Gun Of The Week: Canik USA Mete MC9LS

The MC9 line is one of the latest from Canik, a Turkish gunmaker with a background in aerospace manufacturing. Canik entered the firearm market in 2009, and in 2012, the company partnered with Century Arms to import its line of TP series handguns used by Turkish law enforcement officers. Today, Canik USA imports a number of different handguns, ranging from dedicated competition guns to duty-style and concealed carry pistols. The MC9LS is one of the latest updates to the line. Watch our video above to see this latest Canik pistol in use on the range.

In terms of size, the Canik Mete MC9LS has been stretched both lengthwise and height-wise, gaining about three-quarters of an inch in length and almost a full inch more in height. The benefit of this is some substantial additional magazine capacity, as the MC9LS uses a 17-round flush-fit magazine instead of the 12-round flush and 15-round extended magazines used with the original Mete micro-compact. Additionally, you’ll get almost half an inch more in barrel length, which offers a slight boost in velocity. All of this comes with only a couple of ounces more in weight.

One of the other benefits of having a slightly longer slide and barrel is that you can be a bit more precise with your shots, thanks to the lengthened sight radius. The Mete MC9LS has a decent set of dovetailed sights, with a bright, white dot at the front and a blacked out, squared-off rear sight. Of course, more folks these days are going with red-dot optics on their handguns, and the MC9LS accommodates that, too. A cover plate at the rear of the slide, just forward of the rear sight, protects a milled slot sized for all Shield RMSc red-dot sights. Canik also offers its Mete with its own factory-installed M01 red dot, too.

Speaking of what you get from the factory, the Canik Mete MC9LS comes in a number of finish options and ships with a hard case loaded with extras. This particular pistol is finished in flat dark earth, but there are all-black models, as well as two-tone options. The FDE carrying case also contains a dedicated holster, spare magazine and mag carrier, as well as interchangeable backstraps and all the tools you need to clean and maintain the gun. There’s even a cool tool shaped like a miniature version of Canik’s duty pistols.

Control-wise, the Canik Mete MC9LS will be familiar to those who’ve handled most other striker-fired guns on the market, and there are a few nice features on this front. The serrated trigger shoe has a pivoting blade safety, and there is no manual safety. The slide-stop lever is ambidextrous and has a lengthened, serrated face for easy activation. A single-side, push-button magazine release is situated for right-handed shooters, but it is reversible for lefties. Serrations at the front and rear of the slide make manipulations simple, and rough texturing on the sides, front and back of the grip frame anchored the gun well in our hands during shooting. For an affordable CCW pistol that comes with everything you need for daily carry, it’s hard to beat the package offered by Canik USA.

Canik USA Mete MC9LS Specifications
Importer: Canik USA
Action Type: recoil-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire pistol
Chambering: 9 mm Luger
Barrel: 3.64" steel
Frame: polymer
Slide: steel
Finish: Flat Dark Earth
Magazine: 17-round detachable box
Sights: three-dot, drift adjustable; removeable plate for optics
Overall Length: 6.75"
Height: 5.43"
Width: 1.14"
Weight: 23.77 ozs.
MSRP: $500