witness .40, hot loads ok?
I bought a new Tanfoglio Witness .40 compact in wonder finish, and was wondering whether hotter rounds are safe for the gun, and if there are actually +P rounds available in .40? I found some hollowpoints at the local gunshop that have 500 ft lbs of evergy at muzzle, and shoot about 1250 fps. The ballistics looked great, but i'll have this gun for a while, so I didn't want to hurt it. I have shot about 500-600 rounds of american eagle 180 gr. without any problems, and have had great accuracy, and controllable recoil with the stock recoil spring. Thanks in advance for the help,[?] Scott
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I'm not sure so take this for what it's worth, but the Witness frame can handle the 10mm round which is designed to already be at these levels. Depending on which fram you have you can either get a coversion kit and swap over to the 10mm and shoot full-power loads through it (but be forewarned, you might not ever go back to the .40 S&W once you've had the thrill of the 10mm).
Now, back to the .40 S&W, I doubt you'd have any trouble with it, but it sounds like you're wanting factory loads. If you reloaded you could "work up" a load a little at a time and watch for signs of too much pressure but in a factory load you just go from a to b with no small increments.0 -
I don't like 10mm much, which is why I sold my 10mm witness full size to get this .40 compact. .40 is the duty weapon of choice, at least around these parts (WI). I also was talking about hotter or +P loads only every once in a while, just testing them and then using them for general duty use. The users manual didn't say no to +P loads, but it also is an italian made gun, so there didn't seem to be as much lawyer talk as in USA gun manuals, such as my Glock and Sig manuals. 0 -
Hey Bambihunter, how do i tell which frame i have? What are the differences between frames? Thanks, Scott 0 -
Polymer vs. Steel frame (I think you can tell the difference between them [;)])
Conversions are available here if you're interested:
http://www.eaacorp.com/parts/slides/conversions.shtml
Why is it you want a more powerful .40 S&W, yet didn't like the 10mm?
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I have a wonder finish steel frame. I thought there might be different options available like medium and large frame for the .40 that i hadn't heard of. Mainly because I shoot this gun at school 3 days a week, and they supply .40 ammo, where I would have to buy my own if 10mm. 0 -
There are different frames available (you can get the info from thier site), but with the wonder finish that narrows it down some...
quote:Originally posted by mrzamboni
Mainly because I shoot this gun at school 3 days a week, and they supply .40 ammo, where I would have to buy my own if 10mm.
That is a BIG reason to shoot the .40... I'd shoot another caliber for free too! [:D]
I'd really be suprised if you would have any trouble with hot loads in the Witness since they are based off the same frame, but don't take that as the gospel. If you decide to use that gun for defense and want the most power you can get out of it then I'd sure look at a 10mm conversion.
P.S. I never did give you a "welcome to GB"... So, welcome to GB! [8D]0 -
+P loads are within the design parameters and you should limit the amount of hot loaded ammo, commercial or handloads, as it places more stress on the "pieces parts". But if your going to use a particular ammo then you need to occassionally (I suggest at least once a month) with that load.
Now when you come to LE many departments have lists of both off duty carry pieces and the ammo approved for use ... if you don't follow that list and are in a SI your going to be in a world of hurt on the job and legal front.
I'm sure there are still some smaller departments that are pretty flexible, and some that even let their officers buy and carry their own duty weapons/ammo, but be sure ... be very sure when you finish school and hire on with a department.
Not sure where you are at in school, but I believe that most present day curriculums cover this aspect.
If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!0 -
A little advise, the hotter loads will wear out a gun quickly. Carrying hot ammo is one thing, shooting a lot of it will have you in the market for a new gun pretty quick. It puts a lot of load on the locking lugs and causes them to wear at a faster rate. BH's opinion on this is going to be a little biased, he has a G20 in 10mm which has a lot more durable locking setup than the Witness and will probably still be shooting fine decades from now.[:D]
SUPPORT THE I.N.S. , THE COUNTRY THEY SAVE COULD BE YOUR OWN0 -
If a magnet sticks to the back of the grip area, you can shoot +p ammo, but may want to consider a stronger recoil spring.
My border collie is smarter than your honor student.0 -
Gotta agree with Richbug on that, definitely get a stronger recoil spring. I haven't shot a Witness that didn't get a bit of frame slap from having too light of a recoil spring installed at the factory.
SUPPORT THE I.N.S. , THE COUNTRY THEY SAVE COULD BE YOUR OWN0 -
quote:Originally posted by kingjoey
BH's opinion on this is going to be a little biased, he has a G20 in 10mm which has a lot more durable locking setup than the Witness and will probably still be shooting fine decades from now.[:D]
I'm just biased towards the 10mm... [:D]
Shooting a +P .40 S&W (instead of 10mm) is like shooting a +P .38 special when you can buy guns already chambered for .357 Mag...0 -
I have and will carry a glock 22 for most duty use, but right now, I'm working part time in a situation where I mostly need to carry concealed, and they leave these weapons to our discretion, as long as they're certified by the range master. 0 -
I have some +P+ for my Glock 17&19, but have linited them to 115 grains. Would that be the safty margin to use in the 22&23 Glocks..say 135 grains? Best, Robert[;)]
"Endurance"0
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