I've been thinking of getting and EAA witness auto in 45acp or 10mm.

What's been the experience with these pistols? The price seems reasonable and the interchangeabillity of the slides looks like a good way to get more use out of one receiver.

If you have one, do you like it? Accuracy? How's the stock trigger? Do they have a dreaded magazine drop safety?

Appreciate any of your thoughts.

I have both a .45 acp and a ten. The ten I have has both the four inch carry comp and the longslides for it. the accuracy is really good. I get 1 3/4 " 10 shot goups at25 yards provided I am having a good day and start with a "waste"" round in the tube so that the slide speed is the same for the 10 rounds. I have the ported barrel for the 45, but I don't use it because the ports have rough burrs where they were drilled out and thus throw lead and powder. Nothing better for concentration than burning powder and bits of lead hitting you in the face. The compensater fitted 10 obviously doesn't have this problem. I really love the witness. In fact these two are the only big bore autos I now own. That doesn't include my.22s and Makarovs, and my revolver for every occasion plan. I am probably going to pick up a .22 top for them. Reliability is really good, with the only feed problems due to aftermarket mags.

Thanks!

Do you carry it cocked and locked or hammer down?

I prefer cocked and locked. I have done drills going from double to single action and it just doesn't feel right. I get better reaction time and consistency using single action only.
There have been times in rough areas(wilderness not urban)
where I carry hammer down and then cock it before firing.

I have the all-steel version in 40, and while it may not be the most accurate, it IS the most reliable auto I've ever seen. I've run handloads with bullets from 135 to 200 grains, loaded them long, short and in between and the gun could not care less. It feeds everything, period. As for the accuracy, When it was new I could shoot 2.5" groups with about any load, but as my eyes have aged, groups have opened up. I can't blame the gun, because I just don't know if it's me or not. :confused:

Were it me, I'd get the 10mm and never look back. I'd also get the Wonder finish, I hear it wears better over time. After 21,000 rounds and a lot of handling, my gun is missing some finish, but only on the grip frame. The rest of it looks pretty good! Hope this helps.

Papajohn

It is funny, but it happens. Some people like the guys who have answered so far have got nothing but good to say about the Witness. I have been through three. Two nines and a 40. All three were junk. Failure to feed, eject, fail to fire even. I tried 6 different manufacturers for ammo in the 9mm, 3 for the 40. I no longer have those guns. Maybe I got losers and you guys did not. I dunno. I will not buy another however. Your money is your own to spend though.

Have one of the first 40's...was a problem child but got straightened out.

The very early ones used a two-piece slide stop....the outer part would become un-swaged from the inner part and it would flop artround randomly deciding to lock the slide back (usually in the middle of the magazine). The new ones (or the last 10 years or so) are made in one piece. I just welded the two piece until the one-piece slide stop arrived.

The very first 40's used the same unlocking geometery (cam) of the 9mm versions...this wan't a good idea....broke the barrel at the locking cam. New barrel (free..and over nighted to me) has a differnt geometery and has show no signs of stress.

Sights (fixed sight) were set "on" for about 125yards...was shooting seriously high at 50feet. Not a dovetailed front (at least on the old versions) so the front sight got welded higher and an adjustable rear added.

It is a pain in the butt to fully take down...I don't (unless something breaks again)...just take off the grips and put the frame assembly in the U/S cleaner one a year...fro normal cleaning, if I can't reach it with a children's toothbrush, it doesn't get cleaned.

Accuracy sucked...lots of slop in the fit of the barrel and slide. Drilled it for two set screws 45degrees apart on the top of the slide, both just bearing on the barrel about 1" back from the muzzle when fully locked. This kind of puts a three point lock on the barrel (the bottom of the frame and the two set screws. Drastic method...with all the trouble, feld I had little to lose...but it can work (did in this case as the gun shoots with the best of them now).

Thanks gentlemen,

I know what it's like to get a lemon, as that happened to me w/ the highly touted Taurus revolver.

I'm stuck now, as I bought a used one on Gunbroker. SHould have it later this week.

Will let you know. Price was right.

Thanks again.

Bummer about the Taurus revolver. I found a good one, ex has it now for bear protection while back packing/berry picking. Buddy of mine has 2 and one works fine, the other has a distinct ammo preference. The Ti in 45 Colt is just plain FUN! Lemons in any gun stink.

MMichaelAK,
Most fail to feed problems are related to the magazine. I've been shooting the predecessors of the Whitness,(FIE-TZ-75 and Excam TA-90) as well as the original CZ-75's. only had a couple of fail to feed, and that was traced back to aftermarket Mags that I had bought at a Gun Show. While operating the Gun Shop, we sold a lot of them, and never had any brought back for anything other than fail to feed. A quick rework of the feed lips of the mags cured the problem. I had a S&W Model 39 that had problems with firing pin strike that was caused by hardened lube in the firing pin channel. Came from the factory that way. The way I see it, is that no firearm is immune to failure.

Lee L.

Magazines may be one reason my gun is so reliable, I have three 12-round factory mags, and one aftermarket job I don't use, I was supposed to be a 10-rounder but eight is all that will fit! :mad: Another gun show mistake. But the other three have been great from the first range trip, and as long as I clean them every few hundred rounds, life is good. I've never been able to stand a dirty gun, even if I didn't clean it thoroughly, it still got the once-over. Might be another reason I have relatively few reliability issues! ;)

Papajohn