Tanfoglio Witness steel, small frame, EA9B EAA import 

Thank you very much.

superbug1977 qqqqqjk,"". .

go ahead and do 2 hrs.....let me know what ya found out

Thank you, I have a similar collection to yours. I love em.

Thank you, but I only really know about the last 10-15 years or so of them, the ones previous to the Witness models, Tz75, TA90, etc, I know little about. Thanks again though and thanks for watching.

Thank you. They are both solid guns and I would put either up against much more expensive guns any day.

You'll be happy with the poly man. I have one no problems with it. But if I could have both heck yeah!

B. Hussein where you bought it ?

Thank you for the kind words. I can’t stand the gun store guys who always try to sell women simpler guns or softer shooting guns, or pink guns, just because their a female. Good for you for getting what you wanted.

Yeah thats bs. My wife bought a h&k p30sk. Its awesome and I wish I had one.

earthdog1961 thank you. It is indeed a great gun!

bobbyaita thank you!

thanks, lol, I'm not that great a shot at that distance, but if there was a person there I'm sure they'd either been hit or started running away! Thanks for the comment and watching.

Shooter Ready's Channel you’re welcome and thank you for the kind words.

Thank you, and yeah, it's got a lot of character.

Thank you for the compliments, but I'm no expert, I just own a few Tanfoglios. Hope you can get one EAA's import of the small frame (all steel) witnesses is sporadic at best.

Cyn Angel Lee thank you and you’re welcome. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine, they are nice handguns.

Red Sky good to hear, I had to send one back a year or two ago and had to pay shipping there and back. But it wasn't for a recall, maybe that's the difference?

rte148 is that witness small or large frame? I've got a set of the wrap around grips I used to have on my cz85, but I've never tried them on a witness. I agree about their black finish, it's not as nice looking as the wonder finish. It seems to hold up well enough though. The bluing on the slides of the match model isn't bad though, it's actual bluing.

Bill Smith thanks for the tip,

Roger Langley interesting, I wasn't aware that folks were pissed about magazines between small and large frame. Good to know. I didn't get into collecting the witnesses until after 2005. I had a 9mm back in the early nineties, small frame of course, and got back into them because of how much I had loved that one.

My small framed witness mags are interchangeable with the Jericho/Baby Eagle, and the TZ-75 among others I'm sure.

Agreed, excellent firearms.

Nathan Garcia yeah, that’s always been an issue with the base tanfoglio’s. I had a 45 one once that was way off on elevation, like feet not inches.

I really think EAA should bring more of the all steel small frame witnesses in. I have a couple of the large frame witnesses in 9mm and they are good pistols too, but I just like the way the small frame feels in the hand better.

Any luck on finding any options for grips?

Jared Reviea oddly enough I just tried a set of grips on it the other day that I got on eBay. They fit fine and didn't leave a gap at the front edge like the ones in the video, but because the grips are the shadow type shape, they left a bit of a gap along the top back corner that I didn't like. I'm thinking the same grips but in the traditional cz75 style would work. Here's the ones I tried on it: www.ebay.com/itm/Slim-G10-Grips-for-CZ-75-Full-Size-Grenade-Texture-1-4-Thick-Cool-Hand-SP1-6/302347355814?epid=1973872335&hash=item46654e86a6:m:mV3YZpgAizpPZGTPjCzttLw

darink300zx Funny you should mention the Cool Hand grips. I have a T-120 coming, so I ordered a set of their CZ-75 grips myself. Link below. I will try them out! Thanks for the quick reply. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01BDB4WSK/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Please share here if they fit the Witness. I have a feeling they will. The ones I had fit fine, but like I said due to the "sp01 shadow" style of grip they are patterned after there was a small gap at the top back corner of the grip.

Honestly, I have no preference. The Cz85 and witness are about the same. I like the Jericho's, it's a bit different and mine in particular is so nicely broken in (i.e. worn out, lol) that it clicks on and off very fluidly. The extended safety on the witness match is nice though, there is more to grip onto and leverage.

I’ve got a few caniks that I’ve done vids on that were imported by tristar. I’ve never really had to deal with CAI customer service but I’ve heard from others that have had similar experiences as you.

Half Cocked kind of sounds like my collection, lol. I just recently picked up the p100. I love these guns.

Wish like hell that I could still find one of these! Passed them up for a bit, and now they are damned near mythical!

Erik Lorentzen yes, the witness does have a firing pin block safety that is passive. It can be carried cocked and locked (which I believe is the preferred method), hammer down, or at half cock with safety on. The Israelis carried a version (Jericho 941) that is functionally very similar to this and they carried it empty chamber and stroked the slide to chamber a round as they presented the weapon, which is not what everyone recommends now for obvious reasons. It can be decocked as you mentioned but if not done properly can be unsafe, but if all other rules are followed (pointed in safe direction, specifically) then it's all good. I do think though that the da feature of the gun was intended for second strike capability on a hard primer. Keep in mind it was developed in Czechoslovakia and I've always understood European primers to be a little harder than American, so maybe they wanted that second strike.

Thank you. Honestly, I'm not for sure about your question. I would assume small frame witness slides would, but I don't know for sure.

What do your mags hold? As a general rule if they are 16 round mags it’s small frame, 17 round it’s large frame. With that said though, there are 17 round aftermarket mags that sit flush in the small frame as well. If your pistol will accept and function with CZ75 mags then you have a small frame and generally CZ75 grip panels will work, although I did try some on this video that didn’t. To be honest it’s a matter of trial and error a lot of times. See if you can get a set from someplace that makes returns easy, try them out and if they don’t work, send the, back.

@@darink300zx like I said, recently figured out I have the small frame and long grip type... Mags hold 16 rounds, although I've managed to fit 17 inside with some force 😀

​@@darink300zx Great video sir, what do you recommend for combat? Compact F

Thank you. I agree, it'd be nice to have more options.

XShotgunMattyx 734 thank you very much.

Denny Davis in general, you are correct, but when you get into old production magazines, different calibers, (large frame 45 mags for example have no grooves, at least mine don’t), etc, I wouldn’t rely solely on the cosmetic differences.

Yeah, that's about as safe as it gets!

I thought they may, but didn't want to get into it in the video. The guy who posted about it on the forum I saw it on showed some pics but because of the angle I couldn't see if there was a gap. It may just be that CZ75 grips just don't fit this gun well. I really haven't found any yet that do, but then again I haven't tried many. I think Hogue makes a wrap around that should fit though. I'm just not a fan of them.

mechveteran01 I don’t know of any compatibility between large frame witness mags and CZ mags. Have you looked at henningshop.com ? I know they have some accessories for large frame tanfoglios.

Is it a reliable gun and do you recommend its acquisition?

@@user-3952 yes out of all the handguns in my safe the Tanfoglio is my most accurate gun. I had it now for three years and had no issues except after I had it ceracote. I had a few FTF due to the slide and frame fitmen was to tight but once the ceracote rubbed off I had no more issues. Great gun!

@@katanapr3 Is it as reliable as the Beretta and does the paint follow the gun rust quickly?

Have you spoken with EAA about this? They should fix this for free (other than shipping costs) given the warranty on the guns, as long as you're the original owner. That does suck if you have to go with the blued one for a wonder finish gun, but better to have a functioning mismatched gun than a paperweight that matches.

Yeah, not the original owner so I cant get the slide for free...will have to see what happens over the course of the next year or so....thanks for the reply..

Joshua Sterling well that sucks to hear. Have you tried any of the tanfoglio or cz clone forums. Some of them have marketplace sections, never know someone may have a conversion kit (comes with slide, barrel, etc) for sell there. I got a .40 conversion kit pretty cheap doing that. The two I frequent the most are www.czfirearms.us/index.php?board=27.0 and tz75man.forumco.com/default.asp . The latter where you'll find the most information on witnesses, although it isn't as active as it once was.

Definitely could be a possibility.... I will have to keep my eyes open.

Also I can buy the poly small frame 9mm for what the slide will cost. So huge conflict there. They quoted me 260-280 for the slide in non original finish.

Most definitely, one of my favorite aspects of it. I like the Mecgar 17 rounders, they function great in it.

Adolf Shitler all the mags I have that are cz75 marked work fine. I don’t have any of the mecgar 16 rounders so I have no first hand knowledge of them, but I have read of others saying they work. Unless you just don’t like the plastic baseplate on the 17 round mecgar, I like them the best and would recommend them.

BATTLEREADY yes, cz75b mags work fine in mine.

P & D Outdoors thank you.

Chris Kent thank you. I'd say the grips are pretty similar between the ps and the steel small frame, with the steel being a tad bigger. The b6p and ps are about the same. The steel is hefty, but it does aid in mitigating recoil. My wife has shot the ps and had no issues with it, she hasn't shot the steel one though.

Ah. Bogarting the steelie, eh? Shame on you. { =^ ) OK. Thanks!

Chris Kent lol.

Next question(s)... 1. Was that Mrs. 300zx in your P-S video? I'd be interested to hear her impressions once you've come to terms with abdicating the EA9B to her for one range sesh. 2. Have you cycled many 147 HPs through your CZ platforms... specifically HST? If not, feel free. Don't let ME stop you.

Chris Kent lol, yeah that was she. Next time she's with me at the range I'll be sure and let her shoot the ea9b and get her thoughts. I do remember she liked shooting the ps and had not issues with the recoil. I haven't had any issues shooting hp rounds through any of my cz style pistols but I haven't shot the hst specifically, although I have shot some 147 gr hp rounds just not sure what brands. If I run across some hst I'll be sure and test them, lol.

I'm not sure one way or the other, but I'd doubt that many of the parts would interchange. In my research there are few, if any, internal parts of the witness that interchange with the CZ75. You may want to try Hennings. He sells stuff for tanfoglio pistols, but unfortunately I think most of what he specializes in are the large frame tanfoglios.

Yeah, they are just too narrow for this frame. I have had to fit grips to my tristars, but this one went right on, holes lined up and all perfect. It was just a bit narrow. I'll try some others, maybe some VZs next.

Yes. You can as long as it's a compact slide for a small frame witness. I know EAA used to import a ps model that had the 3.6 inch barrel so it should fit on this gun.

AMG or BUST the grip and ergonomics are very close to the cz75, however, if you're looking for a bd clone, note that this does not have a decocker. Some actually prefer the changes in the trigger that the tanfoglio offers over the cz75.

Yes, it does in mine. These are the only ones I buy for my small frame witnesses and the turkish SAR and Canik CZ clones. The 19 rounders from Mecgar are supposed to work well too, but I don't like the extended baseplate on those. Actually, check out this vid, I talk about these mags in it too I think: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Kk0SpJENLuU.html

Hey, thanks darink! Your video was instrumental in my decision to buy a 999111 Witness about a month ago. Love it! Now looking for a IDPA gun for teenagers and the B6P is looking pretty intriguing. Something else on which I would welcome your expertise: The 999111 shoots great, but low. Wondering if you can suggest adjustable rear sights for this model? Thanks again!

I've never changed the rear sight on any of my witnesses, but I'd start here: www.lpasights.com/en/products/25-tanfoglio?vmcchk=1 Measure the dovetail on you're slide and go from there. Hope that helps some. You may even have more luck just emailing EAA from their website or call them up, and ask them what rear sight would fit. They sell a couple on their website but not sure if either fits this gun. They should be able to tell you though. eaacorp.com

Sweet. Thanks again!

Unfortunately you can’t get them from EAA any longer because EAA is no longer the importer. IFG (Italian firearms group) is now the importer of tanfoglio pistols. They do import the tanfoglio combat, which seems to be this same pistol, small frame tanfoglio, all steel. Budsgunshop dot com has them in stock, but not at the prices EAA sold them for, about 150 bucks more. Just search ifg combat or tanfoglio combat.

It will not. I have played around with this and the differences are slight, but it just won’t go on right.

Thanks, I just received a slide for a large frame from Numrich I hope they’ll exchange it. I thought I had ordered the parts for a small frame.

My frame is not with me, so I can’t try it yet.

floridaboy 813 better? None really. They are very similar other than the polymer vs steel frames. The extra weight can aid in recoil management. The triggers are very similar. This gun has the accessory rail and the b6p does not. The witness front sight is milled as part of the slide and can not be changed without a lot of trouble.

Douglas Cuvilly not in the steel frame that I'm aware of, however EAA for a time anyway imported the f.a.b. 92 polymer witness with a decocker. It is small frame and takes cz mags.

steve rugerguy most likely you’ll need to look on the used market, it’s rare nowadays that EAA even brings in the all steel small frame in 9mm like the one in this video.

@@darink300zx ok...thanks

You're welcome, thank you for watching.

Is the hammer back and on safe? If this hammer is forward (uncocked) and the safety on, then you won't be able to manipulate the slide.

darink300zx I'm a idiot. That worked

glad that was all it was.

Ali Faraz is anyone importing that one again? It was imported as the b6 hawk years ago and recently as the mega 2000 by TR imports, but when SAR USA began importing on their own I haven’t seen anymore imports of it. I’d like to have one since it’s all steel, but the safety would take some getting used to.

Albatro76 I’m not sure about elsewhere but here in the U.S. it’s not referred to as that.

In the United States, Tanfoglio pistols are imported by European and American Arms and marketed as the Witness pistol. There are a lot of models to choose from in different sizes and calibers. The particular one in this video was a limited run I believe. Hopefully EAA will import more of the all steel small frame tanfolgios. Budsgunshop.com is a major seller of EAA pistols.

In my experience the polymer witnesses (I own three, 2 small frame, 1 large frame) work flawlessly, no jamming or feeding issues. I do prefer the steel frame due to their heft and possible longer term durability. I have no experience with the Remington you mentioned.

I wish I could help you on that, but I haven't gotten one for it. I do have an old uncle mikes that it fits fine in. It's just a generic top strap type holster for large semi-autos.

darink300zx Ok, thanks. Will let you know what I find...

Thomas Bohmier that is the correct sku for this gun. It was never on EAA's website or in their catalog. According to an email exchange I had with EAA, this was a special run of small frame steel models that they brought in for one of their distributors.

Thanks! The small frame too. I have several CZ SP-01 9mm mags made by MEC GAR in 17 and 19rnd (17 plus 2's) that should fit this gun. I found one for $314 shipped, and I'm going to jump on it. Again, Thanks a bunch!!

Thomas Bohmier you're welcome, great price on that!

That's helpful. I get so confused by Tanfolio's sku's. They have a million different numbers and some of the guns look exactly the same.

Yeah, and it doesn't help much when some of their models, like this one, don't even appear in their catalog. The last I looked they didn't even have one of their biggest sellers, the witness PS, in their catalog. lol.

I haven't played around with this much. I had an assumption that it would/should take CZ75 grips well since it does use CZ75b magazines well, but I was wrong. I tried to put on a set of pachmyr grips for the CZ75 on it, but there was just the tiniest gap at the front of the grip. On one of the forums I frequent someone had put a set of the G10 VZ grips for the CZ75 on one of these and they seemed to fit well.

They are not. Dimensionally they are pretty much the same and can even fit on either, but large frame slides won't function on small frame guns and vice/versa.

darink300zx thanks

Unfortunately, I don't see anyone carrying any at the moment. May need to keep your eyes on the used market. The import of small frame steel witnesses is sporadic at best from EAA, so best thing you can do is keep checking the online gun shops and see if any come in. That's how I happened on this one.

Yeah, EAA definitely could do with some better management of their website. I've noticed over the years that they usually don't bother putting some of these on their website or in their catalog. Look at the small frame polymer model, the PS as it's usually referred to as, I don't think it's ever been in their catalog but they've imported it pretty consistently for at least the last 5 years, probably longer.

Cesar Flores quality is very good, value is excellent. It's an excellent firearm for the money.

At the time I made this video it was 999111, but I'm not seeing them in stock now, may not see anymore imported to be honest. EAA informed me that this was a limited import for one of their vendors. Now that's for the steel frame small frame witness. For the poly framed, small frame, the sku is 999244, (the PS model) and I see plenty of those available online at reasonable prices. Best advice for looking for a small frame witness is just check the major online gun dealers and look for those sporadic EAA imports of the small frame steel ones.

JayzBeerz well, it depends really. There are witness ps which are small frame and witness p that are large frame. If you look on the grip and it says witness p-s then you have a small frame. That would mean it would take sku 101900 from eaa. It will also take mecgar mags for the cz75b, I like the 17 rounders. The large frame take 101935.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was a limited run. EAA’s imports of small frame all steel like this one are sporadic as best.

I was browsing on budsgunshop today and noticed that IFG (Italian Firearms Group, who are now importing the tanfoglio pistols as opposed to EAA), is now importing the combat9 pistol, that from what I can tell (I don't have any experience with it) appears to be pretty much the same as this EA9B that we have in this video. The model is TFCOMBAT9.

I been having that same problem for over a year. So I went the online auction route to get one.

No, I collect witnesses.

carlos casiano I'll be honest I don't know that I've seen anyone selling it with 10 round magazines.

Mark West oddly enough I don't have one at the moment but have had two 300zxs, an 89na and a 91tt. I'm somewhat of a Z fan, I've also had two 280z, not zxs. Lol.

I have a 94 Convertible, and a 95 Twin Turbo

Mark West very cool. If I could have any of them again it'd be the 91tt. It was perfectly engineered. Loved that car.

Theresa Pisaturo everyone's mileage may vary, I can only comment on my experience.

EAA doesn't import this model with a decocker. They sporadically import the FAB92 witness that has a decocker, but it is polymer frame.

Ok, much appreciated. I´m used to a decocker and just don´t feel comfortable decocking manually a pistol.

Good question. I've noticed in the past several months that they seem to be out of stock everywhere. The SKU for the PS seems to vary as well, I've seen what appear to all be the same model (Black or dark gray frame) as 999044, 999244, and 999644. Then there are the ones with FDE frame 999344 and the OD green frame 999544. All of these models could be found pretty regularly for under 300 not even a year or so ago, but now all appear out of stock. As a very good alternative you may want to consider the SAR b6 polymer. When you look at them side by side it's almost a direct copy of the small frame polymer witness (PS), but without the accessory rail on the front. The SKU for it now is B69BL or B69ST if you want the stainless steel slide, but the ST is over 300 bucks. If you search gun deals website for the B69BL, you'll find a lot of places selling them from 250ish and up. If you haven't already check out my video of the SAR b6 where I do a side by side with the PS, ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Kk0SpJENLuU.html

darink300zx thanks man! Been doing a bunch of research on what I want to get for my first handgun and think I’m close.

Yeah, it is unfortunate that it doesn't. I know EAA imports some ambi safety witnesses, but there all large frame and the higher end competition models. It may be possible to purchase one of the ambi safeties and try it in this gun.

Trigger Man 109 or he sounds like me...

Yeah he does.