I am trying to decide on a .45 pistol, and am looking at these, a 1911 from Springfield or a Glock .45...........what say ye? Cost is a factor, as I dont have 700+ to spend on one

also look at at a cz97b and xd 45 - you should be able to find each of those for around / under $500

I own both...the Witness is a good gun, a bit bulky...my Springfield 1911 carries much better. But the grip on the EAA feels fantastic. :-) In true ArfCom fashion...get both.

I had a polymer framed .45 about 6 years ago until I had to have my car fixed and had to sell it.  It was a nice gun, never had any problems with it after I got it broke in (about 300 rounds of ball).

I would buy another one.

I had a Witness Compact polymer in .45 before Katrina. (Set it down while packing the car & forgot to pick it back up before hauling butt... ) Very reliable gun, and accurate enough for a mid-sized defensive pistol. The only ammo type it wouldn't feed reliably were wadcutters. It's a good reliable piece, though magazines may be difficult to find outside of gunshows or specialty websites. I paid $250 + tax for mine used at a pawn shop.

Witness's are a little rough inside (alot of them have tool marks all over the inside of the frame and slide, they don't effect function so it's just part of a reliable $350 pistol) but are reliable and have good ergonomics. I suggest you get your hands on all the pistols first. I personally like the feel of all but the XD suggested so far. But my favorite is the grip profile and  low bore axis on the EAA pistols. Only down side I see is the steel frame versions have a considerable weight to them and the polymer framed versions are just ugly.

You might want to take a look at Magnum Research/IMI Baby Eagles as well. They are the exact same pistol (alot of internal parts interchange, both are actually Tanfoglio designs), but with a different slide profile and a full length "dust cover." Dust cover adds a nice bit of muzzle weight to the gun, making recoil a little tamer then other steel frame pistols.

Thanks for the replies...........I am down to the Witness and the 1911 and possibly the Baby Eagle.........and I would get both, but I am gonna have to limit it to one of these, so I will check them all out and see which one fits best.

Quoted: I am trying to decide on a .45 pistol, and am looking at these, a 1911 from Springfield or a Glock .45...........what say ye? Cost is a factor, as I dont have 700+ to spend on one

I don't know about the .45, but I have a Witness Polymer in 9mm.  I just got it recently for 265 dollars NIB, and have taken it out to the range once thus far. I put about 200 rounds through it last weekend.  For a nine it has a wicked bite back on the trigger and a very strong recoil.  I was very impressed for the price though, and I have heard once they break in they are nice.  Accuracy is decent, can't say more then that since I am not great with a handgun.  I am taking it out again in the morning and can give you my impressions after putting another 200 rounds through it if you like.

-Ben

Yeah, let me hear your range report Rockhard13F

I have the Baby eagle in 9mm and .45. They feel good to me, they are rock solid and reliable. they also have polygonal rifling like the Glock barrels. For the money I would go with the Baby Eagle fullsize, all steel.IMHO

Quoted: Yeah, let me hear your range report Rockhard13F

OK, I took my EAA out this weekend for its second session, and determined the following:

A) It has a helluva kickback on the slide for a 9, even after over 500 rounds.
B) It is combat accurate.  I would not hesitate to take it into a fight due to its accuracy.
C) The trigger bites your finger bad enough that after a cuople mags your finger may be numb.
D) It looks nice, is comfortable in your hand, and while the trigger bites, it requires very little pull.
E) I put a dirty magazine (had mud on it) with dirty ammo (had sand/dirt on them) in it twice (33 total rounds) without a problem.  It is reliable so far through the 500+ rounds I have put through it.
F) I would not mind buying another despite it's drawbacks.  I believe that with a little fine tuning and a new spring it would be great.  It is worth the 265.00 I paid for it.

-Ben

I quite enjoy my 45.  If you do get one, get the combo with the 22lr top end (shouldn't add more than $100 to the price) so you can have a nice dual function side to it for cheaper practice.  

The trigger, after about 10 minutes of work and swapping in an ambi safety, has a nice break at about 3#.  The insides aren't pretty, but the finish is nice and it goes bang, and will hit what I'm aiming at.  I would recommend it.  For a 10 round 45 pistol it's not overly large, either, though if you run out of rounds, it certainly can double as a hand-to-hand combat weapon easily.

The handgun forum is that way.->

Quoted: The handgun forum is that way.->

My coffee is that way, not far from the monitor. I added my report from today above.

-Ben