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Thoughts on a Tanfoglio open gun


tyman1876

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I'm considering purchasing a Tanfoglio Gold Custom Xtreme or Gold Team in the off season for next year.

 

I don't reload yet so being able to use it for Steel Challenge with factory loads at first, then switching barrels and the recoil spring to shoot 9 major when the time comes was a big selling point for me.

 

Does anyone have experience with this gun? Is it reliable? How does it shoot 9 minor loads? Is the Gold Custom worth the extra $1000 (after you factor in optic, mount, mags, etc) over the Gold Team? I realize there are more popular options as far as open guns go but I had the chance to hold a Gold Custom and really liked it. Is there anything I should know to talk me out of the purchase?

 

I'm new to open guns so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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I had a Gold Team for a while in 38SC. Shot awesome, but took a ton more powder to make major due to the V12 porting. Parts are expensive and hard to come by. You can get the triggers pretty nice in the Tanfos, but never as nice as a 1911/2011. I am pretty sure the lack of parts in the USA and lack of competent gunsmiths to work on them is why you don't see them being used more often. I went back to the 2011 platform after a few matches and sold the Tanfo. 

Edited by scottlep
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I had a Gold Team for a while in 38SC. Shot awesome, but took a ton more powder to make major due to the V12 porting. Parts are expensive and hard to come by. You can get the triggers pretty nice in the Tanfos, but never as nice as a 1911/2011. I am pretty sure the lack of parts in the USA and lack of competent gunsmiths to work on them is why you don't see them being used more often. I went back to the 2011 platform after a few matches and sold the Tanfo. 


Thanks Scott. All great info! Any suggestions on a gun that could be 'dual purpose'? I'd like something that I could shoot minor now and major later without having to go to crazy changing things around. And my limited experience makes building one seem like a challenge.

Sorry if the question seems naive. I'm still in the learning process :)
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Czechmate does both very well, comes with everything you need to shoot limited minor, Open minor/major. I have owned an Open Glock in .357sig, Tanfo Gold Team in 38 super, STI in 38 super and 9 major and now I have the Czechmate if that tells you anything [emoji16]. I picked mine up on Gunbroker for $2400, it came with a Bladetech holster as it was lightly used. Gun was in brand new condition.

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Czechmate does both very well, comes with everything you need to shoot limited minor, Open minor/major. I have owned an Open Glock in .357sig, Tanfo Gold Team in 38 super, STI in 38 super and 9 major and now I have the Czechmate if that tells you anything [emoji16]. I picked mine up on Gunbroker for $2400, it came with a Bladetech holster as it was lightly used. Gun was in brand new condition.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Thanks for the experienced suggestion! I've heard of the czechmate but never looked into one. I'll start doing my research!

 

Edit: You're running both minor and major loads with the gun configured the same?

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Trigger on mine is 1.5 lbs from the factory, you really have to know what you are doing to get a STI/2011 trigger that light without having hammer follow. I think you will be stoked on the Czechmate. It has a sight block that screws on in place of the compensator, so it turns into a 9mm sight tracker pistol for either Limited minor or 3 gun.

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Between the Gold Team and the Xtreme Gold Custom I think you would be better off with the Xtreme Gold Custom it has much better parts than the standard Gold Team. If you want a single gun for open and limited that will give you the best possible platform for both divisions that is a Tanfo. The biggest drawback will be that the open gun is not really optimized for +165 PF with the V12 config.

The Czechmate is also a great choice, and a bit more value for your dollar though.

I currently use a 9mm Gold Match Xtreme for 3 Gun (Limited Division Config) and Open Minor for steel matches.
My plan is to build my own open gun off of a limited elite, or limited custom Xtreme so I can optimize the barrel and comp.
I have been bitten by the Tanfo bug as well.9da521bfbd8bb6eafaf50cbb904b252b.jpgc405e2125e0526db2123a8923eaabdf0.jpg

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I've just transitioned out of CZ pattern guns (Tanfo, etc.) for Open, for the same reasons scottlep stated.  I have two 2011 Open guns and I'm in the process of building a third.  They are more versatile than the CZ was.  I was never one to go along with the crowd, which is one of the reasons I bought a TS in the first place.  I later acquired an Open top end for it and had a ball.  That was also when I discovered the limitations imposed by a barrel that removes from the rear.

 

In my experience, a V12 is a very bad idea.  One of my guns has two 3/16" ports in the barrel.  It does shoot slightly flatter than the other, but at the expense of noise, concussion and more powder required.  I'm not knocking barrel ports, but there can be too many.  In 9mm you already have a problem with case capacity.  Adding a boatload of poppels will just limit you choices of powder to make major down to two or three.

 

Since you are new to Open, go to the range and see what people are shooting.  Most of the time they will tell you what they like and dislike, and what they would change if they had the chance.  They will probably let you handle the gun and shoot it if you ask.  Open IS different.  My first foray into it was an eye opening experience, with a long learning curve.  That's why I'm building a new one now.  Three previous open guns have taught me the limitation of some designs.

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I have a lot of custom Open guns in the CZ, Tanfoglio, 2011 platforms, and I never recommend the Gold Team, it's just not a very good design.

 

For your purposes I suggest a Czechmate, it's the only truly "off the shelf" factory Open gun in my experience.  Like Postman said, it can be run without the comp for use with factory ammo, then with the comp when you start loading major.

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For your purposes I suggest a Czechmate, it's the only truly "off the shelf" factory Open gun in my experience.  Like Postman said, it can be run without the comp for use with factory ammo, then with the comp when you start loading major.


That's exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks for your help!
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