IMI JERICHO 941

Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin	Israel

Manufacturer	Israel Weapon Industries
Produced	1990-present
Variants	See Variants

Cartridge	9x19mm Parabellum .40 S&W .41 Action Express .45 ACP
Action	Short recoil
Feed system	9 or 13 round Detachable box magazine
Sights	Fixed (Combat), or optional fully adjustable, or optional illuminated night sights.

The Jericho 941 is a double action/single action semi-automatic pistol developed by Israel Weapon Industries and introduced to the market in 1990 as the Jericho 941. It was first imported into the US in 1990 by K.B.I., Inc. of Harrisburg, PA. It was later imported by O.F. Mossberg & Sons and named the Uzi Eagle and by Magnum Research, Inc. as the Baby Eagle until the end of 2008. Beginning January 1, 2009 until they ceased business on January 29, 2010, K.B.I., Inc. (which also imported Charles Daly firearms) resumed importation of the handgun as the Jericho. Magnum Research, now a division of Kahr Arms, announced a renewed importation of the Jericho.
The original Jericho 941 was based on the well-respected CZ-75 pistol designed and produced by Česká zbrojovka (CZ) of the Czech Republic and built using parts supplied by the Italian arms house Tanfoglio, which had been making their own CZ-75 clones. Using a well-tested design allowed IMI to avoid the teething problems most new pistol designs experience, and subcontracting much of the basic fabrication work to Tanfoglio allowed IMI to quickly and economically put into production a pistol that would have enough Israeli content to satisfy government contract requirements.
While the Jericho 941 features a safety/decocker, the CZ-75 features only a separate de-cocker, with several exceptions. The CZ-75 recommends that the hammer be half-cocked as a safety since the trigger will not pull if this is the case. Since the Jericho 941 has a safety integrated into the de-cocker, a half-cocked Jericho 941 is not safe and will fire. The barrel of the CZ-75 is rifled, while the Jericho 941 features a polygonal barrel, furthermore the Jericho 941 is substantially heavier. These differences translate into substantial differences in the condition in which the gun is carried, and in preference. The two guns are far from identical.
The single most significant innovation attempted by IMI was offering a new, much "hotter" cartridge, the .41 Action Express (see below) to go along with the Jericho 941. The difference between 9MM and .41 AE is the same as .44 magnum and .50 AE. The AE bullets have rebated rims which are the same diameter as the less powerful rounds, but the casing is wider providing more power. This allows these pairs of calibers to be used in the same firearm with only a change of barrel, recoil spring and magazine.
The .41 AE was even less successful in gaining traction in the marketplace than the 10 mm, and was soon discontinued. Experience with heavily loaded rounds gave IMI a considerable lead, however, in chambering for the soon-to-be successful .40 S&W and also allowed the Jericho to "up-chamber" to the very popular .45 ACP.Firearm enthusiasts praise the accuracy of the Jericho/Baby Eagle, its reliability, and its pricing. It is generally considered to be a very slim design for a large caliber pistol with a double-stack magazine, with "natural" pointing due to grip angle.The Jericho 941 design has been modified to include accessory rails on the frame for mounting lasers or weaponlights, a popular feature on many current-generation semi-automatic handguns.