The Canik METE SFT: A Full-Size Gun That Carries Better Than It Should: Canik has been making its pistol an attractive option for Glock owners for years. The Turkish manufacturer built its name on the TP9 series, pistols that delivered triggers and features you’d normally find on guns costing twice as much.
The Canik usually ships with extras such as interchangeable backstraps, an optics-ready slide, a custom-fit holster, and 18-round magazines (20-round mags are also available).
The METE SFT is the next step in that evolution. Canik built it with the range and competition crowd in mind. However, many people carry it every day, which raises a fair question. Is it a good concealed-carry option?
The METE SFT Specs: Plenty Of Ammunition To Spare
The METE SFT is a striker-fired 9mm with a 4.46-inch barrel. It measures 7.56 inches long, 5.78 inches tall, and 1.41 inches wide, according to Canik’s own specifications. Gun Tests weighed it at 27.8 ounces unloaded. Capacity is 18+1 with the flush magazine and 20+1 with the extended one.
For those keeping score at home, that puts it squarely between a Glock 19 and a Glock 17, which is exactly where the Guns.com review placed it. The difference is that the Glock 19 gives you 15 rounds in a flush magazine.
The Canik gives you 18. Three extra rounds won’t win a gunfight by themselves. However, I’ve never met anyone who regretted having more ammo in their weapon.
Canik TP9SFx 9mm. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Trigger Is The Selling Point
This is where the METE SFT earns its reputation. Guns.com measured a 10-pull average of 3.75 pounds, with roughly a quarter inch of take-up before a clean break and a reset of just an eighth of an inch.
Recoil Magazine called it “one of the sweetest trigger pulls of any polymer-framed handgun.” Gun Tests measured it at 4.2 pounds, shot a 1.91-inch group at 25 yards with 147-grain ammunition, and gave it an A and a Best Buy rating.
Some folks get nervous about a sub-4.5-pound trigger on a gun with no manual safety. I understand the concern. However, in my opinion, a light trigger doesn’t make a carry gun unsafe. A cheap holster and a careless finger do.
Put the SFT in a quality holster that fully covers the trigger guard, keep your finger off the trigger until you’re on target, and that crisp break becomes an asset. Under stress, a clean, predictable trigger helps you put rounds where they need to go.
The rest of the gun backs it up. You get an undercut trigger guard, an extended beavertail that lets you get a high grip, an ambidextrous slide release, and modular backstraps, as Ammunition Depot points out.
The slide is optics-ready, and the standard package ships with a holster, two magazines, optic plates, and tools. That’s a lot of gun in the box.
The Size And Weight Trade-Off
Size and weight. There’s no getting around it. Loaded with 18+ 1 rounds, the SFT is north of two pounds on your belt. Guns.com called it “a bit big for what most people want for a concealed carry,” while noting it works in an appendix rig.
That’s a fair assessment. If you’re a bigger guy wearing an untucked shirt or a jacket (raises hand), it disappears. If you’re of a smaller build wearing a T-shirt in July, you’ll be fighting printing all day.
The 20-round magazine is fine for range work, but personally, it is a bit too bulky for my taste, although others will find it perfectly fine.
The sights are the other potential weak spot. The standard model comes with basic white three-dot sights, which some shooters have complained about in low-light scenarios. I think they’re just fine, and would place optics on it anyway.
If you’re buying this gun to protect your life, I’d either budget for night sights or step up to the METE SFT PRO, which adds a tritium front sight, a 5-inch barrel, and a co-witness optics cut at an MSRP of $624.99.
Recoil also noted the recoil spring is set up for NATO-spec ball ammo, so light target loads may struggle. That’s not a concern with quality defensive hollow points, but it’s worth mentioning here.
And then there’s the price, which cuts the other way. The stripped-down METE SFT ONE series carries an MSRP of $324.99 with one magazine, and Pew Pew Tactical has tracked the standard SFT starting around $340.
At that price, this is one of the best values in the carry market right now.
Concealed Carry Considerations
So, is the METE SFT a good concealed-carry weapon?
For the right person, absolutely. If you already carry a Glock 19 or something larger, the transition is seamless, and you’ll gain a bit more capacity and a far better trigger.
If you’re a first-time carrier with a smaller frame, or you need to dress around the gun rather than the other way around, a micro-compact like Canik’s own METE MC9 will serve you better.
Personally, I’d take a gun I shoot well and can carry with a little effort over a tiny pistol I can’t hit anything with. The SFT sits right on that line, and for most shooters, it hits the mark.
Canik built the METE SFT to appeal to Glock owners. For concealed carry, it might make a few of them switch.
Image: Creative Commons.
Glock 17. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.