Why no love for the Baby Eagle?

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bimmerboy

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I handled a Baby Eagle the other day in 9mm, full size. It felt really nice. And the price was even nicer as $475. This was the metal framed version.

Why don't we ever hear anything about this pistol? Poor marketing? I'd much rather be shooting one of these than the Springfield XD. But the XD is in your face with every page turn of a magazine.
 
Much too big for my hands -- the trigger reach is much too long. And with its slide-mounted safety there is no option of cocked and locked, which draws the trigger back for single-action fire and reduces the reach. Sorry, not when PCRs and P-01s are under five bills.
 
Much too big for my hands -- the trigger reach is much too long.
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:confused:
They have a smaller grip circumference than the CZ.

Are there any real differences between the CZ and this gun? Can anyone explain them as they look like a good pistol.
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-Slide mounted decock/safety
-full length frame
-Polygonal rifling (it was out for about 2 years, but back now)
-Squared trigger gaurd

The BE is made by Tanfoglio of Italy, Assembled and finished by IWI or Israel and then Marketed by Magnum Research.


The Baby Eagle is a very well made pistol, and very accurate in my experience. My full size 9mm has nearly 16,000 rounds through it with fewer jams than I have fingers.
 
They have a smaller grip circumference than the CZ.
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Apparently not small enough. ;) The trigger is set pretty far forward, too, which I think is part of the problem. With a normal shooting grip I could barely reach it with the tip of my finger. The P-01 and PCR, once the initial slack is taken up, feel much better but are still borderline. I would like to borrow or rent one to shoot.

Not saying they are bad guns, not at all, but if they don't fit, they don't fit. :cool:
 
Another thing to notice is if you rack the slide you pretty much have to grab it by the rear sight. Which by itself isn't a problem except that's exactly where the slide mounted safety is and if your not paying attention you rack it on safe. Which is a problem if you have to clear a jam really fast for SD. Other than that they use the witness mags which can be hit or miss but then again you could get mecgars. If you find an older pistol they have frame mounted safeties. They are good pistols I just can't stand the safety with the internal rails there is not much to grab onto and I could easily sweep the safety. Just so you know cz mags don't work in this pistol but some of the baby eagle mags fit CZs. I know for a fact the 9mm 15 rd mags fit and cycle my SP-01.
 
Baby Eagles Rock!

I just wanted to share some love for the Baby Eagle. I have a full size all metal frame in .40S&W and it is great. It is a natural pointer, has a great finish to it and has been very reliable. One thing with the Baby eagle is....as with many guns that have tight frame to slide connection, it does take some break in period. When i first got it, first hundred rounds or so, i had several jams.......but in the last couple hundred 0 and it is just a gorgeous gun on top of that.
 
I bought the CZ75b because of all the hype, and it is a pretty good gun. My wife bought the Baby Eagle .40 S&W to go with her (yes her) Desert Eagle .44mag. I liked her Baby Eagle so much I had to have one for my 9mm collection, and I like it a lot more than the CZ.
 
I had one of the compact Baby Eagles with the polymer frame many years ago and I really miss it. I don't like it as much as the full size Jericho but it was still pretty nice.

IMO the Jericho is one of the most attractive handguns of all time, just very clean and simple ergonomics, no frills or fancy bells and whistles. Its also one of the most comfortable guns I've ever held. Of course I'm speaking of the standard Jericho with metal frame, not the model I had.

Damn now I want one:banghead:
 
Why no love for the Baby Eagle?
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The full size 9mm weighs 38.6 oz.
Some weigh less but you mentioned the full size 9mm.
I guess my answer is, THEY ARE HEAVY GUNS! That 9mm weighs as much as a 4" S&W M686 .357 Magnum.
 
The full size 9mm weighs 38.6 oz. Some weigh less but you mentioned the full size 9mm. I guess my answer is, THEY ARE HEAVY GUNS! That 9mm weighs as much as a 4" S&W M686 .357 Magnum.
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That was one of the things that I liked the most about my Baby Eagle. For range shooting (and in 9MM), it handled very smoothly. I did sell mine, though it was no fault of the gun itself. I just wanted something "better" (i.e more expensive), and picked up a Sig P226ST. It's slightly heavier!
 
D-Man,
I didn't say it's a bad thing only that it might be the reason it didn't catch on and sell like some of the other newer models released within the past few years. In my post I mentioned a 4" M686, that's because I shoot that revolver and also like the weight for stability at the range.

Most who buy a 9mm want to carry it and not many want to carry a heavy pistol all day long. I wouldn't want to carry my 4" revolver all day.
 
Too heavy as a carry gun. I had a Jericho compact 9mm and a .45. I used the a .45 in competition and did really well. Both were very accurate and reliable. Due to the weight, recoil of the .45 was negligible.

The fact that they are pretty is not a factor to me. I prefer ugly but effective. When it's concealed, nobody sees it.

I don't care to own anything that I would not carry and I am not into carrying a lot of weight on my belt.
 
I'm not sure why there isn't more love for the BE. I've wondered that myself. I have a semi compact .40 in brushed chrome, and it's an outstanding pistol. It is heavy, thats true, but it's built like a tank. It's not one of my few favorites in my collection , but that's only because it's not a 1911 or a S&W wheelgun which are my preferences. As far as a double action auto though, I consider it the best one I own by far. It may be a CZ type clone, but it feels different in the hand, and has a few additional features. The one thing I really wish it had though , was the CZ frame mounted manual safety .. I'm not a decocker fan. The double action pull is heavy, but the single action is just about the best I've ever felt in a double-action auto. And that's saying a lot. I wouldn't want to carry it, but it makes a truly impressive range gun.

Would you believe I got this test fired only factory demo for about $400 after taxes ? :D Easily one of the best deals I've ever found. I have no plans to ever sell this one.

babyeagle1.jpg
 
I think the BE is generally overshadowed by the CZ-75, from which it descended. You can generally find a better price on the CZ than the BE, you have more options on magazines, and the safety or decocker is on the frame (a deal-breaker for me). In any case, it's a fine pistol and I think a lot of people who like Sigs and CZs would also be quite at home with the BE.
 
I think one of the problems was not having a consistent distributor. They had Jericho, then UZI Eagle, and IMI. My guess is that IMI considers them a secondary product to the Desert Eagle. On the other hand, I have started to notice them showing up more and more in movies and tv, so maybe they will get more popular.

Why some people really like them:
They look cool
They are steel frame (hard to find nowadays)
Contrary to what some have said in this post, they have been available with a frame mounted sear locking safety
They have a different feel to the grip that some like
They can be pretty cheap

Why some people do not like them
They look weird
They are steel frame (very heavy)
Most commonly seen with a decocker
Have a different feel to the grip that some dislike
Is $75 more than a CZ (according to some)

also, the slide is hard to grasp, and like a lot of slide mounts, there is a tendency put the safety on when you rack it.
 
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