The cost of equipment is one of the main reasons that shooters are not able to participate in competitive handgun shooting sports. It can be overwhelming to have to choose from different calibers and holsters for each sport. Canik decided to do something about it and launched a one-gun-fits-most-sports solution at the 2022 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Canik started with the TP9 and used professional shooters’ input to create the SFx Rival. It is a versatile pistol that can be used in USPSA, IDPA and IPSC competitions. The Canik SFx Rival Designed to meet the needs of a competitor, and offer flawless reliability through thousands to thousands of rounds a calendar year, the Rival offers shooters the most cost-effective way to engage in multiple shooting disciplines. Century Arms is the importer for the Turkish-made SFx Rival. It was my good fortune to meet Nils Jonasson at their SHOT Show booth. Jonasson was born in Mesa, Arizona. It is home to the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club. Here, Rob Leatham and Brian Enos, as well as Henning Walgren, competed and trained. Jonasson won the USPSA Limited National Championship in 2010. Jonasson has won National or World titles in IPSC and USPSA, IDPA and MultiGun, USSL, and ICORE over the years. (Photo by Alex Landeen). In 2019, Jonasson was appointed Team Captain for Canik Firearms. He has won both the 2021 USPSA Production Nationals and the 2021 Carry Optics Nationals. Both were won with the Canik TP9 SFx pistol. Jonasson spends his time refining and developing their products when he isn’t shooting or showcasing the Canik firearm range. Jonasson is the best person to give a detailed overview of the SFx Rival. The Pro’s Tips “The Canik SFx Rival was launched in 2022. Its official launch date coincided perfectly with the first day at SHOT Show. We shortened the barrel from 5.2 inches to 5.0 inches to bring the gun into compliance for IPSC competition, so now it is legal for IPSC, USPSA, IDPA, 3-Gun competition–everything across the board,” Jonasson said. Canik has created a gun that is legally compliant for all the above shooting disciplines. Sometimes, there are more than one division for each shooting sport. (Photo by Alex Landeen). “For example, for the USPSA Production division,” Jonasson said. “All you would have to do is take off the magwell. You can also add a red dot to shoot the new Carry Optics Division. We can leave the magwell on in IDPA and add a red dot to shoot their Carry Optics division. It can also fit in the box to house the ESP or Enhanced Pistol division. It can also fit in the IPSC box. It was designed to be compatible with all sport shooting categories around the globe. The gun was designed for competitive shooters. This simply means that the gun was designed to be easier to use. He concluded that if it is easier for me shoot faster and with more accuracy, it will be easier for novice shooters to fire faster and with more accuracy. The SFx Rival offers a variety of enhancements that will help competitors shoot better. Jonasson, SFx Rival’s Enhancements Jonasson said that the Rival has a fully adjustable rear view and kept the fiber-optic front. Shooters can use different weight bullets for different shooting disciplines. In this day and age, it can be difficult to find reloading parts sometimes. This will allow us to quickly tune point-of aim and impact for any weight projectile. Alex Landeen, Photo: “The rear plate has a fully adjustable rear sight. The gun ships with four optics plates and a removable rear plate. They can accommodate almost any red dot.” (Photo by Alex Landeen). Jonasson pointed at the Rival’s slide. The slide has very aggressive cocking serrations at the front and back. They are deep enough to allow the shooter to rack the slide to chamber one round or to do a quick pinch check to ensure there is still one in the chamber. (Photo by Alex Landeen). “The Rival also has bilateral slide releases that can be reached easily by the shooter’s thumb. Rival is also southpaw-friendly because our magazine release can be reversible. The frame design we used last year for the Mete pistol is also shared in this gun. The integral magwell has been incorporated and the interchangeable backstraps extend to the end. “We have also changed the ergonomics of our tang to give you a better grip for muzzle control. The aluminum trigger, which we set to break at 90° to the frame and a weight goal of 3.5 pounds, is the key feature. It’s not super light, but it pulls very consistently and crisply. It’s very predictable, and shootable.” Jonasson and me discussed triggers and DIY customizations. 3.5 pounds is a good weight for a match gun. A bad trigger will quickly discourage a new shooter. Start them with a clean trigger and they will be more motivated by their progress. Rival’s trigger pull is one of my favorite features. It has a quick and firm reset. Both of these are crucial for fast shooting. (Photo by Alex Landeen). Jonasson stated that the trigger’s purpose is to allow the gun fire without moving the sight. If that happens, the bullet will go where you want it too.” The SFx Rival’s polymer frame features an integral magwell funnel. The gun also includes a slip-on, machined aluminium funnel that doubles the opening. This makes it possible to reload quickly with the double-column tapered magazines. The Rival comes with three different backstraps that can be adjusted to the shooter’s hands. (Photo by Alex Landeen). Jonasson pointed out the bottom of the Rival’s trigger guard. “We double undercut it again to allow the shooter a super high grip on the gun and place his hand closer to bore’s axis to improve muzzle control.” Holsters are also expensive and each organization has its own regulations. Canik ships the SFx Rival equipped with its Kydex holster. Jonasson stated, “We made a holster for the Rival. It is very functional and fast, and can be used in many shooting disciplines. This gun can be taken out of the box and used to shoot matches. (Photo by Alex Landeen). Ready to Race? What would you pay to have a pistol that can shoot a variety of handgun disciplines? One that is optics-ready and comes with four optics plates. Two 18-round magazines, a loader and a slide-on magwell funnel are included. One that comes in a polymer foam-padded case with three backstraps, all the tools needed to maintain the gun. It was probably more than the suggested retail price of $680 for the SFx Rival. The Canik Rival comes in Canik Rival Grey, with Cerakoted Gold accents, and in an all-black configuration known as the Canik SFx Rival Dark Side. As I stood at Century’s booth, one USPSA shooter said to another that he was planning to buy two Canik Rivals so he would always have a backup gun. Why not? CanikUSA.com has more information. Canik SFx Rival Specs Caliber: 9mm
Barrel: 5 Inches
Overall Length: 8.8 inches
Weight: 29.5 ounces (with empty mag).
Grips: Three interchangeable
Sights: Fiber-optic
Action: Semi-auto
Finish: Rival Dark Side or Rival Grey
Capacity: 18+1
MSRP: $680.00. This article was originally published by Combat Handguns May/June 20,22 issue. Subscription is available in print and digital editions at OutdoorGroupStore.com. Or call 1-800-284-5668, or email [email protected]. Continue Reading Search The post Rival Racer – Running the Affordable Canik SX Rival Race Gun appeared originally on Personal Defense World.
