Reliable EDC on the Cheap: The TriStar C100 9mm Pistol—Full Review.

The C100 pistol from TriStar offers shooters a CZ-75-style pistol from Turkey that delivers amazing performance at a good price.

To learn more, visit https://www.tristararms.com/products/semi-automatic-pistols/c-100-pistols/.

To purchase on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=Tristar%20c100.

It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Nowhere is that more true than in the firearms world. In the US we see an ocean of pistols using the superb 1911 design brought to life by Mr. Browning. There is a similar phenomenon in Europe with the CZ-75. An extremely popular pistol, it can be seen in the holsters of police officers and military personnel across Europe. There have been multiple efforts by companies to create guns in that same mold but few have come as close to bringing a solid version to market as TriStar. The best part of this effort is the notably affordable price of their offering here in the US.  Say hello to the C100.

The C100 comes packed in a foam-lined plastic case and well-appointed with two magazines, lock and a cleaning kit.

SPECS

• Chambering: 9mm
• Barrel: 3.95 inches
• OA Length: 7 inches
• Weight: 23 ounces
• Grips: Polymer
• Sights: Three luminous dots
• Action: DA/SA
• Finish: Black Cerakote
• Capacity: 13
• MSRP: $460

A Closer Look

The C100 is a Turkish-made 9mm pistol brought to us by TriStar. It is an exceptionally good clone of the CZ-75 with some aspects that set it apart from its European cousin. The C100 is a double action/single action (DA/SA) pistol with an external safety. Like the 1911, this feature allows the gun owner to carry in “condition 1” (hammer cocked with safety on) if they wish. As a DA/SA it has two different trigger pulls for each action. In single action the trigger comes in at a whopping 12 pounds like many other DA guns. Unlike other DA pistols though, the complete travel of the trigger is relatively short, which offsets the bench press required to run the first shot. In single action that trigger pull drops to a very comfortable 4 ¾ pounds. It comes with an aluminum frame that allows it to be extremely light weight. Weighing in at only 23 ounces, it is a very comfortable carry. Add to this the attention paid to keep the gun smooth with little to hang up on and it quickly becomes a contender for every day carry. The sights are set up with snag-free rear dovetail and fixed blade front sight. This allows you to make any adjustments to the rear sight if needed. The grips are a comfortable checkered polymer that offer good traction without adding too much to the thickness of the grip. Wrapping it up, the pistol is Cerakoted, creating a good looking and durable finish. At this time TriStar offer three versions of finish on the C100, an all black version, an all-hard chromed version, and a two-tone model. The gun is offered in 9mm as well as .40 S&W.

Anyone familiar with the CZ-75 series of pistols will be right at home with the TriStar C100.

Fit and Feel

Configured as a “compact,” The 13+1 9mm C100 is not small enough for pocket carry but still well-suited for EDC.

Handling the C100 was a very pleasant event. In fact, I will confess that I did not expect the gun to be as nice as it proved to be. As with the CZ, the bore axis on the C100 is very low, which makes it an easy shooting pistol. The slide height (due the fact the frame wraps around the rails of the slide, and not vice/versa) is fairly short though which took a little getting accustomed to as I racked the slide with my big paws. The safety is located on the left side of the frame behind the slide release. I found it to be a bit stiff during my time on the gun but am certain it would get smoother over time. Unlike some DA/SA pistols, the safety on the C100 acts purely as such. It is designed to block the trigger, hammer lever and the hammer which makes the firing mechanism immobile. There is no de-cocker system on the pistol. If you carry in condition 1, you will need to unload the gun to perform any administrative functions. You can, of course, ease the hammer forward, but know that that can be a dicey proposition.

The gun I received came with two metal Mec-Gar magazines. The name may not ring a bell, but they are a prolific OEM supplier of magazines to many major gun companies. If you shoot a lot, chances are that you have used their mags. The punch line of this is that they are good magazines. The C100 also takes standard compact CZ magazines as well so there should never be an issue in getting more to add to the range bag.

Take it Out for a Spin

Fit and finish obviously matter, contrary to what some hard core gun owners may say. There have never been prideful discussions about how ugly their guns are or how terrible the finish is. The C100 scores high in this category as we have discussed. However, the proof of any gun is in performance. It was time to take our Turkish blaster to the range. The first press of the trigger on target was an X ring winner. This, even with the 12-pound press it took to drag the trigger to the rear. Following that were a succession of similar exceptionally accurate shots as the gun now fired in SA mode. The low bore axis along with good grips and sights allowed me to produce a completely unexpected group with the gun. This immediately gave way to a walk back drill with the gun to see what it was able to do. Granted, it is not a micro pocket pistol so I expected it to stay in the fight at traditional ranges. We moved past the “traditional” ranges of 25 and 50 yards pretty quickly. The pistol’s performance reminded me of Colonel Cooper’s belief that you should be able to hit a head shot at 25 yards and a torso at 50 yards with your pistol. This task proved simple with the C100., I have a few rounds under my belt and have spent more than one day on the range, but the C100 still surprised me with its accuracy.

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The author ran a wide selection of ammo through the C100, including the American Eagle Syntech load shown here.

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The author was able to wring some really good results out of the C100 on the range.

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The Results Are In

The non-ambidextrous primary controls are made up of a manual safety, slide lock and magazine release.

While the size of the gun does not put it into the pocket pistol category, it is a good for an IWB/OWB concealed carry gun. It is still small enough to carry quite comfortably. On that note, I did a variety of drills on targets at more urban-realistic distances. Ranging from 15 yards to close contact, I ran magazine after magazine. From failure to stop drills to a Mozambique the gun ran well. I mixed situations where the gun was initially presented hammer down as well as coked and locked. There is no way around the fact that any gun with two trigger pull weights will produce shifts in accuracy and or extended time spent on trigger. The SA/DA trigger just isn’t my cup of tea, yet I found my groups to be very good.

Manipulations on the gun such as emergency reloads were simple and easy to accomplish. The magazine release fit my grip well and had sufficient texture to allow my thumb a clean press with no slip. Magazines fell free with no hang ups and new mags seated easily. As with just about every gun that comes across my bench, I made time to gather data on its accuracy. This is accomplished by shooting five round groups at 25 yards. In each test I use three different brands of ammunition. Shots are fired from a bench with the shooter supported. With the test to measure the gun’s ultimate accuracy, all rounds were fired in a single-action setting. The ammo flavors for the day were a spectrum of rounds that included Aquila 115-gr. FMJ, Remington 115-gr. FMJ and America Eagle 115-gr. SYNTECH TSJ. The winner of the grouping was the unique American Eagle synthetic jacket rounds producing a five round group measuring one inch.

Yes…You Will Want One

Are there guns out there that can produce much better groups? Absolutely. However, you will need to visit with your financial planner prior to making many of those purchases. The accuracy demonstrated by the C100 is beyond sufficient for an everyday carry defensive pistol or even a home defense gun. It is on par with or exceeds the accuracy of most popular guns sold in this category today. So the underlying question that is likely on everyone’s mind is reliability. In the entire testing period I experienced no malfunctions of any kind and the gun ran flawlessly. There is no test beyond an industrial effort to measure durability other than time. Having fired more guns that I can count, I believe the C100 would be a long-term gun.

For those who want a compact pistol in the CZ-75 pattern for a good price, the TriStar C100 makes for a really good option.

There is an unmentioned bias in the gun world against inexpensive guns and in some situations it is justified. “You get what you pay for” is the most painful cliché we see on this topic yet in some cases it is just not true. I remember vividly the day when the first Glock hit the shelves in my local gun shop. It was not priced anywhere near the revered 1911s it was displayed near and the cheap gun banter began. We all know how that turned out. The point is that I encourage you to look closely at a gun before you write it off because it is not expensive.

Note the very small slide height of the C100 pistol, due to the fact the frame wraps up and around rails on the slide.

TriStar has led the way on bringing guns to market in the US at reasonable prices. They are an internationally successful business and know what they are doing. The fact that they offer a five-year warranty on their products shows their commitment to the product. The TriStar C100 is a great pistol and a pleasure to shoot. If you are looking for a solid CZ-75 style shooter at a decent price, the C100 needs to be on your consideration list.

To learn more, visit https://www.tristararms.com/products/semi-automatic-pistols/c-100-pistols/.

To purchase on GunsAmerica.com, click this link: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=Tristar%20c100.