New to EAA/Tanfoglio. Need some answers/help

[Chuck Belz]

Greetings! Looking for some insight, recommendations, thoughts on EAA Witness Pistols. Quick background, While shooting a local steel match my 2011 .38 Super went down and I used another shooters older (small frame) Witness to finish the match.. That was my first/only experience with EAA pistols. That gun just felt GREAT! I've been researching the entire line for the past weeks. I shoot mainly steel (American Handgunner, Steel Challenge type), IDPA (ESP) and TSA type matches using mainly 1911/2011 or Glock 34's. The EAA Witness pistol I used pointed and handled so well I am considering switching to that platform across the board. No one locally (south central PA) carries these pistols, so I'm coming to you guys for some answers.

Most of the shooting I do, doesn't have a power factor floor to worry about so I'll be looking at running 9mm.

When running the gun in single-action mode is there any significant difference in handling between the Limited, Match and Stock models?

Is one model considered more accurate then the others(Elite Limited, Match & Stock)?

Is one model considered more reliable then the others (Elite Limited, Match & Stock)?

Are the magazines considered reliable or do they need to be tuned?

Is there a distributer that seems to have a better chance of receiving models from the factory? Local guys aren't very helpful.

Is there a supplier of parts that is considered the “Go To Guy” for parts?

Is there a pistol smith who is considered the “Go To Guy” for getting & keeping the guns up and running?

Is there any “special” ammo considerations (load short, load long, etc) when dealing with these guns?

Are holsters difficult to obtain?

Has established EAA pistol owners, is there anything you would consider doing different on your next EAA Elite Limited, Match or Stock pistol purchase?

Thanks in advance for fielding my questions. I'm not in a position where I can afford to make to many mistakes when considering changing over to a whole new platform of pistols!

Regards,

Chuck

[sinnsyk]

Hey Chuck

I'll answer a few of your questions and then everyone else pitch in..

Mags; follow my guidelines and advice on upgrades for maximum capacity and performance. In my store you can find after market spring/follower, basepads and complete magazines. If you don't care about capacity, factory mag setups are fine. If you want 21 rounds in say your 40 S&W, then you absolutely have to follow the setup I'm using. This information should be on my store and tech section on my main website.

Holsters; Ghost for Limited and G-Code for Stock/Match. Bladetech also makes a holster for the limited.

Factory parts / after market parts and your one-stop shop; http://www.henningshootsguns.com/shop/eaa.elite.main.htm

Information; http://www.henningshootsguns.com/tech/tech.disclaimer.html

Gunsmiths; Canyon Creek Custom or EGW (Evolution Gun Works). I am sure there are others and if you are a gunsmith working on EAA pistols then please make it known or contact me by email and tell me about yourself. I've worked with both Canyon Creek and EGW so I know they know the guns well.

Limited vs Match vs Stock;

very different guns built on the same concept / frame.

1) Limited is the ultimate limited class pistol with long slide, bull barrel, adjustable rear sight, big magwell, heavy checkering. Handles very well.

2) Match is the budget choice that kicks ass. Not too far off from the Limited it has a slightly lighter slide, a straight barrel, no magwell, lighter checkering. It really isn't far off from the Limited performance wise and about half the price. Also legal for IDPA in ESP.

3) Stock is slightly shorter then the Limited/Match (about 0.400" if I remember correctly), still has a bull barrel, a very nice checkering, no mag well. Current models doesn't have the super sight, but a 3-dot sight. You'll find supersights on older models, even last years. Created for IPSC production class.

And in general, if you have any questions you can't get answered, this forum is always happy to assist. You can also contact me through my website on email or give me a call. Email & phone available on my homesite.

[UW Mitch]

I bought a Witness Limited never seeing or handling one in person, only having shot a friend's 9mm Match. I love my Limited - which I got from Rich at Canyon Creek. Henning is the go-to guy when it comes to parts, aftermarket parts, information etc. This forum has the best wealth of information.

So far I'm super happy with my Limited. I've posted pictures and review in my thread marked "Happy Dance". I'll soon be posting a review on the various firing pins (stock, EGW oversize long and Henning X-long) as soon as I test out my Limited with the X-long.

Good luck in your quest/decision!

~Mitch

[sinnsyk]

And Mitch, I appreciate your review of the firing pins, very cool. Also nice to see an objective review of it. I try to stay factual and objective in my statements, but for outsiders it's good to see that I'm not just trying to make a sales pitch. Thanks.