Images by the author unless otherwise noted
While this article focuses primarily on Turkish-made pistols, a few well-known non-Turkish imports are included for context and comparison.
I have owned, over the decades, dozens of handguns. Whether revolvers or pistols, many have graced my gun safe. Some have taken up permanent residence there, while others were more transient and moved on. This situation is no different for many readers of this report, I’m sure. We tend to keep some of the guns we buy, while others were more of a “flash in the pan” and got moved on.
I think back over 40 years ago, when I was just getting started in adding guns to my collection, and the brands that made the cut. Let’s be honest… Maybe I should say the ones I could afford. They included the usual suspects… Smith and Wesson, Ruger, Mossberg, etc. That was what was available at that time. Fast-forward to today.
Now, we have a plethora of guns available to us. With COVID and a changing market, things are very different now than they were a few decades ago. Some old-line manufacturers are no longer with us, while new ones have popped up. Some of these new kids on the block aren’t so new, but have only recently been made known to us. I’m talking about manufacturers on foreign shores.
Don’t get me wrong… I truly love domestic guns. I’ve owned, or currently own, several Smith and Wessons, Rugers, Mossbergs, Colts, Charter Arms, Savage, NAA, and other American-made firearms. I just wanted to see what else was available out there.
Now, I hear you thinking, “We’ve always had foreign manufacturers… what about Beretta/H&K/F&N/ etc.?” There are several gun makers who’ve sold on the American market for over a century, it seems. I’m not talking about those. Most of those established makers have a great reputation.
Speaking of those traditional importers, I have guns from two of them that we might have forgotten about. I’m talking about Bersa (Argentina) and Springfield Armory (Croatia).
I own a 15+1 Bersa Thunder Plus .380…
…and an XDM 10mm. Both are fine, reliable guns.
We sometimes forget that Springfield Armory XDs and other guns are made for them by HS Produkt in Croatia. The Bersa has been around for years. I know several shooters who carry them as their primary CCW. I like and use both of these.
But what about makers who may have only fairly recently appeared on our gun radar? I’m thinking of guns made in Turkey, specifically. Sure, there are other makers in other countries, but it seems that recently, I’ve been made aware of several manufacturers in Turkey who sell to our market via importers. I will examine a few of them here.
Before I get into specific models, I need to address the political issue because I know it can be a stumbling block for some prospective gun buyers. I will unequivocally state that I am not a fan of the current political situation over there. However, Turkey has been a member of NATO since the year I made my appearance, 1952, and has the second-largest army in that organization. That adds a bit to their credibility, I guess. As the saying goes, it is what it is. They build a lot of guns for NATO, as well. So, let’s move on and look at some specific guns.
I’ll discuss guns that I own or have owned, or reviewed. That would include Tisas, Kor, Military Armament Corporation (MAC), SAR, and Canik. There are others out there, but these are the ones that I am familiar with. I also own a .22 Winchester Wildcat rifle, and owned a very nice O/U 20-gauge ATI shotgun. Both were made in Turkey, but we’ll stick with pistols for this article.
Let’s start with Tisas.
Tisas (Trabzon Silah Sanayi AŞ (TİSAŞ) is a company located in Trabzon that was started in 1993. In 2004, they started exporting guns to the U.S. I remember seeing, in my buddy Duane’s gun shop a few years ago, 1911s made by them that had a pretty low price tag, and I wondered how they might perform. Now I know.
It wasn’t until fairly recently that I got into shooting Tisas guns for reviews. I have had experience with the following:
These pistols have proven to be very reliable and plenty accurate enough for their intended purposes. Why do I think that these pistols can be a good buy? Here are three points that could apply to all of the gun manufacturers I mention here, not just Tisas.
- Materials. These guns are built of top-quality steels, stainless or carbon, and the non-metallic pieces are built for the duration.
- Construction. Given the state of the art machinery found in the factories and the skilled labor force using it, the guns are put together very well with good fit and a decent finish.
- Labor. Workers are skilled in their jobs, and the products prove it.
When you factor in lower labor costs, you end up with a pistol that is built well but doesn’t break the bank.
I know guys who’ve bought the 1911A1 and used it as a build project for a “loaded” 1911. Having a forged frame and internals helps with those projects. This gun also uses Series 70 parts.
The PX-9 is a great carry gun, cut for a red dot. A built-in magazine well helps funnel mags into place, and some really good sights help if you don’t want to put a red dot on it. This particular model just won the top honors in a best-gun-of-the-year video I saw by one of the more reliable reviewers in online firearms reviews. His take was that, for the low price, the gun’s features, reliability, and accuracy placed it at the top of the heap.
The double-stack 1911 (2011, I guess) is very popular right now among competitors, and this one has all the bells & whistles. It also has an ambi safety, which my left-handedness appreciates.
Let’s move on to SAR.
Here’s a bit about the company, from an online source…
“Sarsılmaz is a historic Turkish defense manufacturer, founded in 1880 during the Ottoman Empire, that grew from repairing flintlock rifles to become Turkey’s largest private producer of a full range of small arms, including pistols, rifles, and machine guns, supplying military and law enforcement globally, with its products like the SAR 9 pistol gaining international recognition for reliability through rigorous NATO testing. The company operates Europe’s largest integrated firearms factory in Düzce, is family-run (now in its fifth generation), and established SAR USA for the American market.”
I have owned SAR products before… I remember in particular one 9mm DA/SA pistol that had the best trigger of any such type I’d ever shot. It was accurate and reliable; why I sold it, I can’t remember. Probably to get a newer whiz-bang.
We have two examples here to look at… a newer, striker-fired pistol, and an older model.
On top, we have a variation of the SAR-9, the SAR-9 Sport Gen3. This one is set up for competition, with a longer barrel and greater-capacity magazines. There are night sights bordering an optics cut, and the trigger was right at 4 pounds, if I remember correctly. You get a holster, extra backstraps, and extended magazines with the gun, all for a price of around $400.
Below is the DA/SA K12 Sport competition 9mm. This older model features a metal frame, traditionally-adjusted rear sight, and two extended magazines. Note the shorter CZ-75 type of slide, with the rails inside the frame. That helps lower the bore axis. It is still in the catalogue, because many shooters prefer a DA/SA pistol for competition.
The SAR site also shows 26 of what they call their Legacy models. Here you have older pistols, long guns, and revolvers that are still available. Lo and behold, I found my old DA/SA there… I could buy it again if I desired. Not all manufacturers are as dedicated to past products as SAR. I think it’s a good thing that they realize that some shooters may want to reconnect with the past.
Another manufacturer that seems to be very popular today is Canik.
Unlike Sarsilmaz, which was founded in 1880, Canik is a new kid on the block. It came about in 1997 as an aerospace company making parts for Boeing, among others. They branched out into firearms in the early 2000s by making a rifle (the Canik 55) for Turkish forces. They then partnered with Century Arms and hit their stride, producing models such as the TP-9, Mete, and SFx.
We have an example of the Mete series, an MC9L.
This micro 9mm pistol comes with two 17-round magazines, three backstraps, and is (obviously) cut for a red dot. A feature I appreciate is what I call the long, HK-style slide release. It appears on both sides of the gun, and you can switch the mag release over, as well. We lefties appreciate such touches. The trigger is exceptional, breaking at about three-and-three-quarter pounds. Its 3.18” barrel allows for easy concealed carry, but you’re still getting Glock-17-style capacity. Also note the frame undercut at the trigger guard.
I know shooters who compete with Caniks… they seem to be very reliable, and accurate enough for the purposes at hand. They sell for well under $500… seeing what all they include in the box, that’s a great price. Oh, they also list heavy machine guns and cannons on their website. Now, there ya go!
One manufacturer that doesn’t appear on shooters’ radar very often is KOR.
KOR was founded in 2011 to make parts for other gun manufacturers and air rifles. In 2016, they added a manufacturing arm, making FXS-9 pistols. They also make two NATO shotguns, the R-5 and AR-12. They now make 10 different models of pistols.
We have an FXS-9 here to look at…
Features shown include a slide with relief cuts, an optics cut, a swinging takedown lever, and a thumb safety. Included in the box are extra backstraps, an extra 17-round magazine, a holster, and other goodies. The built-in sights are excellent and shoot to the point of aim. There’s a three-slot rail on the dustcover which allows you to add a light or laser. This gun also comes in sand, green, and gray, and typically sells for around $375. That’s a bargain, considering what you get.
SDS Arms also imports a few other brands other than Tisas. I was sent a MAC-9 DS 9mm 2011 that I kept, and that my competition-minded son grabbed. He loves it. Here’s an image from battlehawkarmory.com…
The MAC 9 DS is an in-demand pistol. It retails for about $1050 and seems to be out of stock fairly often.
Another of the SDS Arms brands is Inglis.
Inglis originally referred to the Canadian factory that took over production of the Browning High Power 9mm pistol during WWII. Now, there’s a company in Turkey that makes one… I own it. Here it is, the Inglis P-35B:
I chose to photograph its right side to show the ambi safety lever. Here we have an homage to a pistol that was first perfected in 1935 and has served dozens of militaries around the globe over the intervening years.
I have not had the pleasure of owning one of those originals, but according to several reports I’ve read, this pistol compares favorably. It does do one thing that the original didn’t… it did away with the magazine safety. A magazine disconnect safety was something that was insisted upon by France during its original manufacture, but which many shooters (including me) really dislike. I like the ability to fire the gun without a magazine in place.
This pistol is truly a throwback to an earlier era. You have a single-action pistol that started out under John Browning’s masterful design capability, but was completed by another designer at FN after Browning’s death in 1926. They continued perfecting it until its release in 1935. It is very faithful, except for a few upgrades like sights and the magazine safety issue. It also increases the magazine capacity from 13, which was why it was called a High Power, to 15. This Inglis is a fitting tribute.
That’s what I’ve got for now. This was not meant to be an article to persuade you to go out and buy an imported gun… I simply wanted to let the reader know what was out there. These guns get, for the most part, good reviews online. I know that I’ve had good service from the ones that I own or have owned. As I said before, I truly love domestically-produced firearms, and I have many. But if you are looking for something a bit different at a lower price point, you have options.
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