Tanfoglio is an Italian manufacturer of handguns based in the “Valley of the Gun” outside of Brescia (there are several manufactures located there, including Beretta.)  One of their primary products is a copy of the CZ-75, called alternately the Combat or the Witness.  It is imported into the US by European American Armory and is usually called the EAA Witness.  It is available in .22LR, 9mm, .40S&W, 10mm, and .45ACP.

I have not fired the other calibers of this pistol, so we will focus solely on the .45 Witness.  Simply put:  this is one of the best .45s you can buy for sub-$500 (although prices have climbed some with the recent nonsense.)

The CZ is one of my favorite configurations for a handgun, and the clones of the weapon are highly-controllable, accurate, and reliable.  I originally bought my first Tanfoglio in 1997 because it was the closest thing I could get to the old Bren Ten — a fantastic weapon.  It was, at the time, a $250 gun and worth every penny.  Since then, I have purchased two more of the weapons.  None have been a let down.

Quality of build and finish is good.  The Witness usually comes in a stainless steel frame and slide, what they call their Wonder Finish.  It is low-reflection steel with almost a brushed look to it.  The fit of the slide to frame is tight and the slide sits inside the frame, unlike most semiautos.  This makes for a more solid feeling weapon, in my opinion. The only issue with the .45 and 10mm versions of the handgun are light recoil springs — the Witnesses ship with 14 pound recoil springs.  Make sure you order a Wolff spring in 16 or 18 pounds for the .45, and at least a 20lb for the 10mm.  This not only helps with recoil management, but dramatically lowers the beating the frame takes from hotter +P .45s or the high-velocity 10mms.

Speaking of recoil…the Witness .45 has a stout recoil that, like the 1911 series, comes straight back into your hand with a minimum of muzzle flip.  Operation of the weapon is single/double action.  It can be carried with the hammer down, half-cock, or cocked and locked.  Unlike the CZs, the Tanfoglio can be safed in any hammer position, a feature I very much like and wish CZ would adopt.  The trigger pull is long in single action and about 8ish pounds, in single action it’s more like 4-5 lbs. and has a bit of play before engaging.  Some shooters don’t like this, but I don’t mind a bit of slack, personally.

Sights are fairly basic, adjustable with an Allen wench in most new models, and the weapon is extremely accurate.  (Attributed to the minimized play in the slide due to the way it mates to the frame.)  The ergonomics are comfortable for most shooters, and even my wife’s small hands, and a friend’s arthritic ones found it comfortable.  The wife did have trouble reaching the trigger in SA, but if a person with small mits was carrying, they could do it Condition One and have little problem.  The handle is bigger than the 1911, but gives the shooter 10 rounds in the magazine.

On every Witness I’ve owned, I’ve been able to print 2.5″ groups, free-standing with some speed, out to 25 yards.  Ordinarily, I like to try and practice moving and single handed shooting at cans or something appropriately small.  The Tanfoglio is a solid can-popper out to 10-15 yards, on the move and point shooting.  On an indoor range, the Witness regularly outshoots my friend’s Kimber Pro-Carry (but not another friend’s Yost-bonitz modified Springfield 1911.)

I’ve never had a malfunction in 2000 rounds with my current Tanfoglio, only had a handful of FTF (usually double feeds) on one that was magnaported.  (It was a bad magazine.)

They are a handsome, solid (and heavy) weapon with strong accuracy and reliability.  It might be a bit hefty for some to carry everyday, but for hiking or duty, the Tanfoglio would be a superb weapon.