In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.

IWI Magnum Research Baby Eagle

K-techK-tech Member Posts: 35 ✭✭
edited April 2011 in Ask the Experts
I have a full sized desert eagle 44 mag and was contemplating buying a Baby Eagle due to the fact I really like the desert eagle; but I guess I dont really dont have any experience with them. I was just kind of curious as to how they shoot and perform in general. Just wondering what anyone else thinks of them; of course anyone who actually has experience with them
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Comments

  • rufe-snowrufe-snow Member Posts: 18,650 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Magnum Research was bought out by Kahr Firearms recently. Kahr is the same outfit that make replica 1911's, M1 carbines, Tommy Guns etc. Till things shake out I would personally hold off from buying any of MR's products, till you find out what Kahr intends to do with them. You don't want to get stuck with some orphan pistol nobody in the States sells or supports. The various Eagle models were assembled in
    Isreal of mostly Italian made parts, they had a fairly good rep. With the change in ownership it is always a question mark on what going to happen with them?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • K-techK-tech Member Posts: 35 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ya thanks not bad advice at all. Do you know how accurate they are or anything?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by K-tech
    I have a full sized desert eagle 44 mag and was contemplating buying a Baby Eagle due to the fact I really like the desert eagle; but I guess I dont really dont have any experience with them. I was just kind of curious as to how they shoot and perform in general. Just wondering what anyone else thinks of them; of course anyone who actually has experience with them


    First of all the so-called "Baby Eagle" is a totally different gun design than the Desert Eagle. The only thing it shares with the "Desert Eagle" (other than at one point having the same American distributor) is the name, and the name "Baby Eagle" was also chosen deliberately just to capitalize on the "Desert Eagle" brand reputation.

    Same exact gun has also been called "Uzi Eagle" when Mossberg imported it, for similar reasons (to capitalize on the reputation of the Israeli Uzi). The gun is probably best known as the Jericho 941, which is its original Israeli name.

    To answer the question the Baby Eagle/Uzi Eagle/Jericho 941 is basically a clone of the famous Czech CZ-75 gun, but with an external decocker (instead of a conventional on/off safety), polygonal rifling for increased velocity and easy of barrel cleaning, and slightly different external design cues (like a wedge shaped hammer). There isn't much (or any) parts interchangability between the original Czech guns and the Israeli ones, though you may be able to run CZ mags through a Jericho pistol.

    Its a very good design, offering relatively high accuracy, excellent ergonomics, high reliability, and low recoil (in the all steel version). Double-action is fairly smooth. A number of Israeli Security forces (police, etc) use it for service work, and supposedly so do a number of other military and police around the world (eg Republic of Georgia, South Korea, Columbia, etc).

    Since the original came out about 20 years ago, there are been a number of variations, including ones with a chrome finish, a current rendition with an under-barrel rail for mounting a light/laser, shorter/compact and polymer variations.

    Bottom line for me is that the gun is conceptually similar to a SIG P226, in the sense that its an all steel, full sized service 9mm with external decocking safety. How much you like or dislike it will be subjective based on whether or not you like its features and it fits your hand, but if it appeals to you, I don't think you'll be diappointed with one.

    EDIT.
    quote:Originally posted by K-tech
    Ya thanks not bad advice at all. Do you know how accurate they are or anything?

    Well, the gun isn't intended to be a match pistol, but the combination of the slide-in-frame design (like the famous SIG P210 match pistol) and the polygonal rifling mean it should have high intrinsic accuracy, better than most typical "service" 9mms.

    It is definitely more than accurate enough for its purpose as a defensive sidearm, that's for sure. How accurate YOU will find it depends on your skill as a shooter, and the quality of ammo you use.

    I haven't tried testing a Jericho per se, for accuracy at 25 meters, but I can tell you from my experience with both the CZ-75 and the EAA Witness (which is similar to the Jericho) that the guns point well and are pretty easy to shoot well. Double-taps are particularly easy since the heavy steel gun doesn't offer much recoil and snaps back quickly into place after each shot.

    I have no problem putting 5 shots in a row into a hole the size of a silver dollar at 7 yards with my stock CZ-75, and that's "good enough" I think.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • the middlethe middle Member Posts: 3,089
    edited November -1
    I have a IMI Uzi Eagle (all steel) and I love it. Has never jambed once, and is a tack driver. Its also very well made, has a nice balance, and a durable finish.

    This is a older pistol (around 1993 or 1994?) and I doubt if the new ones are as good.

    Hope that helps.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • K-techK-tech Member Posts: 35 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks a lot that helps a lot
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sign In or Register to comment.