Now the 15th or so Canik to be reviewed by GBGuns, it's safe to say I'm familiar with the platform and lineage. The Canik METE MC9 Prime brings exciting updates to the micro compact MC9 line mostly in the way of enhancing the shooting experience.
What's New: If you've read the Canik Guide and are already familiar with the MC9 line of Caniks you can think of the MC9 Prime as an MC9L blended with the Rival and TTI Combat. Traction is enhanced and over a wider area, the slide has the sex appeal of the Rival, and the barrel and slide have been ported using a smart solution to some of the dangers of porting.
Typically, when barrels are ported the user then has to carefully avoid plated ammunition or risk the ports shaving off pieces of jacket which are then projected out the port in random directions, sometimes towards the shooter. To solve this Canik smartly did not rifle the section of the barrel where the ports are. By looking down the barrel you can see that not only does the rifling end, but the inner diameter is slightly larger near the port, allowing the bullet to safely pass by without contacting the ports. This does mean we won't see the full velocity of the barrel length, but we wouldn't with ports anyways.
The traction area of the Canik METE MC9 Prime has been expanded higher up on the stock to alow a little more support-hand grip, and texturing is slightly sharper like it is on the TTI Combat. This provides a nice boost in traction on a pistol size that needs is most.
Take a look at the Canik METE MC9 Prime in the tabletop video below. Rumble used as YouTube is no longer safe for journalism.
Specifications
Caliber: 9mm
Magazine Capacity: 17
Barrel Length: 3.64"
Overall Length: 6.73"
Weight: 23.3oz w/empty magazine
Interchangable Backstraps: 3
Optics cut size: Micro (MECANIK M01, M04, Shield RMS, Sig Romeo Zero)
MSRP: ?
As of the time this was written, the Canik METE MC9 Prime was not publicly available. Once it is I will update this post with both MSRP and real retail pricing.
As we've come to expect, the Canik comes with quite a kit. The METE MC9 Prime comes in a very nice hard case, much like the Rival did including cleaning kit, tools, backstraps, and a G-Code Holster. There are additional cutouts prepared in the foam for an additional magazine and the tools MECANIK includes with their optics.
Are the ports worth it? Does the gun run well? We can't come to such a conclusion unless a baseline is set with an unbiased and regulated evaluation of the firearm. This is where the GBGuns range protocol comes in. The same process has been applied to nearly 500 handguns now with the only variables being weather and the random selection of WFD ammunition:
Cold Shots: Truly the first rounds through the gun. No warm up, no practice.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger.
What's For Dinnerâ„¢: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun the following ammunition was used:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
50gr +p Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense $28.99 / 20 at Bud's Gun Shop
100gr Fiocchi Frangible $35.29 / 50 at Optics Planet
115gr Sig 365 $19.99 / 20 direct from Sig
115gr Hornady American Gunner JHP $18.99 / 20 at Bud's Gun Shop
115gr Specialty Cartridge Elite Defense From Atlanta Arms (unavailable)
124gr PMC SFX $22.07 / 50 at Target Sports USA
124gr Federal HST $25.99 / 20 from KYGunCo
135gr Hornady Critical Duty $30.49 / 25 at Optics Planet
147gr Fiocchi Defense Dynamics $20.36 / 50 at Global Ordnance
150gr S&B FMJ $12.87 / 50 at Target Sports USA
165gr AMMO, Inc. /stelTH/ $30.69 / 50 at Ammunition Depot
Standard range ammunition was PMC Bronze 115gr FMJ $229 / 1000 at Target Sports USA
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12 yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of the shooting experience and time for to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
See the process yourself from my very first shot as I explore the Canik METE MC9 Prime in the Shooting Impressions video below.
On the Range the enhanced traction could certainly be felt as the gun glued itself well to my hands. I found that of particular use as I tend to over-squeeze skinny/small guns, but the traction of the MC9 Prime allowed me to relax my grip without feeling like the gun was going to jump out of my hands. The ports add a bit of volume as one might expense, but after the first few rounds it felt no different than most other handguns as far as noise.
The trigger is certainly light and crisp, perhaps on the risky side if in the hands of an untrained shooter, but when the shooter is ready, the gun is definitely ready. To me the MC9 Prime feels like a competition gun shrunken to carry size. Now if only we could get IPSC and USPSA to remember what the "P" stood for this might make for a great gun to carry to and from a competition in which it is also used.
