Magnum Research's IWI Baby Eagle...All Grown Up
by Mike Y.
(Michigan)
As a law-abiding citizen of the US who has owned a CCW (CPL) since the age of 21, (I am 50), I have owned and carried various sidearms for personal protection, as well as for concealed carry. I am a "big guy" and I have always been able to carry sidearms that most would not consider carrying. My first carry sidearm was a S&W Chief Special 9mm with a compact frame. It fit nicely under clothing and concealment was not a problem...even with a pocket carry holster. I graduated into a Beretta compact 40 cal, but soon retired it because my baby finger always slipped off the bottom of the sidearm. (Since this writing, Beretta now has a "flip-down" built into the magazine to prevent this from happening).
To date, my personal choice for a concealed carry sidearm is the Magnum Research/Israeli Arms Baby Eagle 40 cal. There are many knockoff and variations of this sidearm's profile (EAA's Witness, and CZ has a version as well), but none compare to the original. The main reason for this sidearm to be on my hip is because of the safety built into this gun. When the safety is engaged, the trigger can be squeezed without having to engage the hammer or the firing pin. This comes in very handy for draw and dry-firing techniques when practicing. No need to have the hammer slamming down on the pin and putting wear on your sidearm.
In addition, the saftey, which is mounted on the slide, can be engaged with the flick of the right or left thumb...and the safety flips FORWARD vs. down. This makes for a smooth, one motion draw of the sidearm, as well as not having to move the thumb far from the thumb forward position of your grip. The firepower of the 40 cal S&W rounds make it so that you don't have to compromise when it comes to impact, and the sights on the sidearm are very visible under most lighting conditions. The weight of the sidearm is appealing and sits very low when using a inside the pant holster.
Desert Eagle has been known for its monster 50 cal elephant stopper pistol, but Magnum Research did a great job on this smaller framed pistol. Very accurate and very appealing to men and women who carry for personal protection.
In closing, I allowed a few GLOCK owners to try out my Baby Eagle and they either purchased one or traded in their GLOCK for an Eagle. Must mean something...
But nothing replaces my full size H&K USP 45 cal as first choice. Just a bit too big as a concealed carry.
God Bless Us...
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