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  4. Review of the Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol

TriStar is one of the most trusted names when it comes to imported shotguns, but the company has recently pivoted to bringing in a cost-effective G19 clone – and we have the review. 

Quick Summary: The TriStar Kral APOC is a Turkish-made clone of one of the most popular striker-fired, polymer-framed pistols of all time. We found it to be exceptionally accurate – in terms of both marksmanship and emulation – although with a break-in period. Overall, if you are looking for a faithful Gen 3 G19 at a great price, the APOC could be just the thing. 
 

Table of Contents

Overview
The Specs
Features
Trigger
Reliability
Accuracy
Pros & Cons
Conclusion
 

Overview


The Glock 19 debuted in its original Gen 2 format in 1989 and was replaced by the newer and more finger-groovier Gen 3 in 1998. In the nearly three decades since then, the Gen 3 Glock 19 has become something of a gold standard when it comes to a semi-auto handgun that can pinch hit in just about any task, be it concealed carry, duty, home defense, field use, or just plain-old target shooting, be it of the USPSA or tin can variety. While Glock itself has ended production of this classic, others have stepped up to fill that space and still-palpable demand. 

Enter Missouri's own TriStar Arms with its new APOC pistol. The company has been bringing American hunters quality firearms at competitive prices longer than the "Scream" franchise has been in the theaters, but it has usually just been associated with shotguns. Built by globally known Turkish firearms maker Kral Arms, the APOC is TriStar's bid to keep the public's appetite for the Gen 3 G19 sated. 
 

Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The TriStar Kral APOC pistol is a striker-fired, polymer-framed, semi-automatic 15+1 capacity 9mm pistol with familiar lines. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
It is 7.35 inches long overall with a 4-inch barrel, a height of 5 inches with the flush-fit magazine inserted, and an overall width of 1.25 inches.
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The APOC, compared to the author's trusty old circa-2012 Gen 3 G19, the latter of which had been upgraded from its factory standard with a Timney Alpha competition trigger, Lone Wolf Alpha Wolf threaded barrel, and Trijicon suppressor-height sights.
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The APOC is also compared to Ruger's RXM, another modular Gen 3 G19 clone available at a higher MSRP of about $200 more than the APOC. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
Besides the black model, TriStar is importing the APOC in Sniper Gray, FDE, and OD. 


For full disclosure, TriStar sent Guns.com this APOC for review purposes. All testing was done on this one pistol, which has been under evaluation since October.
 

The Specs

  • Overall length: 7.35 inches
  • Barrel length: 4 inches 
  • Sight radius: 6  inches
  • Overall width: 1.25  inches at the widest point over the controls 
  • Overall height: 5 inches to the top of the slide. 
  • Magazine capacity: 15+1 G19 pattern single-stack flush fit (ships with two)
  • Trigger pull: 5.6 pounds (10-pull average) 
  • Weight, with empty OEM magazine, no optic/accessory: 25.5 ounces
  • Weight, loaded/equipped: 36 ounces, "heavy" with 15+1 rounds of Federal 147-grain LE HST JHPs, Inforce WILD2 1,000 lumen light. 
     

Features


TriStar tells us most Gen 3 G19 components will interchange, allowing for easy updates and maintenance, while the pistol boasts better ergonomics. 
 

Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
Note the textured memory pad/gas pedal on the frame forward of the trigger. Also note the more aesthetic beveled "nose" of the slide over its blockier predecessor. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The frame uses multiple texture patterns and types on the grip to help "stick" to the user's palm. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
Also note the deep undercut to the trigger guard, allowing a higher, more controllable grip. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The slide carries matching front and rear serrations.
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
Surface controls are familiar and work as advertised, with a large push-button magazine release and fenced slide catch on the left side of the frame for right-handed users. The takedown lever is ambi and standard for the extended family. You have to pull the trigger during the takedown process, so, as with all maintenance, make triple sure there are no mags or ammo present or chambered beforehand. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
We found the APOC, seen wearing our G19 slide and a Lone Wolf barrel, to interchange and function with both the Glock and RXM slides. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The slides compared, with the RXM on top, G19/Lone Wolf in the center, and the APOC on the bottom.
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The slides compared with the RXM on top, G19/Lone Wolf in the center, and the APOC on the bottom.
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The frames compared, APOC on top, G19 on bottom, RXM as "the meat" in the polymer sandwich.
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
Dimensional similarity with one of the most commonly encountered carry guns of the past 30 years means there are hundreds of holster fits already in circulation. It worked in every G19 holster we had on hand. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The APOC ships with front and rear steel fiber-optic sights. This is a big upgrade from the standard plastic sights that Glock still ships on the Gen 6s these days. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The APOC ships with two 15-round Glock G19-pattern magazines and two interchangeable grip backstraps. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The two-slot accessory rail on the APOC is a departure from the weird one-slot rail common on G19s.
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
However, we found it an odd fit with most of the WMLs we had on hand, and either a full three- or four-slot Pic rail or even the single-slot Glock-style rail would probably be better. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The Streamlight TLR-7A fit decently, but many of the others, such as the Surefire X300, were just a flat-out no-go. 
Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The light we had on hand that gave the best fit was the big honking Inforce WILD2, a 1,000-lumen light with a 6061-T6 aluminum housing, a Glock Universal crossbar, and dual paddle controls. 

 

Trigger

 

Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The trigger on the APOC uses a red insert in the shoe, giving it a racier appearance than its cousins. It felt like a Gen 3 G19 factory pack and broke at 5.6 pounds on average. It feels familiar but works. 


Reliability


No sugarcoating it here. We put just over 500 rounds through the APOC using a mixture of factory-loaded cartridges from well-known brands in a variety of loads between 115 and 147 grains, with most (400) being FMJ range loads and the balance being jacketed hollow point defense ammo. Why the vagueness of the brands? Well, because for the first 100 rounds or so, we had some bad jams with the APOC, logging at least eight failures to feed, using several different loads and both the Tristar-provided mags and factory Glock mags. 
 

Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
Those FTFs, man. The jams would typically come three or four rounds into a mag. 


In the APOC's defense, the gun was dry and stiff right out of the box, and we didn't lube it before heading to the range. After stopping the testing at the 100-round mark, we broke the pistol down, scrubbed everything with a nylon brush and Ballistol, reassembled, cycled a set of snap caps through the action about 100 times, checked for lubrication and function, then returned to the range. The second test cycle got through a bit over 400 rounds with only one further FTF. 

After having problems with the first 100 rounds, the gun evened out and ran fine following a cleaning and prep cycle for the rest of the 500-shot T&E. We ran it with both the provided magazines and several Glock and Magpul G19-pattern mags. 

The TriStar APOC is covered by the company's five-year warranty. 
 

Accuracy

 

Tristar Kral APOC: Budget G19 Gen 3 Clone Pistol
The TriStar APOC proved extremely accurate in testing. This target was shot off-hand from 10 yards with 115-grain bulk pack FMJ range ammo. 


Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Accurate
  • Affordable
  • Good sights
  • Lots of aftermarket support in terms of parts, mags, holsters, etc.

Cons

  • Had issues early on (but smoothed out)
  • No provision for optics
  • The accessory rail is a little goofy
     

Conclusion


The APOC is about the least expensive option for a Gen 3 G19 clone, new in the box. We found ours to work, after a few hiccups, and proved to be extremely accurate. 

By comparison, the often-buggy PSA Dagger Compact can be had, depending on sales, starting at $299. The recently introduced U.S.-made Derya DY9 optics-ready Glock 19 clone has an MSRP of $399. Brownells sells a complete G19 clone slide for $249 and a complete SCT frame for $90, putting you at about $339 to build (well, assemble) your own, plus tax and transfer. The base model RXM, which is more modular and optics-ready, has a starting MSRP of $539. Glock doesn't make the Gen 3 G19 any longer (pour one out for the OG), although there are lots of new/old stock examples around with prices all over the place right now, but the recently introduced Gen 5V/6 variants have a cataloged price of $745. 

The APOC stands a shot at becoming a "people's champ" in its space. TriStar tells us the company is not bending the knee in these days of Glock clone controversy vs. anti-gun public policy via litigation and legislation. In fact, word is there are more APOC variants headed this way. 

We'll bring you more on that from SHOT Show.

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