Tanfoglio Buzz

     Notes: This is basically a Tanfoglio Witness with a ported barrel to fight recoil.  It was introduced in 1994 in 9mm Parabellum, 9x21mm, 10mm Colt, and .45 ACP calibers, and in 1995 a .38 Super chambering was added, and in 1999, a .40 Smith & Wesson version was added.  The .40 Smith & Wesson is unusual in that when it first came out, it had a magazine capacity of 15 rounds, but the magazine spring became fatigued easily and the magazine capacity was reduced to 12 rounds later that year.  The barrel is coned to fit tightly to the slide.  The magazine release is enlarged, and the controls are clearly finished in black (on what is otherwise a matte chrome-finished weapon).  The magazine release can also be reversed to the opposite side of the weapon (it is normally on the left).  The rear of the pistol has an extended beavertail.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: The .38 Super and .40 Smith & Wesson designs never appeared.

Tanfoglio Force

     Notes: The first Force pistols were introduced in 1997.  They have a black polymer frame and matte black-finished steel slide.  The safety is on the left, as is the magazine release, but the magazine release can be moved to the right side of the frame.  The Force is chambered for a large amount of calibers, including some proprietary ones.  In 1997, it was introduced in 9mm Parabellum, 9x21mm, and .45 ACP; in 1999, .38 Super, .40 Smith & Wesson, and 10mm Colt chamberings were added, and in 2001, the proprietary 9mm FAR and 10mm FAR chamberings were added.

     The Force Compact is the same as the standard Force, but is smaller with a shorter barrel and the 9mm FAR and 10mm FAR chamberings are not available.  A variant of the Force Compact is the Lady Force; this version is available in a rainbow of colors, has a smaller grip, and smoothed contours.  (It is identical to the Force Compact for game purposes.)

     The Force ’99  was, as the name indicates, introduced in 1999 and is an improved version of the Force.  It is a double-action pistol with a more ergonomic shape to its polymer frame.  It was meant to be a service weapon for police or military forces and is not available in as many calibers.  It has an automatic firing pin safety.  Along with the Force ’99 came a training weapon, the Force ’99-22, chambered for .22 Long Rifle and has a longer barrel to roughly match the ranges of the heavier caliber versions of the Force ’99.  It also has a micrometer rear sight, and the slide is light alloy instead of steel.  The standard Force ’99 is otherwise identical to the Force for game purposes, but the only chamberings of the Force ’99 are 9mm Parabellum, 9x21mm, and .40 Smith & Wesson, and the .40 Smith & Wesson version uses a 12-round magazine.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These pistols do not exist.

Tanfoglio GT-21/41

     Notes:  The GT-21 is basically a TA-90 that is chambered for the 9x21mm cartridge, but there are some small styling differences in the shape of the trigger guard and butt.  It was made primarily for those countries where the 9mm Parabellum round is considered a military/police round and is prohibited to civilians by law.  The GT-21 Combat is the same weapon, but the safety is moved to the frame and the slide stop does not stick out so much.  The GT-21 Baby and Baby Combat are the same as the above two pistols, but smaller.  The GT-41 uses the .41 Action Express round, and there is a Combat model as well as the standard model.

     These pistols were imported by FIE in the US in the late-1980s and sold under their name of the Titan.

Tanfoglio GT-32/380

     Notes: This is one of Tanfoglio’s older weapons that is still in production.  It is a compact weapon firing smaller cartridges and is made from blued steel.  The magazine release is at the heel of the grip, as in many old-style European pistols.  It is a lightweight, easy-to-use and conceal weapon.

     The GT-380 was imported by FIE in the US in the late-1980s and sold under their name of the Titan II.  FIE also sold a variant called the SSP that differs only in finish and a slight weight difference (it weighs 0.73 kg), due to extra passive safeties and details of construction.

Tanfoglio Limited

     Notes: This is a modified form of the TA-90 series of weapons, and was also known as the Match for about a year.  The Limited is drilled and tapped for a telescopic sight or other optics, and has a squared trigger guard.  It was introduced in 1997 in 9mm Parabellum, .38 Super, and .45 ACP; in 1999, a .40 Smith & Wesson chambering was added, and the 9mm FAR and 10mm FAR versions were added in 2001.  The barrel is polygonal and heavy, and ported to fight recoil.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These pistols do not exist.

Tanfoglio TA-382

     Notes:  This was a controversial weapon when introduced in the mid-1950s; it was designed especially for the “Saturday Night Special” market in the US, and called the Titan at the time.  The Gun Control Act of 1968 stopped importation of the Titan into the US.  An unnamed American company was all set to import the unassembled parts into the US and then assemble and market the pistol, but Congress stopped that too.  Tanfoglio completely rebuilt the weapon to change the looks, changed the name to the TA-382, and then got permission to sell it in the United States.  The TA-382 is a basic, no-frills design for personal defense.

Tanfoglio TZ-75/TA-90

     Notes: In the early 1980s, the Czech CZ-75 pistol had become a worldwide sensation, and demand for the CZ-75 far outstripped Ceska Zbrojovka’s manufacturing capabilities, or those of any other single firm for that matter.  Ceska Zbrojovka therefore began selling licenses to several other European arms manufactures – both Eastern and Western, and also gave most of wide latitude to alter the basic CZ-75 design.  Tanfoglio was one of these companies, with their version being called the TZ-75, and produced primarily for export to the US.  Early export versions sold in the US by FIE were sold as the “TZ-75,” but most of these weapons, imported later by a succession of companies, were sold as the “TA-90”and are designed to appear more like the CZ-75. 

     The TZ-75 differs from the CZ-75 in several ways.  The original TZ-75, in fact, was externally quite different in appearance from the CZ-75, with a sleeker overall shape, a more ergonomic grip, a squared trigger guard, and a larger spur-type hammer.  The sights were also of the three-dot type, and larger than those of the CZ-75 (the CZ-75’s tiny sights are one of the few consistent criticisms it has received).  The TZ-75 also added a slide-mounted safety/decocker, with ambidextrous controls being an option.  The TZ-75 was available in several different finishes; the most common were blued and chromed.  Grip plates were of walnut or rubber, and the walnut grips could be had checkered or smooth.  The barrel of the TZ-75 is also just a little bit longer than that of the CZ-75’s 4.7-inch barrel – the TZ-75’s barrel length is 4.75-inches.  The TZ-75 was later altered to make it look more like an actual CZ-75; though this mostly consisted of restyling, the manual safety was also moved to the frame, deleted the decocking feature, and simply locked the slide, hammer and sear.  This later production TZ-75 was designated by Tanfoglio the TZ-75 ’88; for game purposes, it is identical to the TZ-75.

     Further restyling and improvement led to the TA-90 series.  The TA-90 is for all intents and purposes internally identical to the TZ-75 ’88 (except for a slightly greater weight).  In addition to blued and chromed finishes, deluxe engraved versions of the TA-90 are available.  The TA-90 has a micrometer-adjustable rear sight, and an extended magazine release and beavertail, and is available in several calibers.  The base TA-90 is often referred to as the Tanfoglio Match.

     Several variants of the TA-90 are also available.  The TA-90B, also called the Baby TA-90, is a compact version with a shorter grip and a 3.5-inch barrel.  The grips are also of wrap-around Neoprene rubber.  The TA-90SS is a TA-90 with an extended 5-inch barrel that is ported; it typically is found with a two-tone finish.  The TA-90S is a match version with a better-quality 5.9-inch barrel that is fitted with a muzzle compensator and a muzzle counterweight.

Tanfoglio Witness

     Notes: Tanfoglio acquired the patents to the Witness series in 1995, and began selling its own version of the Witness.  In North and South America, the Witness is imported by a company called European American Company, and called the EAA Witness; in Europe, it is known as the Tanfoglio Witness.   It is a basic sort of pistol, available in several calibers, with a steel frame and slide and polygonal barrel. 

     The design of the Witness, like many modern European (and increasingly, pistol designs of other countries) pistols, has been inspired by the Czech CZ-75 pistol (which itself takes many design cues from the Browning HP-35 High-Power and SiG-Sauer P-210).  This means that the Witness uses a modified Browning short-recoil operation, and has a relatively slim, low-profile slide and a high-capacity magazine.  The slide of the Witness uses cocking grooves on both the front and rear of the slide.  The Witness is a double-action pistol, with a manual safety/slide lock as well as a half-cock safety and a passive firing pin safety and a chamber-loaded indicator.  The sights are of the three-dot type; the rear sight, however is a bit tall and is known to snag on clothing sometimes when being drawn, even from a holster. Tanfoglio-made magazines for the Witness have particularly powerful springs in them; though this helps fight “follower spring fatigue,” that and sharp feed lips make loading the magazines difficult, and most shooters will put one less round in the magazines than their full capacity.  Construction of the standard Witness (called the Witness Stock) is of steel, with a barrel length of 4.5 inches.  Finishes include blued, two-tone, chrome, and stainless steel.  Witness Carry Comp is a somewhat smaller version, with a 4.1-inch barrel, and finishes are only blued or two-tone blue/chrome.  The barrel, however, is equipped with a large muzzle compensator.  Another compact version, the Witness Subcompact, uses a 3.66-inch barrel (without a compensator) and a shorter grip with a smaller magazine; finishes are the same as the Witness Stock. 

     The Witness Sport is also similar to the Witness Stock, but has an adjustable rear sight, an extended safety, and is available only in a two-tone finish.  (The Sport is identical to the Stock for game purposes.)  The Witness L/S Sport uses a 4.75-inch barrel, a slightly longer grip with larger magazines, an adjustable rear sight, and an extended safety.  A ported barrel is an option on the L/S Sport.  The Witness Hunter has a 6-inch barrel, but uses a single-stack magazine.  It has an adjustable rear sight and is drilled and tapped for scope rings.  The most striking thing about the Witness Hunter is its finish – normally one of several available all-over camouflage patterns.  (A blued version is also available.) 

     The Witness Combo 9/40 is a version of the Witness that comes a kit allowing conversion between 9mm Parabellum and .40 Smith & Wesson.  It can be had with either a Stock-length or Carry Comp-length barrel, with the exchange kits consisting of a slide, barrel, recoil slide and guide, and two magazines for the appropriate calibers. 

     Tanfoglio’s version of the Witness also includes several polymer-framed models; these are collectively known as the Witness P Series.  The P Series is quite similar in general design to the steel-framed Witness series, except for that polymer frame; however, the P Series pistols have rear sights adjustable for windage as a standard feature, and feature a different combination of calibers.  The standard Witness P uses a 4.55-inch barrel, but single-stack magazines instead of the double-stack magazines of the Witness Stock.  The Witness P Carry Comp uses a 4.25-inch barrel, but uses the same compensator as the steel-framed Witness Carry Comp.  The Witness PC (also called the Witness P Compact) uses a 3.55-inch barrel (with no compensator).  The Witness PS is built on a somewhat smaller frame, but still uses a 4.55-inch barrel.  Despite their polymer frames, the P Series pistols are almost as heavy as steel-framed Witnesses. 

     Tanfoglio also makes a number of match-quality Witnesses.  All of these use steel frames and specially-built match quality heavy barrels.  The Witness Silver Team Match uses a 5.25-inch barrel with a muzzle compensator, a single-action trigger, a competition-type loop hammer, a paddle-type magazine release, an extended safety, sights that are dovetailed in (with the rear sight being adjustable), walnut grip plates, and drilling and tapping for scope rings.  The grip length is a little longer then that of a standard Witness Stock, but the magazine is also extended and the bottom covered with rubber.  The Witness Gold Team Match is a deluxe version of the Silver Team Match, and has the addition of an extended beavertail and grip safety, a squared trigger guard, and a checkered frontstrap, backstrap, and rubber grip plates.  Most use a hard-chromed finish, but they are also available in a gold-plated finish.  The Witness Limited Class has less features (for those competitions that don’t allow them), using only the competition grips of the Gold Team Match, an extended safety and magazine release, sights, and the single action trigger.

     In 2007, Tanfoglio introduced a highly-customized version of its Witness Gold Team Match, called the Gold Custom Eric version.  The “Eric” in its name refers to Eric Grauffel; the Gold Custom Eric was designed with his input, based on the custom modifications he made to the pistol he used during his win of the 2005 IPSC World Championship.  The Gold Custom Eric uses a 5.25-inch barrel tipped with a beefy muzzle brake; depending on the chambering, this brake may have six or eight holes.  The slide has four slots cut into it; these not only cool the barrel, but remove some weight.  Construction is largely of steel, with the exception of the control levers, the grip plates, and the trigger.  The magazine released can be easily reversed for left-handed shooters.  The trigger itself is adjustable for travel with a simple screw (and can therefore be adjusted by shooters in the field or as they break the pistol in).The magazines are proprietary; the grip itself is somewhat short, but the magazines include a grip extension.  On the side of the frame, drilling and tapping are provided to allow the mounting of a bracket for an optics mount or MIL-STD-1913 rail to rise above the slide; iron sights are not provided.  Though Eric Grauffel used 9mm Parabellum, several chamberings are available for the production version.  It’s a big, heavy, costly pistol, but well worth it if you can afford it. (And not that the real-life cost is far higher than the Twilight 2000 cost.)

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These versions of the Witness does not exist in the Twilight 2000 timeline.