Bought a EEA Witness match 10mm

9

98 220 swift

New member
Bought this on a impulse buy. Went to local gun show(nothing but way over priced junk) then went to lgs. Was going to order a S&W 69 but after owner said its on backorder and had no idea when he would get one I bought this.
20150314_201841_zpsfzkj6etg.jpg


I have been wanting a 10mm for a while. Was thinking either a rock island 1911 or a witness. Fell in love with the cz75 after I got my SAR K2. After seeing and feeling this match version I went for it. I have seen where some have cracked the frame??. Also will I need a stronger recoil spring for stout loads? I may use this for close range deer hunting if I can shoot it well enough. Anything else I need to know about this pistol?
 
Looks sharp! Congrats!
A 10mm is on my buy list, the few .40 S&W I have shot I haven't cared for so I'm not sure I would like it's big brother. I'm leaning towards the the RIA 10mm or a Glock 20.
 
I'm not sure how much it has to do with the felt recoil but the 40 is built on a 9mm frame. The 10 has its own. I have a 10mm Witness poly and the recoil from that seems to be less than that of a 40 Sig I used to have.

I run my witness with a stock spring. The only hot loads I've put through it are Double Tap (200 gr) and Underwoods (155gr) and I haven't had any problems.

BTW, your Witness match is much easier on the eyes than my poly!
 
I only had a 10mm Witness for a year or so -- so folks who shoot them a lot and shot a long longer may give you a different perspective.

The older Witnesses in .45 and 10mm had problems with cracked SLIDES and you'd hear a mention, on the internet, now and then, of cracked frames. Cracked slides were fixed with a redesign; cracked frames were much less common.

Keep in mind that the main function of the recoil spring is NOT to reduce recoil but to cause the slide to cycle (i.e., to capture the next round and chamber it.) Different strength recoil springs do change the shooter's experience of recoil (by spreading the force of the recoil over shorter or longer periods), but the springs don't do as much to PROTECT the frame as most people think.

If you reload, a heavier recoil spring MAY help keep your spent cases within reach, but there's a possible downside, too: a heavier spring can also do harm if it's not really needed. That's because a stronger recoil spring that still allows the gun to cycle properly will store extra force and send it back into the frame, via the slide stop, when the slide closes (as it chambers the next round). The only other thing stopping the slide is the work required to strip a round from the mag and chamber it; the extra force just hits the slide stop.

(At one time those of us shooting CZ-pattern guns were told to use stronger recoil springs to protect the slide stops and frames; now, many of us have come to understand that particular cure was worse than the malady!)

A heavier hammer spring is a second option: it also helps slow the slide during recoil, but that extra force doesn't hit the frame again until later, when the hammer drops; it's a small amount and not hitting the frame at the same time as the closing slide.
 
Last edited:
Congratulations!

This pistol has a reputation for being strong enough to handle the stoutest 10mm loads. I am certain that you will be happy with your purchase!

Scott
 
I have Matches in 9mm and 45 Auto. They are both tack drivers. The cracked slides occurred with the round slide Witness Steels with the wonder finish. It was never a problem with the Elite series pistols and the 10mm and 45 Auto Witness Steels now come with square slides.

Make sure your magazine is the one marked K10 with a black follower. They are made by Mec Gar and resolved the issues that the red follower Tanfoglio mags caused. If you want to get additional magazines I would recommend the EAA K10 mags or magazines from Mec Gar.

If you haven't already you will want to check out the CZ Clone Club on the CZ Forum. There will be posters there that can steer you in the right direction to set up you 10mm Match right. The 9mm and 45 Matches don't really need any tweaking so I can't help you there. Henning Walgren's website also has a lot of good parts. You can find the CZ Clone Club here.

Henning's site can be found here.
 
They are made by Mec Gar and resolved the issues that the red follower Tanfoglio mags caused.
Click to expand...

All of my magazines have orange followers. There's no problem at all with any of them. There was once a problem with mag followers, but that goes back some years, around 2010 and has long been fixed.
 
They are made by Mec Gar and resolved the issues that the red follower Tanfoglio mags caused.
Click to expand...

All of my magazines have orange followers. There's no problem at all with any of them. There was once a problem with mag followers (they might have been red), but that goes back some years, around 2010 and has long been fixed.
 
I'm not sure how much it has to do with the felt recoil but the 40 is built on a 9mm frame. The 10 has its own.
Click to expand...
This is not current information on the Witness Match Elite guns. It has been a number of years now since the small frames were all done away with. If you buy a new Witness Match Elite as the OP has done, it doesn't matter if it's 9, .38 Super, .40, 10mm or .45 Auto, it's the same (large) frame.

I have the Elite Match in 9mm, bought it in February of 2011. Now we have all come across good buys and fine deals and had some guns that have exceeded expectations... but THIS pistol has been, for me, on a different level. :eek:

I don't buy many new guns. I love used guns and I prefer older designs and established classics. This pistol has been flat-out amazing to me and in over 4,500 rounds, it has been not only near flawless in every possible way, it has been -the- second most accurate semi-auto I own and it is only relegated to 2nd place by a Performance Center S&W that most production guns couldn't possibly approach on their best day.

There are things I would change if I could. The tactical rail is hideous. The extreme weight certainly makes shooting a breeze and helps a lot with muzzle flip, allowing me very fast transitions from target to target, but the pistol is a real handful, especially with a fully loaded magazine. The sights are not only adequate, they are extremely good but the front is not dovetailed and it really limits your possibilities with upgrading them.

These guns are not the easiest thing to find, I will tell you that. They seem to appear occasionally so if anyone has interest, I would suggest you decide and then be ready to pounce when you find one. I got mine through Gunbroker because it was the only way I could find one. For the money I spent on this, the pistol simply blows my mind. I have a Springfield Loaded 9mm that is a lot of fun to shoot but this pistol runs circles around it.
 
T
here are things I would change if I could. The tactical rail is hideous.
Click to expand...

The desire NOT to have a tactical rail, and getting a 10mm in DA/SA is why I went with the original Tanfoglio Stock 10mm over the Witness Match. Next to my Sig X-Five, the Stock 10mm is one of my favorite guns!
 
I really, really wanted the single action only trigger. I am sure that your single action is probably just as good (if not better) than my single action on the Elite Match, but a used .45cal Elite Match was the -ONLY- Tanfoglio (of this level) that I was able to handle before blindly buying mine via Gunbroker.

To do it all over again?
Hell no, I wouldn't change even one single little thing! :D
But I would certainly be much less afraid of the single action on the obviously upgraded model you have over mine.

Buying one would be redundant for me, so I will likely never have one. But I tell you, if one of them shows up used for a good price, it almost won't matter which model or what caliber, I may have to buy it on principle. (I'm talking about a Witness Match or any model above it... not anything below it)

I have been looking in every gun shop and gun show I have walked in to in the last FIVE years and I think I have seen three of them (used, I mean) for sale in that time. And trust me, that is a LOAD of gun shops and a large volume of gun shows. To call a used one "scarce" is to not drive home the point significantly enough.
 
The DA/SA trigger on the Stock is hands down and by far the best DA/SA trigger in single action mode I've ever experienced. S&W 2nd and 3rd gens don't even come close. Almost as good as a true SA trigger....almost. But, my bet is that in SA mode, the Match trigger is a bit better. I've nver handled the two guns side-by-side.
 
I don't doubt you a bit, but will say this...

I am a -huge- fan of the S&W 1st, 2nd & 3rd Gens, mostly the traditional DA/SA pistols, and I simply don't EVER use the double action. Also, just to be clear, I would never ask or expect any DA/SA combat type pistol to have the kind of SA trigger that my Elite Match has.

I don't think I am particularly unique in this, but I would accurately be described as a shooter that has a an extreme appreciation for a fine trigger, but can still be very satisfied with a run-of-the-mill trigger also. My 39-2 is a 1977 gun with a very average trigger for a combat/defense type gun. I -love- shooting the pistol. But the same trigger on my Elite Match would have been a bitter disappointment.

Trigger on my Elite Match is RIDICULOUS for a brand new pistol that I paid under $600 to get. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top