[Fuelburns2]

I was at Gander Mountain today and I picked up a Desert Eagle catalog while pricing safes. The catalog has a page or two on the Baby Desert Eagle and I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with one of these fine looking guns.

I was also wondering why the standard in 9mm has one listed as a 10-rd and one listed as a 15-rd capacity. Is it the same size gun or is the grip longer on the 15?

 

[Maser]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I was also wondering why the standard in 9mm has one listed as a 10-rd and one listed as a 15-rd capacity. Is it the same size gun or is the grip longer on the 15?

well i doubt the grip is gonna be any longer cuz mags can be either single or double colum so that way u can increase the ammount of ammo without changing the length of the mag but hey they probly make a 10 round version cuz theres still some states that dont allow high capacity mags (over 10 rounds)

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I hadn't thought about the legal mag capacity issue but that at least explains the reason for two of the same guns in the same caliber having different capacities. I just wonder if the dimensions are different because they have different item numbers in the catalog. I think they're sweet looking pistols and since I haven't heard anything bad about Magnum Research I thought I'd consider buying one. 9mm is relatively cheap to shoot which is a big plus for me so I'm shopping around. Glocks don't get me excited, but the Sig line is nice. I don't think a new Sig will beat the MSRP of $499 on the Baby DE though.

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

Nobody has any experience with this gun?

 

[uglydog]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

My experience has been limited to one magazine that another shooter let me fire. The gun did not strike me as impressive one way or the other. That owner was very happy with his gun but it did not appear that he had shot that gun much nor any other handgun for that matter so I would question his opinion. I have only heard snippets regarding the gun and they have been neutral to slightly negative though the last may be due to bias. I have not been much impressed with any of the IMI handguns and that carries over to this one I'm afraid. Even with Magnum Research's head office being located in my state it seems they do not have the greatest service network based on converstions with gunsmiths and owner/tinkerers. Sorry I can't be more helpful but there won't be much with a low demand or produced gun like this.

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I didn't expect a flood of information but your post is definately of value to me. What was it about the gun that was unimpressive or lacking? DId it shoot where you aimed and feel good in your hand? I want one because I really like the aesthetics and it looks like it could be a good candidate for concealed carry in the future since it has few parts to get caught during draw. Price is very good too, but never at the expense of quality.

 

[uglydog]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

The slide was non-traditional in appearing to be lower than normal. I don't picture this as being a bonus for many of the holsters I have as I think the gun would not sit tightly in the sight channel. This also made me raise the gun slightly higher to get my correct sight picture but that could also be a design feature. If I was not so familiar with somethig else it would likely not be a problem and is similar to my switching from a 1911 pistol to a revolver or Glock. These are about all the impressions I can remember shooting the gun, I do remember how excited the owner was and how he thought the gun was very low recoiling and accurate. I shot about 3" groups at 10 yards with it so I don't think the accuracy was great nor terrible and I don't recall any difference in that gun from the other various .40s I'd shot previously. Recoil was a little less than the officer's sized 1911 I normally carry but then that is a .45 ACP with 230 gr bullets. I am mostly leery about them as the parts supply seems to be rather slow. The few gunsmiths I've talked about regarding Magnum Research/IMI in general report difficulty getting parts. this isn't much different than Browning and Beretta other than parts from B or B can be found somewhere if one looks while MR/IMI are just scarce period. I have no idea as to the longevity or reliability of the Baby Eagle so can't help there. If the gun would have struck my fancy I may have paid more attention to or even read any articles I've seen but I didn't and can't say much more. There was a Baby Eagle sitting at the Gander Mountain in Forest Lake, MN for several months but I saw it was gone the last time I was there. That is everything I know and can make up regarding this gun. Good luck on your search.

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

Thanks Uglydog, maybe I should go with a sig 226 instead. I've run into situations where I couldn't get parts for certain shotguns and there is nothing more frustrating. :x I will not subject myself to that again. If people are looking for parts enough that you heard about it from more than one person with the gun being as rare as it is then the gun is not built as well as I had hoped.

I read on the sigarms web site that the .40 can be converted to .357 sig with a drop in barrel conversion. That sounds like a great and unusual feature, but the price is almost two full paychecks. :?

 

[quivvy]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

i got a chance to handle the Baby Desert Eagle at bass pro shop last weekend. it felt solid but was quite heavy. i personally think it would be rather large/heavy to carry.

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

It would be more for general use and not concealed carry but that is something to take into consideration. I want cheap target fun and a nice 9mm looks like the way to go.

 

[uglydog]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

If you are looking for an inexpensive 9mm and are not set on a Baby Eagle you might try looking at the police returns of the various S&W, SIG, Glock, and Beretta models. I see many of them around $350 or so and there is a good service base behind them. Other guns I think are pretty decent for the price (up to $400) are the CZ 75 and 85, various Rugers, and FN Hi-Powers.

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I'm leaning heavily towards either a Springfield XD or a police return Sig 226. I have a few months before I can buy anything from a dealer but in the meantime I want to research as much as possible.

If anyone in Michigan has anything to sell PM me. :wink:
EDITED: Classified no longer exists

 

[zombie]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

A buddy of mine has one of the compact models and loves it. They are sold as Jericho's in Israel where, as I understand, they are quite popular.

 

[Asylum Keeper]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I'm leaning heavily towards either a Springfield XD or a police return Sig 226. I have a few months before I can buy anything from a dealer but in the meantime I want to research as much as possible.

If anyone in Michigan has anything to sell check my post in the classified section and PM me. :wink:

My friend has a XD in .40S&W 4 inch barrel. great gun!! I have put only a couple clips through it but I really liked it. It fit my hand really well, and I liked the backstrap safety and trigger safety, kind of a "no brainer" gun, just unholster and shoot, no manual safety to mess with yet still a VERY safe gun. I am personaly not a big fan of 9mm handguns unless its a compact. I put an XD on my list of guns to own. but I want one in .45GAP with a ported 5 inch barrel, oh yea baby!

 

[Drop-Shot]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

Fuelburns2 I have a baby eagle 9mm and love it,yep its heavy but no recoil,I have other carry guns so I don't have to carry the baby eagle unless I want to.I feel its well balanced and has the best trigger from the factory I have tried on all the 9mm's I looked at,I looked at the Sig,S&W Sigma,Springfield XD and Ruger.I owned a Ruger millienum 9mm for a couple of years and could not get the trigger succesfully lightened,I sent it to Ruger and a gunsmith,still too hard.I have 2 9mm's now a Glock19 and the baby eagle 9,wouldn't sell or trade it.Oh yea the new baby eagle comes in polymer or steel,I have the steel and can use the 15 round mags,I have 3 at the present.Drop-Shot

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

Drop-Shot, I like that the Baby Eagle is a heavy gun. Having an all steel gun has always appealed to me for both durability and feel. I found one at Gander Mtn recently and it renewed my interest in the BE as a fun and affordable 9mm. Thanks for the info on the trigger too. I have shot several handguns and trigger pull is something I consider very important. Have you ever had any repairs needed or frequent jams? Firsthand information on this gun is scarce at best so I appreciate your response.

 

[Drop-Shot]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I have never had a fail to feed with the baby eagle,I did have a fail to fire on 1 bullet from a box of cheap selleir&belloit ammo,none other,if you have a fail to fire just pull the trigger again,don't have to rack the slide back.I have never had a problen in the 4 years I've owned it and about 15 boxes of ammo so I don't know about customer service.Its double action so you can shoot with the hammer down and has a drop saftey.With good ammo,federal hydro-shocks I can shoot 2 1/2 inch groups at 25 yards,at 15 feet I can shoot out the bullseye in the target,less than 2 inches easy and free handed.One of the best semi-autos on the market in my opinion.Drop-Shot

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

if you have a fail to fire just pull the trigger again,don't have to rack the slide back.

This is the single reason I never considered a Glock and stopped looking at the SA XD-40. I don't trust the striker type firing pin with cheap ammo.

 

[Veritas]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I got the chance to fire a baby deagle 9mm tonight and all I have to say is WOW. I shot it much better than my XD9. My buddy said it was his favorite 9mm and he has a LOT of guns, and I can see why. No problems what so ever, comfortable in my hand and it was noticably more accurate than my XD. I'm in love and from what I can find they don't cost all that much either. Just one more to add to the wish list I guess.

 

[Fuelburns2]

Re: Baby Desert Eagle

I should have one before May if all goes well.