Test: Tanfoglio Stock III Pro, the 9mm pistol for IPSC Production Division

The first impression of the Tanfoglio Stock III Pro was "cool". This was not only due to the solid exterior, or the undoubtedly almost non-existent play between the slide and the frame. It was more due to the aluminum grips, which are quite pleasant to the touch. The grip size and design are almost ideal for medium-sized hands. Visually, the Tanfoglio scores with the very even bevelled design on the sides of the hard chrome-plated slide and grip frame that runs in the direction of fire. 

The bevelling gives the sides a somewhat "shinier" appearance than the rest of the matte finish. The whole thing harmonises attractively with the black grip scales and controls. The second impression, after some time in the hands, was: "quite heavy"! The scales showed a whopping 1,340 grams. 

What characterises the Tanfoglio Stock III Pro in detail?

At the rear end of the slide is a micrometer rear sight from LPA. In conjunction with the matching front sight, this results in an impeccable sight picture, both for purely static and, due to the red fiber optic insert, for dynamic disciplines. The controls engage neatly and smoothly. The slide stop, the magazine release and the manual safety are slightly oversized, but not excessively so. The raised, oval-shaped rear cocking serrations on the slide take some getting used to. However, they adhere perfectly to the thumb and forefinger of the hand handling the slide. Another prominent feature is the very long beavertail, i.e. the grip spur. This effectively helps in managing recoil and muzzle flip in rapid shot strings. The frame is sufficiently funnelled at the magazine well, which is very conducive to smooth and quick magazine changes. The distinctive, higher magazine base pad allows two more cartridges to be loaded, increasing the capacity from 17 to 19 rounds.

The very wide trigger guard provides enough space even for index fingers the size of a corncob. In the groove above the trigger guard, on the straight outer surface, the index finger of the supporting hand finds support. At the muzzle end of the recoil spring housing, it is clear that a relatively large amount of material has been left behind. It is therefore the frame and the solid polygon barrel rather than the slide that are responsible for the relatively high weight of the Stock III Pro.

Regarding the trigger: being a DA/SA hammer-fired pistol, the trigger blade inevitably has a longer trigger travel than pistols with a pure SA trigger. Even unscrewing the trigger stop to "the last turn" is not quite enough to reduce the trigger travel to the often desired tenth of a millimetre. The SA trigger pull weight of around 2,000 grams, which was measured several times and then averaged, seems high on paper but feels significantly lower due to the good characteristics and the heavy pistol.

On the shooting range with the 9mm Tanfoglio Stock III Pro

Shooting with a weak hand? Depending on the shooter's grip strength or (too) weakly loaded ammunition, this is often a potential source of feeding problems. However, the relatively high weight of this test gun effectively supports the weaker hand. More mass compensates quite effectively for a weak grip, but only until the shooter is overwhelmed by the weight to be held. The sight picture always provides a high-contrast image on different types of target. This ranges from the black and white ISSF precision target, the completely black "duelling target" to the green and white targets with different patterns. There were no malfunctions or troubles, neither with partially loaded magazines with only a few cartridges nor with fully loaded magazines. Case ejection was always positive and regular, even when shooting with a weak hand. From hand to machine: clamped in a Ransom Rest, the manually acquired suspicion that this five-inch gun has enormous accuracy potential was confirmed. Or to put it another way: groups over 50 mm are extremely rare. The Stock III Pro delivered impressive accuracy both in the hand and on the shooting rest. Although the sensational "one-hole groups" are missing, within the given test lots it is almost irrelevant which brand or type of ammunition the shooter chooses. A rather rare experience from which several conclusions can be drawn.

Those who like to shoot as accurately as possible as well as fast, such as in time-limited disciplines on ring targets, can choose a cartridge with a lower recoil, such as the Hexagon from GECO, which is a pure match cartridge with its (non-expanding) hollow point, or the GECO 115 gr hollow point. If you use the Tanfoglio Stock III Pro where its developers intended it to be used, you are shooting IPSC. For this purpose, the very affordable Magtech Steelcase is recommended in terms of both accuracy and price, which, at least when fired from this test gun, is also factor-proof. However, the testers see the main focus of this pistol for shooters in disciplines in which ring targets are shot at different distances under time pressure. In other words, the typical multi-range exercises between 5 and 25 metres.

At short ranges of five to 15 metres, the slightly shorter sight radius of a 5-inch pistol is definitely an advantage over the 6-inch variants. Experience has shown that shorter models "thread" themselves back onto the target somewhat more quickly after firing than longer models. If a pistol is also relatively heavy like the Tanfoglio test gun, this also counteracts the leverage effect of the slide when it hits the rear recoil point. This means that the Tanfoglio Stock III Pro scores even more points.

Tanfoglio Stock III Pro in 9mm Luger technical specifications and price

Conclusion: how good is the Tanfoglio Stock III Pro?

Tanfoglio has been manufacturing IPSC pistols for almost 30 years, often in large series. Many models have won national and international competitions in the hands of top shooters, including world championship titles. 

No wonder that they also include models that demonstrate significantly higher accuracy with standard cartridges at a much lower cost than some much more expensive 5-inch all-metal sports pistols. This is why we give it the rather rarely awarded, unconditional "five star plus" recommendation.