I bought a bad thing (eaa)

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It's still possible you have one of the rare stainless steel EAA's.
For a short time in the late 90's EAA imported some in stainless, with only the slide and frame actually being stainless steel.
All other parts, including the barrel are carbon steel.

Note that when neglected enough, even stainless will rust.
One way to settle it is to try some cold blue on a spot to see if it colors the metal.

I believe you have the large frame model. Small frame models had a different profile of the trigger guard.

Here's my late 90's stainless .45. I removed the forward slide serrations. The box clearly states it's stainless steel...

rtHGlAl.jpg
 
What is nice about that one, and not on the OP's is the frame mounted safety.

All my IDI CZ clones (baby eagles) have frame mounted safeties. Something counterintuitive to extend the thumb and then contract the index finger. Just like the Beretta, the safety is upside down.

Congrats on the great deal. What are you paying per round for 9mm?
 
drobs said:
I owned a steel framed EAA Witness in 10mm 20 years ago. The goal with the gun was to eventually get into reloading. The gun was HEAVY - weighing more than my Kimber and Colt 1911's. The factory EAA 15rd or 16rd mag springs seemed weak to me back then. I got laid off after 9/11 and sold it, eventually.

Before selling the gun, I realized I had about 500rds of 10mm. Decided to blast it off in one sitting before selling the pistol. Actually got kind of good with that gun...

Took me another 9 years before I started reloading.

$219 would be tempting to me. Would make a good truck gun or loaner gun.
Click to expand...
Ya it feels about the same as my last 75, about 3lbs loaded.

ATLDave said:
If CZ 75 mags fit, that means you have a “small frame” gun. Just FYI in case you end up looking for parts on the market... everything EAA has imported for the last ~20 years is “large frame,” so lots of US Tanfo’ parts won’t work. But some CZ ones will.
Click to expand...
This is a full size frame... not sure on that. It's identical to a 75B minus decocker and forward serations. Either way I tested it and it took a 75B magazine.

Speedo66 said:
I'd clean it up as best I could and shoot it as is. Doesn't seem to warrant throwing any more cash at it, not something that's going to escalate in price.
Click to expand...
I'm not buying this to resell, so coating it is purely for aesthetics and longevity here.

5-SHOTS said:
I'm not that expert but if you blast it and leave it bare again it will rust again and even more faster due to the blast finish. I would blast it and the cerakote it (even better adesion to the blast finish maybe?). Second option: polish the gun and have it reblued but to polish corrosion spots you can probably obtain some shape changes in the corners.
It's all about how much you want to spend on it I guess.
Click to expand...
I'm leaning more towards Cerakote.

dfariswheel said:
It's still possible you have one of the rare stainless steel EAA's.
For a short time in the late 90's EAA imported some in stainless, with only the slide and frame actually being stainless steel.
All other parts, including the barrel are carbon steel.

Note that when neglected enough, even stainless will rust.
One way to settle it is to try some cold blue on a spot to see if it colors the metal.

I believe you have the large frame model. Small frame models had a different profile of the trigger guard.

Here's my late 90's stainless .45. I removed the forward slide serrations. The box clearly states it's stainless steel...

View attachment 890474
Click to expand...

Perhaps. Trying to find more information on this particular model is hard. Its markings are /different/ than any other I find for sale, or pictures of. Its important stamps are different as well. "EAA-COCOA-FLA" "Fab 92" It also lacks the "Witness" or name on the firearm like other models. I assume Fab92 is the model, but I also don't see pictures of "Fab 92"s matching what I have... so. It might be the police import that was never used.

Koroner said:
What is nice about that one, and not on the OP's is the frame mounted safety.

All my IDI CZ clones (baby eagles) have frame mounted safeties. Something counterintuitive to extend the thumb and then contract the index finger. Just like the Beretta, the safety is upside down.

Congrats on the great deal. What are you paying per round for 9mm?
Click to expand...
I don't care for the decocker myself, but that's what it came with.

Box of FMJ is about 20ish here, and I can get JHP for 15 that feed well(polymer tip Federal).

--------

I managed to clean it up some more using some abrasives and CLP... some of what I thought was marring was actually soaked in GSR. Just filthy.
 
Jaxinc said:
This is a full size frame... not sure on that. It's identical to a 75B minus decocker and forward serations. Either way I tested it and it took a CZ 75 magazine.
Click to expand...

No, you’re misunderstanding. Tanfo’ makes two different patterns of frames in terms of internal dimensions called large frame and small frame. Current import compacts are “large frame” format. It’s about the distance between the points in the frame where the components attach and how deep (front to back) the magazine space in the grip is. Not the exterior dimensions.
 
Ah. I gotcha now. Used to that term meaning size of the weapon itself, so that explains a bit of confusion researching.
 
Oh, yeah someone didn’t do their due diligence there. Still a cool old gun though.
 
Rust under pistol grips is not uncommon. Even stainless steel rusts under grips, especially rubber.
Sweat and moisture leaks under the grips and causes rust.

To prevent this, apply a medium-thick coat of Johnson's Paste Wax to the area covered by the grips.
DON'T wipe it off. Let dry 20 minutes then attach the grips.
The wax seals the metal and prevents moisture from attacking the steel.
This works much better then oils or greases. Oils and greases run off, dry out, or are absorbed by wood grips.
 
You did good bubba. Those darn things are built like tanks and at that price you haven’t gotten hurt a bit. If it were mine I would ship it off to Bob Coogan at Accurate Plating and Weaponry and have it hard chromed. Then I would replace all the springs and call it good.
 
Ignition Override said:
Beautiful gun.

Please summarize: does the gun Function pretty well?
Click to expand...
By hand everything functions fine. Action is buttery smooth compared to some /name brand/ weapons I own. As far as smoothness go this is on par with my Browning.

Have not got it to the range yet, but it feeds fine with HPs by hand. My Star BM did not.

whatnickname said:
You did good bubba. Those darn things are built like tanks and at that price you haven’t gotten hurt a bit. If it were mine I would ship it off to Bob Coogan at Accurate Plating and Weaponry and have it hard chromed. Then I would replace all the springs and call it good.
Click to expand...
I will never have another thing I own chromed. I would rather maintain a piece than to worry about chrome chipping in the future. Lets just say "been there, done that".
 
IMG_20200215_002453.jpg IMG_20200215_002439.jpg IMG_20200215_002614.jpg IMG_20200215_002555.jpg

Better pictures after cleaning. Went ahead and polished the feed ramp too.

The there's still some... Etching I'm not happy with and I guess I'm going to try a harsher cutting compound and work my way back down. The slide especially is etched compared to the frame and while I can get a reflective shine on the frame I can not on the slide. I already hit the slide with 2k grit paper to be avail, and I don't feel like doing that by hand with 1k or lower.

Well continue to update. Going for a mirror finish.
 
This looks a lot like it was an Israeli import, just from how dirty it was. I have 4 of them, all have frame mounted safeties, but I passed over a lot that had the slide mounted ones. It has amazingly good slide to frame fit and is super smooth. The SA trigger is great.
YscgzJ.jpg
This thing was a mess when I got it, not so much on the outside, it looked like the pic above, which came from the auction listing, but inside, wow, easily one of the worst I've had. Now it's my favorite gun of all. The next one had a mag full of dead baby spiders in it, the grips didn't fit well at all, and there was epoxy on the slide for some crazy reason. It took a lot of work to make it look this good.
f94b.jpg
Next came the one in my avatar, it was really dirty and had a bunch of crud inside it. Not as good a shooter as the first gun is, but not bad. Grips fit horribly again, some sandpaper and filing got them to fit perfectly:
zQQucg.jpg
And the last, and roughest of them all, a Jericho 941F, SA only gun, had the wrong recoil spring and guide rod when I got it.
18WYlT.jpg
All these guns have the "Wonder Finish"
 
Minor update. Took it by the smith to have it inspected and was informed the weapon is actually chromed.

Frankly given how corroded it was prior to me restoring it with sandpaper and polish... I had no idea.

Now I'm debating having it stripped and cerakoted reflective silver. The chrome is clearly worn in several areas and I'm not a fan of chroming since once it chips it's done.
 
Good job, your hard work is evident.
When you do get to polishing try Mothers Mag polish. I find it works great!
 
dfariswheel said:
It's still possible you have one of the rare stainless steel EAA's.
For a short time in the late 90's EAA imported some in stainless, with only the slide and frame actually being stainless steel.
All other parts, including the barrel are carbon steel.

Note that when neglected enough, even stainless will rust.
One way to settle it is to try some cold blue on a spot to see if it colors the metal.

I believe you have the large frame model. Small frame models had a different profile of the trigger guard.

Here's my late 90's stainless .45. I removed the forward slide serrations. The box clearly states it's stainless steel...

View attachment 890474
Click to expand...

I'm gonna drop the urban gray cerakote option here. It's not the worst looking color coating out there.
 
Small update. Found a CZ-A1 mag at my local gun store and tested it, fits and functions perfectly.

The EAA mag has some slop in it because it's relying on the catch/release to hold the mag in, while the CZ mag has a butt plate that takes up that slot and it feels NICE. photo_2020-06-12_15-28-23.jpg photo_2020-06-12_15-28-25.jpg photo_2020-06-12_15-28-25 (2).jpg
photo_2020-06-12_15-28-25 (3).jpg photo_2020-06-12_15-27-34.jpg
 
The external dimensions are different too. I have a large frame witness match in 9mm, and the exterior dimensions on the grip are larger, and the mag does not interchange with a cz75. It's closer to a cz97 frame size. The op's is a small frame gun like my baby eagle. Takes a cz 75 mag perfectly. Also, with the old baby eagle, the easiest way to cycle it is to put the knuckle of your index finger across the rear sight and rack it that way.

ATLDave said:
No, you’re misunderstanding. Tanfo’ makes two different patterns of frames in terms of internal dimensions called large frame and small frame. Current import compacts are “large frame” format. It’s about the distance between the points in the frame where the components attach and how deep (front to back) the magazine space in the grip is. Not the exterior dimensions.
Click to expand...
 
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