EAA-Tanfoglio Witness Pistols
I am about to purchase my first handgun.I refuse to own a 9mm because I have read just too many shots being needed.I like the 10mm round but do not have glock 29 money.Does anyone know anything about the Witness Compact 10mm?I have seen a couple of things about they are bad about jams.That is my main worry with a semi auto.It will also double as a concealed carry down the road.Once I am comfortable with the gun.But first hand knowledge of Witness pistols(reliability,accuracy,Reliability etc...)Thank You in advance If anyone can answer my question it is the experts here. E.Williams
Eric S. Williams
Eric S. Williams
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Where to begin?
First, the 9mm is not as bad as you have been led to believe. The street stopping data of Sanow/Marshall (which is itself the subject of some controversy) puts the hotter 9mm rounds ahead of the famed .45ACP in stopping power. The advantage of the 9x19 round is the diverse selection of pistols available chambered for it. Cheap practice ammunition is another plus. Low recoil is another. High magazine capacity is another. There is a LOT to recommend the 9x19.
As far as the Tanfoglio Witness pistols, they are about the most gun for the least money available. They are high quality, reliable, fairly accurate, inexpensive pistols. That said, I speculate, without knowing, that the 10mm is probably the most problematical of all the Witness chamberings, due to the characteristics of the round. That said, I have not heard of a bad reputation for "jams" with the 10mm Witness pistols. (Guns malfunction, fail to fire, fail to feed, fail to eject, fail to cycle, etc.. They really do not "jam.") If there were a problem with the 10mm pistols, it probably would be pronounced in the compact version because of less slide mass, etc..
If you are new to handguns, starting with a hot rod powerhouse like the 10mm may not be the best place to start. The 10mm in a small pistol with a short barrel will have huge muzzle blast and the recoil will be stout. The .40 S&W was introduced because of the unnecessary power, blast and recoil of the 10mm.
If you want a Witness Compact, perhaps one in .40 S%W would be a better choice. It would be easier to control and cheaper to shoot.
If you are willing to take another look at the 9x19, I would suggest you look at the huge number of choices available. There are some wonderful pistols in that chambering. If an inexpensive pistol is your goal, you cannot do much better than the Kel-Tec P11, which is about the smallest and lightest 9x19 pistol available, and it is also inexpensive. It holds 10+1 and you can carry readily available Smith & Wesson 15-round magazines as spares, since the two pistols take the same magazine pattern. It is NOT a target gun, and is not a great plinker. It is made to be carried a lot, and shot a little, although many have very high round counts. If you still want more power, there are still some Kel-Tec .40 S&W P40 vesions of the P11 around, but recoil is stout again.
Let us know how your search turns out.0 -
I have 2 EAA Witness Carry-Comps purchased new about 6 years ago. One is new n the box and about to be for sale. The other I use for home protection with Remington Golden Sabre 9mm ammo.
From what I have seen in ballistic gelatin, I would not want to be on the other end of one of these bullets.
The only reason I will sell the other new one is that I am just getting too many toys and want others.
Of course it is like Pythons, or Colt Gold Cups , how many do you have to have? Brownells also makes tuneup parts for the EAA's.0 -
I have 2 EAA Witness Carry-Comps purchased new about 6 years ago. One is new n the box and about to be for sale. The other I use for home protection with Remington Golden Sabre 9mm ammo.
From what I have seen in ballistic gelatin, I would not want to be on the other end of one of these bullets.
The only reason I will sell the other new one is that I am just getting too many toys and want others.
Of course it is like Pythons, or Colt Gold Cups , how many do you have to have? Brownells also makes tuneup parts for the EAA's.0 -
I have a Witness in 40 S&W. It shoots very well and I've had no problems with it at all. I especially like the way it fits in my hand, very comfortable. I like the 40 cal. because it's between the 9mm & 10 mm. I would reccomend it to anybody. Did you know that they make a 22 cal. conversion kit for it also ? It wholesales for about 125 bucks with a 5" barrel and fixed sights. Adj. sights model for about 160 bucks.
Gino
If All Else Fails, Read The Directions"0 -
I have been shooting all my life so I am pretty efficient with pistols.I just havent owned one before.The things about the 9mm I have heard are more than not first hand experience.Here in Mobile,Al just a few months ago a polce officer was involved in a shooting where both men were armed with 9mm pistols both were hit 5 times the officer surviving the other man died 6 days later.Then around 3 weeks ago there was a shooting down the street from my home where two men after a argument were involved in a gunfight one with a 9mm the other with a .45 the man with the 9mm shot the other 7 times before the man with the .45 fired one shot the 9mm died on the way to the hospital the .45 survived.I dont trust the .38 special much either but thats just in snubs.I am a fairly big guy 6'3 220#'s and I can double tap my friends 3"brl. .44 backpacker within 2 inches with magnum loads,last time I did it it was with some black talons he had left.Recoil not much of a concern.What do you all think of the .357sig round?really like a magnum or B.S.?And yes I know it shoots a 9mm bullet but if its like the mag thats fine with me.Sorry for all the writing but had to stretch my point of view abit.I shot a glock 29 and loved the feel of it even though the grip was a bit short, left my pinkiny dangling.But found it very controllable.Thank you for all the quick posts.E.Williams
Eric S. Williams0 -
Although the 9mm is not my personal favorite, it will kill you just as dead as any other well placed round of any caliber. I have a Witness full size in .45 cal and for the money they cannot be touched. It is very accurate and very reliable. I also like the 10mm and think it should be our military sidearm. I have two Delta Elite 10mms and can't tell you that I have personally shot a Witness 10mm. But if it is anything like the .45, it should be very good. 0 -
Apparently years of experience with borrowed guns has already answered most of your questions, and you are apparently a better shot than most of us. It would have been helpful to have that information when considering a response to your somewhat confusing initial post. With such expert gun handling, you should be looking at the high end so that the instrument will be sure to match the skill of the operator.
While you are not likely to be convinced otherwise, I would not put too much stock in the two anecdotes you relate. My guess is shot placement was largely the reason for the variation in effect. The street statistics indicate the 9x19 and the .45 are similar in one-shot stops.
In regard to the .357 SIG, it is one of the most potent rounds available. As you may or may not know, the 125-grain .357 Magnum round is the king of the handgun one-shot stops. The .357 SIG replicates that Magnum round in a semi-automatic pistol round.0 -
Year of experience shooting with my father and a few friends.The two example are incidents I saw alot of.And im not sure if being able to hold on to and squeeze a trigger fast qualifies as expert gun handling.I asked abot Witness pistols becaue out of all my years with borrowed guns I never borrowed one of them.A little rude but thanks just the same.Sorry I dont like the 9mm
Eric S. Williams0 -
You're obviously not going to change your mind in regard to the 9mm regardless of any evidence presented, so instead my I recomend that whatever you do choose, practice, and train a lot since shot placement with any gun is more important that caliber. I can empty my 40 s&w into your legs and you will live unless I get the femoral artery, or I can hit you once center mass with my 9mm, and you'll drop. Which do I carry/shoot more? The 9mm. But I do like the .40, and would recommend it over the 10mm 0
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