The 2022 edition of the SHOT Show, in Las Vegas, saw the Turkish Derya Arms company – chiefly known for their vast line of tactical, defensive, hunting and sporting shotguns – showcase their ZY9 line of 9mm Luger semi-automatic personal defense weapons: a series of sleek, solidly built, lightweight and functional firearms, conceived and built for personal defense, home and property protection, and for duty use particularly by private security personnel.

Legally speaking, all the elements of the Derya ZY9 line would be considered handguns in most of Europe, where the definition of a pistol or a rifle is not given by the presence of a stock but by the barrel length vs. overall length ratio. In the US, only one of those – the baseline Derya ZY9 B6 – would instead be considered a pistol, while all others would be classified as SBRs (Short Barrel Rifles) and thus subject to NFA rules.

All the entries in the Derya ZY9 series are built around a hard-anodized, black lightweight aluminum alloy upper and lower receiver, and available with either a 15 cm / 5.9" or 25 cm / 10" barrel, with a threaded muzzle for a flash hider or a sound suppressor. Other common features include an AR-15 style controls configuration – for the most part – and a black machined aluminum alloy M-LOK handguard.

All the entries in the series feed through 9mm Luger Glock magazines of any make and capacity, and feature a simple straight blowback working system for the best balance between simplicity, reliability, and ease of use and maintenance.

Weighing in between 1,8 and 2 kg (3.9 to 4.4 lbs.) depending from the configuration, all the entries in the Derya ZY9 family of weapons field-strip exactly like an AR-15, come from factory with an AR-15 compatible grip, and can be equipped with an M4-type buffer tube and collapsible buttstock. All models also come from factory with a full-length top machined MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny rail for optics and a set of removable polymer flip-up sights.