hrc1 Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Hey guys, i finally held a Eaa witness elite the other day at a gun shop. A 45 cal version, and loved it. I was all set to order a 9mm version tomorrow but then i tried finding magazines and started reading about the issues with them. Are the new mags from henning good to go? I usually shoot federal from wally world or winny wb. And about the slide cracking issue... Is that covered under warranty? I've read some great reviews on this gun but some things i've read scare me a bit. Any info is greatly appreciated. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 The Elite slides are stronger; I have one in 10mm that I shoot hot handloads in that is fine. Plus I haven't heard of any issues with 9mm guns. The 9mm rear spacer mags are fine, but Henning doesn't have any more. I hear ProMag or someone is coming out with a better mag or you could convert your front spacer mags to a rear spacer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrc1 Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 The Elite slides are stronger; I have one in 10mm that I shoot hot handloads in that is fine. Plus I haven't heard of any issues with 9mm guns. The 9mm rear spacer mags are fine, but Henning doesn't have any more. I hear ProMag or someone is coming out with a better mag or you could convert your front spacer mags to a rear spacer. Thanks for the reply. Are mec-gar mags an option? I have seen mags listed at midway but not specifically for a witness elite... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I only run Tanfoglioags in my 3 pistols so I can't comment on any of the aftermarket brands. Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shooterbenedetto Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 The Elite slides are stronger; I have one in 10mm that I shoot hot handloads in that is fine. Plus I haven't heard of any issues with 9mm guns. The 9mm rear spacer mags are fine, but Henning doesn't have any more. I hear ProMag or someone is coming out with a better mag or you could convert your front spacer mags to a rear spacer. Thanks for the reply. Are mec-gar mags an option? I have seen mags listed at midway but not specifically for a witness elite... No..Mec-gars magazines are for small frame Eaa only. Your magazines are large frame because thats all that Eaa imports now in US. Large frames. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sid Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 I have an Elite Witness Match in 9mm. I have the older style mags and have not had any feeding problems as long as I do not load more than 10 rounds. I would recommend these guns to anyone who is interested. This is a heavy, all steel pistol with exceptional accuracy. I only shoot handloads with lead bullets and have not any problems of any sort. I do not shoot in competition but use it mainly for informal paper punching and shooting bowling pins. The load I use is 4.7 grains of Winchester AutoComp behind a 125 grain lead bullet. I keep the OAL to 1.125. If you load your cartridges to more than 1.135 you will encounter feeding problems. Last but not least, this pistol is an exceptional value. You get a lot for the money and the pistol is also very attractive. Mine gets lots of comments when I take it to the range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjoy Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 hrc1: I, too have an elite match in 9mm. It has become my favorite pistol. I love the way it fits and feels in my hand and it shoots where you aim it. I posted a while back stating that my slide had cracked and was very disappointed that I was going to have to pay $250.00 for a new slide. Upon further inspection with a younger set of eyes (my son's) there was no crack, just machining marks that I had never noticed before. I am happy again and shooting away. I use this gun for IDPA and steel. The mags work just fine, IF you don't load more than 10 or 11 in them, which is too bad for a gun that is supposed to hold 16 or 17. It doesn't matter for IDPA and it never nosedives with 10 or eleven in the mag. Being heavy seems to tame muzzle flip also. I get a lot of positive comments about it at the range. Buy one. I don't think you will regret it. But then again, I'm old school, steel pistols with a hammer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Mine only chokes with HP's, and is a great IDPA gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Buy a CZ 75, You would think the manufacturer would care about the product, evidently they dont. The greatest gun in the world is worthless if the magazines dont work. A 17 round mag that only functions with 10 rounds is not ok. Also the ammo you are buying used to be about 1.165 OAL, so keep that in mind also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrc1 Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 Buy a CZ 75, You would think the manufacturer would care about the product, evidently they dont. The greatest gun in the world is worthless if the magazines dont work. A 17 round mag that only functions with 10 rounds is not ok. Also the ammo you are buying used to be about 1.165 OAL, so keep that in mind also. I have thought about that... The cz i want, sp-01 shadow is like $880+ transfer fees. The elite match i can get for $545. I'm still weighing options right now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loves2Shoot Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 FWIW, all 8 of my factory mags run perfectly with full mags and factory ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 you could probably get a used Jennings for $100 but I would rather have a more expensive gun that actually works. Whats the point of saving $300 on a jammamatic that doesnt function as advertised ? How much to a third party "tuner" to get the mags that should work from the factory to work ? The small frame witness was a great gun the large frame one is also with 1.2 inch rounds it was designed for, somewhere a bean counter decided it was a good idea to merge the frames, Until EAA or tanfoglio gets the mag issue straight I wouldnt give them any business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skydiver Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Ah, but Tanfoglio did get the mag issue straight this year with the release of the 9mm mags with the spacers in the back of the mag instead of the front. It's just a little hard at times to get the mag with the spacer in the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Ah, but Tanfoglio did get the mag issue straight this year with the release of the 9mm mags with the spacers in the back of the mag instead of the front. It's just a little hard at times to get the mag with the spacer in the back. I shoot 300 rounds a week out of my rear spacer mags and haven't had 1 FTF. Now my front spacer IS a jam-o-matic, but there is hope that there mysterious rear spacer mags may once again re-appear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjennings10 Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 I have had terrible luck with my factory 9mm EAA magazines for my EAA limited. Model 2005. I can only get 10 rounds in them, anymore and they all nose dive! It has ruined 2 matches for me. So now i shoot limited-10. It is unfortunate that tanfoglio can't seem to build a reliable magazine. Why would you sell a gun with a magazine that doesn't work past 10 rounds. If I'm the only one with this issue then that's just bad luck. I hear they are in the works of building a new magazine, but the release date is about 6 months to long. Have any of you had the same issues with your EAA limited 9mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 I have had terrible luck with my factory 9mm EAA magazines for my EAA limited. Model 2005. I can only get 10 rounds in them, anymore and they all nose dive! It has ruined 2 matches for me. So now i shoot limited-10. It is unfortunate that tanfoglio can't seem to build a reliable magazine. Why would you sell a gun with a magazine that doesn't work past 10 rounds. If I'm the only one with this issue then that's just bad luck. I hear they are in the works of building a new magazine, but the release date is about 6 months to long. Have any of you had the same issues with your EAA limited 9mm Read one of the many threads on this to get your answer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 One of the other options that nobody has really mentioned is to run one of the properly feeding MecGar CZ74B magazines (small frame) with an external spacer. I'm working on doing a test with one of those soon and I'll publish the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrc1 Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 I'm on hold to see if Eaa or somebody can get this mag issue straight. Was going to buy that witness match but glad i did some research first. Don't really need a $550 paperweight right now. Soon as this gets fixed i'll order a 9mm elite match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I have a Limited Pro in 9mm. Love the gun. I have shot thousands of rounds thru it. I use it in IDPA, USPSA, and 3-gun. The factory SS mag that came with it is flawless. No spacers and runs like a top. I can load 15 rounds with no problem. I try not to jam the last couple in, but it will work with them. I have since purchased the front spacer and rear spacer mags and they all run good with help from Henning. My question is, why doesn't Tanfoglio sell the factory SS mags that they include with the gun? Why are the replacment mags different? I doesn't make a lot of sense to me.If they are more expensive, make them available and most of us would pay the extra amount with no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 I have a Limited Pro in 9mm. Love the gun. I have shot thousands of rounds thru it. I use it in IDPA, USPSA, and 3-gun. The factory SS mag that came with it is flawless. No spacers and runs like a top. I can load 15 rounds with no problem. I try not to jam the last couple in, but it will work with them. I have since purchased the front spacer and rear spacer mags and they all run good with help from Henning. My question is, why doesn't Tanfoglio sell the factory SS mags that they include with the gun? Why are the replacment mags different? I doesn't make a lot of sense to me.If they are more expensive, make them available and most of us would pay the extra amount with no problem. I've never seen a stainles steel (SS?) mag, only blued and chrome. And you are saying this magazine does not have a spacer in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 I have a Limited Pro in 9mm. Love the gun. I have shot thousands of rounds thru it. I use it in IDPA, USPSA, and 3-gun. The factory SS mag that came with it is flawless. No spacers and runs like a top. I can load 15 rounds with no problem. I try not to jam the last couple in, but it will work with them. I have since purchased the front spacer and rear spacer mags and they all run good with help from Henning. My question is, why doesn't Tanfoglio sell the factory SS mags that they include with the gun? Why are the replacment mags different? I doesn't make a lot of sense to me.If they are more expensive, make them available and most of us would pay the extra amount with no problem. I've never seen a stainles steel (SS?) mag, only blued and chrome. And you are saying this magazine does not have a spacer in it? No spacer and might be chrome. Here are a couple of pix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nealio Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 No spacer and might be chrome. Here are a couple of pix. Those pics are so tiny I can't see very much. Maybe its a .38 Super mag? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 No spacer and might be chrome. Here are a couple of pix. Those pics are so tiny I can't see very much. Maybe its a .38 Super mag? Could be a 38 super mag. Sorry for the small camera pix. I have not changed out the follower or spring in this one. It is always my first mag loaded and runs perfect. All the rest of my mags are blued with front spacers. 3 or 4 I have drlled out the front spacer and used new springs and followers and the others have the front spacer still in it with new springs and followers per Hennings reccomendations. These all work well with no issues. I have a couple of the newer style rear spacer ones and have had a couple of problems with them not locking the slide back on the final round. They feed good, but I just haven't had time to mess with them. If they send these with the gun, why can't they be purchased? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerritm Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 No spacer and might be chrome. Here are a couple of pix. Those pics are so tiny I can't see very much. Maybe its a .38 Super mag? Could be a 38 super mag. Sorry for the small camera pix. I have not changed out the follower or spring in this one. It is always my first mag loaded and runs perfect. All the rest of my mags are blued with front spacers. 3 or 4 I have drlled out the front spacer and used new springs and followers and the others have the front spacer still in it with new springs and followers per Hennings reccomendations. These all work well with no issues. I have a couple of the newer style rear spacer ones and have had a couple of problems with them not locking the slide back on the final round. They feed good, but I just haven't had time to mess with them. If they send these with the gun, why can't they be purchased? The mag is marked 9mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanfogliofan Posted August 11, 2010 Share Posted August 11, 2010 Now I've been shooting my Stock 2 for almost a full year with about 8000 rounds through the pipe and I just had my first nose dive this weekend. It happened to be the first time I used Hollow Points and I figured out that I loaded them way too short. someone in my squad had the same round setup and I was able to use some of his to see if that was the problem and bingo! His were set at 1.145 and mine were 1.114. Doesn't seem like much but it was enough to nose dive the bullet every time. Go with a longer bullet and the thing will run just fine. The gun is a quality piece and shouldn't be brushed off as being a paperweight. It might take you a while to find the right combo but when you do you'll be glad you went with the Witness Elite match. Super accurate and very easy to handle. The gun I used before in production class was a CZ SP01 Shadow straight out of Angus's custom shop. Another wonderful gun to shoot but has it's quirks of it's own. I wasn't able to run any type of blazer rounds through it at all. FTF like crazy! One of my first matches with it I used Blazer brass 124gn rounds and didn't make it through my first box of 50. I was fortunate enough to have some friends in my squad at the time that had extra ammo so I could shoot the rest of the match. Now this is with a fully blown custom gun with all the bells and whistles that was $1350 out the door! I guess my point is you'll find something wrong with anything you buy. It's just finding the solutions to the problems and continuing to push forward. We "Tanfoglio Fans" have done most of the footwork for you. Just be attentive to the info provided by these threads and make the best of it. I'm sure you'll be satisfied with the new Elite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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