Surplus Israeli Police pistols. Are they worth it?
- Thread starter nitroxace
- Start date
When I was at tenda a few weeks ago they had them in stock. I held it and it felt great. It was over my budget so I passed on it. They are a very interesting firearm.
Went to Tenda today and was able to cherry pick a surplus Jericho 941. I also picked up a couple of extra Shadow 2 mags with the blue follows as well. I tried them out in the store and they dropped free smoothly and the slide stayed open. Thanks Gnome75 for the great info. Now its the waiting game for the CFO to register it. I was told that we are back up to 3 weeks here in Ontario.
Thanks again to everyone for the input.
highlander
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Newfoundland
What sort of shape were they in?
I would rate the exterior from a 6 to 7.5. The internals are very well kept. No pitting or rust. The barrel itself had minimal wear. It look that the firearm was only used during their annual or bi-annual qualification as there was no excessive wear that I could see. I spent some time really inspecting them as I wanted the Police engraving to stand out. I ended up getting a silver one for 499.99. The black ones were 469.99. They also had ones that were refinished in Duracoat that were completed by Notch and Post for a few dollars more 579,99. I wanted the original look and colour. The slide and trigger were very smooth. I cant wait to clean it up and take it to the range.
highlander
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Newfoundland
Thanks for the info, I've been considering one of these guns for a while now.
I have a SAO Jericho 941 and I like it. It's quite possibly the smallest grip circumference and trigger reach of any double stack 9mm I've tried so far and that includes all of the ones listed here:
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1965317-Hand-Size-vs-Pistol-Grip-Dimensions
Trigger has a little creep but it's somewhere around 4 lbs so I'd say it's above average.
The rear sight had a good ding in it which I cleaned up with a file and some cold blue.
I had some of that middle east grit under my ejector and it was causing an occasional failure to extract, but that stopped once I did a complete strip and clean.
There was some pitting underneath the grip panels but nothing serious.
General scratches and wear on the hard chrome but it's still solid and I'm not worried about future corrosion issues or flaking.
I used Tanfoglio small frame mecgar mags, but the base plates need a little sanding on the top face to give them enough clearance to fit (10 seconds on 400 grit was plenty). They enable the slide open when empty feature, but some CZ75 mags don't.
Zahal makes a low quality but functional holster for it.
Overall I'd say it's a good buy if you plan to use it as is or if you have small hands, but if you plan to add different sights, or refinish it, or start making mods then I'd recommend passing. You can find a good quality lightly used CZ or Jericho on this board for $100 more and they have less wear and tear and have less issues with parts availability. The Jericho's are a little dodgy as to what parts fit, some CZ 75 parts work but some require Tanfoglio small frame parts.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1965317-Hand-Size-vs-Pistol-Grip-Dimensions
Trigger has a little creep but it's somewhere around 4 lbs so I'd say it's above average.
The rear sight had a good ding in it which I cleaned up with a file and some cold blue.
I had some of that middle east grit under my ejector and it was causing an occasional failure to extract, but that stopped once I did a complete strip and clean.
There was some pitting underneath the grip panels but nothing serious.
General scratches and wear on the hard chrome but it's still solid and I'm not worried about future corrosion issues or flaking.
I used Tanfoglio small frame mecgar mags, but the base plates need a little sanding on the top face to give them enough clearance to fit (10 seconds on 400 grit was plenty). They enable the slide open when empty feature, but some CZ75 mags don't.
Zahal makes a low quality but functional holster for it.
Overall I'd say it's a good buy if you plan to use it as is or if you have small hands, but if you plan to add different sights, or refinish it, or start making mods then I'd recommend passing. You can find a good quality lightly used CZ or Jericho on this board for $100 more and they have less wear and tear and have less issues with parts availability. The Jericho's are a little dodgy as to what parts fit, some CZ 75 parts work but some require Tanfoglio small frame parts.
Had a chance to take a buddies Jericho 941 for a spin the other day.
Put through 40-60 rounds of 124 gr PMC. My friend around the same some kind of bulk ammo. No malfunctions. Gun operates really smoothly, its a nice shooter, soft recoil impulse.
I am OK at shooting handgun. With the 941 I was able to 10/10 dueling tree gongs at the 10 yard line.. Which was frustrating to me, because I have a hard time being as consistent with the glock 48 I brought (half as accurate)
I'll chalk that up to the benefits of a full size, metal frame! They feel nice in the hands but the slide is a little small, YMMV.
Further the front sight post on my buddies gun is a bit loose, but I was still able to shoot it accurately. Something to think about when purchasing the trade ins (condition).
Anyways, I want one. Mind you, they aren't significantly cheaper than some other more modern options with more features. I am a bit suspect of magazine and parts availability. These pistols definitely have style though.
Put through 40-60 rounds of 124 gr PMC. My friend around the same some kind of bulk ammo. No malfunctions. Gun operates really smoothly, its a nice shooter, soft recoil impulse.
I am OK at shooting handgun. With the 941 I was able to 10/10 dueling tree gongs at the 10 yard line.. Which was frustrating to me, because I have a hard time being as consistent with the glock 48 I brought (half as accurate)
I'll chalk that up to the benefits of a full size, metal frame! They feel nice in the hands but the slide is a little small, YMMV.
Further the front sight post on my buddies gun is a bit loose, but I was still able to shoot it accurately. Something to think about when purchasing the trade ins (condition).
Anyways, I want one. Mind you, they aren't significantly cheaper than some other more modern options with more features. I am a bit suspect of magazine and parts availability. These pistols definitely have style though.
Yah I appreciate that, I dont like the 2 stone steel ones as much. I have been looking at them all for the last day or so. I like the FDE duracote in particular.
It is definitely a good price. The question is, is it worth say, 500-600 after tax for these vs a new jericho II, 941, or the any other pistol most of which sit in a similar price bracket 500-800 msrp, some with more features.
So for some extra money, say 200-300$ ish you will get new condition, extra mag(s) and features. I'd say the difference pushes the police 941s slightly into budget / collector territory .
Surplus 941 holds up well, but I think someone making a first purchase may be better served by finding something more modern and new for more sound long term reliability.
This is all opinion, of course.
edit: by the way, the chrome ones. does anyone know how tough it is to remove those polymer thingers on the trigger guards? looks like just a roll pin you could punch out to me. what is their purpose anyway?
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CaseyK - I am still waiting for my 941 to be registered. I am into week 3. The one I bought has that plastic thing on the trigger guard and when I looked at it, it was either a roller pin or small Allen key to remove it. Some of the ones I looked at had them removed and placed into a small plastic bag, I never really bother to examine it that close.
That plastic thing is held on with an Allen key, it takes longer to get the wrench out of the tool box than it does to remove it. I still am not sure what it is for. I bought one of the matte nickle finished ones from SFRC about a year ago, I love it. My other 9mms hardly make it to the range anymore, it fits my hand beautifully, shoots like a dream and easy to clean. If you want a shooter, you won't regret it.
I am remiss, because my buddies front sight flew off his surplus 941 while we were shooting last weekend. Not confident on a blind online purchase or the longevity of the consumable components like springs. Maybe worth the money for a new unit.
I tried the CZ Shadow 2 mags with the blue follower as someone suggested and it fit and locked the slide back fine - dry fire only at the store. As I am still waiting for the Ontario CFO to finish my transfer I will have to wait to see if it locks the slide back at the range. It was nice and smooth going in and releasing.
That sounds plausible. With a greater portion of citizens in national service, the Israelis would need to accommodate a wider variety of body types and hand sizes than most.
2 of my 3 mags are the Meg-Gar, blue follower, CZ 75B mags. They fit without modification and can usually be found for about $35-40. I find most parts are available if you take the time to search the net.
