May pick up a 44 with 10" barrel -

[Moebravo]

I reload 44. I want a desert eagle.

Someone local has one of these.

Any pros or cons. Anyone have any experience?

Anyone reload 44? Any recommendations? I use tight group with plated Berry bullets.

Fun gun. For under 1k should I pull the trigger? Thanks

Moe

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[Genevadirt]

I reload 44. I want a desert eagle.

Someone local has one of these.

Any pros or cons. Anyone have any experience?

Anyone reload 44? Any recommendations? I use tight group with plated Berry bullets.

Fun gun. For under 1k should I pull the trigger? Thanks

Moe

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If it is in good condition and the barrel actually goes with the gun then I would grab it. Awesome gun to shoot. The barrel is worth 4 to 6 hundred on it's own, they have been discontinued. Good luck.

[MrBlackCat]

I reload 44. I want a desert eagle.

Someone local has one of these.

Any pros or cons. Anyone have any experience?

Anyone reload 44? Any recommendations? I use tight group with plated Berry bullets.

Fun gun. For under 1k should I pull the trigger? Thanks

Moe

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You didn't say if it is a Mk VII or a Mk XIX, but unless there is some sort of unusual wear or damage, I would always say yes... simply because you can always sell a Desert Eagle for $1000 or more. I have paid less, but generally, the price for a "good condition" Desert Eagle is $1000 or greater... and as stated above, the 10" barrels are discontinued, so it is worth $400 to $600 alone.
Good luck!

MrBlackCat

[Moebravo]

Thanks. I agreed to purchase it. 3 mags and some reload stuff. For 900. Exited!

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[Moebravo]

The gun is a mark vii not a mark XIX. Does that do anything either way for the value or collectivity of the piece?

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[Moebravo]

For reference. Mark 1 or Mark 7https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200201/2da56f465b0ccadd3bd9240b3b4d628a.jpg

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[MrBlackCat]

Excellent...
If that is the original barrel, it is a Mk VII...

As far as value... I don't know... again, it depends on the person wanting it. 10" Barrels for Mk XIX are discontinued, so their used price went up... but Mk VII 10" barrels are less common as they weren't made for make years before Magnum Research moved to the Mk XIX series.

For reference, 10" Mk VII barrels average about $500 used on eBay.

MrBlackCat

[Moebravo]

Are you sure?

I thought the Mark 7 had a different safety and that the barrel had slots for a scope.

From what I'm reading this shows to be a Mark 1.

I'm no expert, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks

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[Moebravo]

He's the other sidehttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200201/c9b410cf68b8758b1fb296b305b0e0b5.jpg

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[MrBlackCat]

The way to tell, is to remove the barrel real quick and see if the gas piston is attached to the slide with a roll pin, or if it is retained by the recoil springs. :)

I don't think there were 10" barrels in the Mk I's... and I am not even sure there was a 44 magnum in the Mk I series... but this is from memory.

The all the 357, 41, and 44 barrels without a picatinny rail on top are Mk VII as far as I know though.

MrBlackCat

[Moebravo]

Some articles I've found so far. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200201/737f7effd03d75ce9edc11eda3d385a0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200201/205319f2a5ca13777c020cccb785bd57.jpg

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[MrBlackCat]

I read a few minutes and realized my memory/perception might be inaccurate...

Of course, this could be also, but here is what I was talking about on the springs...

https://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz121/TheMrBlackCat/Tool%20Forums/DE%20Mk%20VII-XIX%20Spring%20Example_zpsa2sgmgsw.jpg (https://s820.photobucket.com/user/TheMrBlackCat/media/Tool%20Forums/DE%20Mk%20VII-XIX%20Spring%20Example_zpsa2sgmgsw.jpg.html)

https://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz121/TheMrBlackCat/Tool%20Forums/DE%20Mk%20I%20Spring%20Example_zps9totfqya.jpg (https://s820.photobucket.com/user/TheMrBlackCat/media/Tool%20Forums/DE%20Mk%20I%20Spring%20Example_zps9totfqya.jpg.htm l)

I was thinking that all Mk I's had the pinned piston, but it might not be that simple.
There was Mk I 44 Mags, I was thinking of .41 Magnum, which was introduced with the Mk VII series.

If you call Magnum Research and give them your serial number, they can tell you when it was made, and how it was configured, as well as the series.

If it IS a Mk I, you need to know this as there are some difference when ordering replacement wear parts such as the recoil spring parts.

Please come back and let us know what you find out. As the owner of the less common Mk VII 50AE Desert Eagle, I always like to improve my knowledge, as I have been told many times at gun shows and forums, that "50's are Mk XIX", which is not accurate... then I was told they are identical to Mk XIX which is also not always true.

MrBlackCat

[Moebravo]

I feel ya. They didn't make this easy to keep track of.

I'll let you know what magnum research says.

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[Moebravo]

Called customer service today. What a pleasure. Scott gave me a crap ton of info.

The gun is a mark I/VII. It can't be a Mark 1 as they were all 357 Magnums, but it's got features that are from the Mark I and prior to the changes of the Mark VII. It may have an adjustable trigger and it may not. The adjustable trigger is just adjustable with regards to the rest and over travel. Does not effect the weight of pull.

The gun is from January 1989. It's a very early model which makes it really rare. It's even more rare with the 10 inch barrel, safety levers with the tear drop style, and all the charm of the first iconic design of the desert eagle.

I'm very excited to add this firearm to the stable.

Customer service stated that a spring kit wouldn't be a bad idea, so after my first run if factory ammo I'll determine if one is required immediately or if I'll wait until it starts having issues.

They also said that I can convert the eagle to .50 AE with a new side assembly $400 and a conversion kit $500.

I'd like to put some new grips on this bad boy. To give it some personality. I heard removing grips isn't the easiest process. I also need to watch some videos to understand how to break this bad boy down and clean it.

Very excited to learn about a new to me firearm. Sometimes that's more fun than shooting the gun.

Can't wait. Will follow up with an update after my first trip to the range.

Any recommendations on grips, or anything else? Please feel free to share!

Thanks,

Moe

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[MrBlackCat]

Interesting... I have spoken with Scott many times myself. So just like with the transition Mk VII 50AE's, there are transition Mk I's... I knew I hadn't seen a Mk I 44, but I didn't buy my first until 1993, so I wasn't as aware of some of the history of the model migration beyond what I have heard and read.

Trivia... before the Desert Eagle actually "really" came out, it was called the "357 Eagle". I have seen the documentation and other indicators which verify this. It wasn't until IMI was contracted to fix this early version to make them work the name was changed.

Thanks for the follow up. Always trying to gain accurate information. I am glad you got one more interesting than average.

MrBlackCat

[Moebravo]

Any idea where to get a scope mount for this bad boy?

Certainly not easy to find.

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[MrBlackCat]

Any idea where to get a scope mount for this bad boy?

Certainly not easy to find.

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They come up on eBay frequently...

Blued...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/B-Square-Pistol-Scope-Mount-For-Desert-Eagle-Blued-12905-Free-Shipping/113886011694

Silver...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/B-Square-Pistol-Scope-Mount-For-Desert-Eagle-Stainless-12906-Free-Shipping/113886878786

Good Luck!

MrBlackCat

[MarkVII]

I like the Hogue monogrips with finger grooves.

As far as loads, I'm one of the folks who doesn't post actual load data, out of respect for publishers' intellectual property, but here's some observations.

I've found that H110 gives a lot of noise and flash, if that's what your into. IMR4227 gives a much calmer load if that's more your speed. Power Pistol and Accurate #7 have worked well for me also. Am currently trying Blue Dot. Both 200 grain and 240 grain projectiles have served me well.

Don't use plated or coated projectiles in a DE, per Magnum Research. They can clog the gas port. I've been running Hornady XTP projectiles with good results. Tried Noslers, but the exposed lead deforms sometimes and causes feeding problems.

There's load data available online from Accurate, Alliant, Hodgdon, and Nosler. I also use the Lee and Speer printed handbooks extensively.

Hope this helps,
Mark

[Moebravo]

Thanks Mark,

I spoke to magnum research and they were less concerned about plated. I'm sure the safe thing to do is not use them, however, they stated to me that plated was ok.

I loaded some Rainier 240 gr hp today with titegroup and 180 xtp Hornady with a different load up of titegroup.

I've got a lot of titegroup and it's great for the rounds I run through my revolver. I know people are sensitive about amount of powder in the case and double charging.

My setup dispenses the powder very well land I weigh about every 5 to start off than about every 20 as I run them through my dillon.

I also have some Berry's bullets 240gr fp I run in my 629 I'm going to try.

My revolver is more forgiving when it comes to OAL. What is the general feel for the desert eagle? 1.60 ??? Less??? A lot less? I'm sure everyone's gun is a little different. Just trying to start from a good baseline.

Hopefully I pick up the gun soon so I can try out my loads and see what works best.

Also, I have a few boxes of Magtech factory loads that are on the approved list by magnum research. My plan is to shoot them first and make sure the gun functions properly, and that I get used to shooting the gun with the proper grip and stance with a known constant.

Wish me luck. Appreciate the help.

Moe

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[MarkVII]

As far as factory ammo, Magtech has worked the best, followed by American Eagle. Fiocchi doesn't cycle the pistol worth a hoot. Probably not hot enough.

I found that shorter OALs worked best for me. Too long led to feeding problems.

In general, I've found that it takes a bit of experimentation to get loads that work well.

One observation - a lot of folks note that they have to run max or near max loads for their DEs to work properly. That hasn't been the case for me. Most of my loads are close to minimums shown in the handbooks.

Mark

[Moebravo]

That's great to know!

Everyone talks about Max loads.

Do you have a 10 inch barrel or 6?



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[MrBlackCat]

Many years ago (15+ years probably) on some Desert Eagle forum I asked "how low can you load a 50AE and still run the gun ok"... only the crickets chirped. I don't think I got an actual response from anyone... I enjoy power for demonstration sometimes, but I don't care for max everything all the time either. :)

MrBlackCat

[lockhart]

MrBlackCat, I posted my go-to load for my 50AE in the reloading section, but I use 22.7 grains Alliant 2400, behind the 325 grain Speer bullet. This comes out of my 6" barrel at 1114 fps, as chronographed over my Oehler Mod 33. This is a good shooting load, also. At 25 yards, off a rest, I can get clover leaf groups if I do my part. I have a Bushnell fixed 2 power scope on it, in Weigand rings. I use the factory add-on scope mount, the two piece aluminum one that clamps to the slots in the top of the barrel. The rings are the key to keeping a scope tight on the gun. This is as mild of a load that ive used, that still functions the gun 100%.

[MrBlackCat]

MrBlackCat, I posted my go-to load for my 50AE in the reloading section, but I use 22.7 grains Alliant 2400, behind the 325 grain Speer bullet. This comes out of my 6" barrel at 1114 fps, as chronographed over my Oehler Mod 33. This is a good shooting load, also. At 25 yards, off a rest, I can get clover leaf groups if I do my part. I have a Bushnell fixed 2 power scope on it, in Weigand rings. I use the factory add-on scope mount, the two piece aluminum one that clamps to the slots in the top of the barrel. The rings are the key to keeping a scope tight on the gun. This is as mild of a load that ive used, that still functions the gun 100%.
LOL! A 325gr bullet... wow! That makes sense... that bullet getting up to speed is going to take a minute, so to speak. That should make for a nice long impulse for the gas system to fully function on.

I have to say, I have never seen a commercial loading with a 325, except maybe from Buffalo Bore. Sounds awesome though! The range of rounds I shoot in 44 mag is fascinating to me. I do shoot 300's often, but also shoot all the way down to PMC 180gr, which work fine also.

Thank you for the information. I have saved it for future reference, as I don't reload at this time.

MrBlackCat

[texjack]

My Eagle likes to eat 240gr bullets over 24.0gr of WW296 or H110.
Accurate, reliable, and a huge flame!

[gb6491]

My Eagle likes to eat 240gr bullets over 24.0gr of WW296 or H110.
Accurate, reliable, and a huge flame!
Oh yeah, H110 made my old 4" Highway Patrolman a flame thrower!
Regards,
Greg