Hello and welcome to another one of our reviews, this time we're pleased to say it’s the new KWC/ Cybergun Tanfoglio Witness 1911. Unlike the other Tanfoglio Witness 1911 that’s available in the UK, and has been for a long while, this new version is a full metal blowback replica and is easily the most true to form replica of a 1911 available on the market today. Thankfully we've managed to pick this replica really quickly, at the time of writing this it hasn't yet been officially released in the UK. If you've watched our video reviews on our YouTube page you'll see that we've already reviewed the other variant of the witness 1911 so when the opportunity came up to get our hands on this version it was impossible to refuse. So, let’s move on with the review, starting with the stats of this replica.
Velocity: 320 fps
Power range: 64 meters (aprox 70 yards)
Magazine capacity: 18 rds
Weight: 1.98 lb- 898 g
Length: 8.6 inches- 218mm
Semi-automatic with blowback action
"Spin up" (hop up)
It is also worth mentioning at this point that this replica fires 4.5mm bb's (.177) and a few of these bb's are included in the box just to get you started.
Included in the box
Like you would expect from any Cybergun product there are various things included in the box when you open it up. First thing you will notice is the instruction manual, you can just see thing in the picture on the left. The manual contains the usual information, although compared to other Cybergun manuals this one wasn't as informative. We did notice that the manual was mostly aimed at the USA, Canada and other American countries, there was very little information that we felt was aimed at the European market, the only reason we can think this is the case is that this gun is only just coming out in the UK.
The other thing you will notice is the box of .177 bb's, just like the other Cybergun products we've reviewed these bb's are of a fairly good quality, from looking at them and using them in the guns the pellets are nicely finished and go through the gun without any issues at all.
The final thing included in the box other than the gun is an Allen key to aid in loading the co2 into the magazine.
The pistol
Well as you can see, this is a very accurate replica of the colt 1911; it is almost perfect in every aspect. It is a full metal gun with full working features and all the features are true to the real Colt 1911. Unlike a lot of other colt 1911 replica's the trigger is perfectly true to the real 1911, it both looks and feels the same as the real thing, companies such as Umarex have make several variants of the 1911 but in my opinion none have been as accurate and true to form as this replica. Almost all of the replica is made out of metal, both internal and external, the only parts that appear to be plastic are the grips, which for those after the ultimate replica can be removed and with a small amount of modification you can fit real 1911 grips onto this model! When it comes to markings on this replica I have mixed feelings. the markings that are present are superb, they are etched into the pistol in all the places you would expect, all the Tanfoglio markings are present along with the usual co2 gun info that you would expect, ammo size etc, apart from something fairly major that I was surprised was missing, all the markings regarding safety and use of this gun.
Before I move onto the features of this pistol I just want to make one last point about the build quality of this pistol, it is something else, Cybergun have raised the bar as far as quality goes, the metal used and the finish applied is fantastic, it’s by far the best replica in our collection to date! there are no imperfections, no mould lines, no sign of joining at all, and best of all they have managed to make a replica that feels just like the real thing, something many other replica's can only aspire to do. If you look at build quality alone this gun must be one of the best on the market.
Now to move onto the features of this pistol. the first thing i'll start by saying is that if it's on the real 1911 its on this replica! everything you would expect to be on any air pistol, such as a mag release and safety catch, as you can see from the picture to your left the magazine release catch is exactly where you would expect and the safety catch is clearly visible to see. To activate the safety catch you simply push it up with your thumb, doing this disables the trigger and stops you from cocking the slide back, it’s also worth mentioning that it also stops you from cocking just the hammer back as well. Now for one of the best features of this replica, a done that many companies seem to overlook, the grip safety. Unlike all other replica's that I know of, this replica has a fully functioning grip safety, just like the real 1911 if you are not griping the weapon correctly it will not fire, regardless of what position the manual safety is in. Now this has both its advantages and its disadvantages, although it makes this very much true to the real thing it does hinder de-cocking the weapon ever so slightly, for someone that is used to Sig's where I could de-cock the weapon with either the decocking lever or with my thumb I found it took some time to get used to using two hands to de-cock, but other than that I think it is a great feature to this replica and sets it well above the rest.
Overall I think this is by far the best Colt 1911 replica on the market at the moment, it has everything you could possibly expect from a 1911 and more. The finish on this replica is outstanding, not only is it flawless it is a slightly brown colour too, which sets it aside the usual black or nickel models available from other big brand names. This twinned with the fact it also features a working grip safety and a working take down lever it makes it the ideal gun for all those collectors out there that are looking for a pistol they can strip down and is true to the real 1911. As far as shooting this weapon goes, its great until the co2 level starts to drop, after the first two mags its accuracy is somewhat suspect, the phrase "you couldn't hit a barn door" comes to mind, and more worryingly it fired several full auto bursts in the last few shots it could push out, something that I feel certainly shouldn't happen. putting this to one side, when it’s got a fresh co2 cartridge in it it’s great, accuracy is good, and the kick from the recoil is very strong, better than some other blowback pistols on the market. At the time of me writing this, the witness 1911 is still isn't available in the shops so I can't really comment on value for money but my personal opinion is that whatever the price of this replica when it comes out it is certainly worth paying it, it’s a must have for any serious collector, whether you’re a 1911 fan or not, it’s just one of those must have guns. the only downside to this replica is something that I’m noticing in a lot of guns recently, and that’s the strength of the spring in the magazine, I can't describe what a hassle it is trying to load the Mag, it actually drew blood from my thumb when I tried pulling it down for the first time! But other than that is superb and I would highly recommend it to any air gunner or collector.
Thanks for reading and check out or video review of this pistol and our follow on video's showing how to strip the pistol down and reassemble it on your YouTube channel.
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