EAA Girsan Witness 2311 CMX XXX: More than meets the Eye
- Graham Baates
- 47 minutes ago
- 6 min read
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I'm please to report that this double stack 1911 or "2011" is actually different! At first glance I thought this was simply a shortened pistol aimed at the carry market, but then I took a closer look and needed to applaud EAA and Girsan for bringing the Witness 2311 CMX XXX to market.
What is it? The Witness 2311 CMX XXX is a subcompact double-stack 1911 with a couple of twists. The grip safety has been deleted in favor of a firing pin block and grip circumferance greatly reduced thanks to a new magazine design developed by EAA and Check-Mate. The result is a pistol that feels much smaller in hand; permitting those without "banana hands" to also enjoy shooting a double-stack 1911. Additionally, a tool-less full-length guide rod system is used.
Who's it For? The feature set is perfect for those coming into the "1911 world" who want a simplified experience. The CMX XXX is also great for those with medium-to-smaller hands looking to enjoy a double-stack 1911. I hope EAA and Girsan make this grip and magazine combination available after market or on other models, because I could see many who find double-stack 1911s too fat in hand enjoying this new grip. Additionally, according to comments on the internet many are intimidated by guide rods that require a tool for disassembly. That fear is not neaded with the CMX XXX
Is there really that much of a difference? How? Yes. The girth issue many feel with double-stack 1911s goes back to the origin of the gun design. In the 1990s when Strayer and Tripp (the "S and "T" of what became STI) developed the modular double-stack 1911 many know today as a "2011".38 Super was the cartridge competitors used back then, not 9mm. .38 Super has a maximum recommended overall loaded length of 1.280" and so the magazines needed a longer body (front to rear). We are fortunate that 9mm's maximum overall loaded length of 1.169 works in those magazines, but if you ever look at a loaded "2011" magazine you'll see the magazine has more room than the round requires. That extra space is also part of what can make some 9mm double stack 1911s a little picky about what ammunition works since commercial 9mm ammunition can be as short as just 1.0": 1/4" shorter than what the magazines were designed for!
EAA and Check-Mate did what others wanted to skip: make a double stack 1911 magazine for 9mm!
..but I want a grip safety instead of a firing pin block! EAA and Girsan were ahead of you on that one and have a simialr model with those features called the CS 9 XXX.
Take a Look at the EAA Girsan Witness 2311 CMX XXX in the tabletop video below. Rumble Link
Specifications:
SKU: 395062
FINISH: Two Tone
CAL: 9mm
CAP: 16+1
BBL: 3.4″
OAL: 7″
TRIGGER: Tuned Trigger (4.5lbs Max.)
SAFETY: Auto Firing Pin Block
SIGHTS: Fixed, Optic Ready (RMSc Footprint)
WT: 1.25 lbs
MAGAZINES: (2) 16-Round Check-Mate Magazines included, additional magazines $27
UPC: 741566908378
MSRP: $899
Prices Around the Web as of 21AUG26
Check links for current pricing and availability
Not a "2011", but having the familiar controls and styling we know we like, and without the 38 Super-sized magazines, the Witness 2311 CMX XXX shows promise. For the range review of course the GBGuns range protocol was used including:
Cold Shots: Truly our first shots through the gun.
Full Magazine +1: Suprisingly some modern guns still struggle with this. It's a test of how much play is in the magazine as well as how the slide cycles with pressure. This is also when I do my best to learn the trigger.
What's For Dinner™: A test to see what ammunition the gun will eat. Does the gun feed the round from slide lock, will it cycle and feed another round of the same type, does the slide lock to the rear on empty, and is there any notable point of impact change with different loads.
For this gun the following ammunition was used:
Priced and linked where found at the time this article was written
100gr Hornady Critical Defense Lite $23.46 / 25 at Target Sports USA
100gr S&B XRG SCHP $11.73 /25 at Target Sports USA Full Review HERE
115gr Wolf Steel Case $10.99 / 50 at Target Sports USA
115gr Nickel-plated Magtech Steel Case $10.57 / 50 at Target Sports USA
115gr EcoBullet $19.99 / 50 direct from EcoBullet Full review HERE
124gr Wolf Brass-plated Steel Case $11.27 / 50 at Target Sports USA
124gr Federal Syntech $16/55 / 50 at Target Sports USA
124gr HotBrass $25 / 50 direct from HotBrass Full Review HERE
147gr Federal Premium LE HST $27.59 / 50 at Target Sports USA
165gr Scorpion FMJ $18.39 / 50 at Target Sports USA
Range Ammunition was Fiocchi 115gr $282.99 / 1000 at Firearms Depot
Sights & Trigger Control: on a 6" spinner target at a distance of 12-ish yards. We got this from Titan Great Outdoors and use it to gauge how learnable the trigger is and usable the sights are for forced, timed, precise shots.
Practical Accuracy: Five shots from a distance of seven yards at a one inch target. This isn't so much about printing a tight group as it is a culmination of the shooting experience and time for to collect thoughts prior to making a conclusion.
After Shots: Final impressions and reflections from the range session.
You can watch the entire process for the EAA GIrsan Witness 2311 CMX XXX in the Shooting Impressions video below. Rumble Link
On the Range we had a couple of initial struggles. We were both a bit rusty from a month off which was not helped by the relatively course close-distance sights and trigger. Anna initially felt edges from the back of the slide on her hand until we discovered she had learned to over-rotate her smaller hands guns to properly reach the trigger. With the CMX XXX's shorter trigger reach that wasn't needed and we found she could hold the pistol properly. Those edges got me a couple of times too, but could easily be covered with a rubber band.
The trigger felt a bit heavy at first and I wasn't sure how we'd fair with it. As time went on I think the gun broke in a little and we became more accustomed to it. Our consistent low hits could be the trigger pull causing us to dip the nose of the gun, or could be that the sights hit a little low. Had we mounted and zeroed a dot we wouldn't have had such low hits and the video might have been more impressive, but also less a demonstration of the gun. This is why for initial reviews we do not modify guns. We will get a dot on the CMX XXX and return to the range for a revisit with a gun that is more broken in and when we're not as rusty as shooters.
I've been reviewing Girsan pistols for a decade, and believe this to be my 13th model. I've always known them to be high-value guns that sometimes need a little break in or could benefit from a trigger job. The CMX XXX goes beyond a simple remake of an already-existing gun by introducing a true 9mm magazine for the double stack 1911. I applaud that effort and although my hands are a bit large for the resulting reduced trigger reach I know there are a lot of people out there who want to enjoy a double stack 1911, but can't get a good reach to the trigger. If you're one of those, are want to get into this type of platform without all the fuss of a more traditional model I think the CMX XXX is a good fit. You can always have the trigger done or mount a dot on the pistol if you feel you need to after your first range session.
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