The Italian job

[Kiwi cop]

After my ammunition issues and subsequent damage (currently minor but subject to further deterioration) to my Springfield Armoury 1911 .45 ACP, I decided that it was time to start investing in a new competition pistol (my Springfield was bought second hand in early 2015 and I have put over 3,000 rounds per year through it, so it was only a matter of time before it needed replacing).

I needed a 1911 platform to shoot IPSC Classic (single stack) Division and wanted a .45, as I prefer it to the 9mm (I do have a Kimber Stainless II 9mm that I continue to tinker with in an effort to get the accuracy I obtain from my .45). A look at what was available locally was not promising.

Apart from pistols selling for over NZ$3,500 (out of the question for my budget) there was a dearth of .45 1911's available (the memory of those three Taurus PT 1911's I saw in Paul's Pistols and Pawn that day in Huntsville AL all for US$499 haunted me). The closest I could find was a second hand Ruger 1911 for NZ$1700.

Then I found an importer/retailer with a Tanfoglio Witness 1911 .45 Custom for just NZ$1400. Although I prefer stainless I was happy to get a blue steel gun at this price, and the advertised wood grips are one thing I have always desired for a 1911 (not for this gun though). This importer is a supplier to my LGS so I called in and enquired about getting one.

Ten days later (two weekends caused a delay in the necessary paperwork) and it arrived. At first look the wood grips looked plastic, but that turned out just to be the finish. When removed from the grip frame they are definitely wood. And my LGS owner told me that he could have sold it already to a shooter from around 2 hours away who called in while passing that morning looking for a 1911 .45!

With adjustable sights (something the second hand Ruger lacked), extended slide release and ambi safety I saved several hundred dollars on competition upgrades right there. The trigger is crisp, if a little heavy for competition work (about 5 1/2 Ib), and the trigger reset was easily adjusted in less than 5 minutes with the allen key supplied in the box.

In my parts box were the disconnector and sear from my Norinco Ranger, which I had replaced in late 2017 with polished EGW parts, so I set about giving them a polish up and reinstalling them back in the Ranger along with the original mainspring. The result is not quite as good as those EGW parts but very nice for the intended use of this gun. The EGW parts, along with a matching polished hammer (the Ranger is built like a Chinese tank and I just couldn't get the EGW hammer to work with the Rangers' safeties) and the 17 Ib mainspring, will be installed in the Tanfoglio in the coming days.

Those wooden grips are also destined for the Ranger, which will now be relegated to Wild Bunch duty only (my SA can fill in as a backup competition gun). The Tanfoglio will be fitted with a set of Double Alpha grips (I just love the feel and have them on both my main competition 1911's) as well as a blued magwell in the coming weeks. And I am looking to import several EGW thick/angled bushings (my SA has a bull barrel/bushingless set up and I am convinced that is why I get such good accuracy from it so want to see if these bushing make any difference). I am still tossing up putting the SA bull barrel into the Tanfoglio, as the SA barrel is still in very good condition. One advantage of doing so is I will also be able to swap over the recoil reducing spring system as well.

One issue I had initially. That right side safety has a small tab on the front that slides in a slot on the extended sear pin. All of my experiences with ambi safeties is with those where you remove the right side first and then take out the left safety to remove the grip tang. Some unproductive time on YouTube (couldn't find a video where they stripped beyond the slide although a heap of 1911 air pistol videos) and a little bit of very gentle tugging on the left side safety and I worked out the procedure on this pistol is reversed from the one I'm used to.

I am shooting minor PF in my next two competitions (January and February 2019). With luck this pistol will be ready for the March competition (which I am match director of ). If not there is at least one more comp left in the Springfield (once I get the slide rail straightened) and the March event is major PF friendly.

It is a project that is still continuing.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

The new 45 looks real nice, the only improvement I would do is rosewood grips and that is cosmetic only. (I personally don't like rubber grips on a 1911; other designs yes)

When I was building 1911's from parts, I got quick-n-easy accuracy using series 70 bushings (collet style) on used and shot up GI barrels. No fit, no mess, and no time to install! Bushing life is limited depending on how many high end power factor rounds you run. My personal 1911 hasn't had a bushing change since I rebuilt it on an Essex steel frame around 1990, that is about 20,000 rounds of 220-230 grain target (Cowboy) loads at 700 fps and several hundred 230gr Federal Hydro-shok SD rounds (I CCW a different 45 now, so I haven't used full power ammo in 12 to 15 years in that gun. I keep a spare bushing in my parts kit, but haven't needed it. Gunsmith's detest these no fit bushings because of all the money they have cost them! In my typical parts gun with GI parts thrown to gather with no care always got 8" at 25 yards or better! In my personal gun, I got 4" at 25 yards.

I don't know if you can PM pictures, but if possible, let me see your messed up rails on your other 45. Maybe together we can make it better, as opposed to being a failure waiting to happen.

Ivan

 

[Farmer17]

EAA products are very underrated and seem to get passed over by many gun owners, I personally think pretty highly of the EAA guns especially the steel frame Witness pistols and I didn't even know they made a 1911. I may have to check that out!

 

[Kiwi cop]

The new 45 looks real nice, the only improvement I would do is rosewood grips and that is cosmetic only. (I personally don't like rubber grips on a 1911; other designs.

I don't know if you can PM pictures, but if possible, let me see your messed up rails on your other 45. Maybe together we can make it better, as opposed to being a failure waiting to happen.

Ivan

The rail I can fix (or get fixed) relatively easily. It is the crack on the inside of the frame that is the worry. Right now it is not an issue but that can change.

I looked at replacing the slide but it was just not cost effective ( no .45 slides for sale in the country doesn't help).

Once I get the new gun working properly I may look at importing a .45 slide but the paperwork this end is time consuming.

 

[Kiwi cop]

No shooting yet but some impressions

Over the weekend I polished up the sear and disconnector from the Norinco Ranger using an Arkansas stone, a diamond knife sharpening hone and an Ed Brown 1911 sear jig. I then swapped them back into the Ranger for the EGW sear and disconnector I installed a year or so ago. The trigger was not as good as it had been with he EGW parts but very usable for Wild Bunch shooting, crisp and about 4 - 5 Ib.

This morning I disassembled the Witness to install the EGW parts and was pleasantly surprised. I usually spend about an hour smoothing out the sides (both inside and out) of the trigger bow and the rear face that interacts with the disconnector and sear with the hone on my 1911's.

As soon as I started polishing the rear face of the trigger bow I saw that with the exception of only one very slight high spot (I almost had to imagine it ) the face was already very smooth. The external arms of the bow were both a little high on the edges but the insides were like the rear face, almost perfect.

After only 15 minutes I placed a drop of blue locktite on the threads of the trigger set screw (usually I screw it in a turn and a half, apply the locktite on the back of the trigger and then screw it back out again but on this trigger some of the threads were exposed so I placed a drop of locktite and let it soak through the threads for a few minutes as I had already set the screw) and reinstalled the trigger and mag catch.

After cleaning them thouroughly I installed the EGW disconnector and sear and proceeded to swap the original hammer for the EGW one. That's where a small issue arose. I do not (today at least) have a spare hammer strut pin. I usually just use the one in the hammer I am replacing. But the pin on the Witness hammer was very tight to remove and seemed a little oversize as it simply would not start into the EGW hammer pin hole. At this time I decided to replace the original hammer after a little polishing.

Firstly the hammer hooks were, again, almost perfect. When I measured them with the 20 thou feeler gauge that came with the Ed Brown sear jig, I found that they protruded only slightly above the gauge, 22-24 thou at the most.

I like to polish up the sides of the hammer (as well as the sear and disconnector) just to smooth out any movement of the parts in the frame. And that was the first issue. On one side of the hammer were two punched letters and one had caused a significant hollow. Eventually I was able to polish this out with the diamond hone.

On the other side of the hammer the hollow was much greater, so much so that I ended up leaving some of it rather than take off too much material. I ran a square fine Arkansas stone against the hooks a few times to square them up and honed the top of the hooks, ensuring they were smooth and flat.

Replacing the hammer strut I began to reassemble the pistol. When it came time to reinstall the sear spring I noted it was significantly heavier and bulkier than the usual EGW springs I have in my pistols. With the gun reassembled (minus the grips), I found the trigger crisp but heavier than I expected. Removing the mainspring housing and grip safety I replaced the sear spring with a new EGW one. After putting the gun back together again I found the trigger not only crisp but a lot lighter, a more competition friendly 3 - 3 1/2 Ib.

I have a range trip tomorrow to chronograph some new loads with W231 powder (I am trying to get them up to major PF, at present they fall quite a bit short) and will take the Witness along to compare velocities with my Springfield Armoury pistol.

And the Double Alpha grips and the magwell will be ordered later in the week

 

[Kiwi cop]

My range trip on Wednesday revealed that the Witness attained higher velocities with the same loads than my Springfield (I tested them side by side for a couple fo hours). From the 25 meter line I was watching the bullets impact the backstop just under 30 meters in front of me, pretty right for windage but a little high. A friend asked to try it out and emptied an 8 round mag at a target at a range of 10 yards. All rounds were in the 9 ring .

I did not do any accuracy/sighting in as I still need to work up to a load that makes PF plus a little safety margin first (some Tightgroup loads already do so but I am trying to find the right combination with W231 which was very consistent if a underpowered even at max published loading).

I got home from work yesterday afternoon to find a package from my 1911 parts supplier had arrived. After a sleepless night Thursday I left them in the packet. This evening, after a good \ nights sleep) I fitted the magwell (20 lpi checkering on the mainspring housing) and the Double Alpha grip panels (I also placed some 'poor man's chequering (skateboard tape) on the front strap).

The Double Alpha grips are a resin composite with deep cut chequering. Combined with the 20 lpi backstrap and the skateboard tape it is a very secure grip, even with wet or sweaty hands.

 

[Kiwi cop]

Nine Months Later

Over the last 9 months I have shot the Witness .45 more than any other pistol I currently own. I guess I have put close to 2,000 rounds through it now. So I thought it about time for an update on how it is performing.

Firstly, this pistol is accurate. At 12 - 15 meters 5 shot offhand groups invariable end up with 3 bullet holes touching and the other two no more than an inch away. Providing I do my part of course. This with a standard barrel and bushing.

The trigger has now settled in to a light and crisp pull with a very short reset. I would guess trigger pull is about 3 Ib. It is certainly lighter than either my SA .45 or Kimber 9mm, and both of those are very nice triggers.

I had an issue with one of my nine 8 round magazines a month ago. During a one day competition it would not seat into the grip, stopping about 1 1/2" out. None of the other mags were effected. On getting it home I found that the right side feed lip looked normal but was contacting the mag catch for come reason. Push the mag catch in and the mag would seat properly. I couldn't be bothered using it like this so I removed the baseplate to identify the offending mag and decided to use it as a charging magazine only, to fill the chamber before inserting another full mag.

There is one thing only that I am not that pleased with, it is the rear sight. When zeroed in to POA/POI at 25 meters with my main competition load (6 gn W231 under a 200 gn plated flat point projectile set off with a WLP primer) the point of impact is around 3" low on one setting. Raise the rear sight one click and POI is around 2" high. I have learnt to live with the high POI aiming a little low on steel and obscured targets to compensate.

This last weekend I shot the third one day IPSC match in two months (I set up a winter series at my club, practice for our upcoming Nationals). Ten days prior to the match I set my sights up again after checking POA on a clamshell target at 12 meters. On the day of the match I was missing paper targets completely beyond that range.

One of the last stages had three paper targets on a wooden pallet lying on the ground with sandbags under the far edge set about 3 meters (10") from the firing position. Most of my initial shots went high, over the top of the targets.

Once the match was over I looked at my pistol properly, only to find the elevation screw had worked loose. It was right at the top of its travel, just about to let go of the threads beneath the sight. I spent some time lowering the sights until I was once again hitting the A zone at 20 meters (the furtherest distance I had set up targets for this match), slightly higher than POA. The only issue I had was that the hits were not centred horizontally. I figured I was just tired after a full day shooting and wasn't holding a decent sight picture.

Today I gave the pistol a clean up and noticed the rear sight was moving a few millimetres from side to side. Removing the elevation screw I tightened up the two hex head screws holding the sight in place and placed a drop of red locktite on top. Hopefully it worked its way down the thread before drying.

But it means I'll have to head out to the range later this week and resight it in a gain, both elevation and horizontally.

Well it shouldn't be too bad. iIwas planning on spending the next month working on my distance shooting again. And I will have to resight in the SA too as I will need it for my backup for the Nationals and adjusted the sights for a 120 PF load for a particular event a few months ago.

Still the issues with he Witness .45 sight have me thinking that I may have to replace it. If I can find out which dovetail cut Tanfoglio use on this pistol.

Other than that I am well pleased with the pistol.

 

[Muley Gil]

"(6 gn W231 over a 200 gn plated flat point projectile set off with a WLP primer)"

I have always had better luck putting the BULLET over the POWDER.

Just messing with you. I once worked with a Kiwi security officer while in Afghanistan; one of the finest people I have ever met.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Good to see things are working in a generally good direction for you.

It sounds like "The Cursed Murphey" has had his way with your rear sight! Loctite has so many products it can get expensive when you buy a tube, then it dries out. Or much worse, it leaks all over a drawer of precision tools! For a universal/temporary hold I "borrow" a little of the wife's fingernail polish. If I have time I ask first, but then it is usually some ungodly color that is distracting, So I usually grab clear with permission sought afterward! (Also those little emery or diamond fingernail files make great parts fitting hones! But I have no idea how I know this!)

Ivan

 

[Muley Gil]

Good to see things are working in a generally good direction for you.

It sounds like "The Cursed Murphey" has had his way with your rear sight! Loctite has so many products it can get expensive when you buy a tube, then it dries out. Or much worse, it leaks all over a drawer of precision tools! For a universal/temporary hold I "borrow" a little of the wife's fingernail polish. If I have time I ask first, but then it is usually some ungodly color that is distracting, So I usually grab clear with permission sought afterward! (Also those little emery or diamond fingernail files make great parts fitting hones! But I have no idea how I know this!)

Ivan

That stuff is cheap; why not buy your own?

 

[WR Moore]

Ivan, no doubt you read it on the internet

About the rear sight-is there any makers name on it? One would expect that the dovetail would be a standard size, however, that may not be the case. The standard 1911 dovetail has 65 degree angles (most other dovetails are 60 degrees). Width should be 0.330 inches. BUT, looking at my drawing for the buried BMCS installation, that one may have a 0.360 inch dovetail, for some reason I didn't specify it. There's a sight branded as Kensight here in the US that seems to be a direct substitute for some of the Bo-Mar sights.

If you've got a factory 1911 rear sight lying around somewhere, you could give it a try in the dovetail. Should at least give you a clue.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

reguarding finger nail polish:

That stuff is cheap; why not buy your own?

While it is true that polish is cheap, Half of the fun in "Improvising" is scrounging! If I had it "ON HAND", it would remove all the mystique of using her things!(and also the benefits of her "Rescuing" me!)

What I try for, is a number of temporary fixes, then buy a tube of real Loctite and fix as many things permanently as I can before it turns solid (like dozens have over the years!) Nothing as near fun as Loctiting a set of pin punches to a tool box drawer, when one of my sons didn't put the lid on right! (The youngest moved out 16 years ago now, so I really need to be careful, or I'll have to blame myself when bad things happen to my tools!)

Ivan

 

[WR Moore]

Since the kids left, our dogs have become much more inventive.

 

[Kiwi cop]

Good to see things are working in a generally good direction for you.

It sounds like "The Cursed Murphey" has had his way with your rear sight! Loctite has so many products it can get expensive when you buy a tube, then it dries out. Or much worse, it leaks all over a drawer of precision tools! For a universal/temporary hold I "borrow" a little of the wife's fingernail polish. If I have time I ask first, but then it is usually some ungodly color that is distracting, So I usually grab clear with permission sought afterward! (Also those little emery or diamond fingernail files make great parts fitting hones! But I have no idea how I know this!)

Ivan

Better to seek forgiveness than ask permission and be denied

I too grab Karen's nail polish when I need a quick fix, but luckily I have bottles of both blue and red locktite right above my loading bench.

actually I needed Karen's nail polish last week but had to ask first as I needed clear and all I could find were garish colours she bought last year in the US.

I wasn't going to put those bright colours around my little toes corn to protect the skin from the burn off solution I was using.

 

[Kiwi cop]

Ivan, no doubt you read it on the internet

About the rear sight-is there any makers name on it? One would expect that the dovetail would be a standard size, however, that may not be the case. The standard 1911 dovetail has 65 degree angles (most other dovetails are 60 degrees). Width should be 0.330 inches. BUT, looking at my drawing for the buried BMCS installation, that one may have a 0.360 inch dovetail, for some reason I didn't specify it. There's a sight branded as Kensight here in the US that seems to be a direct substitute for some of the Bo-Mar sights.

If you've got a factory 1911 rear sight lying around somewhere, you could give it a try in the dovetail. Should at least give you a clue.

I have a Caspian 1911 rear site that looks very close so that may work, but not 7 weeks out from a major competition.

Last time I sent a slide in for some site work at a recognised gunsmith it took 3 months to complete.

 

[Frank46]

For a good shooting load that will make major power factor try Winchesters WST or Winchester super target. 4.5 grains start to a max of 5.0 grains makes major in my tricked out Springfield Armory 45. No signs of over pressure and shoots very well. I use a 230 grain hard cast bullet .452 in diameter and win. Large Pistol primers. cases are a mixed bunch and have lost count of how many times they have been reloaded. Pretty sure it's time to retire that batch, most of the headstamps are hard to read. I also use Chip McCormick 8 round shooting star mags with the plastic bumpers installed. have about 8 I keep for the Springfield armory 45 and another 8 I use for my sometimes shot 1943 Ithaca 1911A1. Maybe it's time to retire her as she getting on in age 76 years. And start looking for her replacement. That Ithaca was from a WWII vet who I used to work with and as such has great sentimental value. Oh yes,forgot to mention I use an 18.5 recoil spring and a shock buff. And would be remiss if I didn't mention the knowlin barrel. I would estimate well
north of 30,000 rounds has gone through that pistol. Have fun as that is what it is about. Frank

 

[Kiwi cop]

Range Report

Well the Nationals are over. Once more they were not very kind to me.

I had several brain freezes over the three days. The results were stage times longer than they should be, misses and procedurals for FTE. But there is some very good news.

Over 2 1/2 days of firing off over 400 rounds I had exactly zero gun malfunctions. Every round fed smoothly from the magazine into the chamber with no hiccups. The gun was cleaned several days before the Nationals began and each evening I gave it a quick clean (barrel, slide and mag well).

I had one ammo failure. The very last round (second to last cartridge in an 8 round mag) on the very last stage I must have loaded backwards and not picked up visually, despite having been chamber dropped the round several weeks ago. The base of the bullet fed into the rifling and stuck, causing the slide not to close. Racking the slide slid another cartridge in behind it adding further pressure on the bullet in the rifling. It took a rod and small hammer to dislodge the stuck bullet (one more reason to use handholds only in practice and competition) and left some dents in the plating on the base.

This gun though has definitely proved itself reliable.