It is a sad mark in the firearm business that a lot of good product never gets the credit it deserves. I'd like to take a moment and recognize a firearm which is in that category, and has been unjustly maligned by many.
First, lets gets some basic info established. The gun in question is the Tanfoglio T95. If that name doesn't ring any bells, that's OK, because its sold here in the states as the EAA Witness. European American Armory is the importer of this fine gun-no more, and no less. Much like how Springfield Armory is the importer for the HS Produkt pistols, so it is for the Witness. As such i'll be referring to this pistol by its proper manufacturer's name and not as an "EAA" pistol.
Overseas the Tanfoglio name is a very respected marque, especially in competition circles. The way we discuss Springfield Armory 1911s is how these pistols are considered across the pond, as it were. Here in the states it gets no respect , and I chalk it up to the fact that Tanfoglio doesn't pursue military and police contracts in the of way Glock, Beretta, Sig,and so forth. Thus there's no publicity here , which means few gun owners know anything beyond seeing a box marked "EAA" and a sub-$500 price label. Google searches turn up scattered info and negative reports on slide failures with the 10mm models, and such is not what constitutes pre-purchase confidence. It doesn't help that EAA doesn't advertise the gun that much, and because no expert competitor uses one , these pistols labor in underserved obscurity.
Why undeserved? Because inside of its vaguely CZ-75 looking form , there's some important stuff going on under the hood. The tolerances for the pistol are so well controlled that one can order a different caliber kit and literally just slap it on top of the frame, with no gunsmith modification required. Try that trick with a 1911 sometime.:rofl:
Because the frame is the serialized part, one can order a different caliber and have it sent right to the front door without an FFL or background check. Its one reason why Tanfoglios are popular in 1000 Euro-Per-gun-permit Europe, and those poor souls living in New Jersey or California certainly benefit from that feature.
The trigger quality on my steel-frame 10mm is quite nice for a non-competition oriented model. Tanfoglios can be ordered with factory overtravel stop equipped triggers and adjustable sights -their Elite models with those features sell for about $600, and come with the kind of stuff you'd spend $1500 to get on a 1911.
As to reliability, we come to a discussion regarding the 10mm model. Besides magazine problems with the 17 round red follower 9mm pistols, there's been no other negative reports on reliability issues outside of the 10mm model.
Casual searching will reveal instances of slide cracks with the 10mm model. This is due to a mid-cycle design change which took too much material away from the slide, and was typically fixed by EAA via providing an upmarket Elite model slide.
When the first 10mms were imported, they were made like this:
![Image]()
As you can see, the slide is machined as a big honkin' square part from end to end. In the mid 00's Tanfoglio updated the design to this for all models, with the slide being machined with rounded sides from the ejection port forward to the muzzle.
![Image]()
Regrettably, the 10mm model required that material to function reliably. Cracks began to appear in the slide near the ejection port area-a place previous guns have more material present.
![Image]()
The fix for this was to swap the rounded Witness Steel slide for one off of an Elite model, which always had square slides. Today , Tanfoglio's solved the matter by going back to a machined square slide-and has included the Elite's forward cocking serrations as well. Here's a gunbroker auction photo of the new build Witness models.
![Image]()
Here's my steel frame example, different from the above only in that it's blued instead of Wonder Finished. It's got almost 500 rounds through it , and hasn't failed once with factory ammo. The only time it choked was when I ran 10mm range reloads through it, and half the cartridges were visibly crimped wrong. I doubt that box of ammo would've fed & functioned properly in any 10mm no matter who built it.
![Image]()
So, while the guns have had problems in the past, its safe to state that the Witness isn't the broken bird it used to be. I no longer carry my 10mm, but I would do it again with no hesitation on its accuracy or reliability. These guns may no be your cup of tea, but they do deserve an honest look.
-BlackFratelli.
First, lets gets some basic info established. The gun in question is the Tanfoglio T95. If that name doesn't ring any bells, that's OK, because its sold here in the states as the EAA Witness. European American Armory is the importer of this fine gun-no more, and no less. Much like how Springfield Armory is the importer for the HS Produkt pistols, so it is for the Witness. As such i'll be referring to this pistol by its proper manufacturer's name and not as an "EAA" pistol.
Overseas the Tanfoglio name is a very respected marque, especially in competition circles. The way we discuss Springfield Armory 1911s is how these pistols are considered across the pond, as it were. Here in the states it gets no respect , and I chalk it up to the fact that Tanfoglio doesn't pursue military and police contracts in the of way Glock, Beretta, Sig,and so forth. Thus there's no publicity here , which means few gun owners know anything beyond seeing a box marked "EAA" and a sub-$500 price label. Google searches turn up scattered info and negative reports on slide failures with the 10mm models, and such is not what constitutes pre-purchase confidence. It doesn't help that EAA doesn't advertise the gun that much, and because no expert competitor uses one , these pistols labor in underserved obscurity.
Why undeserved? Because inside of its vaguely CZ-75 looking form , there's some important stuff going on under the hood. The tolerances for the pistol are so well controlled that one can order a different caliber kit and literally just slap it on top of the frame, with no gunsmith modification required. Try that trick with a 1911 sometime.:rofl:
Because the frame is the serialized part, one can order a different caliber and have it sent right to the front door without an FFL or background check. Its one reason why Tanfoglios are popular in 1000 Euro-Per-gun-permit Europe, and those poor souls living in New Jersey or California certainly benefit from that feature.
The trigger quality on my steel-frame 10mm is quite nice for a non-competition oriented model. Tanfoglios can be ordered with factory overtravel stop equipped triggers and adjustable sights -their Elite models with those features sell for about $600, and come with the kind of stuff you'd spend $1500 to get on a 1911.
As to reliability, we come to a discussion regarding the 10mm model. Besides magazine problems with the 17 round red follower 9mm pistols, there's been no other negative reports on reliability issues outside of the 10mm model.
Casual searching will reveal instances of slide cracks with the 10mm model. This is due to a mid-cycle design change which took too much material away from the slide, and was typically fixed by EAA via providing an upmarket Elite model slide.
When the first 10mms were imported, they were made like this:
As you can see, the slide is machined as a big honkin' square part from end to end. In the mid 00's Tanfoglio updated the design to this for all models, with the slide being machined with rounded sides from the ejection port forward to the muzzle.
Regrettably, the 10mm model required that material to function reliably. Cracks began to appear in the slide near the ejection port area-a place previous guns have more material present.
The fix for this was to swap the rounded Witness Steel slide for one off of an Elite model, which always had square slides. Today , Tanfoglio's solved the matter by going back to a machined square slide-and has included the Elite's forward cocking serrations as well. Here's a gunbroker auction photo of the new build Witness models.
Here's my steel frame example, different from the above only in that it's blued instead of Wonder Finished. It's got almost 500 rounds through it , and hasn't failed once with factory ammo. The only time it choked was when I ran 10mm range reloads through it, and half the cartridges were visibly crimped wrong. I doubt that box of ammo would've fed & functioned properly in any 10mm no matter who built it.
So, while the guns have had problems in the past, its safe to state that the Witness isn't the broken bird it used to be. I no longer carry my 10mm, but I would do it again with no hesitation on its accuracy or reliability. These guns may no be your cup of tea, but they do deserve an honest look.
-BlackFratelli.
