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Anyone here have any experience or comments regarding Tanfoglio's 9mm Witness Compact? I've been looking for an all steel compact 9mm for my mom, is this Italian piece worth looking into?

I would recommend the all steel Kahr versions.

flynbenny wrote:Anyone here have any experience or comments regarding Tanfoglio's 9mm Witness Compact? I've been looking for an all steel compact 9mm for my mom, is this Italian piece worth looking into?

No personaly experience, but a friend of mine likes his Witness. It's a .40 cal.

I would pick the Kahr naturally myself, but my mom said she wants a manual safety so that rules out Kahr. I am trying to find an all steel gun, I know she won't have problems with the heft but I am trying to control the recoil level. Oh and she has small hands too. I've been looking around for an all steel 1911 9mm, commander length preferred, but all the 9mm's I come across are lightweight with aluminum frames. Who knew finding such a specific combination of features could be so difficult...

Springfield makes a EMP 9mm which is a 1911 style but it is shorter than a commander length. It is also quite pricey, but very nice and great reviews on it's function.

STI makes two good choices - the Rogue and the Escort. The Rogue is smaller than the EMP or Kimber Ultra and the Escort is about the same size as the EMP and Kimber. These are both 1911 style handguns, they are made in Texas, and as with any 1911 are a good fit for small hands.

I have one. It is very comfortable to hold and a great shooter. IMHO it has minimal recoil for a 9. My only complaint is the front sight. On the one I have the FS is held in place with with a rivet. Which after time comes loose. Getting re-secured is a an absolute pain. Other than that it is a great value.

flynbenny wrote:Anyone here have any experience or comments regarding Tanfoglio's 9mm Witness Compact? I've been looking for an all steel compact 9mm for my mom, is this Italian piece worth looking into?

bigmojo wrote:I have one. It is very comfortable to hold and a great shooter. IMHO it has minimal recoil for a 9. My only complaint is the front sight. On the one I have the FS is held in place with with a rivet. Which after time comes loose. Getting re-secured is a an absolute pain. Other than that it is a great value.

Why on earth would they secure the front sight to the weapon with a rivet?! Is that something common to other Browning High Power clones and derivatives?
I think the EMP may be a little bit on the light side, but I'll definetly look into the STI pistols, I am well aware of their quality and the make a few compact all steel 9s too.

About 10 years ago I had an EAA Witness in .40 (I believe this is the same gun). Based on my experience I cannot recommend it. I had nothing but problems. I would get FTF's and stovepipes on a regular basis. The last straw was when it shot a "three round burst" at the range.

In that price range, I would suggest something from Rock Island Armory. I do not own one, but I have shot a few and they seem nice. I hear they have good customer service also.

Dave

I strongly recommend the CZ75 line of pistols. They are also a clone type pistol of the original Hi Power. I think the CZ versions are a little higher quality than the EEA. I have a CZ75 compact PCR which is the lightweight alloy framed version of the CZ75 compact. The version I have only has a decocker. CZ makes a regular compact version with manual thumb safety though and it is identical to the EEA model. Good luck in your search.

RECIT wrote:I strongly recommend the CZ75 line of pistols. They are also a clone type pistol of the original Hi Power. I think the CZ versions are a little higher quality than the EEA. I have a CZ75 compact PCR which is the lightweight alloy framed version of the CZ75 compact. The version I have only has a decocker. CZ makes a regular compact version with manual thumb safety though and it is identical to the EEA model. Good luck in your search.

I will second that. The CZ75 is a great and under rated (IMHO) firearm.

Chris Bird, the author of The Texas Concealed Handgun Manual says the CZ75 is his favorite pistol.