Ok, I bought my .45 ACP Witness full frame auto last year, and have loved the gun. I take it out every so often, just to keep my arm muscles built up for the extreme weight of the gun! LOL Anyway, the last time that I went out and shot a box through it, the rear sight just fell off! I was sitting there going "what the...?" Has anyone had this happen too? Just wondering what to do to fix that so it doesn't happen again. I bought the gun new, and have not taken it back to theplace where I got it, because I don't think it's their responsibility. Call me crazy. Anyone?

There are a couple of options here. If you got the gun new there should be a manual that will tell you where to send the gun for repair.

If it's a dovetail slot and the sight just became loose there are several ways to tighten up that slot and re-install the sight.

There are a couple of options here. If you got the gun new there should be a manual that will tell you where to send the gun for repair.

If it's a dovetail slot and the sight just became loose there are several ways to tighten up that slot and re-install the sight.


Yes, it does have the dovetail slot. I really don't want to send if off for repairs, if I don't have to. I really would like to have the sights secure, and maybe have a skeletonized hammer with a lighter spring for the trigger. The stock trigger pull is very heavy, and it's probably one of the few things that I dislike about the gun. I'm not sure how much that costs, and if I should send to EAA to have the work done, or if a competent local gunsmith can do the work. Any thoughts on that?

mydejavooo,
I have a Witness in 10 mm and will be watching since you had this problem. I would hand it over to my local smithy. He should be able to everything that you need.
Greg

Most of the time unless the factory has a custom shop they won't do anything but repairs. It' would be easy to check, just give the factory repair section listed in your manual a call, email or a letter to see what kind of services beyond repair they offer.

Though a little more expensive a good pistol smith can make a real difference in the way a stock revolver feels and shoots.

For aftermarket pistol parts Brownell's probably has some of the best selections around. Go over and look at their site or better yet get one of their catalogs. Their site is kinda hard to get around on when looking for parts.

If you have a steel slide using a center punch on the bottom of the slide will raise several small dimples and make the site tight when you put it back on. Be careful cause some dovetails are designed so the site only goes in and out one way.

mydejavooo,
I've owned several of these EAA Witness pistols and currently have a 10mm. (15 rounds of 180gr HP at 1300fps, woohoo!)

These guns do have a tendency to loosen the rear sight. The problem appears to be that the slide is pretty hard (heat treated) but the sight is not, so when the sight is installed some material is often shaved off the sight from the sides of the dovetail. This means the sight can feel tight, but when it starts to back out, it will loosen up in a hurry.

The cure is pretty simple:
-Field strip the gun and mount the slide in a vice between a couple pieces of aluminum, brass, or leather.

-Put a few drops of superglue or locktite in the dovetail cut in the slide, smear it around so the inside of the dovetail has a thin coating of glue on it.

-Then fit the sight back into the dovetail by hand, and using a brass punch and a hammer, tap the sight back into position. Make sure you get it in the right position; usually with these pistols you can just center the sight in the slide and you will be on target.

-When you are done, wipe the excess superglue off the sight and slide before it dries, this will keep it from making that white "haze" that is common with superglue.

Hopefully this helps; it has worked well for me.

On the trigger pull issue, is it the single action or double action trigger pull that is bothering you? Either can be lightened up quite a bit, but usually these guns don't have an excessively heavy single action trigger. (They do tend to have a fair amount of creep though.)

I would not advise sending it back to the factory for repair; lead times are often very long, and you can expect to be without your gun for quite a while. There are a number of gunsmiths who can work on your trigger; any gunsmith who is familiar with CZ pistols can also work on the Witness, since they are very similar.

Here's a link to some good info about gunsmithing on the EAA Witness pistols.

http://savvysurvivor.com/tanfoglio_witness_gunsmithing.htm

I haven't worked on one of these, but the 1911 standard sights are also softer than the slide. The slide is still not very hard, however. The usual cure for rear sight movement is to apply a center punch to the bottom of the dovetail in the slide. This raise the metal around the punch mark enough to jam the bottom of the sight when you put it back in. You then always apply the sight from the right side of the frame and remove it from the left, so the drag marks don't wind up extended beyond the final adjustment point. This means of trapping the rear sight can be adjusted further as need. I have also seen set screws put in rear sight. Punchmarks can be added to the bottom of the sight instead of the slide, but will squash down more easily.

mydejavooo

I have been a EAA dealer for about 7 years, and in that time, according to my records, only 6 out of nearly 1200 Witness pistols we sold needed return for factory service. They are a good firearm at a great price.
The suggestions made here about set screws or staking (using a punch and hammer) are normal gunsmith everyday operations- sometimes done while you wait.
On the other hand... you have a warranty, EAA Corporation loves to take care of its' customers, and you shouldn't have to pay any money out of your pocket when a manufacturer would love the opportunity to make their product as good as you expect it to be.

European American Armory Corp.

Service & Repair:
402 Richard Road
Rockledge, FL. 32955

Tel. (321) 639-4842 Ext. 10
Fax: (321) 639-7006

mydejavoo,
My feed ramp needs to be worked on due to jamming on all loads. Would it be better to just fix it myself. (dremel tool)
Rick
mydejavooo

I have been a EAA dealer for about 7 years, and in that time, according to my records, only 6 out of nearly 1200 Witness pistols we sold needed return for factory service. They are a good firearm at a great price.
The suggestions made here about set screws or staking (using a punch and hammer) are normal gunsmith everyday operations- sometimes done while you wait.
On the other hand... you have a warranty, EAA Corporation loves to take care of its' customers, and you shouldn't have to pay any money out of your pocket when a manufacturer would love the opportunity to make their product as good as you expect it to be.

European American Armory Corp.

Service & Repair:
402 Richard Road
Rockledge, FL. 32955

Tel. (321) 639-4842 Ext. 10
Fax: (321) 639-7006

RickL,

Welcome to the forum. If you've been lurking you'll know the rules are to be polite and join in, but not to post anything you wouldn't want an eight-year-old to see. We hope you enjoy your time here.

I think you meant to address your question to Pawnbroker. I can tell you the Dremel approach is not generally a good idea. You want a stones that match the ramp profile radius for best results. The relationship between the part of the feedramp in the frame and the mouth to the chamber has to be correct and often needs to be adjusted when the ramp in the frame is worked on.

Also, note that it is possible to misdiagnose the cause feed failures. Most often in semi-autos the magazine turns out to be the culprit, with its fingers not releasing the cartridge correctly or not maintaining correct tension.

I suggest you let the factory take care of your gun's problem. The law allows you to send a gun for factory repair directly and for the factory to return it to you directly without going through an FFL holder. The work is usually free if no alterations are involved. Call them for details.

Nick
Thank you for the info. I also think it's in my best interest to send it in and let them deal with it.
Rick