Yesterday, I took out two new-to-me guns that I purchased from a coworker and hit the pistol range to see how they shoot. The two guns I acquired are an EAA Witness P in 9mm and Colt Cobra .38 Special snub nose revolver. Here's my take on these two guns:
The EAA Witness:
Overall finish of the gun had some surface rust. If you look closely on the slide, you can just make out some of the rusty areas. But the internals all feel pretty smooth, and I had zero issues with function, feeding, ejection, etc. The grip is something new to me, since my usual 9mm is my Springfield XDM. It's a little bit shorter than the XDM in the grip, and has a different angle. But, overall, not bad. Just something to get used to with practice.
The trigger was a little heavy, but had very little take-up, and a pretty clean break. It did, however, have quite a bit of over-travel, which means a long reset. I'll have to see if I can change that... The shape of the trigger is also new to me, as it has much more curvature than my XDM. It's nice that I don't have to worry about slipping off of the bottom of the trigger, but it feels different. Again, I may like it more with additional practice.
The Witness is a pretty accurate gun. I was happy with how it shot, compared to my XDM, particularly with my comfort level with the Witness, having never shot it before. Groups were a little larger than my XDM, but, again, that can be improved with practice. Definitely not a bad shooter.
Overall impression? It's not bad. It needs a little work to make it shine, and some practice to get used to the trigger, reset, and grip. I'm debating whether I like this gun or not, and may give it another range trip or two to get more mental data.
Colt Cobra .38 Special Snubnosed Revolver:
Overall finish of the Cobra is so-so. It also had a bit of surface rust and wear from its carry days (and being left in a leather holster for a while). Rust and finish issues are more-noticeable in the second photo. It still seems fairly smooth, though. And I found very little rust internally, after pulling it apart. It's no show piece, but it still functions fine.
The grip is probably my biggest gripe with this gun. It's really awkward. It felt nice, with the fat, wooden grips on it, until I had to pull the trigger. Because of the curve of the grip, I can't hold it high on the grip, like one normally would with a revolver. If I do, the angle of my trigger finger feels awkward, and isn't a straight-back pull. It's more of an up-and-back pull. Maybe that's how it should be, but it felt strange doing that. And it made it tough to aim, without cocking my wrist downward at an odd angle. But, if I hold the gun lower on the grip, in the fat area of the wood, that just seems wrong. You just don't hold a revolver that way. And you don't have as much control over the gun. I guess I don't know what else to say. It was awkward. Anyone else have this issue?
SA trigger was decent. Not too heavy, but not super-light, either. Clean break, and very little over-travel. Nice. The DA trigger was very heavy and made it hard to control my aim as I pulled back (which was compounded by the strange grip). It was easier to control, if I gripped the lower, fat portion of the grip. But, still, the DA trigger was difficult to get an accurate shot with. I'm sure this is common with snubbies and other carry guns with DA triggers.
Accuracy suffered because of the grip angle/placement and heavy DA trigger. Even in SA, it wasn't easy getting good hits, due to the short sight radius. The rear sight is also a long groove cut into the top of the frame, so it's not adjustable. And the top of the frame was, apparently, arched before they cut the groove. So I just wanted to put that front post where the top of the arc would have been before the groove was cut. So, I kept hitting high. And I swear that some of my shots were right on target, but the holes were nowhere near my point of aim. (At 25 feet, they were off a good 4-6 inches from where I thought I had fired them.) Not an easy gun to shoot accurately, that's for sure.
Overall impression? It's a Colt. That's about all it has going for it. It's hard to shoot accurately, is awkward to hold, finish is so-so, and sights are mediocre. I'm really not sure about keeping this one. Do I keep it because it's a Colt? Will the value go up that much over time? Or should I just trade it in and get something else I'll enjoy? I dunno...
Any thoughts? Keep them? Trade them? Advice?
The EAA Witness:
Overall finish of the gun had some surface rust. If you look closely on the slide, you can just make out some of the rusty areas. But the internals all feel pretty smooth, and I had zero issues with function, feeding, ejection, etc. The grip is something new to me, since my usual 9mm is my Springfield XDM. It's a little bit shorter than the XDM in the grip, and has a different angle. But, overall, not bad. Just something to get used to with practice.
The trigger was a little heavy, but had very little take-up, and a pretty clean break. It did, however, have quite a bit of over-travel, which means a long reset. I'll have to see if I can change that... The shape of the trigger is also new to me, as it has much more curvature than my XDM. It's nice that I don't have to worry about slipping off of the bottom of the trigger, but it feels different. Again, I may like it more with additional practice.
The Witness is a pretty accurate gun. I was happy with how it shot, compared to my XDM, particularly with my comfort level with the Witness, having never shot it before. Groups were a little larger than my XDM, but, again, that can be improved with practice. Definitely not a bad shooter.
Overall impression? It's not bad. It needs a little work to make it shine, and some practice to get used to the trigger, reset, and grip. I'm debating whether I like this gun or not, and may give it another range trip or two to get more mental data.
Colt Cobra .38 Special Snubnosed Revolver:
Overall finish of the Cobra is so-so. It also had a bit of surface rust and wear from its carry days (and being left in a leather holster for a while). Rust and finish issues are more-noticeable in the second photo. It still seems fairly smooth, though. And I found very little rust internally, after pulling it apart. It's no show piece, but it still functions fine.
The grip is probably my biggest gripe with this gun. It's really awkward. It felt nice, with the fat, wooden grips on it, until I had to pull the trigger. Because of the curve of the grip, I can't hold it high on the grip, like one normally would with a revolver. If I do, the angle of my trigger finger feels awkward, and isn't a straight-back pull. It's more of an up-and-back pull. Maybe that's how it should be, but it felt strange doing that. And it made it tough to aim, without cocking my wrist downward at an odd angle. But, if I hold the gun lower on the grip, in the fat area of the wood, that just seems wrong. You just don't hold a revolver that way. And you don't have as much control over the gun. I guess I don't know what else to say. It was awkward. Anyone else have this issue?
SA trigger was decent. Not too heavy, but not super-light, either. Clean break, and very little over-travel. Nice. The DA trigger was very heavy and made it hard to control my aim as I pulled back (which was compounded by the strange grip). It was easier to control, if I gripped the lower, fat portion of the grip. But, still, the DA trigger was difficult to get an accurate shot with. I'm sure this is common with snubbies and other carry guns with DA triggers.
Accuracy suffered because of the grip angle/placement and heavy DA trigger. Even in SA, it wasn't easy getting good hits, due to the short sight radius. The rear sight is also a long groove cut into the top of the frame, so it's not adjustable. And the top of the frame was, apparently, arched before they cut the groove. So I just wanted to put that front post where the top of the arc would have been before the groove was cut. So, I kept hitting high. And I swear that some of my shots were right on target, but the holes were nowhere near my point of aim. (At 25 feet, they were off a good 4-6 inches from where I thought I had fired them.) Not an easy gun to shoot accurately, that's for sure.
Overall impression? It's a Colt. That's about all it has going for it. It's hard to shoot accurately, is awkward to hold, finish is so-so, and sights are mediocre. I'm really not sure about keeping this one. Do I keep it because it's a Colt? Will the value go up that much over time? Or should I just trade it in and get something else I'll enjoy? I dunno...
Any thoughts? Keep them? Trade them? Advice?