Tanfoglio Witness 1911

Status
Not open for further replies.

H.m.B

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2013
Messages
179
Location
VA
Not wanting to hijack an existing thread (1911 Air Gun), created this regarding new purchase.

image.jpeg image.jpeg

Purchased from Pyramid Air late on a Tuesday and had it in hand on Friday. Bought the bundled package that included the 1911; extra magazine, 40 12 oz CO2 cartridges, 6000 Copperhead BB's, a tin of 150 .48g .177 cal excite smart shot BB's, safety glasses and a tube of pellgun oil.

First impression? Nice. Really nice! Comes packaged in a nice cardboard box that holds the gun (with one magazine inserted), a box of .35g .177 cal. BB's, and an Allen wrench for loosening/tightening the screw in the base of the magazine when loading or removing the CO2 cartridge. A single sheet, folded (four page) color glossy instruction sheet, though lightweight in content, is provided to get you up and running. No mention of oiling or lubricating the gun before using it is provided so you just treat it like you would any other firearm. I lightly oiled the slide and frame and dropped a drop of oil down the barrel before first use. Loading a CO2 cartridge was a snap and sealed nicely. Instructions say not to over tighten the screw and it didn't take much to get a good seal.

Loading BB's into the magazine is a bit of a challenge at first but gets easier as you get practice loading them. The hardest part is pushing the spring loaded slide back with you finger/finger nail to access the loading port where the BB's go in. While the magazine holds 18 BB's, I only loaded 15 at a time so as not to over stress the spring (probably doesn't hurt it). The magazine has a rounded grove where you can pick up some BB's and drop them in and guide them into the loading port. A little practice and it gets easier.

image.jpeg
image.jpeg

Did I mention that this is a nice gun? It has the heft and feel of an actual .45 cal. pistol. It weighs in just under 2 lbs and disassembles just like a real one (somewhat). It has working grip and slide safeties, magazine release and blow back action that keeps the slide locked back on an empty magazine. This CO2 pistol just feels solid. The down side to the blowback action is reduced number of BB's spent per cartridge. I don't have a lengthy track record with this yet, but am getting roughly 60 BB's per cartridge (hence the 15 BB's per mag loading, 4 reloads) with the last few (5-7) of the fourth load having a noticeable loss of energy before expending itself. Maybe that's why it has an 18 round capacity (18x3=54).

I bought this so that I could get some practice in the backyard, when I want, without having to load up my range bag and go to the range 45 minutes away. Also, I'd like to shoot at something other than paper and found that aluminum cans suspended from tree branches can be quite a bit of fun! In this capacity, this pistol fits the bill. Without a chronograph to confirm, the given 320 fps is sufficient to puncture aluminum cans shot at from 25 feet. I haven't put up a paper target yet to measure grouping, but I did notice that point-of-aim is not necessarily point-of-impact. At 25 feet it appears to have a minute-of-can accuracy. First shot hits. Next shot just misses one side, next shot the other side. You can see the BB's as they go down range. Even when resting on a railing for support the hits are not consistent. But then again, this is not a quality, highly accurate, target pistol. Given the near hits/misses with cans at 7-8 yards, it's accurate enough to maintain or develop quick reaction skills at this distance. It think the spin up feature in this gun contributes to the POA/POI issue. Several times I caught myself wondering *** as you can see the BB sail upwards over the can.

image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg

So what's the downside? Except for the accuracy issue, which I accept as this isn't in the same class as a Feinwekbau or Hammerli, none so far. In fact, I don't know why I've hesitated so long before buying a CO2 pistol. I guess I sort of just looked at them as just toys and not an augmentation of the shooting sport. But what I discovered is that it is fun! So some concerns I have (for lack of history/experience) is how well the pistol holds up over time. It's metal, but I'm not sure if it's Zamac or aluminum as it has a really nice finish with no visible roughness or machine marks on it. So if it is Zamac (which I suspect it is) how well will it perform over time. It's CO2 so it doesn't take the stress found in a center fired pistol so the only stress would be from the blow back feature itself. Reliability and maintainability are currently unknown but for under $100, I'm not sure what to expect. Time will tell.

Would I buy this again? Absolutely! It's been a ton of fun and I've been able to do some things like rapid fire or shooting at multiple targets (like cans) that you can't do at an actual range unless so permitted. It's not a real .45 but it sure feels like one sans the report, accuracy, and range limitation. And it's cheaper to operate than a real .45 too. Even my wife takes note with "You're having fun with that, aren't you?" Yup .. sure am!
 
H.m.B

Pretty much sounds like the same exact experience and performance I get from my Remington 1911RAC and judging from the markings on your Tanfoglio Witness 1911, it probably came from the same manufacturer. The only thing I would do differently would be to look for a model that had higher visibility sights on it. Just can't see those old G.I. style sights nowadays like I use to.

 
Good morning,
Enjoy the heck out of your new pistol! I have one of these and it is great fun to sit on the front porch and thwack movable targets. I even bought one of those circus wheel spinners for when I feel like really testing my eyes and the gun.
regards!
 
H.m.B

Pretty much sounds like the same exact experience and performance I get from my Remington 1911RAC and judging from the markings on your Tanfoglio Witness 1911, it probably came from the same manufacturer. The only thing I would do differently would be to look for a model that had higher visibility sights on it. Just can't see those old G.I. style sights nowadays like I use to.


I totally agree with you regarding the same manufacturer ... they are virtually identical. Guess you just just pick the roll marks you like! I'm 64 and had cateract surgery over six years ago so I can identify with your comment regarding the sights. It's not that bad but you're right about looking for one having better visibility.
 
Good morning,
Enjoy the heck out of your new pistol! I have one of these and it is great fun to sit on the front porch and thwack movable targets. I even bought one of those circus wheel spinners for when I feel like really testing my eyes and the gun.
regards!

Oh I'm having fun with it! I'm really enjoying popping the cans ... something I can't do at the local ranges. That and not having to get warned about firing too rapidly. I like the idea about the movable targets. Need to look into that.
 
I'm seeing a 1911 holster form that can be used to annoy beer cans. Way more useful than a Blue Gun. I like it.
 
Nice report, and glad you like it. I, too, hadn't given much thought to smoothbore CO2 BB pistols because I didn't figure they could be accurate enough for actual trigger-time practice or enjoyment.

I wrote about my "enlightenment" here:

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/bb-pistols-ive-been-missing-out.816115/

Now that I've acquired my first 1911 powder-burners, I may decide to try one like yours.

Happy popping..!
 
I have one as well....it is good for practice with.

The bb pistol fits in my 1911 holster perfect, the safety is "close enough" to my "real" 1911 to work for practice.

I have had mine for about 2 years or so now and so far no issues. It is real good for draw, click off safe, shoot, safe, holster type drills. I think it has made me faster at some of the matches I did a while ago.

They are fun.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top