The Arms Guide
  • Home
  • Concealed Carry
  • Firearms Training
  • Handguns
  • Rifles
  • Gun News
  • AR-15
  • Reloading Gear
  • Gun Safes

Israeli Weapon Industries’ Baby Eagle II: Something a little different

Baby Desert Eagle II .45 Review

December 20, 2016 by Nate Granzow 14 Comments

While the war between Glocks and 1911s continues on, new handgun designs are emerging on the market that don’t elicit much more than a grunt of approval from enthusiasts and speedy dismissal. But the Israeli manufacturer, Israeli Weapon Industries (IWI), is on to something worth taking notice of with their Baby Eagle II. Not ostentatious nor ugly, not bulky but substantive, the Baby Eagle incorporates the double-stacked capacity of a Glock with the all-steel heft of a 1911.

Features

Grip

Plastic with a stippled surface, the Baby Eagle’s grips provide a positive surface in a variety of weather conditions. However, if these grips don’t do it for you, replacement grips are nearly impossible to track down for the .45 model (which has a different mounting screw placement than the 9mm and .40 models).

Trigger

Double Action/Single Action (DA/SA) 12 – 13 lbs (DA), 4.5 – 5 lbs (SA). I would have preferred to have a little more consistency between the DA and SA trigger pull, even if it meant having the SA trigger pull break more heavily. As it is, you have a very heavy first pull followed by a surprisingly light second. Even as a practiced shooter of DA/SA pistols, this one caught me off guard. Trigger reset after the first shot is very short, as well, which makes rapid firing or double-tapping a thing of ease.

Sights

Combat type, white three dot, fixed. Clear and vivid, even in low-light conditions.

Baby Desert Eagle II .45 Review
A view of the Baby Eagle II’s low-profile slide and slide-mounted safety/decocker.

Slide

Like the CZ pistols the Baby Eagle emulates, the slide is actually machined to fit inside the frame, rather than the frame fitting inside the slide as is the more conventional design. This lowers the bore axis, bringing it closer to your grip, rendering the recoil easier to control, and making it a more accurate shooter. However, this also presents a challenge when it comes to charging the Baby Eagle or power stroking the slide: the low-profile slide has only a few shallow cocking serrations at the rear, making it difficult to secure a positive grip.

Other features

The Baby Eagle’s design features an ambidextrous slide-mounted safety/decocker which, even with my large hands, is difficult to operate dexterously. I would have preferred a frame-mounted safety/decocker, instead. On the plus side, the Baby Eagle’s magazine capacity, 10+1, is very impressive for a gun this size, and the frame-integral, machined-steel tac rail is a nice addition too—adding just a little more weight on the front end, helping reduce muzzle rise, and providing a solid platform for a weapons lightamazon, laseramazon, or if you’re feeling really crazy, a bayonetamazon. The Baby Eagle’s polygonal-rifled barrel was new to me, but I saw no noticeable difference in performance or accuracy because of it. It was easier to clean than a traditionally rifled barrel, for what that’s worth. The finish seems to be a hard-wearing manganese phosphate (“Parkerized”), but in a matte black. Very sharp-looking.

Price

The Baby Eagle II’s MSRP is $630, which, for an Israeli-built, all-steel piece of hardware with this high-class fit and finish, is a very competitive price.

Carry Considerations

At first, I had no intention of carrying the Baby Eagle. Its all-steel construction makes it heavy for its size, and, having a double-stack magazine, is not particularly thin. That said, while carrying it in a shoulder holster, I found it to be no more bulky or heavy than my old Hi-Power I carried for years.

Final Thoughts

I found shooting the Baby Eagle to be pleasantly surprising. The recoil is very controllable, and as a .45, is less noticeable than many 9mms I’ve shot. Much of this is due to the pistol’s weight, the low-profile slide, and the ergonomic grip. Overall, I’m extremely pleased with this gun. It’s got an undeniable aesthetic appeal, high capacity, excellent accuracy, and robust construction.

Specifications

Caliber: .45 ACP

Capacity: 10+1

Weight: 39.8oz (unloaded)

Frame material: forged steel

Slide material: forged steel

Barrel length: 3.93in.

Overall length: 7.75in.

Overall height: 5in.

MSRP: $630

Featured image courtesy of magnumresearch.com.

Filed Under: Handguns Tagged With: .45, .45 ACP, Baby Eagle, CCW, compact, compact pistol, Concealed Carry, desert eagle, double-stack, firearm, firearm review, gun review, handgun, high capacity, Israeli, Jericho, pistol, semi-auto, shooting

Related Posts

  • SIG Sauer P226 Platinum Elite
    SIG Sauer P226 Platinum Elite – Taking the MK 25 to the Next Level
  • Springfield XD-S 9mm
    Springfield XD-S 9mm – Great Option for Single Stack Nines
  • SIG P227 Nitron
    SIG P227 – a .45 in the Body of a 9mm

About the Author

Avatar for Nate Granzow

Nate Granzow A magazine editor and novelist by trade, Nate has spent years collecting and shooting antique, relic, and modern sporting arms, competing in cowboy-action and long-range blackpowder shoots, shooting trap/sporting clays, reloading, and hunting. He's a staunch believer that the second amendment of the U.S. Constitution is the foundation upon which all other rights are predicated, and is a strong proponent of concealed carry. Check out his novels at www.nategranzow.com.

See All Nate Granzow Articles

Comments

  1. Avatar for Nate Granzowpeter3101 says

    October 2, 2013 at 4:32 pm

    Looks like a nice gun, I went for the FNX FN 45 for my big 45 it’s a beast but carries 15+1, would have looked at this if it had been available as I like steel guns.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for Nate GranzowNateGranzow says

    October 2, 2013 at 5:22 pm

    peter3101 I’ve held one of those FN 45s, and you’re right—it’s a big stick, man. The capacity is just staggering.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for Nate GranzowNateGranzow says

    October 2, 2013 at 5:22 pm

    peter3101 I’ve held one of those FN 45s, and you’re right—it’s a big stick, man. The capacity is just staggering.

    Reply
  4. Avatar for Nate GranzowFateofDestinee says

    October 5, 2013 at 6:01 pm

    I’ve passed by one of these in gun shops a couple of times and always wondered how they’d perform. Seems like I’m missing out!

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

In Case You Missed It

Best Ar 10 Upper Receiver
Rifles

6 Best AR-10 Upper Receivers – A Buyers Guide

January 11, 2021

Best Bipod For Remington 700
Rifles

Best Bipod for Remington 700 – The Arms Guide Review

January 11, 2021

Best Handguns For Women
Handguns

The 6 Best Handguns for Women – Complete Buyers Guide

January 11, 2021

Best Glock Trigger
Handguns

5 Best Aftermarket Glock Triggers

January 11, 2021

© Copyright 2021 Thearmsguide · All Rights Reserved.

  • Comms Check
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com.