Baby Eagle II

[Mr.Goodtimes]

Hey homies, i dont wanna seem like someone that cant make their mind up but, unfortunately the local gun shops around here are all worthless as far as reliable information goes(and i mean worthless) so, i rely on m4net for most of my gun info as theres alot of good information to be had here. I went to one of the local shops this evening to check out a g19, i picked it up, it fit my (large) hands well, pointed nicely, i really liked it. However, they also had a pistol id looked into a while ago, a baby eagle. I picked this thing up and good god, it was built like a tank, fit and finish were great and it felt good in my hands as well.

There both priced close, and well within my price range. My question is, are these good guns? The quality looked excellent, and i like how its sort of unique. I know its not very customizable and thats not really a concern. Everything about the baby eagle felt right. when i decide which one i want, the shop will let me test shoot it if i buy from them. its going to be difficult to tell what kind of reliability i can expect out of it from only putting a mag or two down range. The reviews ive read were good, but i was hoping mabey someone here would have some personal experience with one.

-Ryan

[the_fallguy]

I carried a semi compact baby eagle as my CCW piece for almost two years (the hard to find model with the frame mounted safety).

My overall experience with these pistols is very favorable. To me, they are extremely comfortable to handle and shoot. They have good balance and the bore axis is low enough to allow quick and consistent shot to shot recovery. I never had any mis-feeds or jams of any kind with either of mine. The capacity is a nice plus, and the cross compatibility with EAA mags came in handy as well.

The drawbacks to this pistol are size and weight. If you are planning to carry concealed, you definitely need to invest in a good gun belt. If you don't, you will really start noticing the weight and feel some fatigue after a while. I mention the size of the pistol becase even the semi compact has a full length grip. This may or may not be an issue, largely depending on your body type and wardrobe. I carried the semi-compact just fine and no on ever knew about it, but I also carry a full sized Glock at times so take that for what it's worth. If you are looking at the compact model, you should be able to easily conceal that at the expense of magazine capacity.

My only other concern with this pistol is the low profile slide coupled with the slide mounted safety. You must be mindful of how you manipulate the slide, or you could find yourself inadvertently de-cocking the pistol and engaging the safety at a bad time. This wasn't an issue with the frame safety model, but they are extremely difficult to find (though there is a possibility Charles Daly will be offering them soon, depending on there success at this year's SHOT show).

All that having been said, I think the Glock 19 is one of the best concealed carry pistols there is, and it would serve you very well (not to mention there are a lot more parts, accessories and holsters available for it.

[Mr.Goodtimes]

thats good to hear that it was reliable! and what you said was pretty much inline with other reviews, everybody said this thing was dead nuts accurate and reliable. It was heavy for sure! The g19 fit me well, the eagle fit me like a glove... the lack of holsters is a slight concern, however, i know a nice leather shop that could custom make me a IWB holster, most of the time ittl be on my nightstand, or in my truck. The only time i would CC is in the rougher parts of town i go through. I liked the fact that it had a steel frame too. this is gonna be a tough decision... i like these tough decisions though, life is all about variety lol

[neodecker]

Do some of the models say Baby Eagle? Because mine said Jericho 941 on it. I always liked mine the only problem I had was finding mags.

[the_fallguy]

Some models say "Baby Eagle", some say "Uzi Eagle", and some say "Desert Eagle 9mm", depending on who imported them and how they marked them at the time. As you can attest, there were a limited number imported under the Jericho name (I was told Mossberg imported these, but I have no idea if that is correct). Whatever markings they have, all of them are essentially the Jericho 941 series of pistols. Mine were the 941F and 941FS models. I genuinely hope CD decides to import the frame mounted safety models (especially the polymer framed versions).

[neodecker]

Ive seen the Uzi Eagle on the internet but all the ones Ive seen at gun shops say Jericho 941 (although the tags said Baby Eagle) I was just wondering.

[Jack_Stroker]

The pistol started out as the Jericho 941 which was based on the CZ-75 design. Early models often said "Uzi Eagle" on them or Jericho 941. Newer versions of the weapon sold by Magnum Research say "Baby Eagle" on them.

[ARsforlife]

its a great nightstand gun...

;)


especially the fullsized and plenty out there for holsters, both soft and leather, kydex maybe not so much.

[John_Wayne777]

My question is, are these good guns?


My experience with them is limited, but in general the samples I've tried have all been made very well and they went bang when I pulled the trigger. I admit to having a soft spot for the Jericho/Baby-Eagle/IMI pistols ever since I first saw the first ones hit the US market.

They look really cool.

...but they are a CZ-75 derivative with a screwed up safety arrangement. Not my favorite option on the market.



The quality looked excellent, and i like how its sort of unique. I know its not very customizable and thats not really a concern.


...if you are looking for a general purpose self defense weapon and are new to shooting, it SHOULD be a concern, as should the availability of holsters and other necessary gear for the weapon.



Everything about the baby eagle felt right. when i decide which one i want, the shop will let me test shoot it if i buy from them. its going to be difficult to tell what kind of reliability i can expect out of it from only putting a mag or two down range.


...which is another strike against it. Glocks are a well known quantity and there is a wealth of knowledge about them and how to make them work. Glock's CS is also pretty good if you end up with a problem that a simple armorer level fix can't solve.

I can't say the same thing for the BE.



The reviews ive read were good, but i was hoping mabey someone here would have some personal experience with one.


My personal experience with them is very limited. What experience I have with them has been fine.

The more important question is this:

Why do you want a pistol? If you are buying a pistol because you want something cool to shoot, there are a plethora of good choices out there and I'd say the BE would probably be just fine.

If, however, you are a relatively new shooter who has little or no formal training and you're looking for a weapon for serious social purposes the factors you use to choose a weapon should be much different.

An example: I see a lot of guys who buy X or Y because not many people have them. For a collector gun or a range toy, that's pretty cool. For a weapon meant for serious social purposes, however, "not many people have them" means that it's harder to find holsters, magazines, sights, and other necessary support equipment for them. What options you do find will often come at a premium. If you are Paris Hilton that might not be a problem for you....but if you're an ordinary joe odds are that you have far less money than ambition, so getting the most value out of your dollar is important.

Another area of concern is training. If you're intending to use this weapon for serious social purposes (self defense) and you're limited on resources it would behoove you to select a weapon that maximizes the limited training budget you're likely to have. The BE is a DA/SA pistol. While DA/SA guns can be learned and lots of people use them effectively, it remains true that a fair number of shooters struggle with the transition from DA to SA. Personally it's never bothered me much, but I've spent entire days working with students who couldn't seem to master the transition. After hours of instruction and no progress I've handed them a pistol with a consistent trigger pull from shot to shot and viola! They start consistently putting bullets where they are needed. My advice to these individuals was to sell their DA/SA guns and buy themselves something like a Glock or an M&P because it obviously worked better for them.

If you have minimal budget and time to dedicate to training, a weapon with a consistent trigger pull from shot to shot will maximize the benefit of whatever training time you can get.

As a range toy, either weapon will work. As a defensive tool, however, you are probably going to be significantly better off with the Glock 19 or an M&P than the BE.

[Mr.Goodtimes]

the glock is def the better choice, after reading and thinking, the glock is certainly the better option.

[the_fallguy]

...but they are a CZ-75 derivative with a screwed up safety arrangement. Not my favorite option on the market.



Hopefully Charles Daly will rectify that by importing the cocked and locked version....

[the_fallguy]

the glock is def the better choice, after reading and thinking, the glock is certainly the better option.

The Glock is a better decision, logistically speaking. 'More availability of parts and holsters, easy to replace if you have to, great dependability and functionality, etc...

After you take a couple classes, you might also look into getting a .22lr conversion kit to practice with (so you can afford to maintain and familiarize your training).