prk Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Maybe I'm biased and everyone that shoots these here, knows the quality of these but why the redheaded step child treatment? Even among competitive shooters - hardly anybody knows these. At my club matches, 40-50 shooters - I'm the only Tanfo guy. Granted the EAA ads in print look like they are from the 90's and a 3rd grader made them and I've heard the stories of the " great " customer service , luckily I've never had to call for parts or service. How can it be, that this small band of Tanfo brothers-in arms on BrianEnos.com are the only one's in the country to know about these guns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Walk into Joe Schmoe's gun shop on main street USA and tell me what you see in the pistol case. Glocks, M&Ps, XD's, some revolvers and some 1911's. All basic stuff. EAA is like STI to the outside of USPSA world. Hell, when I try to explain what a 2011 is to a casual gun owner at the club they have no clue. Tell them you have an STI and they just sort of nod and say ok......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 And our matches have around 50 shooters a month. Guess how many are really into the sport like us on here? Maybe 10%? There are all levels of involvement in any sport or hobby. Most of us on here are near the top of the involvement ladder. Reminds me of when I used to golf 3-4 times a week. A buddy says he is a golfer and wants to meet up and play a round. He walks up to me on the putting green and says, "damn, you got the shoes and everything"!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 1. EAA's customer service 2. They're just not available. What I've heard is that Tanfoglio is focuses on the international level and just dumps excess inventory in the US, this theory would explain why rushes of one model it the market and they're usually in the wrong caliber (10mm Production guns, .45 caliber everything and Open guns in anything but 9mm or .38). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torogi Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Id say it depends where you shoot and not sure about the part that these guns dont get any respect. They run pretty well, and sometimes the 'respect' part is kinda tied up with the shooters. Now, EAA on the other side is a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
us_shooter Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 They are fine guns, and I own several that run flawlessly and are more accurate than 95% of the guns out there. Grips fit almost any hand. Fraction of the cost of the rest. I am strictly a value for the money guy and don't care what the gun looks like or what name is on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intercooler2 Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I'm actually happy I have something different. Like stated up there you see the same brands at the range or gun store. Most people get real interested in what I'm shooting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpa5oh Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 There'd be alot more Tanfoglio fans if the guns were available...and if EAA wasn't who you had to go to to get support (everytime I've called there I came away with the urge to want to shoot any platform that they aren't involved in.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I shot the FB3G a couple of weeks ago with my 9mm Limited Pro custom and after dumping it in the bucket to go on to the rifle portion of the stage I came back to get it after the RO had taken it out and set it on top. I had already dropped the mag and cleared the round before dumping it and he said what a great feeling gun it was, he had never felt an STI 2011 like that. I politely told him it was a Tanfoglio and he recognized the name, but had never handled one. Just in that brief moment of picking it up after handling some of the finest guns of competitors he complimented these guns. But then on a typical EAA note when my gunsmith was trying to some work on it a couple of months ago he repeatedly called EAA to try and get some specs and was brushed off and given the run around. Finally gave up. There is the problem with these guns. We all have EAA poor customer service stories, too bad someone can't take over importing these guns to the US. gerritm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praetorian97 Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I fell in with the love the Tanfoglio and I'm really glad Nealio introduced me to the brand. Before that I only knew about STI and that was going to be the first metal gun I purchased. I do wish parts and availability were better but such is life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 I have also wondered why more people aren’t shooting the Tanfos. The Witness platform is a very good shooting gun which is inherently accurate, easy to maintain, and easy to shoot. My first exposure to the CZ/Tanfo type guns was in the early 90’s when a shooting buddy and I traded guns for a couple months. I had a Caspian hi-cap he wanted to try, and he was running a nice Springfield P9 I wanted to try. I really liked the way the P9 shot, and in fact did very well with that gun. The 9x21 format was a bit of a hassle as far as getting the brass back and keeping it sorted from all the .38 super cases, but other than that it was a rock solid gun and it left me with a fond respect for the platform. So, this past January there was a nice .38 super EAA/Tanfo witness in the BE classifieds that struck my fancy and brought back the desire to play with the Tanfo platform again. It was configured the way I would have done it (Canyon Creek comp with no barrel holes, cut back dust cover, nice scope mount, C-more, etc.), was in good shape, and had a good price. Got the gun, and yes…it is a very good shooter. After using it for a while I have again come to respect the platform and appreciate it’s versatility. I was able to get a super slide conversion for it at the old price of about $300 and it works great and very accurate. Also got a 6” 9mm match barrel (at the old price) that I someday will get to Canyon Creek to have fitted with a Ti comp on the existing .38 super slide. The pluses of the platform are many and include low cost, soft shooting, great ergonomics (probably one of the best feeling guns out there), accurate, easy to use safety/mag release, fast on the reloads, good inexpensive mags, good triggers, easy to work on, reliable and robust (if not abused)…and they are a very cool looking gun. The negatives aren’t many, but a couple are significant – Aftermarket parts are pretty much limited to EGW/Grams Engineering (mag springs and followers)/ and Henning, OEM parts support is not very good with long wait times and they had a very significant price increase recently, resale value can be so-so, availability of new guns from retail suppliers is very limited, and fewer custom smiths know their way around the platform. Also, Tanfos weigh more than a modular gun with plastic grips, which is what most people nowadays would be comparing it to if they are looking at a limited or open gun (my open Tanfo gun is little under 50 oz., IIRC). Personally I like a little heavier gun, but some don’t so YMMV. I’d say the main reasons we don’t see more Tanfos at matches is because the guns are hard to get, the OEM parts support is frustrating (to say the least), the guns are not promoted or supported in the USA very well….and frankly, because it isn’t what all the cool kids are using so newbies are reluctant to jump into a Tanfo despite evidence that they serve competitive shooters very well. The Stock II/Stock III is a great gun for production by all accounts, same thing with the Witness Elite guns in Limited, and the factory open guns are priced very well and are competitive with minimal fuss. The people who use Tanfos, or who have actually tried them, seem to love them. To the rest they are somewhat of a mystery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praetorian97 Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Because of commercials like this.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBNmiksXpgg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Or maybe their classy print ads! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prk Posted October 18, 2013 Author Share Posted October 18, 2013 Well I guess the Tanfo secret is safe with us! The only 2 shooters who I let shoot my Tanfo's each ended up getting one. I went through probably a dozen platforms when I first started shooting competitively and I bought a Match Elite on a whim without ever having handled or shot one. Now 5 uppers and 2 frames later , it's my go to favorite , that and my trusty 1911. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george76904 Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 (edited) Because of commercials like this.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBNmiksXpgg Man this made me wan't to gouge my eyes out, and my hearing is limited through the blood comming out of my ears. But as far as my Witness goes I LOVE IT!! I was first introduced by my father who cohersed me to but a witness as a competition pistol. This was a few years ago when a fullsize 9mm witness with the .22 conversion was only $425. So I thought it was a great deal. 2 years later and nearly $1000 more into it and I still think it has been worth every sent. I mean there was a period not to to long ago when after the price increase I thought about switching platforms but I know that the Witness has always been at a bargain price. So this way I can say that I am paying the price that I would normally pay for a gun of this quality... or something like that. You know this year at the TFD match there were 185 shooters, I think. You know how many tanfo shooters? 2 me and one other guy. Maybe they will gain popularity, but for now I gues we few, know that we have the best platform available. Edited October 19, 2013 by george76904 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlaroe Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I started with a Tanfoglio TA90, loved that gun. It had a slide mounted decocker/safety that made grabbing the rear of the slide much more substantial. That was handy when clearing the gun. Apropos however because I got sick of it FTFing on factory ammo. I was not in a position financially to reload short for it or send it off to a smith and I had tried everything I could do myself. Sold it for a police trade-in G17. I don't love the Glock but I love what it does. Its funny, around the same time I had the same epiphany about my old VW Golf. I'd rather be a shooter/driver than a smith/mechanic. -Dale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingspy Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 (edited) Its a little different up here in Canada, even though Thanfoglios aren't the most common guns around you do see them quite a bit in competitive shooting. Basically we can't get EAA's easliy up here as per the US export laws but we do get Tanfoglio's direct as per Canadian import laws. This makes our availibility of there products allot better and thus more people have a wider selection to chose from. There is also however the price issue and service problems also, there are only a select few dealers that will sevice Tanfoglios. I think with everything said the average shooter is not willing to deal with the work and service required from a finally tuned, high toleranced piece of equipment like a Tanfoglio. Its like cars, most peolle are very content with a fair price working car, were only a select few have the patience and want to own/built a high performance race car. P.S. You can find allot of Tanfoglio factory parts threw Numrich. Cheers, Evan Edited October 20, 2013 by Workingspy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onagoth Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Its a little different up here in Canada, even though Thanfoglios aren't the most common guns around you do see them quite a bit in competitive shooting. Basically we can't get EAA's easliy up here as per the US export laws but we do get Tanfoglio's direct as per Canadian import laws. This makes our availibility of there products allot better and thus more people have a wider selection to chose from. There is also however the price issue and service problems also, there are only a select few dealers that will sevice Tanfoglios. I think with everything said the average shooter is not willing to deal with the work and service required from a finally tuned, high toleranced piece of equipment like a Tanfoglio. Its like cars, most peolle are very content with a fair price working car, were only a select few have the patience and want to own/built a high performance race car. P.S. You can find allot of Tanfoglio factory parts threw Numrich. Cheers, Evan I think its also an issue with having a more affordable comparable gun, namely, the CZ SP01 shadow. Prior to the extreme versions and parts, my understanding is that virtually everyone believes the CZ has a superior trigger. That, plus the fact that it is half the price of the stock 2 is why Tanfo aren't quite as popular. But, it depends what game and what division you're talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prov1x Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Its a little different up here in Canada, even though Thanfoglios aren't the most common guns around you do see them quite a bit in competitive shooting. Basically we can't get EAA's easliy up here as per the US export laws but we do get Tanfoglio's direct as per Canadian import laws. This makes our availibility of there products allot better and thus more people have a wider selection to chose from. There is also however the price issue and service problems also, there are only a select few dealers that will sevice Tanfoglios. I think with everything said the average shooter is not willing to deal with the work and service required from a finally tuned, high toleranced piece of equipment like a Tanfoglio. Its like cars, most peolle are very content with a fair price working car, were only a select few have the patience and want to own/built a high performance race car. P.S. You can find allot of Tanfoglio factory parts threw Numrich. Cheers, Evan I think its also an issue with having a more affordable comparable gun, namely, the CZ SP01 shadow.Prior to the extreme versions and parts, my understanding is that virtually everyone believes the CZ has a superior trigger. That, plus the fact that it is half the price of the stock 2 is why Tanfo aren't quite as popular. But, it depends what game and what division you're talking about. Are we talking price points in canada or u.s.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 In the US the Shadow and the Stock II are priced about the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingspy Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I guess Canadian lol, however the prices in Canada arent that far off from the US prices from what I can see. Basically a Tanfoglio Limited Custom is $1600 and a CZ Tactical Sport is from $1000 - $1200, and from what I've heard the CZ needs some upgrades to equal the two out. But yes you can pick up a basic CZ for $600 -$800 so it is a fair bit cheaper still. Cheers, Evan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingspy Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 In the US the Shadow and the Stock II are priced about the same. Ok so the prices are a bit different . A stock 2 is listed at $1600 and the stock 3 at $1100. Cheers, Evan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Shadows are really half that up there? They run about $1,300 in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingspy Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Shadows are really half that up there? They run about $1,300 in the US. I'm preaty sure theyvare about $900 after tax, ill get back to you about that. Cheers, Evan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted October 20, 2013 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I guess the MSRP on a basic Shadow is about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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