The Canik/Tristar guns are quality firearms. I dipped my toe in the clone pool. It was okay. I just prefer the original CZs for the availability of custom parts. I have become so used to a fully customized gun that any stock trigger feels like it's a 15# pull. I've become a trigger snob...and I like it.
How many 1911 builders are there out there building off the Browning design? Aren't they clones as well?
As long as it's a quality gun I would trust them.
I love clones! Have many of the SAA clones, Uberti, Pietta, ASM, etc. Also own a 2nd Gen Colt SAA. Have 2 Browning Hi-powers and have shot the FEG'S and FM's. Own 2 Beretta 92's and still love the Taurus 92 also. Clones can be the beater guns that you shoot the hell out of to save wear and tear on the originals. And, yes, I carried the FEG Hi-power for years and trusted it totally!
I wouldn't have any problem trusting a clone, as long as it ran as well as I would expect any personal defense firearm to run. But, hypothetically, if I read review after review of cheap parts in a clone (or original) breaking or wearing prematurely, I don't care how well it was running for me, I wouldn't be able to trust it 100%. That's my way of thinking.
I'd be willing to bet that some of those close are as close if not closer to the original CZ-75 design as my p-07 is and I'd trust my life to that gun in a heartbeat. Some could even argue that an XD is a (heavily) modified Glock clone, and those are great guns. If the gun is reliable and accurate, I don't care how made it or what design they ripped off.
If you buy bottom line, even if it does perform to your standards, you always loose in the end. When a quality brand is holding it's value or maybe even going up in price, the bottom of the barrel gun will be headed the other way, becoming nearly worthless.
Fair question. I do not spend my money on third world, low quality copies of any products that are available quality built. For example, I have no problem with a Springfield or Kimber copy of a COLT government model, but I wouldn't accept a llama "version" as a gift. No Red Chinese 1100 shotguns either.
Take a simple old quality product like a Remington 3200 shotgun. I am talking the plain jane, not any embellished custom shop model. They are still in demand, and well worn ones are drawing higher prices than they cost new. Lately, Remington has taken to selling some low quality break open shotguns. I believe they are made in one of the Soviet satillite states. They have a high warranty claim statistic and are not worth much on the used market. Few gunsmiths are willing to work on them. Pretty much a throw away.
I spent my early years fighting to make low quality junk work, and between the frustration, wasted time, and expense, I would end up spending the same money as a good one and when I wanted to upgrade, they were not worth anything. I currently have nothing in my safe that cannot bring more on the open market than what I paid for it except for a cut down Savage 64 that was bought for the grandsons to learn basic skills.
I own a CZ 75B Compact and consider it to be one of the best handguns available today. I also own an EAA Witness (mine is 10mm though) and would not have an issue with trusting it to protect my family. Both are great guns. The EAA does have an improved action, but the CZ has far more aftermarket support. Even though the EAA (both Tanfoglio and Sarsilmaz use the same design) is updated and simplified, the CZ action is tried and true. Aftermarket support can really make a CZ shine and I think you can achieve more with a CZ than you can with an EAA in terms of approaching the perfect trigger. But, with a bit of polishing, either can be made quite nice with no aftermarket parts. If you have no intention of swapping parts, the EAA makes a lot of sense. But, if you want better sights, grips or trigger, the CZ is the way to go. There is so much aftermarket support out there, you can buy 10 and have no two feel the same.