Mrgunsngear’s EAA Witness 2311 CMXX Review: Is a Budget Island-Comp 2011 Worth It?

Is a budget island‑comp 2011 actually worth buying, or are you just paying for a compensator cutout on a Series 80 polymer gun that will never shoot like a Staccato? Mrgunsngear put the EAA/Girsan Witness 2311 CMXX on the range to find out.

The short version of what he covers: commander‑length slide, island‑comp bull barrel, Series 80 (no grip safety, firing‑pin block). Two 17‑rd Checkmate mags in the box, and Staccato‑pattern mags from Checkmate, Kimber, and Atlas ran. Polymer frame with what he calls a Goldilocks grip (less aggressive than the full‑size Witness they reviewed last year), ambi thumb safety, extended beaver tail, and a small mag release he likes. The trigger is Series 80 take‑up that breaks about 6‑7 lb on his 10‑lb gauge, heavy for a 2011, with an excellent reset. Dustcover rail is slightly off 1913, but universal‑mount SureFire and Streamlight lights worked. RMSc optic cut; on his sample the factory rear screw head was already rounded so the included key could not mount an optic. Internal extractor held through 800‑plus rounds with no tune yet. Ammo was mostly Blazer 115/124, plus 147 S&B HP and 147 Fiocchi HP, with one FTF on Blazer 124. He calls it slightly oversprung and says he would not use an island‑comp gun for self‑defense (range or competition). He prefers full grip plus commander slide, the 19X‑vs‑17 analogy. Also offered in 45 and 10mm; this review is the 9mm. MSRP about $1,149; street he quoted $900‑1000 at record time.

Here’s our take. An island comp is a range gun argument, not a duty or carry one. A 6‑7 lb Series 80 trigger is not a raced 2011. The rounded optic screw is a QC flag: check that fastener before you buy, because his sample could not take an optic with the key in the box. This is not a working Staccato. It might be a cheap way to try a commander‑length 2011 if you want the island‑comp look and accept what the trigger and QC actually are. Our list price is $1,149. Watch his range notes before you treat the street quotes as a done deal.

We stock the EAA Witness 2311 CMXX 9mm he reviewed.