The driving force behind many vintage firearms purchases is a sense of nostalgia. That can be a historical one, such as a 22-year-old college student buying an M1 Garand because he watched “Saving Private Ryan,” his grandfather used one in World War 2, or it popped up in a video game, or he’s simply a student of history. Other times it can be a vintage 22 a shooter may have used as an early plinker or the same model and caliber lever-action with which they took a buck. For some of us, it’s like seeing an old friend from the past, as was my case with a recent Jericho 941 FS that popped up locally.
I used a Jericho semi-compact pistol called the 941 FS extensively while working in Guatemala more than 25 years ago. I was a bit reluctant at first because I was a dyed-in-the-wool 1911 fan, but beggars can’t be choosers and I soon warmed up to the pistol and have been a fan of the design ever since. It may have taken me 26 years to find one but I did. It was hard chromed with black plastic grips and this one came into the US via Guatemala.
History
The Jericho 941 was designed in the late 1980s by Israeli Military Industries as a sidearm for the Israeli Defense Forces to replace the motley assortment of real CZ-75s, Tanfoglio copies of the CZ-75 and 1911s, Hi-Powers, revolvers, and whatever else was in their inventory.
Often referred to as a CZ-75 clone, original pistols were made with slides, barrels, and frames of Israeli construction and small parts sourced from Italy by way of Tanfoglio. Perhaps the biggest change to the design was the use of the 41 Action Express (AE) caliber conversion and polygonal rifling as opposed to traditional lands and grooves.
The 41 AE is dimensionally similar to the 40 S&W round, but the cartridge made use of a rebated rim allowing it to easily chamber in a 9mm platform by means of a barrel and recoil spring change. The pistols were imported into the United States by a variety of companies such as KBI, Mossberg, and later Magnum Research. Magnum Research changed the slide profile to make it similar to the Desert Eagle and called the pistol the Baby Eagle.
In recent years, IMI was privatized as IWI (Israeli Weapon Industries), and the Jericho is manufactured as the Jericho Enhanced. This new variant features a new frame design, adjustable backstraps, Mil-STD 1913 Picatinny front rail, new hammer profile, new trigger profile, new thumb safety lever, and Novak Sights all while keeping true to form to the company’s high standards for reliable performance, accuracy
and quality construction.
This Pistol
Semi-compact may seem like an unusual term. The reason for that is the pistol has a full-size frame and can accept full-size 15-round or 17-round CZ-75 magazines. The slide and barrel have been shortened to the size of the compact model which takes a 12 or 13-round magazine. So you get a compact slide on the full-size frame as a trade-off between concealability, yet have a full-size magazine.
It runs on CZ-75 compatible magazines of good quality like Mec Gar or CZ. Cheap mags may give you poor results with regard to reliability.
The Jericho 941 FS pistol has really good ergonomics and would make for a good concealed carry or home defense piece. The only issue there is that it is noticeably heavier than modern polymer-framed striker-fired pistols.
Admittedly, the pistol is much more pleasant to shoot in single-action mode and I can work around the heavy DA first shot by cocking the hammer on the draw. Yet, I realize that many new shooters may not be able to do so. This is a design you really have to want or are completely familiar with in order to enjoy it. Some folks are not bothered by the two different pulls like that at all or look at it like a silencer
shooter would look at “first-round pop”.
There is even a school of thought that holds that this is a good carry mode for most people with minimal training: having to overcome that heavy pull in lieu of a manual safety and adrenaline in a self-defense situation making it immaterial.
It all comes down to the individual shooter. If that feature works with your lifestyle and skillset, then go for it. That is the outlook you need to take with any handgun.
As for holsters, you might have to find an old discontinued holster model for this one or go the custom route. Mine fit perfectly into a DeSantis holster intended for a 1911.
Range Day
In the 25 or so years since I last handled a Jericho 941 FS a few things changed. My skill as a shooter has improved as a result of weekly to almost daily shooting as opposed to two or three times a month. However, in recent years, the eyes have been aging somewhat and in spite of many other things improving, I’m not the crack shot that I was even a few years ago with a pistol.
With 300 rounds of Bellom 9mm (124-grain FMJ) courtesy of Global Ordnance and five or six paper targets, I hit the range with my old friend to see if it was as I remembered.
Single-action with the Jericho 941 FS was as I remembered, crisp with a short pull and the metal frame absorbing much of the recoil. This was why I preferred to carry in condition one, cocked and locked with the hammer to the rear. No worries about forgetting to flick the safety down upon presentation.
For the sake of research, I fired a few double-action from the hammer down on a live round and while the squeeze was not terrible, it was much longer than I liked. Of course, you can see that in the groupings as the long pull does have an effect.
Is it still relevant?
Of course, a lot of detractors will rush to tell you that this pistol (and all DA/SA pistols with a metal frame) is obsolete. While you may not see them in the holsters of police officers or soldiers anymore, the guns didn’t just stop working overnight. The last time I checked, 9mm ammunition is still available. It is obsolete only in the sense that it is no longer manufactured and it might be a little outdated.
If you can score one for a good price and need it to defend your home or use as a carry gun; you could do a lot worse.
