Desert Eagle 44Mag

[bula]

Co-worker has a DE 44mag.. He asked me about ammo for it. A "cowboy load" he saw for sale and questioned me as to. Told him cowboy loads will generally be softer lead and sometimes lube too, and on the light side and maybe not cycle his DE. If I offer to help him handload for it, I've a question, do they headspace on the case mouth ? Or rim ? No DE experience. Trying to anticipate problems.

[domino300]

Use regular hot 44mag loads, H110/AA9. Lead will plug the gas ports , so a no no.

[domino300]

castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?61502-Reloading-for-Desert-Eagle-44-Magnum

[bula]

Thank you. No DE experience. I've more 44 components than the 3 closest LGS and press time back to '82 or so. I did some googling, saw H110/AA#9 and 2400 mentioned. Plated bullets, such as Berry's ok ? I'd donate some to friend. 

[domino300]

Plated OK. PC lead Ok if done right, coating shouldn't scrape off with a knife. I have a 41 mag DE.

[bigbore5]

Cast lead bullets have turned a few Eagles into expensive single shots. There's no way to just clean the lead fouling out of the gas port and piston chamber.

I stick to jacketed bullets only in mine.

[bula]

Thank You. Friend has done me favors, help offered.  

[bula]

I'll offer him a box of Berry's. 

[bradshaw]

I wear shooting glasses on the rare occasion I touch off a desert Eagle. Soon after Israeli Military Industries released the Michigan-designed Desert Eagle, a gun writer brought over a DE in .357 Mag. Shells ejected hard as an HK 91 or 93 flings brass. Without, however, the HK’s discipline of firing its brass 20 feet into a sombrero. The Desert Eagle expels brass right, left, over your head, and straight back into your face. The .357 was the worst. Not quite so rude in .44 Mag, and almost sensible in .50 Action Express. Nevertheless, eye protection is a must.

The gas operated Desert Eagle followed another Michigan design, the .44 Magmatic, designed & built by maestro machinist Jon Power. The story runs something like this: IMI wanted to manufacture Jon Power’s Magmatic, but didn’t want to hire him to oversee production, offering Jon $25,000 for one pistol. Jon said, ‘Your offer is so generous, I must refuse.’ Like the Magmatic, the Desert Eagle bleeds gas in front of the chamber. This is the zone of maximum excitement in a magnum, a rathole for combustion particulate, namely lead.

As bigbore5 alludes, immediate gas bleed-off and lead bullets equals bad gumbo. Were I obsessed with an autoloading .44 Mag, I’d look at the new Auto Mag, built like the original Auto Mag on delayed blowback. My curiosity & passion for a semi-auto .44 Mag soared & died with the old Auto Mag. (Wish Jon Power’s Magmatic had reached production.)

An irony of the Power-to-Weight ratio, or Power-to-Size ratio, of hands:
* Personal defense cartridges----auto pistol is more compact than revolver.
* Magnum & big bore cartridges----revolver is more compact than auto pistol.
David Bradshaw

[bula]

Will Berry's plated bullets be ok in the DE 44mag ? I've never used them. Recall warnings, velo maxes and such being mentioned or listed. ? Ooops, see Domino answered this already. Thanks guys. 

[Quick Draw McGraw]

Apr 3, 2024 7:53:52 GMT -5 bula said:

Will Berry's plated bullets be ok in the DE 44mag ? I've never used them. Recall warnings, velo maxes and such being mentioned or listed. ? Ooops, see Domino answered this already. Thanks guys. 

Yeah, they'll work fine. Just don't exceed the velocity max. My
44 Mag DE works best with 240gr. bullets between 1,180 and 1,300 fps. That's where I get best reliability.

[shorty500]

Top Secret so don’t tell anyone but I’ve been running large doses of w296 under a Lee 310 gas check for over 20 years now.
Hard lead, soft lube, gascheck to keep powder gases away from lead and a thorough cleaning after firing large quantities

[edk]

I don’t think anyone has mentioned coated bullets. Would a well executed powder coat bullet be an option?

[bula]

Domino300 mentions PC'd bullets. A caution, a knife scrape test...