Canik Mete MC9 LS Pistol: Elevate Your Everyday Carry Experience

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Few things in life can be categorized into black or white, hot or cold, or, in the case of the perfect carry pistol, big or small. Depending on when you first started shopping for one, you may have experienced the seemingly exponential shrinkage of handguns designed to be tucked under a shirt.

More recently, manufacturers are realizing they may have gone a step too far, at least for some folks. Subcompacts are great for concealment, but when it comes time to practice with one, many owners shy away over fear of discomfort and snappy recoil. Deeply in tune with the shooting public, the Turkish manufacturer Canik is always one of the first to answer the call. Among its latest introductions is the Mete MC9 LS, a slightly scaled-up version of its popular Mete MC9 semiauto carry pistol.

The big changes for the LS are in the barrel and the frame—and the ammunition capacity. The barrel on the LS is almost a half-inch longer than the original, and the change brings a boost in overall length to 6.73 inches over the MC9.

The grip on the Mete MC9 LS is longer as well, and this model’s height is 5.43 inches compared to 4.52 inches on the base MC9. That longer grip means the MC9 LS is large enough to take a standard Canik feed stick, boosting capacity to a whopping 17+1 rounds of 9mm Luger, which is the model’s only chambering.

Frame and Trigger

The polymer frame is available in either black nitride or Cerakote flat dark earth, and Canik offers the MC9 LS as all black, all flat dark earth or as a two-tone with a black slide over a tan frame.

The lightweight frame houses a striker-fired trigger system, one that arguably put Canik on the map. If you’ve ever fired one of its pistols before, you’re likely expecting a clean break and a snappy reset, and I found that the LS did not disappoint. It might be a touch heavier than some competitors’ models, but it is miles ahead of many other triggers on the market.

A safety is built into the trigger finger lever, which automatically disengages as the pistol fires, making it faster to get rounds on target, particularly under stress. This is paired with a striker block to facilitate safe carry.

Since those safety features are inherently ambidextrous, Canik ensured the LS included ambi slide stops as well. I liked their oversize nature as well as the swept-back placement, making them easier to reach. Having one on each side of the gun allows you to use two fingers to drop the slide, which staves off binding and promotes gross motor skills over fine ones.

Barrel and Slide

Although it isn’t ambidextrous, the magazine release is reversible to accommodate southpaws who like using their thumb. Even though I’m a lefty, I kept it where it was and opted to use my trigger finger instead.

The longer barrel and slide translate to more energy and better accuracy with iron sights. Although it might not sound like much, the extra half-inch of barrel over the standard MC9 will make a difference in velocity, making any given load more effective when fired out of the LS.

Stretching the sights farther by nearly the same amount reduces aiming error and makes longer shots more precise. Admittedly, folks don’t talk about this as much anymore, since red dots have gained widespread acceptance. Some younger shooters have never fired a shot with iron sights. To that end, the LS retains the MC9 optics cut that can accept red dots built on the RMSc footprint.

Getting the MC9 LS ready for the range doesn’t require much work. The case includes everything you need to comfortably carry and fire the pistol. Canik even provides a holster that can be configured for inside- or outside-the-waistband carry.

Grips and Sights

Also in the box are two additional backstraps to tailor the grip to your hands. The gun shipped with the small one installed, so I swapped it out with the medium to better fill my mitt. Canik even supplies the required punch to get the job done.

The LS has terrific sights, which I believe are instinctual and crisp. However, sometime after my 40th birthday, I started gaining an appreciation for brilliantly lit optics.

I have a Meprolight MPO-S that features a huge 33 m.o.a. ring reticle. It’s easy to see and effortless to find during your presentation, and inside that ring is a finer three m.o.a. dot allowing for precise target shooting or longer-range pokes. This seemed like a good fit for the Canik, so I mounted it on the pistol in moments, using the included hardware.

Since the LS is intended for self-defense, I chose a heavy hollowpoint load from Federal and a light one from Hornady. To round things out, I included a midweight full-metal-jacket training round from Remington and headed out to make some noise.

Testing

That longer barrel did in fact push the needle on velocity, and the longer grip allowed for better hand placement, which was complemented by the enlarged beavertail. Those latter aspects made it easy to get good groups, and I was more than satisfied with the overall accuracy—it rivaled many of the target pistols I’ve fired recently.

With the “paperwork” behind me, I tested the gun with a variety of self-defense drills. I began with some basic holster work at 15 yards to get an idea of how the gun pointed and how quickly it recovered for a second shot. With a little practice, I was able to draw and score first-round impacts in around 1.2 seconds and double taps with splits in the 0.18- to 0.27-second range. Six-round Bill Drills were equally satisfactory—the larger grip led to better control during each string of fire. Being able to get in three reps per magazine made this fun, too.

Every Canik I’ve ever owned doesn’t like to go into slide lock for the first few magazines, and the LS was no different. However, also like its brethren, this problem went away after the first 100 rounds or so, so there’s no need for concern.

I think the MC9 LS fills the void between the MC9 and any of Canik’s full-size offerings. Although it’s larger, I didn’t have much extra trouble concealing it. And I thought the enhanced range experience was an easy trade-off. In a world full of overstretched duty pistols and microcompacts, it’s nice to see somebody remember that sometimes it takes a “medium” to fit just right.

Canik Mete MC9 LS Specs

• Type: striker-fired semiauto
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Capacity: two 17-round mags supplied
• Barrel: 3.6 in.
• OAL/Height: 6.7/5.4 in.
• Width: slide, 0.99 in.; grip, 1.07 in.
• Weight: 23.8 oz.
• Construction: steel slide, polymer frame w/interchangeable backstraps
• Trigger: 4.6 lb. pull (measured)
• Sights: drift-adjustable black serrated rear, white-dot front; slide cut for optics on RMSc footprint
• Safeties: trigger blade, striker block
• Price: $500
• Manufacturer: Canik USA, CanikUSA.com

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