Witness reliability

blaster · July 03 2020 07:48:23 AM MDT

I need some help. I've had 2 Witness full size steel pistols. neither of them is reliable enough for me to carry for SD or hunting dangerous game. the first one was really bad. it eventually got sent back with a cracked frame. EAA replaced it and the new one is a much better shooter but still not 100% reliable. on both guns I have experimented with different recoil springs, loads, bullet shapes and weights, recoil spring guide rod and a flat bottom firing pin stop. is there anything else I can try? I hear how the higher end Witness pistols run so reliable, what's the difference? are they hand fitted & polished? is there any other upgrades I can do to my pistol? or should I just have "bit the bullet" and payed twice the price and bought one of the higher end models?

I also have an XDM. it is 100% reliable and a good shooter but I really like the feel & looks of the Witness. and the way it shoots when it doesn't jam. any help is much appreciated, Mike

Kenk · July 04 2020 08:07:16 AM MDT

Absolutely, my XDm 3.8" - 9mm has had zero reliability issues

sqlbullet · July 04 2020 02:20:48 PM MDT

For my full-size I found the trick to be +5% or +10% magazine springs. Also, I don't know why, but keep them loaded. If I load a magazine that has been sitting empty for a while I tend to see a ftf. But the ones I keep full never fail me, even on a range session when empty and then reload them.

Kenk · July 04 2020 03:47:27 PM MDT

Great observation, I have noticed the same with my mags

blaster · July 05 2020 07:16:33 AM MDT

thanks for the replies.
I have tried the different weight mag. springs with no luck. I always keep my mags topped off but with the extra power springs, I can't put the 14th round in any of my mags(3) without denting the cases. for a while I thought the jams were because I wasn't gripping the pistol properly (limp wristing?) but it also jams when others shoot it too. the jams are usually easily cleared by dropping the mag slightly, tipping the muzzle down, pull the slide back and the cartridge will fall into the chamber. then I seat the mag and can continue shooting. sometimes I can go through a whole mag without a malfunction and sometimes it happens a few times before the mag is empty. also, the pistol will still have the same problem when I put the .40S&W barrel and mags in it. ${$default_evil_smiley}$

cgreth · July 05 2020 01:55:11 PM MDT

Not sure where it fits into the list, but my Stock III in 10mm has been 100% reliable. Only mods are a Hennings cone guide rod and a 22# recoil spring. Runs like a top.

gnappi · December 18 2020 02:56:43 PM MST

I have and have had a bunch of Tanfos none had issues. The high mileage competition shooters on another forum I am on have lenghtened the chambers on a few so they can seat the bullets further out and I read of a few extraction problems needing springs but in general most work well.

My Witness compct in 10mm has been my EDC on and off since I got it in the 90's.

blaster · December 18 2020 08:41:08 PM MST

how the *&&^^ did I get 2 bad ones! I wish i felt confident carrying my Witness! :'(

Geeman · December 19 2020 01:18:49 PM MST

My Limited pro is 100% with two of my mags.

The other one has some catch in it. If you push down with a pencil eraser, you can feel a slight catch that I never could figure out what caused it. That one Hund up on the second from empty round about half the time. Always the same found with a FTF. That mag has a black marker "X" drawn on it so I know to expect issues.

It seems to me there were two mag manufacturers. The better one was Mecgar. I don't recall the other one at this time, but the older guns ran those other mags.

Might be worth investing in a new mag or two.

Greg

Keiichi · December 19 2020 02:16:56 PM MST

Heh I saw the topic title and got confused why the reliability of witness testimony would be in the gunsmithing section.

gnappi · December 20 2020 09:56:03 AM MST

Quote from: Keiichi on December 19 2020 02:16:56 PM MST
Heh I saw the topic title and got confused why the reliability of witness testimony would be in the gunsmithing section.

Possibly to illustrate that gunsmithing "generally" is not needed on the platform?

blaster · December 20 2020 06:52:30 PM MST

it usually takes some gunsmithing to get a firearm working properly. I've been doing some parts changing and upgrades on the pistol. trying to improve its reliability. I guess that falls under gunsmithing.

gnappi · December 21 2020 09:50:59 AM MST

Quote from: blaster on December 20 2020 06:52:30 PM MST
it usually takes some gunsmithing to get a firearm working properly. I've been doing some parts changing and upgrades on the pistol. trying to improve its reliability. I guess that falls under gunsmithing.

That's a rather broad brush stroke, but in the 1911 and AR platforms, I definitely agree :-)

On Tanfo, Beretta (9x platform) and older S&W's as well as Glock, in general I'd disagree for most.

I look at "upgrades" to be generally more a preference than a reliability issue. Guide rods, sights, ambi safeties, extended controls, re-shaped hammers are IMO preferences and have nothing to do with reliability. Most spring swapping OTOH I look at as tailoring to a particular load and really are not fixing a "reliability" issue per se.

Real gunsmithing like barrel throat, chamber, extractor work? Maybe but not "usually" needed for the masses.

mpwmont · December 21 2020 10:42:09 PM MST

I have an old steel fullsize that wasn't feeding reliably. I bent the lips on the magazine in a little to match the measurement on some glock 10mm mags. It changed the approach angle and the gun runs 100%. K10 magazines. Good luck

cgreth · February 27 2021 05:52:31 AM MST

Adding to an old post.

Just recently ran into a problem with my Witness Stock 3 with factory magazines.
The nub on the slide-lock that engages the follower on the magazine is very small and barely engages the follower. I traditionally have used the same two magazines for most of my shooting. The magazine followers eventually got to the point where the nub was pushing the follower to the side on the last round - follower had a wear mark right on the edge from the nub.

When pushed to the side by the slide-lock nub, the follower was pushing the magazine against the trigger bar. I was getting slow to no trigger resets on last rounds. Also the the slide-lock was not fully engaging - take the magazine out and the slide slammed home.

I looked at my other magazines that I didn't use very often and confirmed that even on a brand new one the nub was barely engaging. Examined the slide-lock and it was undamaged. Ordered a new one and it looks exactly like the old one. So not broken, a design issue.

I got some JB-Weld and built up the nub on the slide-lock. After it cured I took the slide off the gun, reinstalled the slide-lock and inserted a magazine with 1 round. Using a set of swiss files I filed down my built up slide-lock until it could clear the rounds in the magazine, but still fully engage the follower.

Works great now and all the issues have disappeared. Hopefully the JB-Weld will last a long time.