EAA Witness shooting low - .45 acp

[7br]

Well, I purchased a used EAA Witness off of gunbroker. It came with a cracked slide, so I purchased a slide also. I had to polish the rails to get the second slide to function and I put in a 18lb spring. I have ran about 200 rounds through it and it is shooting about 18" low at 15 yards. I drifted the rear sight out and the base of the dovetail measured .340 with my cheap calipers. Any suggestions on a rear sight? I would prefer fixed as this is not going to be target gun.

[Mk42gunner]

Wow, eighteen inches low at fifteen yards is a big divergence between POA/POI. Are you sure everything is together correctly?

What is the sight radius on your gun? I did the math using a 7" sight radius (guess) and came up with a difference of .233333", which seems pretty excessive to me.

The formula I used is sight radius x difference / range = sight movement. 7" x 18" / 540" = 0.233333".

Robert

[dubber123]

If it's functioning correctly, I have to believe everything is together correctly. That said, one or the other of the sights needs to be a bunch shorter or taller. Let us know what you find.

[Virginia John]

I have an all steel Witness compact .45ACP that is a tack driver. Like you, I got it used and it has all the original parts. I just ordered a dual recoil spring which is on back order. Are you shooting from a rest, sand bags or off hand? What weight bullet are you using? Handloads or factory? There are probablu a dozen more questions to ask before I would narrow it down to sights.

[7br]

I am shooting offhand 15. The loads are the RBCS 45-230 rn at 5.6 gr of Ramshot zip and the RCBS 45-200 swc with 5.8 gr of Ramshot Zip. I had two failure to feed on the last round in a magazine with the swc. It shot low with the original spring and it also shot low for a friend. We shot his XD in .45 later and I had no problem hitting point of aim with it. By the way, the XD was extremely accurate and very controllable.

[Lonegun1894]

Did the 200gr and the 230gr loads hit to same POI? Could you maybe slow them down a bit? I used to have a EAA Witness Compact, the steel version, and it always shot great, BUT my first shot double action was ALWAYS low as compared to the rest of the group being in a tight cluster cause it was fired SA. The gun wasn't the problem, but my trigger control was. Try it off a rest and see if you can eliminate other variables, cause between my old one, and several that have been owned by friends, I would expect the gun to be good.

[zomby woof]

I have a Witness P 45 compact that shot low too. I couldn't get a replacement rear sight. Had a friend modify my rear sight.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/Presentation19.jpg

[7br]

That is something I will keep in mind.

[waksupi]

I file down the front sights.

[rintinglen]

You need a rear sight about .7 inches higher than what you have if you are hitting 18 inches low at 15 yards. My first call would be to EAA, tell them the model number of your gun and ask for their recommendation.

If they can't help you, Contact Heine, Novak, Kensight or one of the other after market sight producers and tell them what your problem is and ask what you need. Or call Brownells directly. Somebody somewhere can fix you up.

[bobthenailer]

My EAA Witness in 9mm also shot low at 50" but only about 4" .
If you look at your rear sight from the side either the front or back of the sight has a straight angled profile from top to bottom , file that whole face until the sight sits higher in the factory dovetail , add a tight fitting brass shim between the bottom of the sight & the bottom of the dovetail in the slide, drill & tap rear sight and install a set screw if nessary.
EAA also my make different height rear sight blades ? you will need one higher/ taller than your rear sight.

[7br]

I will be heading out to the range tomorrow. I pulled a sight off of my 1911 and it sort of fits and is higher. I will see what happens. I would file the front sight, but it is a 3 dot sight. I guess I could paint a white bar on the front sight and try outlining the rear