Tanfoglio's Witness Elite Limited Pro 10mm Auto Part 1

The Tanfoglio Witness Elite Limited Pro is the product of a search for a firearm to facilitate 10mm handload development. The Tanfoglio is based on the1976 CZ 75 design, double/single action and high capacity for a 10mm. It is intended for I.P.S.C. Production Division competition. The Limited Pro is manufactured by Fratelli Tanfoglio STL (Tanfoglio Brothers) in the town of Gardone Val Trompia in Northern Italy and imported into the United States by the European American Armory Corporation of Cocoa, Florida, more typically referred to as “EAA”.

The Limited Pro model was selected over one of Tanfoglio’s poly frame versions for the sake of durability, over the Glock because of its true double/single action and over a 1911 because I really don’t like double action adaptations of the 1911 design. The Limited Pro has ambidextrous controls, adjustable sights, at 4.75″… almost a full length barrel and a good record in competitive shooting.

A pistol’s competitive shooting records can be a bit misleading as they are not based on firearms leaving a production line and they are not shot by casual firearm enthusiasts. A competition record does show a firearm’s potential when cleaned up and slicked up, in the hands of a skilled shooter. Subsequently, there are some things that are noticeable when actually handling a production line Witness Limited Pro. The grip angle, width and contour are very good, especially for its 15 round capacity. The controls are well placed and easy to thumb swipe actuate. The pistol has enough heft to make shooting full tilt 10mm ammo in quantities a modest effort and it feels well balanced.

The pistol is alloy steel, not stainless steel, with a hard chrome finish that simulates the look of stainless steel. While it is an attractive finish, it does require as much attention as a blued firearm. The contrasting black controls that follow the current trend are too… Sonny Crockett for my taste. I don’t need the contrast as use of controls is tactile, not visual.

A trigger jobs on this product can lead to an exceptional result. However, as received the trigger has a good deal of creep in both double and single action operation and it is a bit mushy when it breaks. The loose fit of the trigger pivot pin to trigger and frame causes the trigger to wag laterally like a dog’s tail. All correctable conditions. As received the Limited Pro had a double action pull measured just under 11 pounds with single action coming in just under 5 pounds.

Sights

The sights are Italian made LPA sights a combination of fully adjustable rear and easily changed front. Under normal daylight conditions, against a light background, the sight picture is crisp and target acquisition is quick. Against a dark background, not so much as the front blade blends in and disappears. Not unheard of as the Series 70 National Match Colt’s have essentially the same sight picture, however, they are made for bullseye competition.

CZ-75 through and through? Maybe not

The Witness Limited Pro, as is the case with all CZ 75 derivatives, is a short recoil, locked breech, tipping barrel design. When fired, the barrel is locked to the slide by radial locking lugs at the top of the barrel and on the inside of the slide. Under recoil, the slide is driven back, causing the breech end of the barrel to cam downward, which facilitates extraction, ejection and chambering a fresh round. The action is very much like the 1911, however, a looped camming surface moving against a slide stop replaces the 1911’s barrel link. The backside of the looped camming surface, seen under the breech end of the barrel, also serves as a feed ramp. Unlike the 1911, the frame does not provide a feed ramp surface.

1) The Witness has a solid guide rod with a conical end that is self centering. Something not present in the CZ 75. 2) In most autoloaders the firing pin safety is normally compressed to unblock the movement of the firing pin. This is reversed with the Limited Pro where the plunger normally rests on a leg of the sear and blocks the firing pin. Squeezing the trigger lowers the leg and the firing pin safety which unblocks the firing pin. The CZ 75 has a plunger lever that must compress the firing pin safety as the trigger is pulled to allow the firing pin to function which does add to trigger effort. 3) Radial locking lugs are the same as found on the CZ 75 and 1911, rather than the single lug atop the barrel that is so common in current firearms.

Other Safeties

A mechanical trigger block and security lock are supplied with the pistol for when it is stowed. When the pistol is in service, the trigger block safety (thumb safety) is ambidextrous and can be switched on or off with a thumb swipe. The magazine release can be switched for left or right hand use. The firing pin safety, described earlier, prevents the gun from firing if dropped or in any other fashion if there is no finger on the trigger. Carefully following the instructions in the manual, the hammer can be lowered over a loaded chamber and fired from double action mode.

Overall

Yes, this pistol and this model has a record of winning competitive events, but event winning pistols are not out of the box pistols. This one has a trigger that is substandard to pistols half its price. On the other hand, the grip size and form feel good and the pistol feels balanced. So we’ll take a break, load up and shoot a bunch of ammo, and see how it looks from a more more developed perspective.