Personal Observations on the Armscor / Tanfoglio MAP1 Pistol

[BurBoy]

If you've been looking for info and personal experience on one of these then please see my post further down that goes over my own observations after purchasing one of the Armscor/Tanfoglio MAP1 all steel pistols.

Thanks,
Burboy

[RIwitness]

I have one of the MAPP1 mid size and i freaking love it!!!!!!! i have only put about 300 rounds through it so far and no problems. it fits perfect in your hand. i have never shot a tanfoglio pistol so i can't compare, but i have shot some of my buddies glocks. i can shoot tighter groups than their pistol will.  one was a 10mm and the other was a model 32 in .357 sig. i called the importer in nevada and he said these are the exact same guns as the tanfolio. their website is armscor.net for more info. i got mine for $350 plus shipping from centerfiresystems.com if you wanna take a look. they have steel and polymer frames. here is a pic of mine from another thread.

oh yeah almost forgot, the guy i talked to said all parts are interchangeable. i'm think of buying a .40cal conversion just to see if works. drop me a PM if you have any questions. i have done lots of internet searching on these.

[jwc007]

Very Nice!  Maybe Centerfire Systems will have more models as time passes.  http://www.centerfiresystems.com/armscor.aspx

Maybe some competition will get EAA's marketing going or maybe not.  I see they have some other imports they are pushing.  Sig and Tokarev clones.

[BurBoy]

Thanks for the personal experience Rlwitness. I have a steel 9mm on the way. I was hoping to find out a bit more about them first but it was on Gunbroker and I had to move on it. Got it NIB with 2 mags for $275 + $20 for shipping so I definitely can't complain about the price. I'll post my observations and a range report once I get a chance to try it out. If it really is a Tang then I know I'll love it. I already prefer the low rear sight to the tall skinny Witness sight and I think I will like the slide serration treatment better. I always found the witness slide serrations a bit too smooth to get a good grip on.
We'll see.

Burboy

[HankC1]

What kind of finish on the slide and frame if steel gun? painted? blued? Park? If painted, what type of paint? How long is the warranty and provider? Is the rear sight plastics or metal? Fixed or adjustable? Thanks.

[BurBoy]

I don't know how long the warranty is. I'll find out when I read the paperwork that comes with it.
The finish appears to be matte blue like that used on the Witness pistols. Although the Armscor website says it's parkerized.
The rear sight is steel and fixed.
Here's a pic of the one I bought.

Burboy

[HankC1]

thanks for the information. Does it take EAA small frame mags or CZ75 mags?

[BurBoy]

Small frame Witness mags... I think.
That's why I was inquiring here for info. There just isn't much at all out there.
Almost no info on the Armscor or Rock Island sites.
I'll be finding out once I get it next week.

Burboy

[RIwitness]

that is a great deal you got on it! you should put some wood grips on it and it would look really great! i like sandal wood myself. armscor extra mags are 17.99 if you want extras.

[HankC1]

there is another polymer frame @ $275 starting bid.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=102432690

I just use the Buy It feature bought a steel frame @ $300 + 20 shipping. I probably would not pay more than this for a CZ clone. Hopefully it shoots as well as my CZ75 and TZ75.

[BurBoy]

Hank, that's the guy I bought from. Easy to work with. He even answers his phone.
Mine arrived today.
Here are some first impressions...

The good:
Comes in a very nice padded case.
The gun looks good. There was a question asked earlier about the finish. I really think it is a VERY matte blue.
The kind that shows every speck of oil. Almost looks like Manganese Phosphate that I had done on some mags once.
The slide fits about like the Witnesses I've had. A little wiggle but not much.
Very smooth back and forth. Very nice finish work inside the frame and slide. Barrel fit is nice and tight. No movement at all.
The barrel appears to be chromed inside and out like the old Norinco 45's of several years ago. Not sure.
Single action trigger is very smooth with no hammer push before letoff, unlike most CZ's and clones. I won't even have to polish this one.
Barrel ramp is also extremely smooth, no tool marks.
I like the new style slide serrations. They have good edges that are easy to grasp.
I also really like the new rear sight. Makes the whole gun look up to date. Btw, it's marked LPA.

Now the bad:
The front site had some excess flashing on the edges that I had to file off so the sight would appear good and square.
I don't like the right side safety. It doesn't sit straight when off plus you have to punch out the pin and remove the lever completely in order to remove the left safety to take out the sear assembly. That's a pain. It strikes me as an afterthought.
The grips were not as nicely finished as ones I have had before. A lot of flashing around the edges and inside.
The mainspring rubs it's hole in the frame badly and spoils what would be a nice DA pull. (I have fixed this by carefully drilling out the hole a couple of 64ths and the DA pull is nice now)

Misc:
The mags are definitely Tang small frame mags. The two with mine still have the T in the triangle on the side. They are the highly polished variety, which looks out of place with such a flat black pistol.
There is no mention of Tanfoglio on the gun anywhere. The word Tanfoglio on the left grip has even been milled out.
The warranty is one year according to the little six page booklet that came with it. And you thought EAA manuals were cheap.

Conclusion:
The proof is always in the shooting but so far I really like this one.
I'll update this thread once I've been to the range with it.

Burboy

[RIwitness]

i think you guys will be pleases with these. i wouldn't trade mine for anything!

[HankC1]

Received my FS steel frame MAP1 today from my FFL. It is a well made pistol. Dark black parkerizing or black oxdized finish is smooth and uniform. The machining inside is better than my CZ75. Action is smooth. Well worth the money. Rock Island has 1st class service on their 1911s, and that is why I buy them instead of a EAA. Hopefully they provide the same level of support to these pistols. Most parts look identical to my TZ75 custom 90. My Baby Eagle mag fits and functions well in this pistol.

[HankC1]

Shot me Armscor at the range today. It groups only about 4" at 25 yd with Winchester White Box balls, not as well as my CZ75 and TZ75 Custom 90 which will do 2.5" at 25 yds and that is why I bought this gun! It is about what my Hi-Powers can do in a good day! It could be me since I have not shoot my hand guns for a while and I remember I had 4" groups on CZ/TZ before. The action is tight and lockup is solid. The trigger was a little rough and creepy. I shot it out of box without any tune and a lot of oil smoke! The gun is packed in a plastics bag soaked in oil. I probably need to let the gun break in a little bit. The black oxidized finish  is not very durable, have a few tiny spots show shinny steel underneath already. For the price, it is a good deal! I also need to adjust the rear sigh a bit, anyone knows what allen wrench size for LPA rear sight?

[crosseyed]

I own an Armscor MAPP1, a compact polymer pistol. Here are my own observations in the pistol. My MAPP1 had been with me for about two years with about 850 rounds shot though the tube. I torture tested this pistol by using it in shooting competitions in the production division. Out of this 850 rounds, I had a total of 3 failures to feed. The first time, I thought a little ramp polishing would do the trick. It functioned flawlessly for the next two or three competitions until it happened again, failure to feed on the second round.

My theory is the pistol's recoil spring is a little undersprung, failing to push the round forcefully into the chamber (Experts please correct my unscientific hypothesis). But then, 3 FTF's in 850 rounds under competition conditions doesnt seem bad.

The double action trigger was extremely heavy when new, but lightened up after use and also by storing the pistol hammer cocked (without ammo of course).

HankC1. The allen wrench size for the rear LPA sight is 1mm. BTW Does anyone know the recoil spring weight for the MAPP1? Also, any recommendations for the recoil spring weight?