Tanfoglio GT28
Fratelli Tanfoglio S.p.A. · Pistol · Discontinued
Also known as: Excam GT28, FIE E28, Titan GT28
Overview
The Tanfoglio GT28 is a compact blowback-operated semi-automatic pocket pistol, the last of the Italian firm Fratelli Tanfoglio's 'Titan' family of low-cost .25 ACP pocket guns. It descends from the widely exported GT27 but uses a revised, cheaper construction in which the sleeved barrel is pressed into a barrel shroud cast integrally with the frame rather than pinned in as a separate steel barrel. The whole pistol - frame and slide - is cast from Zamak zinc alloy, and the design earned a poor safety reputation because the zinc slides were prone to cracking and could be driven back toward the shooter's face when they failed. The great majority were chambered in .25 ACP, with a small number offered in .22 Short.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 350 g (12.3 oz) |
| Overall Length | 117 mm (4.61") |
| Barrel Length | 63 mm (2.48") |
| Height | 82 mm (3.23") |
| Width | 25 mm (0.98") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 6 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 232 m/s (761 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 87 J (64 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Zinc Alloy |
| Slide Material | Zinc Alloy |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Plastic |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .25 ACP · primary — also known as .25 Auto, 6.35x16mm Browning, 6.35mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Fixed Sights, Pocket Size
Production
Production years: c. 1988-1990
Exact production figures unknown. Excam imported the GT28 into the US in 1990 only, before ceasing operations late that year.
Origin
Country of origin: Italy
Designer: Giuseppe Tanfoglio
Discontinued: 1990
Notes
Marketed in the US as the Excam GT28 and the near-identical FIE E28, the last Titan-pattern pocket pistols. Excam imported the GT28 in 1990 only, ceasing when the company went out of business late in 1990. Chambered chiefly in .25 ACP; a .22 Short version was offered briefly. Earlier claims of a .22 Long Rifle chambering appear to be in error.
Background
Tanfoglio's tiny Titan pistols were quintessential 'Saturday night special' imports of the 1970s and 1980s, cheap, small and sold under a bewildering variety of brand names. The GT28/E28 was the last of the line and its all-zinc construction, including a fragile Zamak slide, gave it a notorious reputation before the run ended with importer Excam's collapse in 1990.