witness 9mm target

gundummy

After hearing all the positive posts about the Witness, I decided to purchase one in 9mm. Overall, seems well built but I have some questions I hope someone who bought the same model out there can answer. I bought the target/ported model that's supposed to be limited to only 200 made. It's with the wonder finish, adjustable target rear sights, 5" barrel, ported with a 16 rnd hi-cap mag.Here are questions:1) Is mag supposed to be marked with factory label? 2) Does factory mag have red follower?3) Does mag lock in snug, or does it have a loose fit when locked in? 4) Does mag feed when loaded with 16 rnds? For some reason, it can't feed unless I strip it down to 12 or 13 rnds. 5) Did yours come with a 4-1/2" barrel? Because mine did, however, it was advertised with a 5" barrel???Aside from mostly mag questions and the obvious false advertisement on barrel length, I love the look and feel of the gun and the price was very reasonable also, but I just wanted to know if others were shipped that way too. I mean I don't want to ship it back and get the same exact gun when replaced.Thanks again in advance,GD

compgunfire

Sounds like you got the real thing.Some Factory mag.s did have orange followers and are either marked "Mec-Gar" and/or with no markings at all.The mag. should fit snug when it the gun.If the mag. is new, the spring tension is still tight (it will break in with some time and rounds thru the gun). You should be able to load 15 rd.s min., but the weapon may need some break-in time till it will feed.The standard barrel lenght of the full-size Witness pistols is 4.5" (some gun catalogs list it as a 5").

JudgeColt

Sounds to me like the magazine is faulty. I think the later factory magazines are non-Mec-Gar, and, from what I have seen with the .45 magazines, they are not as good. Try to find a Mec-Gar 16-round magazine, which should solve the problem. The Mec-Gar magazines are usually very well finished, whereas the others are more of a matt finish. Factory magazines made by Mec-Gar are usually not marked from what I have seen, but the original magazine in my true stainless .45 is marked Mec-Gar. None of the factory magazines for my early 9x19 true stainless are marked Mec-Gar, but one purchased from EAA as an accessory magazine has a red follower. (All the others have black followers.) It is also unusual in that it was originally marked .41AE, but holes have been drilled where the markings were, mostly removing them, but not enough to make it so the .41AE cannot be read. I assume after the .41AE died, EAA had a bunch of accessory .41AE magazines that it could not sell, so it removed the markings and sold them as 9x19 accessory magazines. In the meantime, I would send the faulty magazine back to EAA if it does not feed and you cannot see why not. I would speculate that the feed lips are at fault, but without a description of the type of misfeed, and a look at the magazine, it is hard to tell.

gundummy

Thanks guys,As far as mis-feed, when fully loaded with 16 rnds, the 1st would come out almost straight thus running right into the feed ramp. When fully loaded, I pack it back and make sure the first is positioned properly, but once I release the slide, the bullet tip goes down just enough to hang up on the ramp. Because it won't feed, I manually have to strip the first three rounds before it strips and feed properly. After that, it works fine. Just those first three. Like I mentioned earlier also, it locks up with too much play. When I looked at the mag more closely, it has a "T" inside of a triangle, so not sure if it means Tanfoglio, and it also has a 9MM stamp on it. The floor plate is steel with a red plastic follower.I think it's the mag, so I'll just send it back for a replacement. Because it's my first Witness, I was not sure if I had a REAL factory mag like I should have with a new gun. I'll look for those Mec Gar's in the meantime. I trust Judge is right about it being better than the factory anyway.Aside from the first three rounds, it shoots very smooth and very accurate. With the porting, I swear it feels (not sound) like my Ruger Mark II.Judge, can any other mag from another mfr work just as well? (As the Mec Gar) I see some mags advertised to fit the Baby eagle, CZ (which I thought it was a copy of) and another I can't think of right now.Thanks again,GD

JudgeColt

It is my understanding that all of the Tanfoglio clones have interchangable magazines, so I think a Baby Eagle magazine will work.Perhaps I did not make it clear, but I do not think the current magazines shipped with new pistols are Mec-Gar. I have a new, still-bagged EAA magazine for my 9x19 that clearly is not by Mec-Gar. It is of lesser quality and is rougher in finish. I have never used it, so cannot say whether it works properly or not. Try lrarmsx (cannot remember the handle for sure and am on a public computer so cannot go to my favorites list and find his correct name) for magazines. He is a regular on these boards and will treat you right.