EAA Witness .45 Ammo opinions

[bang_bang]

I just recently picked up a Witness .45 ACP and was wondering if anyone has tested some ammunition through it for self defense. I'm looking at cost and accuracy, meeting somewhere in the middle for my purchase.
So far, due to the weather and a busy schedule, I've only put 5 rounds through it of Independence 230 gr. FMJ. But for protection and hunting, which HP or JHP ammo seems to favor the likeness of the Witness?

 

[loop]

I have three EAA Witnesses (Tanfoglios) in .45 ACP. It has been my experience they prefer target-grade ammo. I have a lot of .45s and therefore a lot of ammo in .45. I have found that all of my Tanfoglios shoot well with a 230-grain LRN bullet over 4 grains of Bullseye.

By "shooting well" I mean groups under one inch at 10 yards. In the gun I settled on in comparison with yours, it would be the standard version, full-size. I quite trying to develop a load for it when I was under one inch at 10 yards.

My Elite Match, which is one step up in the product line, gets down to 3/4-inch at 10 yards. My rangemaster gets irritated when he sees the gun on my table because he knows it means he will be making new backboards for targets because I will leave him with one big hole in the middle.

My poly-compact is the most accurate of the lot. It will shoot 1/2-inch at 10-yards with very little effort.

In sighting in and shooting the guns in competition the one thing I feel I've learned about Tanfoglios is that they prefer target loads. If you are a handloader start 15 percent over minimum. If you are buying OTC look for the lightest load available.

In some ways I'm not a really good guy to respond. I shoot for accuracy. When I buy a gun I buy a Wolff calibration spring set. I experiment and find out what works.

I will say this. My firsthand experience with a Tanfoglio was about six months ago. I got it cheap at a show. I've always been a middle-of-the-pack shooter and happy to be where I am. Since the first time I shot a Tanfoglio I've won every match I've entered.

Maybe it is a mental thing on my part. My last win in IDPA was at least six years ago. I change guns and I've won ever match. OK, I'm not in the same category, but I'm in the one a bump above when I shoot the Tanfoglio.

My first EAA cost me $300. I put in $200 in upgrades after it shot so much better than I expected. I bought an Elite Match and transferred the upgrades and more to the new gun. Now I have about $800 in my match gun. I've won every match I've shot this year (7).

If I was to buy "hunting" or "self defense" ammo for the gun, I'd go with what shoots straight. I carry the Match every chance I get. It's loaded with woefully underpowered match ammo - it hits my target every time. A miss with an HP is a miss. A hit with a sluggish .45 ACP is a hit.

Look for target ammo. If yours is like mine it will hate every form of SWC. Ball will be great though.

Try some lead bullets. I've been very happy with them.

 

[wally]

I'd suggest the Winchester Ranger-T (or SXT if you can't find the LEO 50 round boxes). Works for me.

I've not tried a lot of different .45 JHP in my Witness guns but they all are fine with my hard cast lead SWC and I've yet to fine a gun that feeds these and then has trouble with any JHP. OTOH I've several that choke on the SWC but have been fine with the JHP.

Witness pistols in other than .45ACP I can only recommend for the range as I've has issues in 9mm, .40S&W, and 10mm with the hotter factory ammo.

+1 to the Elite Match being a "best buy". Get one while you can before they get "discovered" and the price jumps, they've already gone up almost 10% since I got my first from the weak dollar.

--wally.

Edit: Seeing the end of Loop's post, either I've been lucky or he has been unlucky with regards to SWC bullet shapes. Try the Ranger-T is a very rounded JHP. If that don't work try something else.

 

[bang_bang]

Thanks a lot for the info, gonna make buying bullets easier and cheaper than running 10 different kinds through my gun. I'm glad to see EAA supporters, I was the first time I saw the Wonder finish on the Witness.
As far as self defense, that's true about HP vs. FMJ ammo. A .45 slug is a brick that travels at 900 fps, so maybe HP will be the first round followed by FMJ for the home protection. I still need to get familiar with my gun, and break it in with a box or two. I always turn to and trust THR input with my firearm questions. Thanks for your responses.

 

[FEG]

European manufactured .45 Autos are usually developed around the 230 gr FMJ mil spec loading (@ 850 fps). Basically, this is the only readily available loading to use in the testing/development stage in most of Europe.

 

[bang_bang]

FEG...that's interesting information. Seems that most practice loads are the 230 gr. FMJ around 850 fps.

 

[FEG]

FEG...that's interesting information. Seems that most practice loads are the 230 gr. FMJ around 850 fps.

I don't own a Tanfoglio (CZ 97B instead), but the general consensus at CZF is that the CZ and Tanfoglio .45s all shoot the old mil spec load very, very well.