Way back in the summer, glenwolde posted a thread about the EAA Witness Pavona .380....aaaand I was hooked! I actually like the .380 caliber. Primarily, I am a revolver kind of geeze-ette, but I dable with semi auto pistols every once in a while and when I do, I prefer to shoot .380 when I can. I've been frustrated because most 380's are not known as target pistols! The EAA Witness Pavona appeared to be just the thing for me - a pistol designed so that is has a reduced recoil spring for easy slide manipulation and reduced felt recoil, a longer barrel (3.6"), a bit more massive weight-wise (1.9 lbs) - but not too heavy, an external hammer, slide lock and safety that are easily accessible with shorter fingers, as well as a host of other features -including a reasonable price. Specs can be found here.
So, I had my ffl order one for me, knowing full well that this gun was NOT on the Maryland approved handgun roster. That was in July. It is now December and I have just this week brought my new Baby Pavona home from jail, err...the FFL lock up. Yes - it took from July to almost mid December to get state approval for this pistol, but it was definitely worth the wait! The Pavona .380 mag holds 13 rounds. (Original post "edited" in order to verify/clarify the precise magazine laws in Maryland. Regardless, the pistol WAS approved and placed on the Maryland hand gun roster. Yippee for me!)
I have put about 250 rounds through the 380 Pavona in the last few days and both DH and I have determined that it is a GREAT pistol! Easy to manipulate, comfortable to hold for both of us (he has big hands and mine are arthritic and small), and it's really accurate and down right FUN to shoot! While it's more accurate in DH's hands than mine I figured I'd show you what a gray haired little old lady can do with this pistol!
That's 50 rounds of .380 on a 6" paster at 25 feet. Not too shabby for a revolver gezette! I can burn through 2 to 3 boxes and not feel any discomfort at all shooting the Pavona .380! While it was indeed originally designed for women shooters, the ergonomics of the pistol make it a great piece for almost everyone! It's bigger and more substantial than most pocket 380's, of which there seem to be quite a few in the market place, but it performs more like a range gun while still being of a carry size.
Here is a size comparison of one of my Bersa 380's and the Pavona. I plan to shoot the Pavona a lot and hope that I can really get my technique down with this piece, then apply my skills to my larger H&K VP9. The VP 9 is a wonderful pistol, but quite a bit more energetic and not as easy for me to shoot and also concentrate on everything one needs to do while shooting a pistol (which IS different than shooting a revolver).
While the EAA Witness Pavona is available in a host of colors, I opted for charcoal - but it still has silver colored fleck through out the polymer frame and a "chrome" slide!
Yeah, like Trace Adkins sings, my favorite color is chrome!
I think that the Pavona 380 is a "sleeper"! Most men just don't even consider it as a possible pistol for their collection because of the fact that it was primarily designed for women, but it is for that reason that it should be included in a man's collection as it would be a great "family" firearm! Young folks, women (wives, gal friends, moms, range bunnies!) and men can all shoot this accurately and with no discomfort! DH doesn't let the Pavona sparkles bother him at all, he even carries my pretty quilted tote bags on the job site when he needs to haul around extra "stuff" ; he is secure in his masculinity!
Getting one of the women in your life to enjoy the shooting sports with you would be very, very easy to do with a Pavona 380, and they will be eternally grateful to you for introducing them to the sport! DH is still my hero as the only problem with the Pavona 380 is that I can not remove the slide myself, but that is the only downside !
If you get a chance to try this pistol, we urge you to do so...but be sure to take lots of ammo to the range with you because you will have a Great time shooting it! DH and I highly recommend The EAA Witness Pavona 380 - IF you're man enough to buy one!
So, I had my ffl order one for me, knowing full well that this gun was NOT on the Maryland approved handgun roster. That was in July. It is now December and I have just this week brought my new Baby Pavona home from jail, err...the FFL lock up. Yes - it took from July to almost mid December to get state approval for this pistol, but it was definitely worth the wait! The Pavona .380 mag holds 13 rounds. (Original post "edited" in order to verify/clarify the precise magazine laws in Maryland. Regardless, the pistol WAS approved and placed on the Maryland hand gun roster. Yippee for me!)
I have put about 250 rounds through the 380 Pavona in the last few days and both DH and I have determined that it is a GREAT pistol! Easy to manipulate, comfortable to hold for both of us (he has big hands and mine are arthritic and small), and it's really accurate and down right FUN to shoot! While it's more accurate in DH's hands than mine I figured I'd show you what a gray haired little old lady can do with this pistol!

That's 50 rounds of .380 on a 6" paster at 25 feet. Not too shabby for a revolver gezette! I can burn through 2 to 3 boxes and not feel any discomfort at all shooting the Pavona .380! While it was indeed originally designed for women shooters, the ergonomics of the pistol make it a great piece for almost everyone! It's bigger and more substantial than most pocket 380's, of which there seem to be quite a few in the market place, but it performs more like a range gun while still being of a carry size.

Here is a size comparison of one of my Bersa 380's and the Pavona. I plan to shoot the Pavona a lot and hope that I can really get my technique down with this piece, then apply my skills to my larger H&K VP9. The VP 9 is a wonderful pistol, but quite a bit more energetic and not as easy for me to shoot and also concentrate on everything one needs to do while shooting a pistol (which IS different than shooting a revolver).
While the EAA Witness Pavona is available in a host of colors, I opted for charcoal - but it still has silver colored fleck through out the polymer frame and a "chrome" slide!
Yeah, like Trace Adkins sings, my favorite color is chrome!
I think that the Pavona 380 is a "sleeper"! Most men just don't even consider it as a possible pistol for their collection because of the fact that it was primarily designed for women, but it is for that reason that it should be included in a man's collection as it would be a great "family" firearm! Young folks, women (wives, gal friends, moms, range bunnies!) and men can all shoot this accurately and with no discomfort! DH doesn't let the Pavona sparkles bother him at all, he even carries my pretty quilted tote bags on the job site when he needs to haul around extra "stuff" ; he is secure in his masculinity!
If you get a chance to try this pistol, we urge you to do so...but be sure to take lots of ammo to the range with you because you will have a Great time shooting it! DH and I highly recommend The EAA Witness Pavona 380 - IF you're man enough to buy one!