Cz-97/Witness .45 Capacity

[walksbyhimself]

Howdy all,
I have a question for those of you who have experience with the Cz-97 and/or Witness full size .45. They both list a capacity of 10+1 rounds. Why only 10? Other comparably-sized double-stack .45's seem to carry at least 12, some 13 or 14 (Glock 21 carries 13+1), and by all accounts the Cz design is quite a large pistol, with a large grip. Unfortunately, none of the gun shops in the area carry either pistol, and I won't be able to make it to a gun show any time soon, so I would appreciate any input.

Thanks y'all.

 

[Casefull]

That sounds about right. My witness 10mm holds 2 less than my glock 21 in 10mm. It is the width and design of the magazine that makes the difference...might be the spring also.

 

[MADDOG]

My CZ97 is rather heavy and then I add 11rds it gets right up there in weight. I think 11 is enough. Just a thought.

 

[Drako]

sometimes the gun was produced after the preban law, and several states do not allow high capacity mags, and anything over 10 rnds is consider high capacity I know that you can get a LLama double max in 13+1, and a Kimber also is 13+1.

 

[schmeky]

walksbyhimself,

I've owned couple of each, still have 2 CZ-97's. The 97 grip is actually not very wide, however the 97 grip is long, front to back. The Witness grip is about the same width as the 97, but is shorter front to back due to the type of hammer mainspring used on the Witness.

I doubt anyone will be able to answer your "why 10 rounds instead of 12-13" question. I think 10+1 rounds of 45 is about all you need.

 

[NG VI]

Because that is what the geometry of the pistol allows.

 

[walksbyhimself]

From the responses it would seem that the CZ and Witness are actually narrower in the grip than say a Glock 21, resulting in a lower capacity. My confusion stemmed from all the reports of how large the CZ's grip was, which apparently is partially due to the design of the mainspring. Glocks don't have a mainspring in the grip, so it could very easily have a smaller grip circumference while being wider and holding more rounds. Thanks all for your input.

Also, in regards to "all you need is ten rounds" I'm inclined to agree, but more rounds in the same size gun is always a plus.

 

[NG VI]

They also lose some space that could be used for cartridges because of the steel frame with grips, though they gain some ground back because of the use of steel magazines.