The pistol under review today is among the most enjoyable handguns to fire and handle that I have tested. While concealed carry handguns are important, the larger target-grade guns are more pleasant to use. They also serve a real purpose in competition shooting.
I would not hesitate to trust this handgun for home defense — and why not? It is as reliable as any handgun or pistol caliber carbine (PCC), and more accurate than most.
SAR K12 Sport Features
Compared to the average striker-fired pistol, well, the K12 dots the I on the target. The pistol is based on the CZ 75 9mm (among my favorite handguns). Introduced in 1975 by česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod of the Czech Republic, the CZ 75 has become one of the most respected handguns in history. Inevitably, the pistol has been redesigned into both compact and extended-slide versions. Also inevitable, the pistol has been cloned by other makers. Some of these handguns are cheapened to sell at a lower price point, others are meant to be an improvement on the original.
Sarsilmaz of Turkey is a respected maker of service-grade weapons. With over 100 years of experience, it has secured military and police contracts in Turkey. Among the more popular handguns are those based on the CZ 75. Sarsilmaz also manufactures a striker-fired handgun that I have found reliable and useful.
The company refers to the all-steel, competition-grade K12 Sport as its crown jewel. I have no fault with that. In common with similar pistols, the K12 is short recoil operated and features a locked breech. The pistol unlocks via angled camming surfaces.
The slide and frame are stainless steel with a nicely-polished finish. The controls and sights are blue finished. The stocks are aluminum, similar to custom Alumagrips. The pistol features a 17-round magazine. The sights feature a post front and fully-adjustable rear sight.
Instead of the slide riding over the frame, the slide rides inside the frame. This achieves several things. The slide’s long bearing surface are more in contact with the frame. There is virtually no lateral play. The slide riding in the frame also provides a lower bore centerline to the hand. This low bore axis reduces muzzle flip. There is simply no leverage for the muzzle to rise.
Specifications
Overall length: 8.5 inches
Barrel length: 4.7 inches
Action: Single-action
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 17 rounds
Weight: 44 ounces
The monolithic dust cover extends to the end of the slide. The barrel is 4.7 inches long. SAR has achieved a good slide-to-frame fit and a generous sight radius. The safety is crisp in operation and ambidextrous.
Unlike most CZ 75 variants, the safety may be applied with the hammer down. This locks the slide in place. With the hammer to the rear, the pistol may be loaded with the safety engaged. The magazine release is sharp in operation. This elongated magazine release, coupled with a generous magazine well, makes for rapid magazine changes.
The trigger was clean. The single-action-only trigger breaks at 6 pounds. I imagine a competition shooter would desire something lighter. As for myself, it is ideal for most uses.
The grip is comfortable, despite the height of the handle. Both the front and back straps are nicely checkered. The slide features forward and rear cocking serrations. The only downside to the low-riding slide is that the slide is difficult to rack, due to the CZ design. I found myself using the forward serrations most often.
The barrel is nicely crowned, if not a true target-grade crown. The recoil assembly is designed for reliability and handles heavy loads well. The pistol uses a full-length guide rod. The pistol uses the standard CZ 75-type takedown.
Fieldstripping
Clear the magazine and chamber. Lock the slide to the rear to visually inspect the chamber. Release the slide and manipulate it to line up divots on the frame and slide. Press the slide lock out and the slide will be easily run forward. The recoil assembly is then pulled out and the barrel will easily run from the slide.
The pistol is heavy at over 44 ounces. This weight is well-balanced, and the pistol is neither slide heavy nor handle heavy. When the pistol fires, recoil is modest. There is a significant difference in recoil between the K12 Sport 9mm and a moderately-sized handgun such as the SIG P226 or Beretta 92.
The magazines are easily loaded to full capacity. Some modern pistols are a chore to load, this one isn’t. The barrel isn’t especially long at 4.7 inches. The Beretta 92 barrel, as an example, is 4.9 inches. The pistol generated greater velocity with a given load than most, however. As an example, a S&W M&P 2.0 9mm that I had on hand clocked 1,160 fps with the Hornady 124-grain XTP +P. The K12 generated 1,201 fps — a useful increase.
Most of the shooting was accomplished with ball ammunition. I don’t mind a modest break-in period, but there was none with this handgun. The SAR K12 never exhibited a short cycle. I never had to nudge the slide shut. There were no failures to feed, chamber, fire, or eject.
The trigger takes some getting used to. If you have fired a good 1911, or you are used to striker-fired guns, the K12 demands a few hundred dry fire repetitions to groove in. Once you are familiar with the trigger, the pistol will provide excellent accuracy.
Firing offhand using a mix of Remington UMC 9mm ball, the pistol sent these bullets into the X-ring. Line the sights, press the trigger, and you have a hit. Grooving into the pistol, steel plates at 25 yards were not much of a challenge. I simply ate the X-ring out of bullseye targets out at 25 yards as well. I may not be a competitor, but this pistol made me feel like one.
Moving to a solid, benchrest firing position, I settled down for accuracy testing. I have often said this type of testing isn’t relevant for a combat gun. For a competition and target gun, this testing is very relevant. With more experience, I am certain that I would be able to perform better. But that is true of any handgun.
Accuracy results, 25 yards, five-shot groups.
Factory Loads
Load |
Velocity (FPS) |
Group (inches) |
| Federal Train and Protect 115-grain JHP | 1,172 | 2.65 |
| Remington 115-grain FMJ | 1,160 | 2.6 |
| Hornady 115-grain XTP | 1,148 | 2.5 |
| Hornady 124-grain XTP +P American Gunner | 1,201 | 1.9 |
Handloads
Load |
Powder |
Velocity (FPS) |
Group (inches) |
| Hornady 124-grain XTP | Titegroup | 1,080 | 1.85 |
The K12 is clearly well worth its price and should give a shooter on a budget a leg up into the shooting sports. It would double nicely as a home defense handgun. Quite a few of us like taking small game with a handgun. This one will do the business in that role as well. I am carrying the pistol for range work in a Galco belt slide with good results.
What’s your impression of the K12 Sport? Would you use a “target gun” for self-defense? Share your answers in the comment section.
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Firing offhand, the K12 exhibits low recoil and good handling. -
Well-designed grip controls are good examples of the gunmaker’s art. -
Galco’s belt slide is a handy holster for packing the SAR K12 9mm. -
The test run of the SAR K12 was a positive experience. -
Adjustable sights make the pistol competition ready. -
Firing from a solid benchrest, the K12 exhibits excellent accuracy. With enough trigger time, a trained shooter will find this pistol to be a tack driver. -
The SAR K12 is a well-designed, reliable, accurate handgun. -
SAR’s K12 Sport never failed to feed, chamber, fire, or eject. -
The K12 9mm is a great shooter and produced accurate groups from 25 yards. -
This is one fast-handling, accurate handgun. -
Every piece of the K12’s design is well thought out. Note the aluminum grips and magazine well. -
After a few dozen rounds, the K12 9mm simply homed in on the target. -
The magazine well is cavernous.