TriStar Arms added a number of new personal defense and target shooting handguns for 2013. Â I am not terribly familiar with the TriStar line of firearms, but according to the company, they only recently got into the handgun market when they introduced their first pistols in 2012.
The new TriStar pistols are chambered in 9mm and .40 S&W and come in a variety of finishes and sizes. Â Two of the pistols, the TP semi-auto handguns, are polymer framed guns. Â The other pistols are traditional metal framed handguns.
MSRP on the TriStar handguns run from $429 to $469. Â Street prices may dip below $400 on some models. Â It will be interesting to see how these guns perform on the range and in sales when compared to other pistols in this price range. Â There are certainly a number of players in this price range, and big names like Ruger and Smith & Wesson certainly have an edge on brand name recognition.
Each of these pistols ships with two magazines, a cleaning kit, a gun lock and hard case. Â The guns come with a one year warranty.
C100
The TriStar C100 is one of two models available in both 9mm and .40 S&W calibers. Â This model appears to be a mid size gun with a 3.9″ barrel. Â It has a traditional double-action/single-action (DA/SA) trigger.
The slide is steel and the frame is an aluminum alloy. Â Weight is listed as 1.63 pounds for the .40 and 1.53 pounds for the 9mm. Â Magazine capacity is 11 for the .40 and 15 for the 9mm.
P120
The P120 is a larger gun than the C100, but it is only available in 9mm. Â The barrel is 4.7″ long and the total weight (unloaded) is 1.87 pounds. Â According to TriStar the P120 was developed for military use, but also is a good gun for the shooting sports. Â Magazine capacity is 17 rounds.
L120
The TriStar L120 is also a 9mm-only pistol with a 4.7″ barrel and 17 round magazine. Â However, this pistol comes in a little lighter at 1.75 pounds.
S120
The S120 is a heavier version of the L120.  Instead of the steel-alloy frame of the L120, the S120 uses a stainless steel frame.  That increases the total weight of the gun to 2.26 pounds.  Barrel length and magazine capacity remain the same.
T100
Not to be confused with a Terminator model, the TriStar T100 is a compact pistol with a 3.7″ barrel. Â This gun is only available in 9mm. Â Magazine capacity is 15 rounds. Â Total (unloaded) weight is 1.64 pounds.
T120Â
The TriStar T120 is a full size handgun that the company describes as being “great for home defense and target shooting.” Â It has a 4.7″ barrel. Â The gun is only available in 9mm and takes a 17-round magazine. Â Weight is 1.88 pounds. Â Like the guns described above, it uses the DA/SA trigger.
TP-9 and TP-40
In the “one of these things is not like the other” category is the TP series of TriStar pistols. Â These handguns are polymer framed and strangely different from each other. Â The 9mm version is listed as having a 3.5″ barrel, a 1.39 pound weight and a 10-round magazine. Â Meanwhile, the .40 S&W version is supposed to have a 4.1″ barrel, 1.65 pound weight and a 13 round magazine.
I don’t know if the company is planning on two different models: a standard and a compact, but those are the specs they have published, and the differentiator appears to be the caliber.  I would think the company would make a 9mm and .40 S&W version of both sizes, and eventually they might.
28 replies on “TriStar Pistols”
These look like neat CZ clones. I’d like to find one and try it out.
I’m so pleased with my Canik T100 that as soon as I can find the TP40 S&W at the $380 price I’m grabbing one. Grabagun.com is where I got mine $349 and $6 shipping. The “chrome finish” is probably not what most would expect, but I still love my gun.
Has anyone seen, or can at least verify the existence of the C-100 in .40 S&W? I’ve been in contact with many Tristar distributors, and have not gotten a straight answer other than, “they’re out of stock,” from any of them. Tristar’s customer service has not been much help either, unfortunately. Any rumors or anything I can go on?
~Matt
I have the same frustration in trying to get the 40s&w in their tupperware version, the TP-40. Absolutely no help from either Tristar or Century Arms. These are all the same guns. Bud’s has a load of 9mm’s just called Canik 55. All the same gun, all made by Canik. Impact Guns told me they had them on order and should have them in a week. All bull, been 3 weeks now, still “out of stock”. No choice but to be patient. Those are fine firearms. We’ll get one….hopefully.
Try a search on “Tristar T-100” That’s how I found Grabagun.com. Later, I found one site (can’t recall who) that was selling Tristar (Canik) 9mm’s for less than $340. Don’t recall if they offered any .40 cal pistols.
In this crazy ammo market, I noticed that 9mm ammo is always out of stock, but there’s planty of .40 cal to be had.
Tristar C100 in .40 s&w. Grabagun…..$341. Get yours now! J&G sales for the TP-9 $299.
My local dealer would have been happy to order me one in .40 he was asking 350., but I went with a 9mm for carry and had enough .40’s….good luck and dont wait, he also stated it was 12 in the magazine.
The 9mm version holds 15 rounds. The .40 holds 11 rounds. Both of them use the exact same magazines
I own a c100 chambered in 40s&w. it’s my carry gun. Instead of being made of aluminum like the 9mm version it’s made of heavy steel through-in-through. Very reliable.
I love mine , now when I statead out shootiin Monarch 85 grain it made a perfect line across the bottom of the target. I thouht I made a bad but but the gun is tight and was made for my hand. I put Remington 115 grain an presto . Bulllsey I love and will buy another no jams. For the money at Acadamey you cant go wrong. Now my sig 2022 was perfet but I used remington
its a really really good gun worth every penny no probly with it