EAA Witness

[BJMANIS]

Anyone out there own one? If so tell me about your experience with this weapon.

 

[Redskinsfan]

Yes, I own one and my son owns one also. Both of ours are chambered in 10mm. His the Elite Target model, mine is the DA/SA model in the Wonder finish. The guns are very sturdy and especially my son's target model, quite accurate. The magazines leave much to be desired, cartridges do not feed smoothly off the ramp when "thumbing" them off manually as they should. This leads to some malfunctions but not as many as I would have suspected, it seems that the recoil helps the magazine follower move more smoothly.

My opinion in general is: the gun is sturdy and accurate - the magazines need to be re-worked or replaced before I would ever consider making it anything but a purely recreational firearm.

Good luck,

Terry

 

[Dorky_D]

I have wondered about these too. Cheaper Than Dirt offers a 9mm model complete with a .22lr conversion slide for 399. That is a schweet deal!

 

[DarkRose]

Have an Elite Match in 9mm, never had any problems, no malfunctions, no FTF, FTE, anything. Much more accurate than I am, makes my shooting look almost decent, lol.

No problems with magazines on mine except finding them. Replaced the guide rod with a Henning as a preventative measure (apparently the factory rod batters the frame eventually and makes it very difficult to remove).

Big and heavy, recoil is low, easy to keep on target, hard for EDC, but the Elite Match wasn't meant as a carry gun, it's meant for Production IPSC from what I've read, and apparently the accuracy can give a $1k 1911 a run for its money.

 

[BJMANIS]

Thanks for the feedback. These go for $419 at MC sports in Muncie, I think I'll pass on this one.. It did feel good in my hand tho.

 

[rwood17]

I have one in .45acp. I love it. Very accurate & reliable. Had to polish ramp in order to use lead bullets.

 

[rwood17]

Also have a Firestorm in .45 acp. Had the same ramp problem with cast lead bullets, but with a little polishing compound and a little elbow grease the problem went away.

 

[Twentyfootdaredevil]

I had the opposite experiance with my Witness. It would feed and shoot anything I put in it but I couldnt hit anything with it.

The POA and POI were more than 18" away at 10 yards and I let several people shoot it to see if it was just me. Even with the sights so out of alignment it still wouldnt group at all.


BUT it fired EVERYTIME I pulled the trigger.


Mine was one of the first imported. It was a 1991 model. I had the one that has no aftermarket support and I couldnt get a conversion kit for it so I traded it off.

 

[LEaSH]

I bought a used and abused Witness in the narrow frame 9mm some years ago.

I cleaned and scrubbed the barrel until I was bored with it and could never get the rifling looking shiny.

I figured if I could make it look presentable I could sell it for something that I really wanted, but I would be too embarrassed to sell it like it was so I just kept shooting it and eventually fell in love with it's accuracy. As bad of shape the inside of the barrel looked, it still shoots as well or better than my CZ75.

So it's too heavy to carry, but I think I'll never get rid of it.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I have a friend in Missouri with one in 10mm and he LOVES it. Seriously, it's all he ever talks about in his collection since he got it 3 years ago. I don't know if it's the gun he loves of the caliber, but he sure does love it.

 

[strahd71]

my wife has the .40. its a pretty heavy, shoots excellent, very comfortable to grip. only real complaint is no decocker. thats just our personal preference, good guns tho

jake

 

[88E30M50]

I have a Tanfoglio TZ 75.88 which is the same manufacturer as the EAA I believe. I think EAA is just the current importer of the Tanfoglios. I've been very happy with mine. It's one of the more accurate guns I own and is also, hands down, the most comfortable to carry. I've not had any feed issues using Mecgar 16 round magazines.

It is heavy, but with a good holster, you don't feel the weight. I've come to prefer a heavier gun than a light one. I can shoot a heavy gun faster and more accurately than I can a light gun. Given a good quality holster and belt, I feel no difference in carry weight with the TZ than I do when carrying my aluminum framed 1911 Compact.

 

[BJMANIS]

Thanks everyone for your feedback

Joe

 

[Claddagh]

I bought my full-sized, steel Witness 9x19 circa 1990. It was ANIB, with the "Wonderfinish" and two full-cap (16 rd.) mags. Price was $225, so it was a relatively inexpensive way to satisfy my curiousity about the CZ 75 platform, which was not as yet imported to the U.S..

A very few "real" CZs were making their way in from Canada, Europe, etc. but they were only rarely seen being offered for sale and only at very stiff prices.

I have been extremely pleased with mine. The fixed sights came perfectly regulated for 115 gr. loads at 25 M, at least for my eyes and style. Funtional reliability has been stellar with virtually every projectile weight or shape I've yet encountered.

As I've found to be the case with many "service" grade pistols accuracy can vary significantly with different brands and types of ammo. From the bench with a solid rest, five-shot groups have ranged from a fairly dismal 5-6" with a batch of cheap, late '60's made surplus ball to under 2.5" with several brands of high quality generic ball. Speer Gold Dot 124 gr., WW Silvertip 115 gr. JHPs, Federal "Hydra Shok" and "Nyclad" 124 gr. loads will consistently break the 2" mark when I do my part just right.

At what must be very, very close to the five-figures in round count now, nothing has failed-in-service or shows more than light-to-moderate wear. I've done routine spring changes twice on the gun and once on the mags. I highly recommend getting that Wonderfinish, if you can. Whatever it is, it's extremely tough, durable and highly resistant to both "friction" wear and corrosion.

Others' experiences and opinions may well vary, but I truly consider mine to have been among the very best bargains I've ever received for the amount I spent.