OK - Wife's gun (CZ or EAA)

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Onslaught

New member
(post edited because it was too darned long!)

I said I wouldn't post this until I had exhaustively researched on my own as much as possible.... Here goes.

My Requirements were:
Reliable
9mm
Ambi-compatible (were both lefties)
Full-Caps available and not prohibitively expensive
Less than $400 after tax.

Her requirements:
Prefer steel over polymer
prefers stainless to blue or matte

CZ 85 polymer finish - $385 (Have confidence in performance, but could be too big/heavy.)

EAA Witness Compact wonder finish - $335 (Probably fit her hand better, and it's her preferred finish, but I am concerned about quality)

If budget wasn't an issue, my first choices would be the HK USP9 or Glock 19.... or Maybe the P99.

So....

1. EAA Witness & Compact - opinions? Experiences?

2. CZ 85 - Read TONS of opinions and experiences already...but are they REALLY that much better than the Witness?

3. Lastly, I think I like the PCR best of all, but I don't see the ambi option for CZ 75's. If it's available, where? how much?

Thanks again, and I apologize PROFUSELY for even posting another "best gun for wife" thread, and I hope you at least recognize that I did my research FIRST, and at least give me some credit for that.

Just for the heck of it...

Some pistols that didn't make the cut include:
HS2000 (wife thinks it's ugly),
TZ99 (I want something with a warranty and available parts)
and
Ruger P95 (I don't know, it just didn't feel right in my hand. Although I guess I could change my mind later... After all, they're the cheapest of all at $299).

Thanks for the input, and for hanging in through that entire post! :eek:
 
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Never heard of any problems with EAA Witness pistols beyond needing a trigger job.

They are clones of CZ pistols after all.
 
>>Her requirements:
>>Prefer steel over polymer
>>prefers stainless to blue or matte

usually for female, it's not "they like SS more than blue finish", they just don't like blackish color, not sure your case though, so steel with whitish nickel finish is usually OK with them,
and I am sure you can find many 9mm with nickel finish, if you like 1911 style grip, there's spanish Star Model Super B 9mm(around 200-300$?), almost like 1911A1 frame, so gunsmith wouldn't have much trouble to make it ambi for you,
 
LOVE MY EAA'S

Have three frames, two 9, one 45, with tops in 9x19, 9x21, 38 Super, 40 S&W, 41AE, and 45ACP.
All full-size and metal.
Want more.
 
I happen to think the Witness is a fine looking pistol of decent quality. Its ergonomics are great, and they're plenty accurate for defense.
One problem though.

Mine doesn't work!

That's right, it suffers from a severe FTF problem in which it's been returned to the factory twice to repair. Or I should say "attempts to repair" since the problem still persists.

So (CWL) everyone, there are people having problems with EAA Witnesses that go beyond a trigger job.
 
I like both CZ and Witness pistols. All things being equal I`ll take the original over the clone for their better quality control but the Witness line has some features I like such as the availability of 10mm and their nice beavertail tangs. If the choice were for me or my wife I`d go with the CZ PCR but following your criteria I`d advise you go for the Witness compact. If it`s not 100% just send it to Evolution Gun Works and let them work their magic on it. BTW the Witness pisols often seem to have a longer break in period than the CZs so it it`s not 100% right off the bat put a few hundred rounds through it before you pass judgement. Also a word of caution,the trigger reach in DA on both guns is somewhat long. If your wife has small hands or short fingers it may be hard for here to shoot them well in DA mode. Carrying them at half cock helps quite a bit (the decocker models decock to half cock BTW) but it may still be too long for her. You might wanna check before you buy. Marcus
 
I have a CZ75 and a Witness 10MM.

I love them both. However, buying a Witness can be a crapshoot.
A CZ85 may cost a little more, but the odds of it running straight out of the box are better.
 
Onslaught,

Please don't take the following the wrong way, but I have a nit to pick with you.

>I don't know, it just didn't feel right in my hand.

Who cares if it doesn't fit -your- hand? This is supposed to be a pistol for your wife. Let her decide what fits her hand and use that as a starting point.

My wife chose the CZ PCR for it's light weight and comfortable grip. Standard magazines (13 round) are available but not easy to find and certainly not cheap. We've both shot it a bit to make sure it's plenty accurate and reliable.

Joe
 
I own 3 cz pistols(85,83,75pcr). I am also left-handed.
The cz85 is my duty weapon and the accuracy and function is outstanding. The 85 is heavy which helps me in accurately shooting fast strings accurately.
The cz83 in .380acp is also very accurate and reliable---it has ambi controls as well and is a pleasure to carry. If you ned more punch than a .380, it is also available in 9x18mak.
My cz75pcr is currently waiting leather to replace the 85 as my duty weapon. The pcr has a much lighter carry weight and in my experience, I can easily adapt to using the decocker with my left thumb---much the same way that a left-handed sig shooter must adapt. The pcr so far has the same outstanding reliability as the 85 and 83.
I have no experience with the eaa witness but I have heard that as previously stated above that "its a crap shoot" with the witness.
 
CZ 85

For ambidextrous controls the 85B is a great choice, especially considering that the slide stop is also ambidextrous. CZ doesn't make a compact ambidextrous model, but I don't think that you can go wrong with a full-size 85B. A heavier, full-size weapon can be better for your wife to hone her marksmanship skills. If the pistol is intended for concealed carry, or if size is a real concern, I'd spend the extra money for a Glock 19 or Kahr K9, which are both lefty friendly. (If your first choice is really a Glock or Walther, buy your first choice .... considering that you'll probably have the pistol for 10+ years, the extra $200+ dollars divides out at less than $20 per year, the price of a pizza. When it comes to firearms, don't settle.)

I recently bought three CZ 85 Combat models, with 18 hi-cap magazines. I've found the accuracy and handling of the CZs to be among the best I've experienced -- handling the CZs compares favorably to handling my Hk P7M13, "semi-tuned" 1911s, and Glocks, and much better than my 92FS. All this with a low price tag. I haven't tried an EAA Witness, but I've read both good and bad things.

The CZ nickel finish is very nice -- all of my 85's have a nickel finish. CZ rates the durability of the finishes as nickel, polymer, matte, and then polished blue.
 
Any cz pistol you get for her, should make her very happy.
The 85 has full ambi controls and is a world class gun. The 83
is less of a handfull and has ambi safety, I have a .380 and
shoots as well as any gun, sig, glock, h&k and other. The pcr
is another great shooter. Light, smaller than the 85...cant go
wrong.

I have had a witness, good gun. Quality isnt quite as nice or
as consistant as the cz line. But if you get a great quality witness
which most are...you also have a wonderful gun. Let you wife
shoot, feel, taste etc the guns that are in the running and let
her decide.....again I have to agree...its not your gun. Even
if you want to borrow/shoot it. Have fun and enjoy.....shopping
is sometimes more fun than the actual purchase....shoot well
 
I have a CZ 75 PCR. Its a great handgun for any beginner. I plan to teach my fiancee how to shoot with it. It has low recoil, hits to the point of aim, is fairly light, and it has been rock solid reliable thus far. The extended mag release of the PCR will help out anyone with smaller hands.

Dan
 
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