Current consensus on EAA 10mms?

[Canoe]

Hi there - I'm a bit of a 10mm fans and just stubbled on this site.  Great resource.

I've been doing a little research on EAAs and seems some of the earlier (maybe lower-end?) models had longevity issues. 

I'm interested in either the Hunter or Limited.  Looking at some of the post here, seems like there are lots of fans of the Hunter model.  Would the same positive views hold for the Limited as well?  Are there any reports of issues with these models or warnings (i.e. need to avoid full power ammo)?

thanks

[Intercooler]

   Just about all of them do fine in 10mm except maybe the short barrel version (3.6"). Now if you go from the Match on up they are absolutely stellar! I have a couple of Limiteds and a Hunter... 100% and a rip to shoot!

[Canoe]

Thanks Intercooler.  Curious - which one do you prefer - the Hunter or Limited?  I'm on the fence.  It would just be a range toy.

[Intercooler]

  The Hunter is the tank of the entire line and will be the softest shooting. That 6" barrel really wrings out what the 10mm can offer as well. Now the Limited will have a tad more kick and might be more fun to you. I know when I personally shoot both using hot ammo, more rounds can be ran through the Hunter without any fatigue. I love both though and you might also want to look at the Limited Pro which comes in a tad cheaper than both.

[sqlbullet]

First, some background on EAA.

In the early days of IPSC shooting, the holy grail was the 1911 in 45 ACP.  You could shoot 9mm, and high capacity magazines made them attractive, but since 9mm was a "minor" power factor, any non-A zone shot was double the penalty.

So, the quest for a gun that could handle 9mm loaded to "major" was underway.  And the Tanfoglio guns were found to be hella strong and were a favorite as a result.  This is the reason the EAA catalog for Tanfoglio has so many "race" style guns...They were very much an early favorite.

I mention this because we often hear that these guns aren't strong enough, but they are actually extremely strong and well built.  In fact, several years ago I was refinishing my full-size witness and thought I might round off a few sharp corners in the process.  I soon found that my files were not as hard as the frame/slide!

There have been two issues that arose with 10mm Witness guns.  The first was a long, long time ago with frames that cracked.  The issue was traced to a lot of frames that didn't get the right time or temperature in the tempering oven, and were too hard to flex where they needed.  The result was a few cracked frames.

The second issue was a long time ago, around 2008 I think.  This time it was slides that would crack, and again the issue was improper tempering of the castings post harden.

Both of these issues were over-hyped because, to put it bluntly, EAA sucks as customer service.  Instead of just jumping on it and replacing frames or slides, they accused the owners of "abusing" their guns and refused warranty work.  This, more than any actual deficiency in the design, gave the Witness it's reputation with 10mm.

I have two guns, and would gladly add another.  In fact I think I am going to order up a Witness Polymer in the next few months.  And if a Stock I crosses my path at the right time, it will probably follow me home too.  Or a Hunter.   Or both.

I might have a problem.

[Bluefish]

I have a limited pro and it is my favorite 10mm. I think they are the way too go.

  Russ

[Canoe]

Great info.  Thanks gentlemen. 

[bobclevenger]

   Just about all of them do fine in 10mm except maybe the short barrel version (3.6"). Now if you go from the Match on up they are absolutely stellar! I have a couple of Limiteds and a Hunter... 100% and a rip to shoot!

Just a comment that I have had a Witness Compact (3.6" bbl.) for about 20 years now and it has been quite satisfactory. I *have* recently added a DPM "Recoil Reducer" setup to it just to protect the slide and frame from battering with heavy loads.

[Intercooler]

The steel fixed sight version?  What do you have for magazines and what was the recoil setup before?

[Canoe]

  The Hunter is the tank of the entire line and will be the softest shooting. That 6" barrel really wrings out what the 10mm can offer as well. Now the Limited will have a tad more kick and might be more fun to you. I know when I personally shoot both using hot ammo, more rounds can be ran through the Hunter without any fatigue. I love both though and you might also want to look at the Limited Pro which comes in a tad cheaper than both.

So if you had to choose, which would it be?  Hunter or Limited?  I know they are pretty different concepts.  Are the triggers or accuracy potential significantly different? (notwithstanding the sight radius of course but if I mounted an optic that would be moot)  I have a 6" 1911, and Sig 220 and a 1006 so i am not trying to fill a gap, other than just wanting a nice example of an EAA 10mm for range use.

Also, been looking at the recommended upgrade to 10mm EAAs.  Is a coned guide rod (Erik G, Henning, Sprinco, DPM) even available for the Hunter or is that less of an issue than it sounds?  thanks

[Patriot]

  The Hunter is the tank of the entire line and will be the softest shooting. That 6" barrel really wrings out what the 10mm can offer as well. Now the Limited will have a tad more kick and might be more fun to you. I know when I personally shoot both using hot ammo, more rounds can be ran through the Hunter without any fatigue. I love both though and you might also want to look at the Limited Pro which comes in a tad cheaper than both.

So if you had to choose, which would it be?  Hunter or Limited?  I know they are pretty different concepts.  Are the triggers or accuracy potential significantly different? (notwithstanding the sight radius of course but if I mounted an optic that would be moot)  I have a 6" 1911, and Sig 220 and a 1006 so i am not trying to fill a gap, other than just wanting a nice example of an EAA 10mm for range use.

Also, been looking at the recommended upgrade to 10mm EAAs.  Is a coned guide rod (Erik G, Henning, Sprinco, DPM) even available for the Hunter or is that less of an issue than it sounds?  thanks

Keep in mind that the Limited and Hunter are both single action. If you prefer a DA/SA trigger, the Stock is the way to go. I had my Hunter converted to DA/SA with some spare parts I had from an old witness standard model.

[Intercooler]

The Limited is a race gun with flared magwell, etc... The Hunter will have less felt recoil and nothing noticeable in the accuracy department. Keep in mind you can get into a Hunter a little cheaper.

[10Tens]

This? There is a couple of them on GB. 635.00


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[sqlbullet]

That looks to be one of the new-ish P-Match Pro guns from Tanfoglio.  Reviews are good.

[Scarlett Pistol]

  The Hunter is the tank of the entire line and will be the softest shooting. That 6" barrel really wrings out what the 10mm can offer as well. Now the Limited will have a tad more kick and might be more fun to you. I know when I personally shoot both using hot ammo, more rounds can be ran through the Hunter without any fatigue. I love both though and you might also want to look at the Limited Pro which comes in a tad cheaper than both.

So if you had to choose, which would it be?  Hunter or Limited?  I know they are pretty different concepts.  Are the triggers or accuracy potential significantly different? (notwithstanding the sight radius of course but if I mounted an optic that would be moot)  I have a 6" 1911, and Sig 220 and a 1006 so i am not trying to fill a gap, other than just wanting a nice example of an EAA 10mm for range use.

Also, been looking at the recommended upgrade to 10mm EAAs.  Is a coned guide rod (Erik G, Henning, Sprinco, DPM) even available for the Hunter or is that less of an issue than it sounds?  thanks

I picked one up this summer and it had a guide rod that accomplishes what the conical guide rods accomplish. Here's pics I took to explain on the CZ forum, hope they help.

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