Witness Questions

B

brianidaho

New member
I bought a Witness Compact Polymer 45ACP with the "Wonderfinish" slide a couple weeks back. I've got about 300 rounds through it so far, has worked perfectly. I've got a few questions about the Witness line in general:

1. What is "Wonderfinish"?? The EAA catalog describes it as a heat treat process, one dealer says it's stainless (I stay away from that one now, doesn't look like any SS I've ever seen) another claims electroless nickle. Any ideas???

2. I got to handle a compact Witness in steel over the weekend at a gun show. It happened to be a .40. I noticed that the slide was considerably narrower than mine. Is the slide narrower on all steel compacts, or does the .40 SW (and presumably the 9mm) use a different slide than the .45? Are the frames the same?

3. Will a "full-size" slide fit the compact frame?

4. Does the .22 conversion kit fit the poly frame? Especially the compact-it looks like the full-length slide in the catalog.

5. Has anyone approached EAA about selling a "complete" pistol in .22? The complete guns are going for $279 locally, I heard the conversion kit was more than $200.

6. I'd like to get a extra magazine or 2. What is a good one for this gun and where can I get one? I understand poor magazines have been a real cause of feeding problems on the Witness and CZ.

7. I'd consider night sites-has anyone installed them on one of these? Which ones and what did it cost you? How about low-profile (Novak style) ones? The stock sights are pretty tall and grabby.


8. I'm also toying with getting a steel compact. Does anyone make a nice set of wood grips for it?

9. SA pull is pretty good, but sure not there with my Buckmark. Is a trigger job reasonably easy on this gun, and what should I expect to pay? Maybe I'm expecting too much.

10. Are internal parts in the frame (trigger assy, safety, etc) the same on the steel and poly guns? Looking at the catalog it looks as if some of the pins in the frames are in different locations, just noticing this now.

Any general comments or input? Sorry to be so long-winded here. I'm pretty new to the handgunning game and looking to learn. Thanks for any input.

Bri
 
1) Wonderfinish is just a 'hard' blueing.

2) 45 (and 38 Super) are 'large frames', and the 9x19 / 9x21 / 40 S&W, and 41AE are 'small frames'. Different, and mags are not interchangeable.

3) Yes.

4) Who cares?

5) See above.

6) Mec Gar makes the mags for EAA/Tanfoglio, available through Brownells.

7) For sight installation contact EGW or AP&W. Suggest whatever they recommend.

8) None that fit without 'fitting'.

9) Contact EGW or AP&W.

10) Don't know. My three Witnesses (two 'small', one 'large') are metal.

Love my Witnesses.

------------------
"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Thanks for the info Weshoot. It looks as if the polys all use the "large frame" slides-I was looking at a 9mm poly today and it is quite a lot wider (same as my .45) than the .40 steel-frame compact the dealer had. The dealer in town didn't have a compact .45 in steel to compare. I'm thinking about a steel compact, the thinner slide looks like it would carry better and just makes for a nicer looking gun. Wide slide only in the .45 eh-too bad. Might have to look into the .40. I'll get hold of EGW and AP& W on the sights-thanks for the tip. Who makes the grips that you are aware of? What calibers are yours? Any experience with the 10mm, espcially in the small frame, and is it the wide or narrow one? Thanks again-sorry to be a pain.

Bri
 
Brian,

Try Trijicon for the sites. They do not have the Witness sites as a standard item they stock, however, they will probably refer you to their shop and they can "custom" fit sites to your slide. I have the full-size .45 love it. It has never failed to feed anything I have fed it. In the not so distant future, I plan on sending it to Steve Clark, Clark Custom Guns. In an email to me, he stated that just about any thing could be done to the Tanoglio, i.e. reliability package, etc. From my research he does high class work.

For Trijicon Sites for your Witness, contact:

Candice Lee
Tooltech Gunsight, Inc.
20 Church St,
Oxford, MI 48371
telephone 248-628-1811

Steve Clark frequents TFL. His email is:
stclark@alltel.net

Forget the .22 conversion and get a Ruger.

Ditto w/WeShoot2 on Brownells.

Try www.tanfoglio.it , and email them if you have any questions. They are much better at responding than EAA is, IMHO.

Hope this helps,

Mike
 
I currently have Witnesses in 9x19, 9x21, 38 Super, 40 S&W, 41AE, and 45ACP (the only bad actor -- unreliable feed, but soooo accurate I was forced to keep it).

Next up, the 10mm. It is on the 'large frame'.


I think I've got wood grips from EAA and Navidrex.

------------------
"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Thanks for the input. I think I'll order a .40sw in the compact steel, wonderfinish. I really like the look and feel of the all-steel gun. The poly works well and feels good, I just prefer the look, feel and craftsmanship of steel. (Plus I get to put on the nice wood grips). Wish I'd decided that before buying the poly-oh well, can't have too many. The narrower slide and (I assume frame) of the .40 and 9mm look nicer to me and should fit better in a IWB holster. FWIW, I got the following off the EAA FAQ:

IV) Can I convert my 9mm Witness to 45ACP?

A) Steel frame 9mm or 40sw Witness pistols can only be converted to 9mm or 40sw or 22lr
B) Steel frame 38super, 45acp, 10mm can be converted to: 9mm, 40sw, 38super, 45acp, 10mm or 22lr
C) Any Witness P can be converted to 9mm, 40sw, 45acp, 38 super
D) Any Witness PS can be converted to 9mm, 40sw or 22lr
E) Any Witness PC can be converted to 9mm, 40sw or 22lr

Because of this I'm making the following assumptions:

1) Steel frames in 2 widths-narrow (9mm and 40SW), wide (.45, 10mm, .38 super).

2) Poly P corresponds to wide frame steel

3) Poly PS compares to narrow frame steel

4) What the hecks a PC??? Not a great marketing choice for a handgun! Maybe this is the pink frame :)

Overall I'm very impressed with the Witness line, seems like a lot of gun for less than $300. I'd also like to try a CZ, but their compacts are only available in 9mm, per their catalog.

Thanks all,

Bri
 
Brian, my primary defensive handgun is an EAA Witness-P compact .45ACP, with the standard 'blue' finish. It's capacity is 8+1; I've since obtained two 10 round magazines for it to supplement the magazine that accompanied the weapon.

Although at times difficult to locate, I recommend the Mec-Gar brand of magazine for your Witness. Remember to obtain the plastic sleeve that fits on the bottom of the 10 round magazine, too. This sleeve adapts the aforementioned magazine for use on a compact Witness .45ACP.

My Witness-P feeds FMJ ball ammunition in a reliable manner. I haven't yet bought into the hue and cry relating to the absolute need for hollow-point ammunition, such as Federal's Hydra-Shock line. So, FMJ ball is the order of the day. As it stands, I am more likely to arm myself with my Mossberg 12 guage pump than I am my Witness, in the event of a defensive situation at my residence.

EAA does in fact import a reasonably priced line of firearms. My Witness felt better in my hands than most .45 pistols of any price. That, and it's accuracy, makes me very happy with my choice.

EAA's customer service needs improvement, though. Their telephone manners are often brusque. Further, if you just need a single $1.50 spring from them, you are also liable for a non-negotiable $7.50 shipping fee. At least most (if not all of their products) come with a lifetime warranty.

-Tall Man

"We fought them hard
We fought them well
Across the plains
We gave them hell"
Run to the Hills/Iron Maiden
 
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