rjoy

I have a pre-rail large frame match in 9 mm that I have been using for about 3 years for both IDPA and USPSA. At the 2011 NM state match, this gun weighed in at 41.8 oz. I have had it weigh in at 42 even at other ranges. Close to Max but still legal. I shoot it in IDPA ESP division and USPSA limited. Without a doubt, my favorite handgun. Very reliable and very accurate.

Thanks for your input and clarification Nealio and David. My MecGar mags do say MG Wit 9-lf, so apparently not distributed by EAA and also explaining why there is no K9 on them. I hope they work as good as they look. Looks like they have a bit of a rear shim/spacer in them. I have one Tanfo mag that has the front shim/spacer and three other tanfo mags that have no shim/spacer at all. I sure am hoping they have the nose dive thing resolved. Was having that problem some time ago with original mags but haven't had any problems recently. I did however, only load them to 15 rounds. On another note, I can't believe there are not more of these pistols on the IDPA/USPSA circuit, at least here in Phoenix. These pistols are the best kept secret on the market, IMO. Tanfo should be taking advantage of this and giving these guns more exposure. When some of my shooting buddies watch this gun work, they tell me that it seems like the slide is on ball bearings because it is so smooooooooooooooooth. I have had Zero problems with it after an estimated 6000-7000 rounds. I have used lrn, moly tc and rn, plated, jacketed, jhp's and it just gobbles them all up. I have even loaded a variety in the mag and it shoots them all flawlessly. Oh, did I mention, I love this pistol!!!! Thanks again guys Bob

Received my MecGar mags from Greg Cote this past Thursday. I would recommend him wholly. His service is excellent and shipping is very reasonable. Thesemags look much better than the originals . I like that they have the round designations. Always was a pet peeve of mine having to count 11 for IDPA. Perhaps Nealio or someone else in the know might clarify for me..... I have been reading about the k9 mags, but nowhere on these mags do I see k9. Are these mags for the large frame witness match 9 mm in fact the so called k9 mags? I'll be trying these new mags Tuesday for IDPA. I'm excited to see how they work. Bob

Thanks glk21c. Something made me think he may have been offshore.....

I just ordered some mags for my witness match from Greg Cote. He replied on a Sunday stating the mags have been shipped with a 1-3 day shipping time. So far I am highly impressed. Anyone know where he is located?

Nealio: I have three large frame mags for my 9 mm witness elite match that have no spacers at all in them and a fourth one that I assume is a front spacer as it has a metal strip running down the length of the magazine at the bullet end. I am wondering if you have experimented with adding some sort of spacer on the rear of the mags that have no spacer in them at all and modifying the follower to fit. If I understand what you are trying to do correctly to get workable mags that hold all the bullets possible, it seems like this is a relatively simple project to actually do. The question is, will it work? Just wondering if you have tried this in your experimentation and what success or lack thereof you may have had... Thanks. Bob

Thanks Speculator, I was thinking that was probably the case, but I wasn't positive. I knew I could find the answer here. Thanks again. Bob

Hi all: New to the xD. I have an xD .45 that I bought from my son when he moved from AZ to CA. He needed cash, I needed another pistol. Now he wants it back on a time payment plan. Ain't I lucky!! Anyway, my question is that this xD has 13 round mags which are a no-no in CA. Are the 10 +1 guns the same except for mag capacity? In other words can he just substitute 10 round mags into this pistol without a problem or is there a design difference in the high cap model that would preclude the use of 10 rounders? Or putting it in still other words, will 10 round mags work in this pistol? Seems like it should just be a simple mag swap. I just wanted to make sure before I bring it to him. Thanks for your input for anyone that knows Bob

Hi everyone: I tried searching for information on this forum and didn't find any so I apologize if this has been addressed numerous times already. While at the range the other day with my Witness Elite Match 9mm, one of the guys said that these pistols will fire or at least allow the hammer to fall when the slide/barrel is out of battery. We even tried it with my empty gun in the safe area and, sure enough, the hammer will fall with the slide back to the take down marks. Now I suppose that could be disastrous with an unsupported round in the chamber. It would almost seem as though this is a design flaw? Do CZ's have the same quirk, being that the Witness is designed after it, somewhat? Has anyone had any such experiences with live rounds firing with the gun out of battery and what were the consequences? I hate to think of what might happen in such an instance. I suppose a lot of concern would arise from improperly sized handloads that fail to chamber completely. Up until now, I have not had any problems, but this fact concerns me. Any input from you folks would be greatly appreciated. Oh, did I mention, I really like this pistol! It has become my favorite. Bob

hrc1: I, too have an elite match in 9mm. It has become my favorite pistol. I love the way it fits and feels in my hand and it shoots where you aim it. I posted a while back stating that my slide had cracked and was very disappointed that I was going to have to pay $250.00 for a new slide. Upon further inspection with a younger set of eyes (my son's) there was no crack, just machining marks that I had never noticed before. I am happy again and shooting away. I use this gun for IDPA and steel. The mags work just fine, IF you don't load more than 10 or 11 in them, which is too bad for a gun that is supposed to hold 16 or 17. It doesn't matter for IDPA and it never nosedives with 10 or eleven in the mag. Being heavy seems to tame muzzle flip also. I get a lot of positive comments about it at the range. Buy one. I don't think you will regret it. But then again, I'm old school, steel pistols with a hammer!

Sorry, didn't see that part about a rail. No, mine does not have a rail. I wonder if that will preclude this holster from working with your pistol? I dunno that one........Hopefully, somone else on this forum might have experience in this area???

chbrow10: I have a Witness Elite Match in 9 mm. I searched all over for any kind of holster that this pistol would fit in and found that Midway listed the Safariland model 568 paddle holster for the Witness. They also list several other models that fit this gun: 5187 and 5188 hip holsters, and a 1060, shoulder holster setup. It didn't get specific on which Witness, so I bought the 568. When I got it I found that it had tensioning screws on it top and bottom and I found that I had to loosen them all the way and the pistol was still very tight in it. I ended up getting longer screws and made some shims to spread the holster apart even more and I would say that the gun fits in it reasonably well at this point. I will admit I am not 100% satisfied with this arrangement because, if you are not careful when drawing and don't pull the pistol straight up, it will bind in the holster on the way out. I suppose that is true for most holsters, but it kind of annoys me a bit when shooting IDPA. I have been looking and have not been able to find anything else that is made specifically for this pistol. It is a nice looking holster and works ok after modification. ymmv. Bob

Thanks for the replies guys. Eric, it sounds like you didn't get too worried about your crack in your frame as it sounds like you kept on shooting. Mine certainly didn't seem to bother as it functioned flawlessly all during the shoot, assuming it happened some time during the shoot or the last shoot. It was the only time I didn't clean after the last match, so the crack in the slide could have happened last week and I didn't even notice it. Al, it sounds like maybe this is more than just an isolated incident, at least with 3 out of your 4 Tanfos. I certainly can understand it giving way there because there is the least amount of metal at that part of the slide. I am going to contact Tanfo and see what they have to say about it. I'm not feeling too comfy shooting it as it is now even though, as both of you say, it apparently hasn't hurt yours at all. Thanks again. Bob

Hi everyone: I just came back from an IDPA match this evening. I can't believe how many compliments I keep getting on my Witness Elite Match in 9 mm. The guys on the squad keep commenting on how smooth the gun operates and how accurate it is and how it doesn't recoil very much because of its heft. All is well because I love this piece. Horror strikes while cleaning it after the match. I notice a crack in the slide about midway through the ejection port lower end where it meets the frame rail. It hasn't made its way all the way through the metal but it is definitely there and can only get worse. My questions are: 1. Is this a common problem with the Tanfos? and 2. Will Tanfo warrant the slide and replace it for me? 3. Does anyone have a favorite contact person at Tanfo that I can ping for help on this? I bought the gun used from Cabela's almost two years ago and it appeared to be pristine, as in not shot much, as it had virtually no visible wear on it anywhere. I would appreciate any suggestions as to how I should proceed with getting my most prized pistol back to perfection again. I have heard that Tanfo's service leaves a lot to be desired. I hope I heard wrong. Thanks.

Thanks skydiver. That answers my question.

Yes, skydiver, it was the Bladetech that I saw, not the Blackhawk. Does anyone know whether a CZ 75B holster will work for the Tanfo? I think fobus makes a holster for the CZ, I'm looking for a holster that isn't as pricey as the bladetech.

Hello forum members: I am looking for a kydex paddle or belt holster for my witness elite match 9mm. I currently have a safariland in leather, forget what model, but Midway showed that this pistol was supposed to fit in it. It did after much modification by me, but the pistol still sticks when I draw it from the holster. I have kydex holsters for my 1911's and I like them, but no one seems to show an application for this gun except Blackhawk, which I think is rather pricey. Will a holster for the CZ 75B hold the Tanfo as well? I'm not sure how identical the two firearms are physically. If so, I think Fobus or Uncle Mike's makes kydex holsters for CZs, but the CZ appears to have a different shaped trigger guard from what I can see in the holster pictures I was looking at. The holster appeared to have a sort of squared off or slightly undercut trigger guard molded in, as I recall. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks for the information guys. I knew someone on here either knew or had experience. Here's the next, maybe obvious, maybe dumb question. If its a matter of a spacer, could one not make some sort of a spacer to fit up in there to force the rounds to the "front" of the magazine? It does seem like there is a lot of front to back room in these mags. I even tried slapping them in my hand to shuck the rounds toward the back of the mag but that didn't help either. Just thought of it.....the follower would have to be modified too, wouldn't it? Tell me more about these Henning mags. I've never heard of them. Just can't wait to spend what I consider "way too much money for mags money" to buy more..... It's really too bad that these mags are not right. This pistol is rapidly becoming my favorite plaything. I love it's looks, the way it feels in my hand and up until yesterday it has never missed a beat. Thanks again. Bob

Hello everyone: An absolute newcomer to this forum. I have a question that I know some of you probably have experience with or know about. I have been using my Witness Elite 9mm for IDPA for some time now and have been loading the magazines with the max allowable 10 rounds. The gun has worked perfectly this way. Tonight, I shot a steel match where I was able to top off the mags with 17 rounds and had several ftf. I figure this must have something to do with the magazines being filled to capacity. Every time it FTF, the bullet would nose dive from the magazine and bind up against the feed ramp. I would have to hook my finger in the case rim and cant it upward while racking the slide to get the round to chamber. I did some looking around and a poster on another site alluded to the magazines as the culprit. Two of the magazines are all but brand new (now that I think of it, I can't say that the new ones have ever had 17 rounds in them until tonight) and the other two mags came used with the gun, but judging by the condition of the gun and the looks of the mags, they couldn't have much wear on them. All mags say Tanfoglio on them so I assume they are orginal mags for this pistol. Is this a design flaw or do any of you out there have any suggestions as to the cause of and, more importantly, a cure for this situation? Thanks, and I look forward to your responses. Bob