EAA Tanfoglio Witness 10mm opinions?

[ndolson]

EAA Tanfoglio Witness Steel Compact Pistol - Wonder Finish - 10mm

I have my eye on a 10mm pistol for carry and was looking at Glock 20/29's and the above EAA. There's a nearly $200 price difference in the two, and I like the looks of the EAA and I've heard good things about them. Anyone own one and if so, opinions? Are they pretty accurate?

 

[Brian Williams]

Tis an Auto question, will be in autoloaders.
Shot an EAA once, it was a nice gun, not as ugly as a Glock

 

[wally]

Use the search, we've talked about them a lot recently!

--wally.

 

[ndolson]

Anyone?

 

[michiganfan]

I had a Witness once. It had to go back for repairs came back ok. But inever really trust a gun that has gone back for repairs. I have also had a Glock 20. If I had to rely on one for self defense I would spend the extra money to get the Glock. If one the ohter hand if I was just going to target shoot and didnt care about reliability I would go with the Witness.

 

[ndolson]

Well I do plan to use it as a carry piece. The Glock 20 seems rather large for CC. Maybe I just need to suck it up and get a 1911 style in 10mm.

 

[MachIVshooter]

My carry gun during cooler months is a Witness Compact 10mm. It is a very ergonomic pistol, though large when compared to most other compacts (it is roughly the same size as a S&W 5906 or 4006). The WItness is an accurate pistol, and the construction is solid. I've battered mine with hundreds and hundreds of full power + handloads (180 grainers clocking well over 1,300 FPS from the 3.5" barrel). I am 100% confident in this critter........................

The stock Witness will run fine with light to medium loads, but full power will require upgrades (like many other 10mm's). Normally, stronger recoil springs are recommended. This is not possible with the Witness compact, as they use a double spring setup. What this means is that the lighter weight slide combined with the softer springs results in a very fast cycle using hot ammo. With factory mag springs and the agressive stock extractor in the Witness, feeding will be an issue. The fix is pretty simple, though; get Wolff extra power magsprings, and perform a 20 minute fluff'n'buff on the extractor. These mods will allow the cases to slip under the extractor during the extremely rapid cycle.

The extractor needs to be beveled and smoothed:


BTW, the Witness Compact will throw brass 30-40 feet with full power 10mm ammo.

 

[wally]

Don't buy the 10mm Compact with the rounded top slide!

With EAA you have to pay the shipping to send the gun back to them, and they insist you send the whole gun instead of just the swaping the broken parts. Repair was very fast, and they used the squared off heavier slide on the repair. Haven't had a chance to test it yet.

Also the current mags don't work so well, see my thread: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=305870

--wally.

 

[Zoogster]

I thought they looked really nice and did a bit of research into them. However they are not on the approved CA list so unavailable in CA. Options for a non polymer gun in 10mm in current production are few. The EAA witness seems to be the best deal.( Most others are in a price range close to double the cost.) However the reviews on the EAA tend to be very random. Some people get a great gun, others get a bad one. Anyone that is unlucky enough to get a bad one seem to have more trouble than is standard from reputable companies.

So my take on them is they are a gamble, sometimes you get a really nice quality firearm at a good deal, and other times you end up spending time and money fixing something from the start.
The Glocks tend to function great out of the box for most people. Many decide to replace the stock barrel with one with with a tighter chamber for reloading purposes, and a stronger recoil spring, but neither are necessary.

I think the EAA witness is a better gun because it is steel framed, if you are lucky enough to get a great one. If you end up with a problem gun though from EAA, the Glock route would have been a happier selection as they almost never have issues out of the box.
The Glock mags also tend to function great, while the stock EAA mags seem to get mixed reviews without getting a beefed up spring, or using aftermarket mags.

Then it depends on your intended use. The G29 is the most compact of the three. The witness compact is in between, and the G20 is a full sized gun.

 

[CZF]

I like CZ75s and 75 clones. My full sized witness is a gem, but I'd take a Glock 29 over any Witness compact.

 

[ndolson]

Well I held a Glock 29 today...I must admit, I wasn't impressed with the size or weight of it, given it was a sub compact polymer gun. Maybe I'll just save my pennies and get a 10mm in a 1911 config.

 

[astocks2622]

I have the full size 10mm and love it. a little on the heavy side for a concealed pistol, but I've done it (am doing it while waiting for my M&P compact) and the compact is quite a bit smaller. I would recommend it highly. accurate, all the power you could want, and relatively cheap.

 

[jeepmor]

I dig my Witness, but it does not get carried except in the woods. It's reliability is not 100% due to feeding issues. It's a fullsized model. I've put in new mag springs and done the fluff and buff on all but the extractor. Looks like I need to work over the extractor.

I really like it's ergonimics and it is a darn accurate gun.

You might want to look into a Dan Wesson Bobtail commander for concealed carry. Expensive, yeah a bit, but I also read of the same issues with those pistols. Maybe a Glock 29 will fit your bill after all. However, for 10mm, you'll probably turn into a reloader if you're not one already. If you can find your brass that is.

And Glock chambers are generous, you may want a new barrel so you can shoot lead as a reloader, and it'll be easier on your brass too. For those prices, I think you're into your 10mm 1911 style pistol. Plus, handle the Glock first, the grip angle just doesn't work for some people. I'm considering one, but need to check the grip angle first.

I'd suggest you visit 10mmtalk.com and dig a little. Search under Witness and my handle and you should find quite a bit of info. Folks over there are just as helpful as they are here, but all topics are 10mm specific there, so you'll find more depth with less diggin IMO.

 

[jerkface11]

If you get the 10mm witness buy the wolf extra power recoil spring. I think they list the spring for the .40 cal though not the 10mm but trust me buy it. They are WAY undersprung from the factory.

 

[Flame Red]

My brother-in-law has a full sized one and has been most happy with it. Only problem he had with it was that the rear sight was loose but I fixed that for him. It is very accurate and reliable. It seems like a good value for the money.

Not a good resale on used ones so if you get it and then want to sell it later, prepare to take a beating.