"New" EAA Witness 45 acp "Carry Comp"

[seagiant]

Hi,
I bought one of these pistols today. It's in blue and has a commander length slide with a one hole compensater. By the ser.# it was made in 1979! The pistol is pretty neat as to take it apart you field strip then unscrew the comp from the barrel and then can remove the barrel from slide. It is all steel and built like a tank. Was wondering if anyone here has/had one before? Here's a pic of one in the EEA wonder finish!

[tacklebury]

I don't have this one but do have an EAA Witness Match .45 I love. ;)

57868

[fryboy]

i traded one off, it wasnt quite like that, it was ported thru the barrel and slide ,it was about as long as yours without the comp, yeah real compact ,same basics as a cz 75/tangfolio , it shot decent but the ports sure dirtied up the inside of the slide with cast ( that's why i traded it )

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks Gentlemen, I looked at this pistol for over a week trying to decide to buy it and have always wanted to try a Tanfoglio/Witness pistol. The trigger feels very nice and the slide feels like it's on roller bearings. Of course being made in 1979 it's probably been broke in! Tanfoglio does not make this exact "carry comp" model any more and they are supposedly very rare in the 45 ACP caliber!

Fryboy, here is a "Pro Comp", maybe what you had.

[fryboy]

that dirty slide looks familiar for true , it was a nice gun barring that one feature ( did i mention it was a pain to clean ? :P )

[ReloaderFred]

I have the Pro Comp in .45 acp, along with about a dozen other Witness pistols. I've got them in .22 LR, 9x19, 9x21, 9x23, 9x25 Dillon, 357 Sig, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm, .41 AE and .45 acp.

I kind of have a soft spot for them............

Hope this helps.

Fred

[seagiant]

Hi Fred,
Do you have any info on the "Carry Comp" like I bought with the single hole compensator? Any pics of your stable? Grips? Ambi safetys?Looking for any info!

[Bulldogger]

I have a 9mm EAA Tanfoglio Witness I bought new in 1999, my first new handgun ever. It cycles like butter, and eats Czech S&B ammo like candy. Smoothest automatic I've ever shot, and I'm glad I bought it before they became popular. The same pistol is now over twice the price, with only a few physical differences.
Bulldogger

[ReloaderFred]

seagiant,

I'm not very good at posting pictures, but maybe one of these days I'll drag them out of the gun safes and take a family portrait.

I'm not familiar with the Carry Comp, but if you'll go here: http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?board=27.0 and ask jwc007 about them, he'll have all the information you need. He's another of the moderators there, along with me and a couple of others, but he stays up on all the configurations, years of manufacture, etc. better than I do. My interest is more along the versatility of the platform, rather than all the different configurations. They're a good shooting system, and really easy to work on. Tanfoglio also uses good steel in their production, which is a big plus.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks Fred! I'm on it!

[Mk42gunner]

I had one of the EAA Carry Comps in .40S&W during the early 1990's. It was a pretty good gun, but I really liked the longer guns better.

1979 doesn't sound right to me, I don't remember Tangfolio making the larger frame for the .45 and 10mm untill the late 80's-early 90's????

Robert

[seagiant]

Hi Mk,
I'm going by this chart. It seems the year is designated by the 2 letters preceding the number. My letters are AE! Thanks for the info!

http://www.czfirearms.us/index.php?topic=29443.0

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have an EAA Witness Match Elite in 9 MM. It came with the greatest trigger I have ever used in a handgun. This thing breaks like glass and is very light. It is a big honking piece of stainless steel but is a pleasure to shoot. It is very accurate and eats everything I feed it. Most people do not reload in 9 MM as the cost factor does not really save a lot of money over that cheapo Russian ammo. However I reload as case are found everywhere. I cast my own boolits and I have had great success with this weapon. The recoil is nothing, the sights are great and the fun factor is right up there. The other fun gun is my Taurus 1911 which is a blast to shoot. The trigger is not as great as the EAA but it is a close second.

However both are a mite heavy and bulky to carry concealed. For that I have a Browning Model 35 which I bought NIB but at a great price. This one was made and assembled in Belgium and shoots like a house on fire. In a El Paso shoulder rig with two extra 15 round mags on the other side of the shoulder rig I do not feel undergunned for any social situations. The rig is so comfortable that I forget I am wearing it and under a tactical vest it is invisible to most people.

The only thing I would like is to install a hi viz filiment front sight someday. I had the stock trigger replaced after I bought it and had the magazine disconnet removed at the same time. My only peeve is the small safety lever. I might get a bigger one cuz you need a safety on this weapon.

[seagiant]

Hi Crash,
Thanks for the info! I'll put some pics up of the EAA Witness Carry Comp when I pick it up. Here is a pic of my future CCW pistol am FEG Hi Power clone. I put on Novak sights front and rear pulled the mag safety,did a trigger job,straightened the trigger,and installed a Browning ambi safety! These are very reasonable from Brownell's and work great to me and are not obtrusive for carry! Oh yea,just picked up a set of Spegal grips in ebony for it also,very nice!

[EMC45]

Those FEG PJKs are nice pistols. Had one and it shot well.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Well,I picked the pistol up today and went to the range. This is my first EAA/Tanfoglio,although I have CZ pistols,one being a CZ97B so I am familiar with the breed and I see nothing wrong with these pistols as far as build quality or function! This pistol is really nice to shoot and is smooth as silk. It was previously owned by an idiot I guess because upon cleaning it was full of grime and crud. It still shot flawlessly with 0 FTE or FTF's!

[BruceB]

Some abbreviations are a pain in the butt.

"FTF" - failure to FEED?
- failure to FIRE?

"FTE" -failure to EXTRACT?
- failure to EJECT?

I've been around guns for a few decades, and have seen both of these abbreviations used for BOTH of the above meanings in each case. Why not spell out what you mean, for us dummies?

Nice pistola....

[helice]

A shooting buddy had one of these. Every time he brought it out and let me shoot it I started to drool. It really brought out my coveteous nature. These are very nice arms and well worth the cost. They work every time.

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks.....uh I always thought it meant failure to feed and failure to eject or extract! I'm going to go shoot it again tomorrow. I scrubbed it good and want to shoot it again. It is really a nice shooting pistol and for $400 in todays market I think I did pretty good! It holds 10+1 and thats not bad either!

[seagiant]

I had one of the EAA Carry Comps in .40S&W during the early 1990's. It was a pretty good gun, but I really liked the longer guns better.

1979 doesn't sound right to me, I don't remember Tangfolio making the larger frame for the .45 and 10mm untill the late 80's-early 90's????

Robert

Hi,
On a reccomendation from a MOD on the CZ Clone site I e-mailed Tangfoglio in Italy for the production date on my pistol here is what they said!





Dear Mr. Webb,
we received your message and we thank you.
The pistol Mod. Witness Carry in cal..45ACP bearing serial number AE75xxx
was produced in April 1997 and sold to our USA importer E.A.A. Corp. in
May 6th, 1997.
Best regards and have a nice week end.
FRATELLI TANFOGLIO S.R.L
Via Valtrompia 39/41
25063 Gardone Val Trompia (BS) - Italy
Tel: +39 030 8910361 | Fax +39 030 8910183
www.tanfoglio.it
___________________

[ReloaderFred]

They're pretty good about answering questions. I'm glad you were able to obtain the DOB of your pistol.

Fred

[seagiant]

Hi,
Thanks for the help Fred! I think I got a deal,this is really a nice pistol and I have plans for it!

[shafiejames]

I have one but the trigger guard is shaped with a finger groove.
72233
Hi,
I bought one of these pistols today. It's in blue and has a commander length slide with a one hole compensater. By the ser.# it was made in 1979! The pistol is pretty neat as to take it apart you field strip then unscrew the comp from the barrel and then can remove the barrel from slide. It is all steel and built like a tank. Was wondering if anyone here has/had one before? Here's a pic of one in the EEA wonder finish!

[gofastman]

I have one but the trigger guard is shaped with a finger groove.
72233

those grips are awesome!

I have a Witness in 10mm that I'm quite fond of, needs an adjustable sight because it shoots super low, I also wish it didnt throw brass into the ionosphere

[seagiant]

"The problem with quotes on the Internet is that you can't always be sure of their authenticity.”
- Abraham Lincoln

Hi,
Ha! I like it! Thats a nice pistol! I hate saying this but I never warmed up to the compensator I guess and ended up trading the Witness in on a S&W M&P 45 acp! Go figure!

[jonp]

Hi,
I bought one of these pistols today. It's in blue and has a commander length slide with a one hole compensater. By the ser.# it was made in 1979! The pistol is pretty neat as to take it apart you field strip then unscrew the comp from the barrel and then can remove the barrel from slide. It is all steel and built like a tank. Was wondering if anyone here has/had one before? Here's a pic of one in the EEA wonder finish!

Yup! I have owned 2 EAA Witness 45's. One in polymer with the old true compact frame and a full size one. Both were reliable with every type of ammo I put through them. The compact poly one was a handful with 230gr full house but the grip was designed so well that it could be shot easily. I have nothing bad to say about them and keep haunting gunboards trying to find another old compact.
The best think about this CZ75 clone is that you can buy different top ends and swap them out using the same frame. 45, 10mm, 9mm. Nice package. You are going to love this gun

[gofastman]

do the slides crack on the 45s or is that just a 10mm thing?

[jonp]

do the slides crack on the 45s or is that just a 10mm thing?

I only put several thousand rounds through both of mine so that is not a reliable test and did not run +p on a regular basis but I noticed nothing out of the ordinary on either of mine.

[IridiumRed]

I have the Pro Comp in .45 acp, along with about a dozen other Witness pistols. I've got them in .22 LR, 9x19, 9x21, 9x23, 9x25 Dillon, 357 Sig, .38 Super, .40 S&W, 10mm, .41 AE and .45 acp.

I kind of have a soft spot for them............

Hope this helps.

Fred

Sorry, not trying to hijack thread.... I'm just a big fan of the Witness pistols. Owned a base model 45 in the late 90's, and recently bought a couple more - one a NIB, late 2012 production Witness Elite Stock II in 10mm, and a 4 to 5 year old (guessing) Witness Elite Limited in .40 with some aftermarket parts / work done to it

Fred - how do your guns like the 9x25mm Dillon?? I've heard various opinions about how well they feed in double stack mags, but a lot of that comes from 1911 derivative pistols (STI, SVI, Para Ord, etc)

The 9x25 has always been an interesting round to me - for a moderate length barrel (about 5") semi auto, it seems like this generates some serious velocity with reasonable weight bullets (heavy enough for self defense or mid - size game hunting - like deer) - like 115gr, 124 gr, or somewhat heavier bullets. The velocity generated should surely make it a flat shooting pistol (as far as "packable" size pistols go - not talking contenders or other single shots)

Anyways. Just wondered what your experiences / feelings were with the 9x25

Back to the general thread, I DO love the witness guns, esp the elite / match series.... almost all of the complaints you hear about these guns seem to revolve around the base models, not the uprated guns. I think the Elite / Match series guns vs the base models are like GM vehicles - its the difference between buying a Cadillac vs a Chevy.... both are GM, but.... they can have a huge difference in fit, finish, features.......

[MtGun44]

Failure to extract and failure to eject are entirely different failures.

Bill

[Changeling]

Thank you! This abbreviations **** is way out of hand! New people get the impressions that it's COOL, when actually a fool!

[69daytona]

I have had a witness in 45acp for about 25 years now, after polishing the feed ramp and opening it up a little on the sides it will feed anything I put in it, It really likes 185 and 200gr swcs from mihas molds. Just bought a 10mm conversion kit for it, still havent shot it though. maybe this weekend.
Congradulations on your witness. Dont try to go through the factory if you want a conversion kit, I had one on order for almost a year and a half and they kept telling me they were still unloading the truck. Check gunbroker for conversion kits I found mine cheaper and got 3 10mm mags for free with it.

[gofastman]

Check gunbroker for conversion kits
I may have to do that, I have been drooling over a .38 Super Longslide that I can have tweaked to run 9X23 Winchester in :Fire:
semi auto pistol with 18 rounds of low level .357 mag? yes please!

[warboar_21]

I really like the way the Witness feels in my hand. I had in mind picking up the 10mm hunter model I think it was called and set about looking for one. None of the stores around me dealt with them and then I found my Kimber 10mm that I just couldn't leave the store without. I would still like to get a Witness though.

You asked about grips and I haven't seen anyone say anything about them. Hakan Pek makes custom grips for the CZ and clones as well as 1911s. I have a set for my 1911 and have to say he really does quality work and they look great. http://imageseek.com/hakan/
The set I have are the half and half