with a stout round (600+ foot pounds), or, in some instances, a .44 magnum. 9mm doesn’t cut it, no matter what the gel nerds or micro-compact fans say. 9mm is merely the most powerful mouse gun caliber.

    Performance is more important than capacity.

    • Part of the reason I like 357 SIG especially with it getting colder. Not as powerful but good blend of concealment power and quick reloading with my state limit of 10 rounds. Otherwise 9 if formal dress and 357mag in pocket if not.

      • I have been flipping through the Underwood listings, looking at discounts. They have a 357 sig load with the 90 grain phillips tip at 1700 fps, plus a 65 gr at 2100. 578 and 637 ftlbs respectively. Would make my Tok sit down and be quiet. My late grandfather would call that really carrying the mail.

        BTW, yes, it was Sherry at Starline. And Hunter chimed in. Very helpful folks.

        • Have a bunch of loose 68 grainers for dialing in that load once I get to chronograph in the budget. And yeah great customer service all around with starline.

    • Yep.
      And as much as I like a 7.62×25 it doesn’t have the whapem of a .45acp.
      Foot pounds is mathematics. Taylor’s knock out theory is closer to real deal.

      • “…whapem…”

        At “normal” handgun velocities, I would agree. But this little 357 sig bullet at 2100 fps, that’s different. That’s approaching rifle velocity and the hydrostatic shock that goes along with it. Then add in the the fluted tip. Figure a standard 1 in 16″ twist, and we’ve got paddles spinning at 94,500 rpm going through guts. Somebody’s gonna have a mess to clean up.

        • Hawkeye, 94,500 fps isn’t as impressive as it sounds. The bullet is going to stop or exit in less than a second. No one is going to have a bullet spinning around in them for a minute.

        • Whether it has any wild effects or not the penetration is good and does tend to limit how dangerous a passthrough can be while still allowing for utter destruction of kevlar and several varieties of spectra. Higher end dyneema was stopping the 90 grain loading but then I ran out of ability to get cheap test panels in state so never got to test the faster options.

        • Gadsden:
          If I did my arithmetic right a bullet doing 94,500 RPM at 2100 FPS will make 0.75 of revolution during 12 inches of penetration. Where: 94,500 RPM/60 sec. = 1575 RPS
          2,100 FPS x 12 inches/foot = 25,200 inches/sec.
          12 inches/25,200 inches/sec. = X Revolutions/1575 RPS
          Then X = 0.75 of a revolution in 12 inches of penetration.

    • Throw in the folks that will not answer such questions and the likely number is closer to 75%.

      I live in the leftist heartland. San Francisco bay area. Everybody I know regardless of politics owns guns.

  5. Polymer framed pistols are no good during a nuclear strike.
    Your out there dressed in your tin foil suit holding your polyester pistol and the bomb goes off, the gunm just melts.
    No so with a steel frame.
    You just toss it from one hand to the other, ” Hot Potato, Hot Potato ! ! !” until things cool down.
    I thought Caniks were made in Canada.
    Isn’t a gunm made in Turkey only good for big ass grouse? Mossberg used to have a Turkey gunm, it was made for shooting big ass grouse.
    Erk Erk Erk, purrrrrrr🐔

  6. Colder weather is upon us. A heavy shirt or light jacket is now in vogue. It’s time to put away the plastic fantastic and bring out the heavy metal. Something I look forward to every year. As far as where or what you buy. It’s for each to choose. Just like most things in life. You buys your ticket and you rides the ride. Just don’t complain, when it turns out to not be what you expected.

  7. I have the TP9 SC. Love it.As far as Turkish gun I don’t have a problem.
    US gun makers need to start representing us and our 2A and give us a reason to buy their products.
    why is a foreign firearm cheaper than American made. Again a reason to buy your product.

  8. i thought berretta moved some of their gun works to turkey somewhere around 2013–using the name stouger——by the way – are those light weight hot rod pills ok for a short barrel—–i understand they be very noisy

  9. That’ll be a hard pass. Erdogan hates my tribe, he sure as hell doesn’t need my $$$. Yeah. My iPad is made in China, really don’t have a choice there, do I?

  11. I have been a Canik Fanatik since they were first imported. I scored two MC9s preproduction consecutive serial numbers before release. I’ve been breaking one in for light carry to replace my TP9 Elite SC with Holosun 509K X2 ACSS. Tried a dot on the MC9 but took it off. The only “gripes” I have are the 12 round mag will bite you when inserting if not careful and the MC9 trigger is heavier than all the other outstanding Caniks. I think it’s a winner with 400 rounds through it so far.

  12. Tritium sights are a talisman.
    If your tritium is glowing then it’s too dark to get positive ID of the target.

    Their main benefit is finding your gun in the dark; which can usually be solved by simply turning the lights on.

  13. Seems to me that it bears a remarkable resemblance to an FN509C I happen to own. Can’t address the price difference since I won that one at a raffle. As others have implied, buy what ya want, just be aware of who/what you are supporting with your greenbacks

  14. An Islamic gun in a Jesus holster.

    Surely there’s a joke to be made there. I just can’t think of one at the moment.

Comments are closed.