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Suppressors School m on the EAA line of handguns

NY700

NY700

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
May 23, 2009
898
286
Dallas
#1
So I have come accross some used EAA pistols lately. One was a witness elite in 38 super the othe a witness in 40 s&w with a second upper in 9mm. The price is super attractive. I understand these to be CZ clones and are sold abroad as tanfolos which seem to be respected target guns in europe and are sold under the EAA name plate here in the states. For the price are they worth it? Generally speaking are they durable, and what type of accuracey would you put it on par with. I'm not looking for a bet your life on it gun but I don't want something tempramental, and I'm not looking to enter a bullseye comp with it but I don't want minute of barn.
The used pistols have been between $450 and $500 with accesories and some ammo, worth it?
 
#2
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

I had a witness in 45acp with the wonder finish on it. I loved it. You couldn't kill the thing. Great gun for the money. I know nothing of their CS though. The only real drawback is that they are really heavy....I mean really heavy. They are built like tanks and you could use it for a hammer if you had to. I would keep that in mind. The trigger pull wasn't bad...not a whole lotta slop. It definately had a lawyer trigger though. As far as function went....top notch. There are alot of conversions for it, which I think is kewl. Only reason I got rid of it is because I didn't shoot it that much and I needed the cash. I say get it, you won't be sorry.

Edit: It was very accurate. They have different sight options, so keep an eye out for that. Mine had the adjustable target sights and they were nice. BTW: You could bet your life on this gun. I never had one FTF. Every gun will though sooner or later. Again, get it if it fits you.
 
#3
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

Opposite experience. I owned one and it was junk. I have, over the years, seen a few more on the range. Also junk. Soft metal, poor magazines and all manner of feeding issues.
The biggest reason I would never have anything to do with them is that a friend of mine had one (Gold Team) go off in the holster and punch him in the leg. Yes, in the holster and he is no Barney Fyffe!
I saw another (45ACP) blow up. It was most likely an over load but the amount of damage was way over what I have ever seen in the same situation.
 
#4
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

I have a couple, 9, 40, 45 with additional uppers in 357Sig (custom job I bought offline, they don't offer it and never will according to EAA), 10mm, and 38 Super, they've done me well, just stay away from the polymer frame guns, they're lighter, but tned to crack around the slide stop hole. Ton of accessories available if you want to go that route, there's 2 frame sizes, the 9/40/just about everything else frame, and the 45/10mm frame. If you're thinking about a switch top end, get the 45/10mm, EAA makes conversion kits for the other cartridges, fully supported chambers IIRC, and that's about what I know, oh, and they break in well.
 
#6
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shooter19802003</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I had a witness in 45acp with the wonder finish on it. I loved it. You couldn't kill the thing. Great gun for the money. I know nothing of their CS though. The only real drawback is that they are really heavy....I mean really heavy. They are built like tanks and you could use it for a hammer if you had to. I would keep that in mind. The trigger pull wasn't bad...not a whole lotta slop. It definately had a lawyer trigger though. As far as function went....top notch. There are alot of conversions for it, which I think is kewl. Only reason I got rid of it is because I didn't shoot it that much and I needed the cash. I say get it, you won't be sorry.

Edit: It was very accurate. They have different sight options, so keep an eye out for that. Mine had the adjustable target sights and they were nice. BTW: You could bet your life on this gun. <span style="color: #FF0000">I never had one FTF. Every gun will though sooner or later. </span> Again, get it if it fits you. </div></div>


I disagree with that.
 
#8
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KYS338</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shooter19802003</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I had a witness in 45acp with the wonder finish on it. I loved it. You couldn't kill the thing. Great gun for the money. I know nothing of their CS though. The only real drawback is that they are really heavy....I mean really heavy. They are built like tanks and you could use it for a hammer if you had to. I would keep that in mind. The trigger pull wasn't bad...not a whole lotta slop. It definately had a lawyer trigger though. As far as function went....top notch. There are alot of conversions for it, which I think is kewl. Only reason I got rid of it is because I didn't shoot it that much and I needed the cash. I say get it, you won't be sorry.

Edit: It was very accurate. They have different sight options, so keep an eye out for that. Mine had the adjustable target sights and they were nice. BTW: You could bet your life on this gun. <span style="color: #FF0000">I never had one FTF. Every gun will though sooner or later. </span> Again, get it if it fits you. </div></div>


I disagree with that. </div></div>

Which part do you disagree with?
 
#10
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

Yeah, he supported his arguement really well, huh?

Appearently he was there for the small amount of rounds I put through it and seen a ftf? Who knows. Or maybe he thinks that all autos are invincible and beyond failures? Again, who knows. He didn't support his position very well did he. All guns will experience some sort of failure sooner or later. They are mechanical devices and mechanical devices fail sooner or later. That is just the way it is.
 
#12
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Shooter5</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For just a bit more, get Czech quality and the real deal from CZ. (I admit my bias towards CZ) </div></div>

I don't know much about the EAA's but I love the CZ75SA I picked up in the FS section last year.
 
#14
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

I have had a 10mm compact with the wonder finish for about 12 years now. As others have said, it's heavy since it is all-steel. I don't mind carrying it though as it has been very reliable. On some of my older, junky reloads I have experienced some reliability issues, but never with factory ammo or my newer reloads.

To date, the biggest problem has been the availability of magazines. I lucked into a pair five years ago and after that just gave up looking.

When I bought mine the price was ~$350, an absolute bargain. At $450 I think they still would be. It's a basic, solid handgun and I have had many happy range sessions with it.
 
#15
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

I forgot to mention, the new ones have a rail if you need that sort of thing, but it does make holster selection a bit of a pain.
 
#16
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shooter19802003</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah, he supported his arguement really well, huh?

Appearently he was there for the small amount of rounds I put through it and seen a ftf? Who knows. Or maybe he thinks that all autos are invincible and beyond failures? Again, who knows. He didn't support his position very well did he. All guns will experience some sort of failure sooner or later. They are mechanical devices and mechanical devices fail sooner or later. That is just the way it is. </div></div>

So you are telling me that after thousands of rounds a Glock or HK pistol will fail no matter what? Ya good luck proving that. Ever watched the Glock torture tests? They run it over with trucks, soak it in salt water, mud, red clay, engine oil, gasoline. And then drop it out of a plane. And guess what...... it still fires. There have been Glocks shot with millions of rounds, still going strong.

HK put on a display at SHOT show this year with 2 HK pistols that have had 50,000 rounds thru each of them without issue.

So again, I disagree with your statement of every handgun will eventually fail.... try backing up YOUR statements. Can a poorly made handgun fail? Sure, but something with years of proven, reliable service suffer thru the worst conditions and still keep kicking ass, yes. It might fail when its technology becomes obsolete and is hung up to rot.

Oh, and btw they are not "autos" they are SEMI AUTO handguns. But you still must know everything about mechanical devices failing, eventually... so when is eventually? What exactly is going to fail? Back up your comments if you want to point fingers.
 
#17
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

I'm no Tanfoglio/EAA expert but I know someone who is...

Tanfoglio's (manufactured in Italy), US importer is EAA, are rising in popularity in IPSC/USPSA competition. Primary reason is they are a good value for a solid, high capacity platform.
Some of the top pistol competitors in the world use Tanfoglios including Eric Grauffel (has dominated IPSC/USPSA for the past decade, FR-based) and Henning Wallgren (now US-based). And you can pretty much get the same configs that Eric and Henning are shooting for considerably less than comparable STIs or SVs.
Not into competitive shooting? They have many models for different applications.

I would consult Henning (see www.henningshootsguns.com) as he is an expert on these guns, has made many after market parts for competition use, and has literally built/used more Tanfoglios than probably anyone in the US. You can see the full Tanfoglio lineup on their website: www.tanfoglio.it/eng/catalogue.php

I'm a STI shooter myself as that's what I standardized on early. But, I've shot many Tanfoglios and they are a solid platform used by many serious pistol shooters. There's also quite a bit more information over on BrianEnos's forum where the USPSA guys hang out. Ergonomically, some prefer them to the 2011/1911 platform.
Reliability? Talk to Henning. He has guns that he's shot 100,000s of rounds through. Sure, with that level of abuse, you're going to have to maintain it over time just like any mechanical device -- likely spring replacements and other parts that will naturally wear out. But, that's standard fare for any competition gun that gets used as much as we use them.
 
#18
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KYS338</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shooter19802003</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah, he supported his arguement really well, huh?

Appearently he was there for the small amount of rounds I put through it and seen a ftf? Who knows. Or maybe he thinks that all autos are invincible and beyond failures? Again, who knows. He didn't support his position very well did he. All guns will experience some sort of failure sooner or later. They are mechanical devices and mechanical devices fail sooner or later. That is just the way it is. </div></div>

So you are telling me that after thousands of rounds a Glock or HK pistol will fail no matter what? Ya good luck proving that. Ever watched the Glock torture tests? They run it over with trucks, soak it in salt water, mud, red clay, engine oil, gasoline. And then drop it out of a plane. And guess what...... it still fires. There have been Glocks shot with millions of rounds, still going strong.

HK put on a display at SHOT show this year with 2 HK pistols that have had 50,000 rounds thru each of them without issue.

So again, I disagree with your statement of every handgun will eventually fail.... try backing up YOUR statements. Can a poorly made handgun fail? Sure, but something with years of proven, reliable service suffer thru the worst conditions and still keep kicking ass, yes. It might fail when its technology becomes obsolete and is hung up to rot.

Oh, and btw they are not "autos" they are SEMI AUTO handguns. But you still must know everything about mechanical devices failing, eventually... so when is eventually? What exactly is going to fail? Back up your comments if you want to point fingers. </div></div>

If you have been on this forum for more than 5 minutes (and I know you have) many people have "stories" of glocks breaking on the line or having ftf. I had a g35 ftf on a few occasions. My usp I have never had an issue out of, but eventually I am sure I will. There are numerous horror stories around here about how crappy hk cs is to deal with after they broke something. Point being, mechanical. Devices fail. That's just the way it is. If you don't believe that you are only lying to yourself.
 
#19
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shooter19802003</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KYS338</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shooter19802003</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah, he supported his arguement really well, huh?

Appearently he was there for the small amount of rounds I put through it and seen a ftf? Who knows. Or maybe he thinks that all autos are invincible and beyond failures? Again, who knows. He didn't support his position very well did he. All guns will experience some sort of failure sooner or later. They are mechanical devices and mechanical devices fail sooner or later. That is just the way it is. </div></div>

So you are telling me that after thousands of rounds a Glock or HK pistol will fail no matter what? Ya good luck proving that. Ever watched the Glock torture tests? They run it over with trucks, soak it in salt water, mud, red clay, engine oil, gasoline. And then drop it out of a plane. And guess what...... it still fires. There have been Glocks shot with millions of rounds, still going strong.

HK put on a display at SHOT show this year with 2 HK pistols that have had 50,000 rounds thru each of them without issue.

So again, I disagree with your statement of every handgun will eventually fail.... try backing up YOUR statements. Can a poorly made handgun fail? Sure, but something with years of proven, reliable service suffer thru the worst conditions and still keep kicking ass, yes. It might fail when its technology becomes obsolete and is hung up to rot.

Oh, and btw they are not "autos" they are SEMI AUTO handguns. But you still must know everything about mechanical devices failing, eventually... so when is eventually? What exactly is going to fail? Back up your comments if you want to point fingers. </div></div>

If you have been on this forum for more than 5 minutes (and I know you have) many people have "stories" of glocks breaking on the line or having ftf. I had a g35 ftf on a few occasions. My usp I have never had an issue out of, but eventually I am sure I will. There are numerous horror stories around here about how crappy hk cs is to deal with after they broke something. Point being, mechanical. Devices fail. That's just the way it is. If you don't believe that you are only lying to yourself. </div></div>

Mechanical objects can fail. Not all of them will because that means your telling me the guy that keeps a glock in his nightstand for 15 years will have a FTF the next time he shoots it.....

Your logic has some holes in it, all Im saying.
 
#21
Re: School m on the EAA line of handguns

I own a Tanfoglio/EAA Witness Elite Match pistol in 10mm, and I've ripped it apart to inspect the internals. My model is a SA-only, and the sear pack is unitized so it could be switched out very easily. They machined a notch in that part to hold a spring leg during assembly, which makes that particular task of removing or installing the sear pack very easy. Removing and reinstalling the trigger assembly can be very frustrating without the right tools due to the location of the springs and the pins that hold them in place.
The fact that you can get caliber conversions for .22lr, 9mm, .38sup, .40sw, 10mm, and .45 auto make it a fairly practical investment for shooters that want to practice shooting their pistols high-volume without breaking the bank. The pistols are priced very affordably, and is one of the few if any retailers on the market that offer a truly competition ready 'match grade' pistol in the $500-$600 price range.
My particular model, Witness Elite 'Match' also has a 2-stage trigger with over-travel stops. The safety and mag release are extended. I can sincerely tell you that it is the most accurate pistol I own. The CZ-75 ergonomics are great (I shouldn't need to convince you if you have ever held one) and the balance and weight of the pistol give it excellent handling characteristics. The sights on my particular model are adjustable for windage and elevation. The slide rails run the full length of the slide and frame.

Now, to criticize their product, I will say that their machining can be sloppy. My slide wasn't completely milled out inside and I had a large steel burr inside my slide. I couldn't easily remove the (full length) recoil spring guide rod initially due to this issue. Once I had the pistol apart, I took the burr off with a wooden dowel. The edges of the slide and frame were sharp i.e. not radiused, and the checkering (straight lines in the backstrap area) were not all that uniform. Close inspection revealed that some lines were longer than others. Early models had some issues documented online regarding the slide material not being strong enough or milled too thin in critical stress areas, resulting in cracked slides. You can find some photos of a cracked 10mm slide online. Newer models have a stronger slide with more material so this issue should be considered 'addressed'. The mags feel somewhat cheap, are blued steel, but work reliably and are priced reasonably. CZ grips will not work on this pistol, which is one of the few disappointments I have with the gun. Their grips (EAA/Tanfoglio) only take 1 screw per side, so they aren't the best design. I hope you find this information helpful.
 
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