I have had several examples of both, and until you reach up in to the elite and match versions of the Tangfolio pistols there is no question as to CZ being the better pistol IMHO.

 

Love CZ's, but some of the Witnesses are pretty sweet and likely can't be beat for the money.

Like the Elite Match NonamehaveI mentions. Would have to dump a little money into a CZ75 to make it as nice as one of those, imo.

 

CZ has better manufacturer support no question. EAA has some interesting products, I have a Witness Elite Match, Its kind of like having a 2011 pistol for $500 instead of $1500. Single action only, 22rds of 9mm (with TF extension) of double stack goodness, big heavy, trigger that is fully adjustable for pretravel and overtravel.

 

Guess it depends on the model. Witness has some fine sort of affordable race guns but CZ can offer the CZ 75B SA can play with the elit match in 9mm but witness has options for larger cartridges for a great price too and has better CS than eaa. If a more standard pistol is wanted CZ all the way.

 

but witness has options for larger cartridges for a great price too and has better CS than eaa.

With minor exceptions, most EAA problems in the past had to do with 10mm and .45 guns. EAA did NOT handle that debacle well, but Tanfoglio has redesigned slides and most of the problems now seem to be history.

When you get into the Match series and higher, EAA offers a lot of features for the money -- and CZ is hard pressed to match all of them at the same price level.

But, some of the CZ "next step up guns" based on the SP-01, such as the Shadow, Shadow Target, should perform as well as the best EAA can offer. CZ's Competition line is exceptional -- like the Czechmate, the Tactical Sport, and a bunch of new guns from the Custom Shop, such as the SDP (which was probably developed in response to the new Sphinx SDP that some of us are shooting.). I'd guess that CZ has a little edge in the top-line IPSC guns, but only a little; I suspect the EAA versions cost less.

The CZ Custom Shop seems relatively unique -- while most gun makers have a custom shop, none of them are run by a top IPSC shooter and gifted gunsmith who has come up with many of the new innovations found on their top-line guns. (That's Angus Hobdell.)

I don't think you can go wrong either way -- and just get the gun that meets your shooting and pocketbook needs. CZ's customer service IS much better, but you'll probably not need to use CS with either gun. I've owned a bunch of both -- most used and not under warranty -- and have never really had problems that weren't easily resolved.

One area where CZ doesn't compete: new Witnesses are all based on a larger frame, similar to the CZ-97 (but just small enough not to be a problem for folks who can't handle the CZ-97. [I was one of them.]) Be sure to try before you buy, as the current standard Witness frame is larger than the older ones or the 9mm/.40 CZ frame. The Witness larger frame can accept stand-alone uppers for calibers .22, 9mm. 38 super, .40, .45, and 10mm. You just change slides and magazines. Last I looked, they weren't terribly expensive. (I have heard of some problems with 9mm versions needing some tweaking -- spacers in the bigger mags using 9mm, for example.) That single frame/muiltiple slides approach lets you keep one or two frames with well-refined innards, and swap to different tops as needed.

(CZ has a Kadet Kit for the .40s and 9mm models, and they are exceptionally accurate, but no other conversion kits or swappable slides are available.)

 

+1

I'll tell ya, we are fortunate that we have someone with Walt's scope of knowledge regarding these pistols on our forum. He is my "go-to guy" when it comes to this platform.

The only thing I can offer is hearsay info regarding customer support issues. I know if you need a part for a CZ, you order it and it shows up 2 days later. With the EAA, you order it and you might see it in 6 months...or so I am told.

 

I have shot one of my buddies Tangfolio TZ and it had a better trigger than the CZ 75 I owned. That may be a lone incident but I constantly try to purchase that tangfolio every chance I get.

 

The only thing keeping me from a Tanfoglio is the larger grip size. The CZ's fit my hand perfectly, and they are the original, so I have stuck with them.

 

I have shot one of my buddies Tangfolio TZ and it had a better trigger than the CZ 75 I owned.

The older TZs uses the smaller (CZ-sized frame); I don't know if that smaller-sized frame has been discontinued in Europe, but EAA no longer uses it for the new Witnesses (made by Tanfoglio) imported to the U.S. Every Witness I've owned had a great trigger -- and I've had 5-6, including two Sport Long Slides (one small-frame 9mm and a larger one in .45).

EAA and Tanfoglio guns often do have better triggers when the guns are new. I don't understood why CZ doesn't want to fix that -- if only by leaving the guns in the "break in" machines they use to work the actions. But after about 400 rounds the CZ trigger is typically as good. Dry-firing will help a bit, too. (I generally just get a trigger job if I get a new one -- I don't like shooting a gun with a mediocre trigger, and all that ammo needed to make it right is probably more expensive than the gunsmith.) Not all CZ triggers are bad (or, more correctly, "mediocre") from the factory -- so if you can check the gun out before you buy, you might save some money.

 

I can't speak to the CZ because I don't have one, but I have a Witness Match in 9mm that I have used as my "go-to" pistol for the last 3 years. As others have said, the triggers on the EAA are good right out of the box. That's because the Witness Match is meant to be a competitive gun out of the box. I did 2 upgrades to mine. I added a fiber optic front sight, and I replaced the factory trigger with a straight trigger package from http://henningshop.com. It's an aftermarket trigger that I would highly recommend. As for customer service, I have ordered small replacement parts as well as extra mags on several occasions. I have found the EAA personnel to be easy to deal with and I received the parts/mags within the week. So, I would not hesitate to recommend EAA's Witness Match. (Mine is an all-steel model.)

 

CZ? What is a CZ?
I bought an Elite Match in 9mm. Best $600 I ever spent. I have shot some CZ's, and was gonna buy one....but not after buying a Tan.
The only thing wrong with my Tan is teh fact that I don't own 2.

Didn't you shoot my Tan Tom? As I remember your hands are a bit small....not Burger King commercial small but smallish. The large frame can be problematic with smaller hands but it can be overcome.

My Tan is hell accurate.

 

Yea, i did pl8. If you recall I was telling you it was a stretch to reach the trigger. As of now I'm just toying with the idea of planning to fund a new pistol. I've been through 1911s, M&Ps, Glocks, XDs, and FNX/P series, I wanna see what else is out there.

 

At the risk of being stoned to death...I've tried a cz p-01, pcr and a 75. From the factory, I was dissappointed with all of the triggers. Room for improvement? Tons. Bad? Nope. Just, disappointed. Creep and just a little on the heavy side even in single action. I found myself happier with glocks or m&ps with apex triggers. To be honest, I even liked the beretta m9/m9a1 trigger better out of the box. It was lighter, crisper and had much less creep.

I sampled a 75 compact that had a trigger job by angus, it was complete night and day difference. If I ever owned another, I would need to factor in a custom shop trigger job price.

 

That's been my experience, too. I do love CZ's, but to me they all need work until you start spending Shadow money. But for $500 you can get a CZ 75 and with some polish and springs you can really tune it up. Or spend $150ish and have a great trigger.

 

Speaking of Glocks and aftermarket triggers. My Glock 32 has been in the shop for well over a month in the attempt to unfuck what the original shop (which i bought both the pistol and aftermarket connector from) botched up the trigger job.... Now there's a huge void in the reset of the trigger. From firing to the slow release there is an awful dead space and then a sudden RESET. Needless to say, I really want my Glock to come back to my home, but I don't want it back if I have to (occasionally) push the trigger forward to force the reset... Sigh.

 

Which is why like stock glock triggers + a bunch of rounds. They really aren't that bad. It's no 1911 nor is it an m&p with an apex competition trigger, but it ain't too shabby.

 

Well I've put my finger on a few Glock triggers stock and aftermarket, and all the aftermarkets I felt are perfectly fine, in fact amazing. It was my mistake when the salesman at the shop opened the Ghost Evo Connector and said "Never seen one like this before"... That should've been my queue to take it to a real smith. But I tried to go the free route (free installs if you buy gun/parts from them), and now I'm all jacked up.

 

 

Phudd X 2. The Tac Sport has a scary good trigger. Adjusted to perfection. If I don't practice with it, I can scare myself by firing when I "prep" the trigger. Try it, you'll like it!!

 

Yeah you could work on a CZ....or buy a Tan Match that is ready to go out of the box for $600 that is the equivalent of a $1100 Shadow from CZ custom shop.

 

You can, but some prefer DA/SA for certain games/classes that require that. Elite Match is SA only. And, to get a nice Tang DA/SA the price is considerably higher. The Elite Limited Pro is $850+

 

Comparing the Base model CZ75 bd to the base model Tanfoglio, there is not as much of a price gap as there use to be. As the reputation of the tangfoglio has become better known, it seems the prices have increased. I personally would pay the 50-100 more for the new CZ. If I was to get a canik, I would have to have new grips, so put that in the price. No way I'm having a pistol with a dolphin on the grip

 

I've owned a CZ75 and an IMI baby eagle. Between the two I'll choose the CZ every time.

 

I've owned a CZ75 and an IMI baby eagle. Between the two I'll choose the CZ every time.

Lot of folks feel that way. Some claim that the Baby Eagle takes the great CZ ergonomics and improves on them.

I've owned many (both pre-B and B model) CZs, two AT-84s, several Sphinx 2000s, and 5-6 Witnesses, but none of the other "clones. " (None of them are really clones; they're just built on the same basic CZ pattern -- most more dependent on the Tanfoglio version than the CZ version.) They all seem like good guns.

I have a custom AT-84s that I think is as good as any of those. The Sphinx SDP I've got on loan is also special... and better than any of them out straight of the box (i.e., if they are all left unmodified, like they come from the factory).

What I'd really like to have is a CZ Tactical Sport -- the CZ IPSC gun. (The Czechmate would be nice, too, but too "space/race" gun for me.)

 

Well I've put my finger on a few Glock triggers stock and aftermarket, and all the aftermarkets I felt are perfectly fine, in fact amazing. It was my mistake when the salesman at the shop opened the Ghost Evo Connector and said "Never seen one like this before"... That should've been my queue to take it to a real smith. But I tried to go the free route (free installs if you buy gun/parts from them), and now I'm all jacked up.

Instead of waiting I would suggest you try a DK Customs trigger, very cheap and as close to SAO feel as you can get. They rock.

 

+1

I'll tell ya, we are fortunate that we have someone with Walt's scope of knowledge regarding these pistols on our forum. He is my "go-to guy" when it comes to this platform.

The only thing I can offer is hearsay info regarding customer support issues. I know if you need a part for a CZ, you order it and it shows up 2 days later. With the EAA, you order it and you might see it in 6 months...or so I am told.

You know what they say about hearsay...

I have ordered mags, springs, and various other small parts from EAA. All came within a week, which is normal turn around time. I have never waited for 6 months.

 

My few experiences with EAA customer service -- getting parts -- were fast and efficient, and not as expensive as SOME. I never had to deal with some of the major problems that some have had -- cracked slides or frames. THOSE kind of problems might have turned me off. (I won't buy a new Tanfoglio-made gun, but not because I don't like Tanfoglio guns. I'm less concerned about a used gun, than a new one... I've had a lot of good luck with used Witnesses, for example. I figure they got some preliminary testing before they were sold or traded.)

I've had minor problems with a number of gun makers:

Ruger lost a MKII when I sent the gun back to get a damaged firing pin replaced; they claimed they didn't get the gun until I gave them the name of the guy that signed for it on the UPS receipt. They later found it. I had to pay shipping, of course, and that can be EXPENSIVE!!

I've had problems with SIG, too -- but it was simply due to the fact they don't stock parts for some guns, and it can take MONTHS to get certain parts for a P-210 or an X-Five series gun. (I had the base of a guide rod for a P226-X Five break ... I had to buy the entire multi-part assembly and it was about $50. That irritated me, as I only needed a short plastic piece. (My gunsmith broke that part while trying to lighten the trigger pull on the gun. He fabricated the broken part and it worked fine and looked fine, but I wanted a FACTORY part in case I ever wanted to sell the gun. I did later sell it.) I waited almost a year for a P-210 magazine before I finally cancelled the order.

Beretta kept a Tomcat for about 5 months when it broke a firing pin -- and they didn't do a good job of letting me know what was going on., This was when the TC was first introduced, and parts were still scarce -- the parts were all going into new guns, trying to meet customer demand. . It all worked out eventually. That was a troublesome little gun.

Never had a problem with a Kel-Tec (although many have had problems); and they always sent a part if I needed one, no charge. Same with CZ.

Never had to send one back to S&W, but they have always been helpful, as were some really knowledgeable guys on the S&W Forum.

I also had good results from Taurus, with a .357 Revolver I inherited -- but it also took a while.

 

HOLY NECRO TRENCH!...

So after a bit of bartering back and forth with the wife last night, I worked out a favorable deal to get a new pistol (She did think it looked cool, so that may have helped). But I went ahead and put a CZ 75 SP-01 on order last night. I figure it should be in (hopefully) next week. We'll see... Anyhow being my first CZ of ever, I'm pretty excited. I've always heard great things about the CZs and the way they shoot, so I had to take the plunge. Although I was not a fan of the rather short (in height) slides that CZs and Witnesses bear, I think with some quality time hands on I can get used to it.

 

Trench...that is where you went wrong. I just bought my wife one of her own at the same time...solved the problem lol