A couple of days ago I threw out the question SIg 220 or Ruger P90, but now I have a third option that I have recently fell in love with. The EAA Witness Match with the Single Action Only trigger. It feels great in my hand, feels more solid than any pistol I've handled in a long time, and has an excellent trigger. Now be really clear with me; is there any reason I should fall out of love with this gun? It is priced right at $480, comes with a sweet aluminum case, two mags, and among regular range goers, it is quite unique.
EAA Witness Match
- Thread starter Blarelli
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you will not regret getting Witness Match.
I have read bad customer support that apparently happened in the past,
but did not read a single complain about witness match pistol.
Once you get it in the caliber of choice -- you will then be able for 198$ buy
uppers for other calibers either from reedsamo.com or other places.
This is a multi-calber system with excellent trigger, sights and build -- and
for your anatomy -- also suitable grip and ergonomics
.
10mm, .38 super and the the typical 9,40,45, 22 are all supported by the single
frame and are factory supported convertions.
I have read bad customer support that apparently happened in the past,
but did not read a single complain about witness match pistol.
Once you get it in the caliber of choice -- you will then be able for 198$ buy
uppers for other calibers either from reedsamo.com or other places.
This is a multi-calber system with excellent trigger, sights and build -- and
for your anatomy -- also suitable grip and ergonomics
.10mm, .38 super and the the typical 9,40,45, 22 are all supported by the single
frame and are factory supported convertions.
loop
Member
The Witness is made by Tanfoglio. Tanfoglio splintered off from Beretta in the '50s.
The 2005 IPSC world championship was won by Eric Graufel using a (much modified) Witness Match.
If memory serves correctly, Graufel has won the last five Eurpopean IPSC championships. I know every one he won was with a Tanfoglio Match.
$480 is a steal for what you get.
The 2005 IPSC world championship was won by Eric Graufel using a (much modified) Witness Match.
If memory serves correctly, Graufel has won the last five Eurpopean IPSC championships. I know every one he won was with a Tanfoglio Match.
$480 is a steal for what you get.
wally
Member
The Witness Elite Match pistols are much better than their modest price premium over the standard EAA guns would indicate. One of the best guns for the money out there right now. The SAO match trigger is really good, although the standard trigger gets almost as good in SA after some use.
While the conversion kits will usually fit the Match frame, the Elite series is much better fitted than are the standard models so the standard uppers will negate some of the benefits of the Elite models.
IMHO, stick with the standard steel frame if you want multi-caliber conversions. Just got a 9mm conversion and five spare mags for Xmas! Now I have 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, and 10mm all on the same frame. Great for letting new shooters make a valid comparison about how much harder the more powerful calibers are to control.
Overall my favorite feature of the Witness pistols is that the slide can be cycled with the hammer back and the safety on for loading and unloading, although I generally unload my guns by shooting them
My Witness 10mm Compact slide cracked. I was PO'd that EAA made me return the entire gun instead of just the broken upper which would have been much cheaper and more convenient, but the repair happened in exactly 7 days total time from FedEx drop off to return to my door. The free mag they threw in was a nice gesture, but it don't cover the cost of the FedEx/UPS overnight shipping gouge when a non-FFL has to return a gun.
I doubt you'd regret getting a Witness match. Are you sure it comes with two mags? Mine, and all the other EAA guns I've seen only come with one.
--wally.
While the conversion kits will usually fit the Match frame, the Elite series is much better fitted than are the standard models so the standard uppers will negate some of the benefits of the Elite models.
IMHO, stick with the standard steel frame if you want multi-caliber conversions. Just got a 9mm conversion and five spare mags for Xmas! Now I have 9mm, .40S&W, .45ACP, and 10mm all on the same frame. Great for letting new shooters make a valid comparison about how much harder the more powerful calibers are to control.
Overall my favorite feature of the Witness pistols is that the slide can be cycled with the hammer back and the safety on for loading and unloading, although I generally unload my guns by shooting them
My Witness 10mm Compact slide cracked. I was PO'd that EAA made me return the entire gun instead of just the broken upper which would have been much cheaper and more convenient, but the repair happened in exactly 7 days total time from FedEx drop off to return to my door. The free mag they threw in was a nice gesture, but it don't cover the cost of the FedEx/UPS overnight shipping gouge when a non-FFL has to return a gun.
I doubt you'd regret getting a Witness match. Are you sure it comes with two mags? Mine, and all the other EAA guns I've seen only come with one.
--wally.
The Elite Match is a fine weapon,but as others have said,if you're planning on a multi-caliber platform,you will have to send EAA the gun to have it matched to the frame.This is a necessary thing for function,not just a money making thing for EAA.
bluetopper
Member
Am seriously looking for a 45 bullseye gun. Do you think the Elite Match can compete with say an STI or Les Baer?
Man, if it could it would save me some major $$$$.
Man, if it could it would save me some major $$$$.
My Witness Elite Match in .40 is a superb gun. Accurate, dependable, dampens recoil of the .40 to very nice levels. It is a tad big for my short wide hand, but not too bad. It is not one of those that I will never part with, but, so far, when I do think about selling it to finance something else, I keep going, nah, I'll keep it for now. The .40, in general, is a great little cartridge, but I just can't get real excited about it. I like my 1911's in .45 so much more.
I haven't posted for a long time, but felt compelled to voice my support for the Tanfoglio (or EAA).
I've owned the match LE in 38 super for about 12 months now, and put approx 8000 rounds though it. You wont find it in the EAA line up, as it was built exclusively for the Australian market: http://www.tanfoglio.com.au/Match_LE/ In short it's the standard match, SAO, with a target top end. Costs a little more than the stock model though (~1400USD)
In short, I love it. It's accurate, reliable, well made, and very comfortable to shoot. Ideally it would be great if the grip was just a little thinner, but for a double stack gun, it's doing pretty well. Some initial wearing did have me a little concerned to begin with, but that settled down very early on.
I did put in a slightly heavier recoil and firing pin springs, as I thought the factory ones were a little light for major power factor loads. Others may disagree, but it's my gun and I'll do as I like
They are pretty straight forward to work on too, although the roll pins can get a little annoying...particularly when you punch out the roll pin for the hammer only to find that the hammer spring is completely different to that of a CZ75...
But for under that price get it, they are nice guns.
Mine also came with two mags. I'd be interested to find out what you guys pay for spares, because they are expensive here. Each spare mag has set me back nearly $50...plus in 12 months I've already broken two...but that's because we are limited to 10 rounds here, and the 10 rounders have a large horizontal cut though the mag body.
I've owned the match LE in 38 super for about 12 months now, and put approx 8000 rounds though it. You wont find it in the EAA line up, as it was built exclusively for the Australian market: http://www.tanfoglio.com.au/Match_LE/ In short it's the standard match, SAO, with a target top end. Costs a little more than the stock model though (~1400USD)
In short, I love it. It's accurate, reliable, well made, and very comfortable to shoot. Ideally it would be great if the grip was just a little thinner, but for a double stack gun, it's doing pretty well. Some initial wearing did have me a little concerned to begin with, but that settled down very early on.
I did put in a slightly heavier recoil and firing pin springs, as I thought the factory ones were a little light for major power factor loads. Others may disagree, but it's my gun and I'll do as I like
They are pretty straight forward to work on too, although the roll pins can get a little annoying...particularly when you punch out the roll pin for the hammer only to find that the hammer spring is completely different to that of a CZ75...
But for under that price get it, they are nice guns.
Mine also came with two mags. I'd be interested to find out what you guys pay for spares, because they are expensive here. Each spare mag has set me back nearly $50...plus in 12 months I've already broken two...but that's because we are limited to 10 rounds here, and the 10 rounders have a large horizontal cut though the mag body.
MachIVshooter
Member
Where'd you find that figure? The Limited is a couple steps up from the Match, and I only paid $900 for my 10mm Limited. The gold model is about to $1,500.
Blarelli-You would be very pleased with the Match. My sister bought one in 10mm on my recommendation and absolutely loves it.
The Match is a helluva gun, but that's asking a lot for <$500. The aforementioned Elite Gold is probably what you'd need to contend with $2,000-$3,000 1911's.
MachIVshooter said:
Yup, you guys pay a hell of a lot less than us for your EAAs. Checkout http://www.tanfoglio.com.au if your interested. The RRPs are listed there too.
Powderman
Member
That, sir, is the 10,000 dollar question.
A while back, I was handling a Witness Match in .45, and another in 9mm. I fell quickly in love with the handling, ergonomics, fit and finish of the pistol. So, I started my attempts to contact EAA to find out just how the pistol held up for accuracy at 50 yards.
Well, after talking to them SIX TIMES--there was one thing that was evident: Either no one knew, or they were hedging. I wasn't sure.
But I never got a definitive answer--and I wasn't about to drop some coin for a pistol if the MANUFACTURER didn't know the accuracy specs.
That being said, I invested in some first-rate bullseye guns.
My bullseye battery is as follows:
1. For .22, after much agonizing, practice and sweating during matches, I now have a Hammerli 280. I paid $1200.00 for it, and it was worth every penny. This gun shoots like a dream, and will eat X's all day long at 50 yards with Eley Target Pistol.
2. For centerfire, I was using the wadcutter gun for double duty for a long time. Then, I found my current gun--a Smith and Wesson Model 52-1. It sports an Ultra-Dot on a BME slide mount. I load with Hornady HBWC and HP 38; it's lots of fun to shoot.
3. My wadcutter gun and ball gun both started out as Springfield Armory GI models. Both went to the same gunsmith, Ed Masaki of Hawaii; a master Bullseye pistolsmith for about 30 or more years now. He tuned and refitted both guns--now, both will hold 1.6 inches at 50 yards. The wadcutter gun is further equipped with Randall Fung grips.
Spend the money and get a proven .45. I have seen mostly 1911's on the line, but there are people who shoot Pardini's and Smith 625's with full moon clips.
Of course, if you ever get a straight answer from EAA, let us know....please!
This is not accurate, at least not in all cases. I put about 200 rounds through a .40 Match & .40 compact a couple weeks ago. Most of those were using the Match frame with the compact slide mounted. It worked flawlessly. We were not really shooting for accuracy, so I cannot give results comparing the Match, compact and mixed. Just off-hand shooting at targets & plinking.
There were no failures with either the Match, the compact, the Match w/ compact slide nor vice versa. The compact fed from the 12 round compact mags and fullsize 15 round mags without issue too BTW.
These were a friends guns. A few days later I bought a Match in 10mm (still waiting to pick it up) and will very likely get a compact as well. I LOVE the Match trigger. I plan on using this with the compact slide/barrel as a woods gun for backpacking.
--Dan
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