What year was your Italian CZ clone made? (Italian date codes)

[jbabbler]

Very Nice TA90 Compact and Welcome to the Forum!  My Series 88 TA90 Compact is very much like it!  Transitional Models have some features of both Pre-Series 88 Pistols and Series 88 Pistols. 

Your Pistol has:

Pre-Series 88 Features


Hammer
Front Dustcover Bevel

Series 88 Features
Frame and Slide Size
Grips
Sights
Magazine Latch

The Extractor may also be different, as some came with a CZ Style Extractor and some, including mine, came with a Walther/Beretta Style Extractor.

Regardless of any of these variations, you will find this Pistol to be very accurate and reliable.  Mine certainly is.  Finding one of these in Very Good to Almost New condition is great fortune indeed!

Thanks for the helpful information JWC. Can you tell, based on the date code, which grips and/or magazines would fit it? I really want some thin grips.

[gcraig]

The last picture above shows a TZ with a date code of AU that has a slide mounted safety. Mine definitely say "Series 88" and has a frame mounted safty and also has a date code of AU so the Transitional theory apparently holds true....accurate gun,,,bad extractor,,, but I think I have a fix coming,,,,we'll see

[jwc007]

Thanks for the helpful information JWC. Can you tell, based on the date code, which grips and/or magazines would fit it? I really want some thin grips.

You are most Welcome! 

Grips and Magazines for the original Small Frame (9mm & .40 only) Witness should fit your Pistol.  Capacity for the 9mm version should be 13 rounds.  My Series 88 Compact (Baby) TA90 will use the same Magazines.

[nfafan]

Per Tanfoglio of Italy, my TA90 was made in July 1990. But I could not find ANY codes stamped ANYWHERE on the gun beyond the S/N on slide and frame, and the mfg branding script.

[meskes]

This is a great and interesting topic. I have a Witness standard Steel in Wonder Finish and I have found that, according to my date code of "BS" that my weapon was made in '02. I have somewhat a useless but related question and that is in what year did they alter the design to include the picktinny rail on the frame? Also, since that is an obvious difference, and I have also found that my mag release was also redesigned, what other minor changes will I find on a current Steel that are not on a stock '02 Steel and would it really be worth it to upgrade to the current line's mods or would it not really be worth it? At this point, I'm already considering on replacing the stock rear sight with a newer sight that'd be easier to adjust if need be. Any suggestions?

Matt

[eric0424]

This is a great and interesting topic. I have a Witness standard Steel in Wonder Finish and I have found that, according to my date code of "BS" that my weapon was made in '02. I have somewhat a useless but related question and that is in what year did they alter the design to include the picktinny rail on the frame? Also, since that is an obvious difference, and I have also found that my mag release was also redesigned, what other minor changes will I find on a current Steel that are not on a stock '02 Steel and would it really be worth it to upgrade to the current line's mods or would it not really be worth it? At this point, I'm already considering on replacing the stock rear sight with a newer sight that'd be easier to adjust if need be. Any suggestions?

Matt

What caliber is your witness??  I believe the biggest difference in your pistol and the current line would be that the current line are all using the large frame and the accessory rail is a standard feature now, if yours is 45 ACP it would be the large frame anyway.  I'm not sure what they did different to the safety, it may have changed because of the larger frame design.

[Southern Forester]

Just to update our wonderful list.

X=1954
XI=1955
XII=1956
XIII=1957
XIV=1958
XV=1959
XVI=1960
XVII=1961
XVIII=1962
XIX=1963
XX=1964
XXI=1965
XXII=1966
XXIII=1967
XXIV=1968
XXV=1969
XXVI=1970
XXVII=1971
XXVIII=1972
XXIX=1973
XXX=1974
AA=1975
AB=1976
AC=1977
AD=1978
AE=1979
AF=1980
AH=1981
AI=1982
AL=1983
AM=1984
AN=1985
AP=1986
AS=1987
AT=1988
AW=1989
AZ=1990
BA=1991
BB=1992
BC=1993
BD=1994
BF=1995
BH=1996
BI=1997
BL=1998
BM=1999
BN=2000
BP=2001
BS=2002
BT=2003
BW=2004
BZ=2005
CA=2006
CB=2007
CC=2008
CD=2009
CE=2010

[meskes]

This is a great and interesting topic. I have a Witness standard Steel in Wonder Finish and I have found that, according to my date code of "BS" that my weapon was made in '02. I have somewhat a useless but related question and that is in what year did they alter the design to include the picktinny rail on the frame? Also, since that is an obvious difference, and I have also found that my mag release was also redesigned, what other minor changes will I find on a current Steel that are not on a stock '02 Steel and would it really be worth it to upgrade to the current line's mods or would it not really be worth it? At this point, I'm already considering on replacing the stock rear sight with a newer sight that'd be easier to adjust if need be. Any suggestions?

Matt

What caliber is your witness??  I believe the biggest difference in your pistol and the current line would be that the current line are all using the large frame and the accessory rail is a standard feature now, if yours is 45 ACP it would be the large frame anyway.  I'm not sure what they did different to the safety, it may have changed because of the larger frame design.

Sorry for such a long time in reply. I never seemed to have received the alert that someone replied. Anyway, yes, mine is chambered in .45 ACP and other than a complete strip, clean & lube, replacement of a couple springs, it's all stock, including the non-ambi safe that was on the weapon when manufactured. It's nice to see that they took a slightly different direction in the weapon design and updated some of the stuff that I don't like about it, such as the mag drop, etc. Like I said, my question was merely out of interest of whether or not I had a mid year "old" design...

[PilotSam]

I recently purchased a used EAA Witness.  The gun looked almost new.  Looking at the barrel markings, the gun had probably shot 200 rounds or less.  I had the original paperwork with the gun, but there was no date of manufacture.  I contacted EAA.  The Serial number began with "AE" The lady at EAA told me that my gun was manufactured in 1995!  I think the gun was bought an put away after original purchase. 

The thing shoots well with only one jam (in the second clip) in 150 shots.  I think the FTE was due to the individual cartridge rather than the gun itself since it fed everything else after wards.  I am looking forward to taking the gun out again.

[eric0424]

...The lady at EAA told me that my gun was manufactured in 1995!  I think the gun was bought an put away after original purchase. 

I know of several handguns that have been purchased over the past 15-20 years and only have a few rounds fired through them.  Some people just don't put the number of rounds through their weapons as us.  Good new is, if/when they decide to sell them, they're practically new.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

So after all these years I finally know when my TA90 was made. AZ ... (which I didnt have a clue what it meant) is 1990. Geeez this is a cool forum!

[qu1kb1rd]

Just got a 2010 EAA Witness 10mm and the mark is CF

So, I guess CF is good for 2010 as well.

-QB

[papajohn]

Okay, I'm pretty sure I've got a mutt, because little of this info makes any sense.  The Serial number is AE403XX, indicating 1979, unless I missed something.  I purchased it in 1990, one of the first 40S&W pistols ever released.  I'm on duty so I don't have it with me, are there other markings I should check to verify the MFG date? 

I'm thinking it was intended to be a 9mm (and maybe it originally was) then it was mated with a 40-caliber slide and sold that way. 

[eric0424]

Okay, I'm pretty sure I've got a mutt, because little of this info makes any sense.  The Serial number is AE403XX, indicating 1979, unless I missed something.  I purchased it in 1990, one of the first 40S&W pistols ever released.  I'm on duty so I don't have it with me, are there other markings I should check to verify the MFG date? 

I'm thinking it was intended to be a 9mm (and maybe it originally was) then it was mated with a 40-caliber slide and sold that way. 

If your date code is like mine it's not in the serial number.  There should be a small square stamped on the frame somewhere with two letters inside.  I'm guessing somewhere around the AW or AZ will be on yours.  You can see the AN stamped in mine below.  The stamp is just above the trigger guard on the right side of the frame on mine.

[kean57]

Hello,
       I just acquired a (barely) used EAA Witness 9mm, AE67XXX serial number range; where should I look for the date code on this gun? Thanks,

                                            Jim (kean57)