Jericho 941 Air Pistol – Review of Gletcher, Cybergun (KWC) and Swiss Arms Models

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Pistol IMI Jericho 941

Pistol IMI Jericho 941 (early release)

The Jericho 941 pistol, mass production of which began in the late 1980s, was created in collaboration with specialists from the Italian company Tanfoglio and the Israeli IMI based on the design of the Czech CZ 75. The Jericho 941 was adopted by Israeli law enforcement agencies and various security services. This pistol was supplied to the army only in limited quantities. In the late 1990s, it was replaced by the Glock 17, but the Jericho is still used by police, including MAGAV, and SHABAS, and remains in service with special police forces - MATILAN, YAMAG, YAMAS, YAGAL, ​​Yoav, Gideonim, and SHABAS (NACHSHON ). The pistol is exported to various countries in Europe and the USA. Its design is reminiscent of another, more famous pistol produced by IMI, very popular in films and computer games, Desert Eagle. As a result, Jericho is sold in the USA by Magnum Research under the names Uzi Eagle, Baby Eagle, Baby Desert Eagle and simply Desert Eagle, although unlike the American-Israeli “Desert Eagle”, Jericho pistols are excellent military weapons suitable for use in the army and police as a service document, and to be worn for self-defense. One of the latest options is the full-size Baby Eagle II, distributed in the United States under the Magnum Research brands and in other countries under the IWI brands. It is available in both steel and polymer frame versions. The main difference between the Baby Eagle II and the Jericho 941 (Baby Eagle) is the presence of standard Picatinny rails on the lower surface of the front of the frame. The newest version of the Jericho, currently produced by IWI (Israel Weapon Industries), is the Jericho 941 model. The pistol has been returned to its former name, including weapons exported to the United States.

For a number of reasons, this pistol with high combat and performance qualities has not become as popular as weapons from famous companies such as Beretta or Sig-Sauer, but, nevertheless, is one of the best modern combat pistols. The Jericho 941 was originally designed as a weapon with an interchangeable barrel and a variable caliber. Having a main caliber of 9 mm, when using the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, the pistol was equipped with an interchangeable barrel, a recoil spring and a magazine chambered for the .41 AE cartridge. The use of two cartridges of different calibers without replacing the bolt casing is possible due to the same diameter of the rim of the cartridge case used. However, later this design idea did not become widespread and the production of barrels for .41 AE was curtailed. Currently, the pistol is produced for the most popular cartridges - 9mm Parabellum, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. There are many different versions of this pistol available. 941 is a standard model with a safety on the bolt-casing and a safety release lever. The 941F is a standard model with a frame fuse. 941FS is a shortened model with a frame-mounted fuse. The only difference between the 941RS and the 941FS is the double-sided fuse. 941FB – shortened “Baby” model with a frame-mounted fuse. 941FBL is a shortened and lightweight model with a fuse on the frame; the frame itself is made of polymer. 941PS - police model “Police Special” with a safety lock on the bolt-casing, a single-action trigger mechanism and a compensator. PSL – police compact model.

Pistol Jericho 941 FS

Jericho 941 FS pistol, sold in the USA under the name Baby Eagle

The automation works according to the scheme of using recoil with a short barrel stroke. Locking is carried out using a descending breech of the barrel. Two lugs located above the chamber fit into corresponding grooves made in the inner surface of the bolt casing. The reduction occurs when the figured groove of the lower tide of the breech of the barrel interacts with the axis of the bolt stop. This locking design, invented by John Browning and subsequently refined, provides excellent automatic operation reliability under severe operating conditions, as well as with ammunition of various capacities and from different manufacturers. The bolt-casing moves along the internal guides of the frame, which ensures almost backlash-free movement, since the guides run along the entire length of the frame, which ultimately increases shooting accuracy. In addition, the center of gravity of the pistol is shifted forward due to the massive front parts of the frame and the bolt casing, which reduces the toss of the weapon when fired. The barrel is made by cold forging on a rim and has polygonal rifling. The bore is chrome plated. This design and production method increases the life of the barrel and makes it easier to clean.

The standard version of the trigger mechanism is a hammer, double action, with a safety cocking of the hammer. This design is the most versatile and allows you to safely carry a weapon in full combat readiness at all times. Instead of the standard one, it is possible to install a single-action trigger mechanism. The trigger mechanism has two symmetrically located trigger rods, due to which the force applied to the trigger is distributed evenly. The trigger stroke is smooth and smooth, both when shooting with a pre-cocked hammer and in self-cocking mode. All these qualities increase shooting accuracy. On both sides of the bolt-casing there are levers of a double-sided safety lever, which, when turned on, safely releases the hammer from the cocking position. The safety can be engaged in any position of the trigger. When the trigger is pulled, the bolt-casing is also blocked. In a later modification of the pistol, the Jericho 941F, the safety is placed in the frame, and its lever is located on its left side. The levers themselves have a convenient shape and are easily controlled by the hand holding the weapon. Until 1998, the manufacturer installed springs with a short service life, after which they began to supply pistols with reliable coil springs.

Pistol Jericho 941

Pistol Jericho 941F

The pistol is equipped with an automatic firing pin safety device made in the form of a spring-loaded pin that unlocks the firing pin only when the trigger is fully pulled. The firing pin is released by decompressing the locking pin spring, rather than compressing it, as in most other similar designs. Thanks to this, when the bolt-casing is not fully closed, the automatic firing pin safety will not be turned off. The bolt stop lever is located on the left side of the frame, above the trigger. The magazine latch, located at the base of the trigger guard, can be moved to the right side of the frame to make it easier for a shooter with a left dominant hand to handle the weapon. Sights consist of a front sight and rear sight, fixed in dovetail grooves with the possibility of introducing lateral corrections. They also feature white inserts for faster and easier aiming in low-light conditions.

Tanfoglio magazines can be used, which are the best in reliability and durability, and at the same time are quite widespread. You can also adapt magazines from CZ 75, but practical experience has shown their unsatisfactory reliability due to the springs. The pistol handle has a very ergonomic shape. This is one of the most comfortable grips among modern combat pistols created for the army and police. The hand fit is tight and deep. As a result, the pistol has little recoil and bounce when firing, which facilitates quick re-aiming of the weapon at the target after each shot and better control during high-speed shooting. In addition to the above advantages of the pistol, its operation also revealed some disadvantages. With constant and intensive use, the coating on the edges of the frame wears off, but no rusting of the weapon was noticed. Owners of Baby Eagle pistols sold in the USA have noted spontaneous magazine dropout, which is caused by the magazine latch tooth that secures it in the pistol frame, which is small and somewhat rounded to secure the magazine on either side when the latch is moved. This drawback can be eliminated very simply - by bending the edge of the magazine slot on the corresponding side. The manually operated safety lever makes it difficult for an inexperienced user to handle the weapon. The contact surface of the shutter-casing notch is very small, which is why the index and thumb, together with the shutter, grip the frame.

Magnum Research Baby Eagle II Pistol

Pistol Jericho 941

Jericho's advantages outweigh its disadvantages many times over. The weapon has excellent operational reliability even in difficult operating conditions, when sand and dirt get inside. It works equally reliably with cheap Russian Wolf cartridges and similarly priced Western ammunition. Cartridges from a variety of manufacturers, equipped with expansive bullets with different head geometry, can be sent without any problems. The gun is simple, convenient and safe to use. It is perfectly controlled during high-speed shooting and quickly re-aims at the target. Due to the large-capacity magazine, it has high firepower. Due to its design features, it has high shooting accuracy. The ease of partial disassembly and assembly of the weapon makes it easy to maintain. In addition, Jericho and Baby Eagle have high quality manufacturing and surface treatment, which objectively surpasses the quality of the Czech prototypes of these weapons. Overall, this is one of the best combat pistols in the world, combining excellent combat and service qualities.

Equipment

The pistol configurations are generally the same:

• Gun
• Box (Gletcher with traditional explosion design)
• Hexagon for screwing the cylinder
• Loader
• Documentation
• Shooting balls (except Gletcher)

Gletcher JRH 941

Air pistol Cybergun Jericho 941 in a box

Box Swiss Arms 941

Disassembling the device

Disassembled jericho 941 air pistol

This is done quite easily. First you need to pull out the magazine and pull the plastic shutter delay lever towards you, turning it down vertically. We move the shutter forward a little - to where the front sight is located. This will remove the safety from the pistol. Now the bolt can be easily removed from the frame by lifting the rear part. We remove the Weaver bar, which is held on by screws.

Next, it’s up to the frame; we remove it too, pulling out the pin on which it is held. To remove it, remove the handle linings secured with screws. The false barrel and working trigger become visible. In general, the operation is completed - you can lubricate and then reassemble the product.

Appearance

First, let's look at the samples being studied.

Combat Jericho 941

Air gun Gletcher JRH 941

Air pistol Cybergun Jericho 941

Air pistol Swiss Arms 941

As mentioned above, they are all made according to the same template. The appearance, weight and dimensions correspond to the combat Jericho. The frame is made of strong polymer, the bolt and magazine are made of a metal alloy. The shutter is motionless, no blowback is provided on these models, which is even strange for the Gletcher model. Of all the models under consideration, I only had to shoot from the famous glacier, but compared to other versions, this is where it somehow seems deprived. It may even be worth reconsidering your initial opinion in this segment on the Taiwanese-French air pistol Cybergun Jericho 941 or Swiss Arms 941. Sights are represented by a standard open sight, the rear sight is not adjustable.

The moving functional parts include a trigger, a double-sided safety lever and a magazine eject button on the right panel. Double action trigger. Shooting is carried out only by self-cocking. There is a plastic false skin that reacts with movement when the trigger is pressed, but this is just a visual dummy. The real trigger is located deeper, but, unfortunately, the manufacturer does not provide for manual cocking.

Trigger, safety and rear sight

Well, pay attention to the muzzle, it’s quite an interesting look. It is also worth noting that the barrel in the pistol is movable.

All samples have a full-size magazine with a built-in valve. The Cybergun Jericho 941 and Swiss Arms air pistol holds 22 balls, the Gletcher JRH 941 air pistol holds 21 balls. The cylinder is pierced in the store using a hidden clamping screw (or rather a hidden plug).

Clamping screw Jericho 941

Separately, we can highlight the presence of a loader for “accelerated” refilling of the pistol magazine. All three models are equipped with it.

Loader on the store in Jericho 941

It is also possible to carry out partial disassembly of the pistol.

Partial disassembly of Jericho 941

At the end of the visual inspection, we note that Swiss Arms models may have a Weaver rail.

Box SA 941 with Weaver rail

Weaver rail on Swiss Arms 941

Users[edit]

• Argentina: Used by the police.
• Belgium
• Colombia [8]
• Costa Rica [9]
• Dominican Republic
• Salvador [10]
• Georgia: Used by the army and police. [eleven]
• Greece [12]
• Hungary: Used by the police.
• India: Used by special forces. [13]
• Israel: Used by various police and security forces. [14]
• Nicaragua [15]
• Romania
• Serbia [16]
• South Korea: Used by the Army and Marine Corps Military Police Special Duty Team [17]
• Ukraine: since September 2009 it has been produced in Ukraine under the Fort-21.03 brand. [18] Used by Ukrainian police and special forces [19]
• Kenya: Used by the Kenya Police.
• Vietnam: Limited military and police use. Produced locally at the Z111 factory. [20] [21]

Combat functionality

Pistols have an average muzzle velocity. In one of the videos below, the sample shows amazing performance (for 170 capes), where such results come from is not clear, but the presence of potential has been established. And rumors about the power of the pneumatic 941 have been circulating for a long time.

The pistol's accuracy is poor. Almost all models, according to owner reviews, aim higher than the aiming point. Considering that the sights do not allow adjustment, all that remains is to get a file.

If the accuracy indicator here is questionable, then the accuracy is simply excellent (for a ball-splitter, of course). The balls are placed in close groups.

Possible upgrade

Almost all the negative reviews from the owners of this device are associated with one drawback - a very tight release. Disassembling and lubricating the mechanism with silicone grease can help solve the problem a little - the movement becomes easier.

If there is play, then you need to disassemble the pistol and divide the body mechanism into two halves by unscrewing the screws and removing the false barrel made of plastic.

Fill both halves one by one with cold welding and grease with oil, removing excess. Then we connect them, screw them together and let the composition harden. At the very end, twist the barrel a little, checking the size of the gap - it should not be too small. Then we collect everything.

And now for the quick improvements:

• To avoid rubbing a callus on your finger, grind down the edge on the trigger hook.
• To make the balls feed more easily, we slightly grind off the barrel at the bottom.
• Loosen the spring slightly for ease of use.

Comparison of models

Before drawing conclusions, let’s summarize the comparative indicators into a general table of tactical and technical characteristics.

As you can see, the main differences between the models in terms of performance characteristics are the number of bullets in the magazine and the declared shot speed.

Technical characteristics of Jericho 941

• Caliber: 9mm Parabellum / .40 S&W / .45 ACP
• Weapon length: 207 mm
• Barrel length: 112 mm
• Weapon height: 140 mm
• Weapon width: 35 mm
• Weight without cartridges: 1050 g.
• Magazine capacity: 16 / 12 / 10 rounds

Pistols

• Israel
• Spain
• Mexico
• South Korea
• Slovakia
• South Africa
• Montenegro
• Croatia
• Japan
• Norway
• Ukraine
• Vietnam
• USA
• Great Britain
• Finland
• Hungary
• Germany
• Serbia
• Switzerland
• Poland
• France
• Belgium
• Italy
• Austria
• Russia/USSR
• Brazil
• Türkiye
• Argentina
• Canada
• UAE
• Jordan
• China
• Bulgaria
• Slovenia
• Czech

Links[edit]

1. "IWI US Announces Return of Jericho 941 - Firearms Blog". December 18, 2014
2. ^ abcde Lewis, Jack; Campbell, Robert K.; Steele, David (26 September 2007). "From Uzi to Cornershot". Weapon Digest of Assault Weapons
   . Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books. pp. 242–243. ISBN 978-0-89689-498-3.
3. ^ ab Barnes, Frank K. (October 5, 2012). Cartridges of the World: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Over 1,500 Cartridges. Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books. item 353. ISBN. 978-1-4402-3059-2.
4. "Models of Jericho 941" (PDF).
5. "Jericho 941F". www.czfirearms.us
   .
6. "Jericho 941F". www.czfirearms.us
   .
7. "The truth about the 'Israeli carry' - the truth about the weapon". April 24, 2022.
8. ↑
   Jane's Infantry Weapons.
   17
   . 1992. p. 29. ISBN 9780710606730.
9. Central America Report. 24
   . Inforpress Centroamericana. 1997. p. 33.
10. ↑
    Montes, Julio A. (May 2000).
    "Infantry weapons of Salvadoran troops". Small Arms Review
    . Vol. 3 pcs. 8.
11. Vining, Miles (22 April 2016). "ISAF BLS Weapons". Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
12. "Israel Gives Jericho 941 Pistols to Greek Coast Guard - Firearms Blog". August 30, 2012
13. "Special group (4 VIKAS) - Indian underground unit".
14. Charles W. Cutshaw (February 28, 2011). 21st Century Tactical Small Arms: The Complete Guide to Small Arms from Around the World. Iola, WI: Gun Digest Books. p. 88. ISBN 978-1-4402-2482-9.
15. https://havanatimes.org/features/the-deadly-arsenal-used-by-the-param military-
    in-nicaragua/
16. ↑
    Nenad (October 3, 2009). "Special Brigade of the Serbian Army".
17. "Archival copy". Archived from the original on 2016-11-21. Retrieved December 2, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
18. " At the exhibition, NPO Fort also showed another new product of Israeli origin -
    the Fort-21 pistol, which is a licensed copy of the Israeli Jericho pistol. " Petr Chernykh. And in battle, and on the hunt, and to shoot at banks: what gunsmiths pleased the Ukrainian public with... // UNIAN dated October 2, 2009.
19. "Pistol" Fort-21.03 "".
20. https://kienthuc.net.vn (December 13, 2022). "Ngạc nhiên vũ khí tối tân đến không ngờ của Đặc công VN". Kienthuc.net.vn
    . Retrieved January 31, 2022.
21. "Vi Nt Nam sản xuất súng ngắn Jericho 941". datviet.trithuccuocsong.vn
    . Retrieved January 31, 2022.
22. "Cowboy Bebop - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games". www.imfdb.org
    . Retrieved 2/21/21.
23. "War Dogs - Internet Movie Firearms Database - Guns in Movies, TV and Video Games". www.imfdb.org
    . Retrieved 2/21/21.
24. ↑
    Red Hood - DC Universe Online Wiki ".
    https://dcuniverseonline.fandom.com
    . Retrieved March 7, 2022. External link in |website=(help)