Witness .45 Poly Comp jamming, clip?

jay2487 · February 7, 2012, 09:21 AM

I hope I'm not posting to the wrong forum, I'm new here and joined because a google search showed this forum to be the only one with any knowledge on the subject. I would have replied to that post but it said it was 3000 days old so..

anyways, I have always owned 1911s, but recently got my CCW and in Fl must conceal and can be fined if the weapon is showing, so I bought my first compact. I got an EAA Witness .45 poly comp. At first I thought I might be holding it wrong. With such a short grip my pinky would rest on the clip, when the slide comes back after firing it seems the clip is really moving quite a bit and the gun jams. It's barely jamming as you can take your thumb and barely touch the slide and it will finish loading. If I shoot one handed it doesn't jam at all. I have three clips coming from the manufacturer, hopefully mine is just defective but judging from the old thread I read it's an ongoing issue. Any suggestions as to how to make this gun reliable?

overkill0084 · February 7, 2012, 12:37 PM

Shooting it one handed and it works fine? It might indeed, be a Magazine issue, if I'm reading your post correctly. If its wiggling or rubbing the slide during cycling. When I bought mags for my Witness Match, I bought some Mec Gars. May or may not make a difference, but worth considering.

Have you tried other ammo types/brands? It might not matter, but it's an easy check. If your shooting UMC or Wally world Federal, they are typically OK, but your gun may need something a bit stouter to aid in function.

How many total rounds are through it? If it's still got that new feeling, you might want to think about some more break in before getting too worried.

Recoil spring. IMHO, the witness pistols are a bit undersprung. Stepping up one notch on the scale might help.

I make no claim as an expert, just putting out some ideas.

jay2487 · February 7, 2012, 12:49 PM

thanks for the reply. I have ordered 3 clips from the manufacturer to see if that helps. I have ran 150 rounds through it so far and no improvement. It seems to be right on the verge of working properly, when it does jam I can reach up with my thumb and barely push forward on the slide and it feeds perfectly fine, or I can bump the clip and it finishes feeding. No damage on the spent shells whatsoever. Probably not related but another problem I have with it is it ejects every shell perfect, except the very last when it locks the slide back, that one comes straight back and hits me square between the eyes every time.

As far as Ammo I've used Lellier & Bellot, Independence, and the Remington white and green box. Same results with all.

TheGoldenState · February 7, 2012, 01:14 PM

Clips go in hair, magazines go in guns.

(yes, yes, we all know there are certain clip fed rifles, but calm down)

CowTowner · February 7, 2012, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Clips go in hair, magazines go in guns.

I have to, can't help myself on this one. And I am calm.
Clips feed magazines. Magazines feed firearms.

TheGoldenState · February 7, 2012, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Clips feed magazines. Magazines feed firearms.

Was that what he was referring to?

Japle · February 8, 2012, 08:04 PM

If it has moving parts, it's a magazine.

Japle · February 8, 2012, 08:07 PM

Jay, your recoil spring may be weak. Wolfe makes replacement springs and you might want to look into buying a few stronger springs and experimenting.

CowTowner · February 9, 2012, 10:23 AM

First off, I have never had an EAA (Tanfoglio) polymer anything.
But I do own an EAA Full Size Witness in 10mm Auto.
I have suffered with FTFeed issues from day one. Everything points to poor magazine design with my gun. As a matter of fact, a poster on the Bren-Ten forums, http://forum.bren-ten.com , found a solution to his FTFeed issues by fitting a Glock 10mm Auto magazine follower to the EAA Magazine body. I have yet to get around to doing this myself. However, it is on my project list.
I'm throwing that out just as food for thought.
Also, your EAA has a warranty on it. Send to EAA with the magazines and ask them to look at it. Should only cost you the shipping charges. Yes, I have dealt with their poor customer service myself. But in the end, they will repair it if something is broken.

February 7, 2012, 09:21 AM	#1
jay2487 Junior Member Join Date: February 7, 2012 Posts: 2	Witness .45 Poly Comp jamming, clip? I hope I'm not posting to the wrong forum, I'm new here and joined because a google search showed this forum to be the only one with any knowledge on the subject. I would have replied to that post but it said it was 3000 days old so.. anyways, I have always owned 1911s, but recently got my CCW and in Fl must conceal and can be fined if the weapon is showing, so I bought my first compact. I got an EAA Witness .45 poly comp. At first I thought I might be holding it wrong. With such a short grip my pinky would rest on the clip, when the slide comes back after firing it seems the clip is really moving quite a bit and the gun jams. It's barely jamming as you can take your thumb and barely touch the slide and it will finish loading. If I shoot one handed it doesn't jam at all. I have three clips coming from the manufacturer, hopefully mine is just defective but judging from the old thread I read it's an ongoing issue. Any suggestions as to how to make this gun reliable?

February 7, 2012, 12:37 PM	#2
overkill0084 Senior Member Join Date: August 7, 2010 Location: Northern, UT Posts: 1,162	Shooting it one handed and it works fine? It might indeed, be a Magazine issue, if I'm reading your post correctly. If its wiggling or rubbing the slide during cycling. When I bought mags for my Witness Match, I bought some Mec Gars. May or may not make a difference, but worth considering. Have you tried other ammo types/brands? It might not matter, but it's an easy check. If your shooting UMC or Wally world Federal, they are typically OK, but your gun may need something a bit stouter to aid in function. How many total rounds are through it? If it's still got that new feeling, you might want to think about some more break in before getting too worried. Recoil spring. IMHO, the witness pistols are a bit undersprung. Stepping up one notch on the scale might help. I make no claim as an expert, just putting out some ideas. __________________ Cheers, Greg “At the core of liberalism is the spoiled child – miserable, as all spoiled children are, unsatisfied, demanding, ill-disciplined, despotic and useless. Liberalism is a philosophy of sniveling brats.” — P.J. O’Rourke

February 7, 2012, 12:49 PM	#3
jay2487 Junior Member Join Date: February 7, 2012 Posts: 2	thanks for the reply. I have ordered 3 clips from the manufacturer to see if that helps. I have ran 150 rounds through it so far and no improvement. It seems to be right on the verge of working properly, when it does jam I can reach up with my thumb and barely push forward on the slide and it feeds perfectly fine, or I can bump the clip and it finishes feeding. No damage on the spent shells whatsoever. Probably not related but another problem I have with it is it ejects every shell perfect, except the very last when it locks the slide back, that one comes straight back and hits me square between the eyes every time. As far as Ammo I've used Lellier & Bellot, Independence, and the Remington white and green box. Same results with all. Last edited by jay2487; February 7, 2012 at 01:16 PM.

February 7, 2012, 01:14 PM	#4
TheGoldenState Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2010 Posts: 1,191	Clips go in hair, magazines go in guns. (yes, yes, we all know there are certain clip fed rifles, but calm down) __________________ The Day You Get Comfortable Is The Day You Get Careless...

February 9, 2012, 10:23 AM	#9
CowTowner Senior Member Join Date: October 17, 2007 Location: Cowtown of course! Posts: 1,747	First off, I have never had an EAA (Tanfoglio) polymer anything. But I do own an EAA Full Size Witness in 10mm Auto. I have suffered with FTFeed issues from day one. Everything points to poor magazine design with my gun. As a matter of fact, a poster on the Bren-Ten forums, http://forum.bren-ten.com , found a solution to his FTFeed issues by fitting a Glock 10mm Auto magazine follower to the EAA Magazine body. I have yet to get around to doing this myself. However, it is on my project list. I'm throwing that out just as food for thought. Also, your EAA has a warranty on it. Send to EAA with the magazines and ask them to look at it. Should only cost you the shipping charges. Yes, I have dealt with their poor customer service myself. But in the end, they will repair it if something is broken. __________________ NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Home Firearms Safety, Pistol and Rifle Instructor *“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life......”* President John F. Kennedy

February 8, 2012, 08:04 PM	#7
Japle Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2004 Location: Viera, Florida Posts: 1,340	If it has moving parts, it's a magazine.

February 8, 2012, 08:07 PM	#8
Japle Senior Member Join Date: October 12, 2004 Location: Viera, Florida Posts: 1,340	Jay, your recoil spring may be weak. Wolfe makes replacement springs and you might want to look into buying a few stronger springs and experimenting.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search