(Here's a review I wrote for Jeff Cooper. He commented that it was better than most of what was being published in the gun magazines at the time. He forwarded it to Jan Libourel but I never heard anything back. I tailored this specifically for Cooper and would have written it slightly differently for general publication.)
Some time ago you wrote that you were interested in hearing owner’s impressions of the European American Armory Tanfoglio Witness in .45 ACP. I bought one when they first came out and have had several years to play with it since then. At the time I was working in a gun shop so I also heard from several other owners.
I already owned an FIE Tanfoglio TZ-75 series 88 in 9X19 mm. The pistol is very comfortable in my hand. It is more than acceptably accurate. With cast 124 grain bullets at 1120 feet per second it will put 5 shots into 2 1/4 inches at 25 yards. It is also completely reliable. Some of the customers had expressed their concern over my condition one carry of a 1911A1 so my boss suggested I carry a double action. I decided to try to get another CZ-75 clone in .45 ACP. I also decided on stainless steel as my blued pistol was losing some of the finish from perspiration during the summer months.
When the pistol arrived I inspected, cleaned and lubricated it. The frame is about the same size and feel as the Bren X but the stocks are considerably thicker. The pistol ends up being much less comfortable than the original CZ-75. Thinner stocks would slim the butt down considerably.
I took the Witness out to sight-in and found it hit much too low. I shipped it back to the importer and they replaced the rear sight with a significantly higher one. The new rear sight is almost double the height of the original. This higher sight appears to be standard on the current production series. The new sights were zeroed just fine on return from the importer.
The slide and barrel fit are very loose. Accuracy runs at just under 4 inches at 25 yards. This level of accuracy seems to be typical for the factory pistols. I guess I’ve been spoiled by my Springfield 1911A1 as it will do under 3 inches at 50 yards.
The trigger is very wide and smooth. The single-action pull has a great deal of take-up but breaks reasonably light and clean. The trigger is not on a par with a 1911 trigger, but it is not unworkable. The trigger-cocking pull is typically long and mushy but not overly heavy. I’m afraid I’ve misplaced my trigger pull gauge so I can’t give you accurate pull weights. The wide trigger makes the pull seem lighter than it actually is. The trigger is curved to sit further back in the trigger guard than the Bren X or CZ-75. It is easier to reach for trigger-cocking but does present another problem. I had several customers complain that the trigger would strike the frame before the sear would break. I found I had the same problem. When the finger engages the trigger at the first joint rather than on the pad, it presses against the frame on either side of the trigger before the trigger reaches its rearmost position. This gives the tactile illusion that the trigger can’t travel any farther. The problem is similar to what can occur when a short A1 trigger is put into a 1911 frame. Trigger-cocking the piece with the pad of the finger may be difficult for some people. I found that I was able to keep the pad of my finger on the trigger but others may need to replace or reshape the trigger.
The front sight is square but very low to the slide. The rear notch is square but too narrow. There is very little light visible on either side of the front sight in a standard Weaver stance. Both front and rear sights are dovetailed into the slide. The bases are wide and secure.
The recoil spring is surprisingly stiff. Someone with weak hands would have difficulty cycling the action. Despite the strong spring, hardball equivalent reloads show elongated firing pin marks on the primers, indicating that the action is opening a bit early. The same reloads function flawlessly in my 1911A1 with no pressure signs. Average velocity is 830 feet per second (a bit lower than ball). The generic commercial ball (average 750 feet per second) works reliably in the Witness and shows normal firing pin marks. I will try some Israeli Military Industry ball (average 850 feet per second) and see how the fired primers look. The stiff recoil spring and relatively short slide movement make for a sharper felt recoil than that found on a 1911.
The safety moves too easily. I found recoil would engage it after three or four rounds. Most of my customers had the same complaint. I have not heard of this problem with the nine millimeter models. The correct high-thumb hold will prevent the problem but it may become necessary to fire the pistol with the left hand so I would prefer the safety not engage itself. I informed the importer of the problem when I sent the pistol in for a new rear sight. The safety was unchanged when I got the pistol back so I looked into modifying it myself. The plunger spring is plenty stiff so I deepened the detent in the frame with a needle file. The safety no longer engages under recoil but I was unable to get the positive engagement that I would prefer. My older TZ-75 has a safety that engages and disengages very positively.
The magazine is advertised as holding ten rounds, but I was unable to fit ten rounds into it. The ninth round is under sufficient pressure that I think it could incur feed problems. Eight rounds feed reliably but an eight round capacity negates any supposed advantage gained with a double column magazine and wide frame.
Overall, the pistol is not up to the standards of the CZ-75 or some of the earlier Tanfoglio CZ clones. The pistol functions reliably. I only shoot 230 grain round-nose or truncated-cone ammunition so I don’t know how it feeds lighter bullets or hollow points. I heard no complaints from my customers concerning ammunition sensitivity. I have had no parts breakage and the pistol seems to be wearing very well. The accuracy is no better than adequate for a defensive arm. The Witness is relatively inexpensive but I would rather pay a bit more for a quality 1911A1.
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