CZ SP01 or Witness Elite Match

This question is for all of you CZ Heads out there. It you could have one of the two guns mentioned in any caliber which would it be and why?

I love the SPO1...well because its an SPO1! 19 rnds of 9mm, Mep Tru Dot Nights, full dust cover....just looks mean!

I love the EM....Great single action trigger, supposedly match grade everything, and two toned....and comes in a 45!

Ive played with both and thought Id toss out a question to you all........

Shoot well and god bless

Easy. Buy both. :)

Question, what will you useit for? The SP01 is a full size duty pistol. The Witness Elite is a competetion pistol. If just for range, nothing else, the Witness ain't a bad choice, but for range AND a bunch of other applications, I would go with the SP01. The Tanfoglio made Witness is a good sidearm, don't get me wrong, I just prefer the original now, after having used Witness pistols for 13+ years.
Someday I hope to have my own SP01, and will give a full report.

I had an SPO1. It was an agreeable pistol. Shot decently, dead reliable. It never really did anything for me and was probably my least favorite CZ. The 19 round capacity thing is misleading. It's not the pistol, but the mags. You can use the mags in a regular 75B. No difference. Good pistol. Will probably buy another here eventually. Keep in mind that the quality/fitting isn't any different/better than a regular 75B. That's what I didn't like. It was a good service pistol, but not a good precision target piece which is what I intended it for. 9x19 is you're only choice currently.

The Witness Matches look nice. I've always shot the regular ones, and love them. Tighter fitting, better sights, better trigger, polygonal barrel. It's gotta be good. 10mm or 38SA, would be a hoot. For a range toy I'd lean toward the Witness Match in 38SA.

Now, remember that EAA has arguably the most atrocious customer service. CZ-USA while not perfect, is decidedly better.

I don't know about the SP01, but the Elite Match is a sweet pistol.

I had an SPO1. It was an agreeable pistol. Shot decently, dead reliable. It was a good service pistol, but not a good precision target piece which is what I intended it for. 9x19 is you're only choice currently.

The SP01 is not meant to be a target pistol, but a service pistol with a light rail. This is one of CZ's target pistols based on the 75.

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=69

or this:

http://www.cz-usa.com/product_detail.php?id=39

Easy. Buy both.

Yes it's quite simple.:)

Quote:
Easy. Buy both.
Yes it's quite simple.

Prices one these are quite reasonable, you can buy both for a bit less than the cost of one of most Kimber or HK guns.

--wally.

I agree it comes down to use.

I just picked up a SP01 for a house gun for three main reasons: light rail, capacity, night sights.

Its also compatable with my other CZ mags and can be C&L.

The weight makes it easy to shoot but I don't think it offers anything over the other CZ pistols unless you are wanting the rail.

Bazooka Joe, that was kinda tongue-in-cheek, I couldn't afford either one! I wouldn't mind having both, myself.

Actually Pilot, the SP01 designed as a competition/duty gun. The CZUSA team uses the SPO1 and the other SA guns for competition.

This would be mainly a CCW/Home Defense gun.....maybe some light competing if I ever get the time.

Both guns are along the same lines....the EM is more CCW/Competing more than a duty gun.....

Im not driving armored car anymore....so I dont need a duty gun.

Shoot well..........

Bazooka Joe, that was kinda tongue-in-cheek, I couldn't afford either one! I wouldn't mind having both, myself.


I know...It is just the simple answer to any question.:D



As for the original question, I can't answer the whole thing...Because I own a witness yet...I do however, own an SP01 and just could not imagine the witness being more accurate or reliable. The same? Maybe. But not more...The trigger is a bit gritty at first, but SP01's are built like a tank; dead reliable and dead accurate...I just wish I could shoot as accurate as my CZ can.:rolleyes:

Plus, if you ran out of ammo and the BG was still alive, you can beat him with it.:p

On the other hand, the witness is a .45...........:banghead:

I can't wait to try an SP01, I have had 6 Witness pistols over the years, and 5 CZs, and I like the CZs better.

Interesting thread. I just recieved an SP-01 from Angus Hobdell's custom shop. I plan on shooting it tomorrow. I have never had a Witness and the research I have done indicates you can get a bad one or a good one.

I have a CZ-75 and can't imagine any production gun in this price range being much, if any more accurate. Would love to read a range report on someones Witness Match.

The standard Witnesses are surprisingly accurate. The Tanfoglio custom shop guns can be top notch. They make some full out race guns that are used successfully in the pistol games. I know the people who have CZs would like to think they are more accurate, but I've found it to be a tossup.

The Witness match will have a better trigger. It has a nice polygonal barrel. Adustable target sights.

If I were a betting man, my money would be on the Witness match for accuracy.

Get the Witness.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z150/plcoombs/EliteLimited9mmSAWSL.jpg

Thats a nice pistol ya got there atblis...Classy touch using the mont blanc for the angle.:p

I borrowed that picture from another board. Also worth noting that is not a Witness match.

Actually Pilot, the SP01 designed as a competition/duty gun. The CZUSA team uses the SPO1 and the other SA guns for competition.

PCRCCW,

You are correct. I did not realize they were getting popular for competition. I'd still lean towards the Tactical Sport for a target gun though.

From the CZUSA website:

"The SP-01 was designed as a military and law enforcement duty sidearm. The new model is currently in use by security forces fighting the war on terrorism. Thanks to its exceptional accuracy and superior handling characteristics, the CZ 75 SP-01 has also
found supporters in the field of sport and target shooting. Its list of users on the competition circuit include World Champions Adam Tyc and Angus Hobdell (1st and 3rd place respectively in 2005‘s IPSC championship, World Shoot XIV)."

I borrowed that picture from another board. Also worth noting that is not a Witness match.

It is a Limited with the Gold's aluminum grip panels. I prefer the stock wood panels on mine:

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n117/Hunter2506/WitnessLimited10mm.jpg

The Witness match will have a better trigger. It has a nice polygonal barrel. Adustable target sights.


The Match has conventional L&G rifling. The Limited and Gold have a poly rifled, tapered cone heavy barrel. As compared with my compact model (both are 10mm):

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n117/Hunter2506/Witnessuppers.jpg

Worth noting, the chrome bodied, beveled aluminum baseplate magazines for the Limited/Gold pistols are very difficult to find and horribly expensive.

MachIV, mind me asking how much you paid for that?

Very nice.

Strange, I could have sworn they had polygonal rifled barrels. They used to be listed that way in the EAA catalog, but admittedly I've never bothered to look. Buy yeah, it doesn't mention Polygonal rifling anymore. Hmmm.

I've had an CZ SP01, a Witness EM in 9mm and a Witness EM in 45acp. The SP01 was OK, nothing really special. The Witness EM in 9mm was a very nice pistol. Mine was about as accurate as my 9mm CZ pistols. Both have been sold. The one I still have is the Witness EM in 45acp. It is one of the most accurate pistol I have ever owned. It out shoots some of my other pistols that cost four or five times as much. The Witness EM in 45acp is one of the guns that I will never sell.

Best regards.

The Witness Stock (like the Match but with cone barrel and DA/SA trigger) run about $700 around here, the Limited run about $900 if you can find one. The Match run a bit under $500. I rate the Match as the best buy, but the Limited is the better gun, although IMHO its crossed the threshold where a little better costs quite a lot more.

Here is a thread I started when I got my Limited:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=316306

Its the only gun that can compete with the 1911 in my hands.

--wally.

MachIV, mind me asking how much you paid for that?

I got a good deal. $900.