IWI JERICHO 941F HARD CHROME 9MM ISRAELI POLICE SURPLUS GRADE-1

Description
IWI JERICHO 941F HARD CHROME 9MM ISRAELI POLICE SURPLUS GRADE-1
IWI JERICHO 941F- Just in! A limited and unique shipment of quality Jericho 9mm trade ins from the Israeli Police. These Israel Military Industry Jerichos are the popular all steel SINGLE ACTION ONLY model 941F 9mm caliber. The 941F is the rugged all steel design and Features a frame mounted cock and lock safety, and single action only trigger. These are clean trade-ins with only some finish wear as pictured. Includes 1-10rd magazine.

ITEM SPECS
MANUFACTURER: IMI

MODEL: 941F

ACTION: Single

OVERALL LENGTH: 8.1 in

FRAME: Steel

CALIBER: 9mm

OVERALL LENGTH: 8.1 in

WEIGHT: 2.5 lbs

SIGHTS: 3 Dot

*Actual firearm may vary from the firearm pictured as all surplus firearms are not the same.

Review: IWI US Jericho 941F Pistol
Conceived by Israeli Military Industries (IMI) in 1990, the IWI Jericho 941 pistol was based on the CZ 75—a design chosen both for its solid attributes and the ubiquity of parts available. In fact, parts for the original Jericho were produced by Tanfoglio. Picking a proven design and importing parts from a proven manufacturer made adopting a new service pistol far easier than seeking out a brand-new handgun, testing submissions from multiple manufacturers and developing a training program around an untried firearm. There were some minor differences, including polygonal rifling and a combined safety/decocking lever, but the original Jericho was basically a heavy CZ 75 in 9 mm. IWI JERICHO 941F

The biggest change made by IMI was the inclusion of a .41 AE-chambered variant, from which the 941 designation derives. However, the .41 AE never caught on, and most Jerichos issued in Israel and exported were 9 mm, with .45 ACP and .40 S&W models added over time.

In the U.S., the IWI Jericho 941 pistol was originally imported by KBI of Harrisburg, PA. Later, Mossberg brought them in under the Uzi Eagle brand, and eventually Magnum Research took over importation with the name “Baby Eagle,” playing off the company’s Desert Eagle handgun—which, coincidentally, was also manufactured by IMI.

Which brings us to the IWI Jericho 941, and brings the pistol full circle in this country. IWI US is the American subsidiary of Israel Weapons Industries, which is the name IMI took when it was privatized. IWI US is based in the same facility as the old KBI, meaning the new Jerichos have returned to their proper name and their original importation location.

So, what does the IWI US Jericho offer? The 9 mm mid-size, polymer–frame model I received for testing—the gun is also available with a steel frame, in .40 S&W and .45 ACP (mid-size steel frame only) and full-size variants—was surprisingly light for its size. The mid-size designation is something of a stretch, as the only difference in size is a .6-inch shorter barrel than the full-size model, which shaves a mere 2.4 ounces off the bigger version’s weight. This is not a pocket pistol by any stretch of the imagination. IWI JERICHO 941F

That said, the IWI Jericho 941 pistol is extremely comfortable to shoot. The finger-groove grip combined with a flared section at the base of the backstrap helped the pistol fit snugly in my hand, which in turn made follow-up shots easy. Unlike some previously imported iterations, this version of the Jericho (and all models currently stocked by IWI US) sports a frame-mounted safety lever, as opposed to a slide-mounted safety or decocker. This theoretically makes it easier to reach (provided you’re right handed) and also allows “condition one” carry with a round in the chamber and the hammer cocked. With my small hands, however, I could not actuate the safety while maintaining a shooting grip.

Now, the Jericho is technically a double-action/single-action pistol, but without a decocker, I would not advise dropping the hammer on a loaded chamber unless you intend to discharge the handgun. That said, having the double-action capability provides a “second-strike” option should you encounter a light primer strike. Other features include a loaded-chamber indicator, a railed dustcover for mounting accessories and adjustable three-white-dot sights.

As a CZ 75 derivative, the slide on the IWI Jericho 941 pistol is very short compared to most other handguns. Therefore, there is less room to grip when racking the slide, but it does provide a lower bore axis. It took me some time to get used to the slide, as it does whenever I shoot a CZ 75-type pistol, but after a few magazines I barely noticed the difference. In testing, the trigger was a pleasant surprise—it broke very crisply in single-action mode and had a positive, relatively short reset, allowing for fast follow-up shots. The sights, on the other hand, were a touch small for a pistol this size. While certainly useable, I think they could be a bit bigger and therefore easier to acquire without detracting from the Jericho’s concealability. IWI JERICHO 941F

Reliability in testing was perfect, with zero stoppages through 200-odd rounds. Accuracy was on par with what I’ve come to expect from CZ 75s: solid, 3- to 4-inch groups at 25 yards from a rest. That—combined with the IWI Jericho 941 pistol’s superior handling and affordable price tag—means this version of an old design is definitely worth a look for a bedside companion or full-size carry pistol.

Gun Review: IWI US Jericho 941 Pistol
The 3.8-inch barreled IWI US Jericho 941 is a rugged little pistol that’s perfect for tactical and concealed carry applications.
IWI has a long-standing history of firearms manufacturing and development, dating back to 1933 when it was first known solely as Israel Military Industries (IMI). Working closely with the Israel Defense Forces, it created legendary weapons such as the Uzi and Galil, and more recently the Tavor, and of course the Jericho 941.

The firearms it turned out were designed to withstand the type of rough urban combat that the Israelis were constantly encountering. In 2005, the firearms side of the company was sold and renamed Israel Weapons Industries, or simply IWI, and began commercial sales of these classic firearms. Later in 2012, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania based IWI US brought out the first civilian versions of the Tavor, and of course the modern Jericho 941 that we bring you today. IWI JERICHO 941F

A Rocky Start
Originally released in 1990, the Jericho 941 had a rough start. The pistol gets its numerical designation from the two calibers that it could readily fire.

The end user had the choice of using standard 9mm, or the then-new .41 Action Express (AE) with a simple field conversion. Of course, with the commercial success and acceptance of .40 S&W, the .41 AE went the way of the dodo.

Ammo and conversion barrels for .41 AE eventually became next to impossible to find. With half the reason to buy this pistol being more than an arm’s length away, most believe this lead to its unpopularity.

Classic Roots
The pistol itself was a masterpiece. The Jericho’s design was based off the venerable CZ-75.

This gave way to perfect function and ergonomics. Aesthetics were certainly slick, with the gun having a resemblance to a scaled down Desert Eagle. IWI JERICHO 941F

This eventually earned it the nickname “Baby Eagle,” even though they had nothing to do with each other. The all-steel design was also very pleasing to purists who have had to endure the rapid emergence of the polymer-framed pistol market.

Today’s Jericho 941
Today, IWI US brings us its most updated series of the Jericho pistols. The pistol is available in both its original steel-framed version as well as a modernized polymer frame.

Abandoning the now obsolete .41 AE, each version is available in either 9mm or .40 S&W. The mid-sized steel pistol also gives an option of .45 ACP for a little extra kick from the waistband.

Both the steel and the polymer-framed pistols are available in either a full-sized version sporting a 4.4-inch barrel or a mid-sized version with a reduced barrel length of 3.8 inches. For testing, we were loaned a polymer mid-sized gun in 9mm ($559 MSRP). IWI JERICHO 941F

The Jericho still retains the original double-action/single-action configuration it was introduced with. Along the slide, you will find a cross block safety in lieu of a de-cocking lever.

I found this desirable, as it gives you the option of carrying it locked and cocked or hammer down. Without getting into the debate over the two, I thought it was nice to see both schools of thought taken care of on the same platform.

Trigger squeeze broke in single action at 5 pounds, 2 ounces, while in double action, it required 11 pounds, 6 ounces of force to make it go bang. This is no doubt to reduce the chance of accidental discharge should you have a threat at gunpoint. The NYPD actually uses a trigger of nearly the same weight on their officers’ Glocks for the same reason. IWI JERICHO 941F

A Lyman digital trigger pull scale (LymanProducts.com; $74.99) was used to determine these values. Although the double-action trigger was stiff, it’s fair to point out that there’s almost no reason to ever have to take a double-action shot as long as you are carrying with the hammer cocked and the safety on. If you are of the hammer down school of thought, all it takes is practice to get accurate.

The grip of the pistol is also very different from anything else on the market. The 941 has a very sharp grip angle that will appeal to Glock shooters.

However, it has a palm swell that is very low to meet the heel of your hand, making it very comfortable to shoot. The finger grooves also are a nice addition as long as your hand fills them correctly.

Range Day
The much anticipated range day brought us mist and periodic showers…weather that is never desirable for a plinking session but always makes for good data when testing. We weren’t gentle on the Jericho 941; we left it in the downpours to really test the durability of the Israeli pistol and see how a little moisture affected our grip. In other words, we wanted to see what it was made of! IWI JERICHO 941F

Shooting the Jericho was very effortless. Even damp, it was easy to keep a firm grip during recoil and place controlled pairs on our Shootsteel.com full-sized IPSC target (ShootSteel.com; $207).