Posted: 3/2/2026 9:56:51 AM EDT
[Last Edit: airgunner][Edited]
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So tell me about Tanfoglio pistols? Not a brand I hear about much but when I do, it seems to be all positive? I know EAA use to import them but now they are imported by IFG. I guess my questions are... Is there any major issues or concerns with them I should be aware of? How compatible are they with CZ parts? How are parts availability in general? Normally I'm not a "clone" guy but Italians seems to know their way around clones? The main reason I'm looking at them is I'm wanting 10mm which CZ doesn't offer. I'm specifically looking at an EAA Witness "Elite Match" in 10mm which as I understand it, is a factory "custom shop" model with an SAO match trigger and match barrel? Should I fo? |
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Friend has that 10mm Elite Stock or whatever it was called. EAA import. No problems with it that I know of. He got it to use for Limited 10 in USPSA, I think. Or he might have just got it for the hell of it. He's a 10mm fan, so... Myself, I have a .38 Super Gold Custom open race gun from them, again, EAA import, got it back in 2013. Used it for USPSA and Steel Challenge, took a couple training courses with it. Top Notch. Both of us also own an assortment of CZs, so yeah, basically these were the 'CZ doesn't have these options, so we'll go with the next best thing' choices. Like, the Czechmate came out maybe 6 months after I got my Gold Custom. (At the time, only in 9mm, so not sure I would have gone with it over .38 Super anyway) |
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Originally Posted By ARinKCMO: Or he might have just got it for the hell of it. He's a 10mm fan |
On going to war over religion: "You're basically killing each other to see who's got the better imaginary friend." - Richard Jeni
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Italian CZ clones that started being made when we couldn't get CZ in the US. Quality is good. Prices will lower than Cz but, higher than current Turk imports. Their 45/10mm options are better thought put than CZ in my opinion. CZ made some odd choices with the CZ-97 back in the day. |
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I have had a 45 Witness for about 20 years, and shoot it occaisionally. I bought a 10mm Witness in wonderfinish for when I want to channel some Miami Vice. the 45 has about 500 rounds through it, no problems. the 10 has about the same. Both are steel frames. |
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Other then possibly magazines, there's no parts interchange between CZ and Tanfoglio. Same design action but different specs, so says Cajan Gun Works, and I can confirm that. The newer Tanfoglio Witness has a different slide locking design that appears to have a barrel that locks into the ejection port like many newer guns do. The internal parts are rougher then CZ and no where near as smooth as Sarsilmaz which is smoother then CZ or Tanfoglio. I have an early actual stainless Witness in .45, one of the few imported with a true stainless slide and frame. Both are castings and quality is only so-so. Some of the 10mm and .45 Witness users said the factory recoil spring was a little light and recommended going up a pound with Wolff Gun Springs. |
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Originally Posted By Phillbilly: Way , waaay back it seems like the 45s had frame issues. Have one of those. It was a .45 with a .22lr conversion kit. Big gun, never any trouble with it. .45 has a couple thousand rounds through it but the .22 kit really shines. Just as accurate as my Ruger MKII. Been years since the 45 slide has been on it  |
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Originally Posted By dfariswheel: Other then possibly magazines, there's no parts interchange between CZ and Tanfoglio. Same design action but different specs, so says Cajan Gun Works, and I can confirm that. Originally Posted By dfariswheel: Other then possibly magazines, there's no parts interchange between CZ and Tanfoglio. Same design action but different specs, so says Cajan Gun Works, and I can confirm that. Originally Posted By dfariswheel: The newer Tanfoglio Witness has a different slide locking design that appears to have a barrel that locks into the ejection port like many newer guns do. Originally Posted By dfariswheel: The internal parts are rougher then CZ and no where near as smooth as Sarsilmaz which is smoother then CZ or Tanfoglio. Originally Posted By dfariswheel: I have an early actual stainless Witness in .45, one of the few imported with a true stainless slide and frame. Both are castings and quality is only so-so. Originally Posted By dfariswheel: Some of the 10mm and .45 Witness users said the factory recoil spring was a little light and recommended going up a pound with Wolff Gun Springs. Thanks for all the info!  |
On going to war over religion: "You're basically killing each other to see who's got the better imaginary friend." - Richard Jeni
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Tanfoglio went to the new slide design sometime in the mid to late 1990's. Most Tanfoglio pistols were Black finished or had their "Wonder finish" which I think was a hard chrome. Sarsilmaz makes the best quality CZ-75 clone, but only in 9mm. They do make a modified CZ in .45. Here's my forged slide and frame, hammer forged barrel stainless Sarsilmaz SAR 2000..... 
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I have a Witness Hunter 10mm. It's an extraordinarily well-made, beautifully finished pistol that functions fine and is quite accurate. |
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"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." - Mark Twain
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I own their 10mm stock 3 but I purchased that probably 10 years ago. And an even older witness 45. Ohh poly frame 40s&w. The kool thing about tanfos is the whole large frame small frame thing. My 40 is a large frame so I think I could transform it into a 10mm. The mags fit anyway. Bought it used and fixed the undercut sear issue that caused the original owner to pawn it. I did order a 9mm barrel, fit it to my 10mm, and reamed it for 9x25 Dillon. Now Tanfoglio used to be budget orientated but not so much anymore. For what they want now, I can get modern art like a Python or Anaconda. Surly a S&W revolver no lock which I have already done. |
I think the “Match” transition between the early models and later models can be found reasonably. When shopping they may be listed as EAA, Witness or Tanfoglio. The early models have a milled front sight which is not ideal. The match has a changeable sight and fairly plain lines. I have one in 9mm SAO.
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| I remember when they were the hotness in USPSA for a second. JJ Racaza and a few others were shooting one of the "Stock" models in production. I've known a handful of people with them and they spoke highly of them. They always seemed to struggle with being adopted. Similar to the FN pistols. I was just looking at them the other day because of a TFB video. I don't really want another platform at this point but any steel framed big handgun like that is going to be a blast to shoot. |
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they are fine cz clones but parts/service are going to be mildly harder to come by than CZs the large (longer) frame does fit bigger hands better (note that small frame 9mm mags = cz75 mags, 45tanfos = cz97 mags, otherwise its propietary mag city). note this is NOT the same "large" frame as the tactical sport line of czs... think of those as wide frame and take their own propietary mags (yes, you have cz75/tanfo small frame, cz-ts, tanfo-large frame, and p10f/dwx mags for 9mm... all not interchangeable!). 45 / 10mm = tanfo fo sho. |
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Originally Posted By Chris_1522: I have a Witness Hunter 10mm. It's an extraordinarily well-made, beautifully finished pistol that functions fine and is quite accurate. I wish they/IFG would bring the hunter back. Frustratingly, nearly all of their current line up has slide lightening cuts which I absolutely despise. If the 10mm Gold didn't have them, I'd have bought it already. From IG: this custom Hunter would be amazing. Attached File |
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I am running an older Tanfoglio 40 cal open gun. I would like the capacity of a 9 silly meter but no one makes a 40 magazine over 20 rnds. Parts I have needed was a set of thin grips, the hook snapped off my extractor in a match so I ordered both from Patriot Ordnance in TX. I ordered some new magazine springs from Henning when it started having feed issues on the last few rounds in a magazine and would not go to slide lock. Take out the firing pin safety and toss in the trash. Odd design that will fail and fail again. After you remove it don't drop the down off of a sky scraper on to concrete any more. 40 Cal Witness Gold |
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I’d really like to find one of the basic 10mms in stainless-ideally without a rail. I’m not going to shoot competitively with it, so don’t need(or want to pay for) a competition model. They weren’t all that hard to find years ago. But now that I decided I want one, can’t find one anywhere. And it doesn’t look like Tanfoglio’s current importer does that model. |