[walking arsenal]

I just read a reveiw on the desert eagle handgun. some of the folks said that they are a terrible weapon I.E. jams, breakage..... has anyone else heard any complaints about them?:confused:

[Andrew Wyatt]

They are not a combat handgun by any stretch, as they require frequent cleaning of the gas system, and use rounds that are patently not designed for use in an autoloader. (with the exception of .50 AE)

They're just fine when used in the role which they're intended for, which is handgun hunting.

[mattjoe]

Only time mine ever jammed was using the USA brand 10 round mags, and if i didn't get the reloads right, or was using some very crummy thin walled brass, which could split and cause rounds to get stuck in the chamber.

Never broken a single part on it. Can't imagine breaking anything either, the parts are so big and strong.
Wouldn't surprise me if those who managed to break something on it put it together wrong.

[Stinger]

My only complaint is that I don't have one :(

Although there are probably about 20 other guns I will purchase before a DEagle. I really don't have the itch, or use for one, but I would certainly give one a good home if you know of any orphans.

Stinger

[coldshot03/04]

Im with stinger on this one.
"My only complaint is that I don't have one".:(

[JG]

I have had two 50s, both XIX platforms......still have one.

The gun is extremely well made, all parts are very durable.

The main cause of the Desert Eagles jamming is limp wristing the gun. Even at a minimum, if you limp wrist the DE it can jam.

When someone calls the DE pistol a piece of s*it, the gun jamming on them is usually the reason for the negative comments.

They are heavy, not practical, have a thick grip.....but DEs are very fun to shoot.

I think my first Desert Eagle was about my 6th or 7th handgun.

[Number 6]

Like others have correctly said the main cause of jams with Desert Eagles is with the user limp wristing the gun. The gun requires a very strong grip to use it effectively and it is not a combat weapon and should not be held to the same standards. My best friend who has entirely too much money and has seen entirely too many movies bought one as his first firearm yesterday. When we went to fire it off the only jams we had was from him not holding the gun correctly. Once he put a few rounds though it and got a feel for it the gun did not fail. I got to take a good examination of it and found it to be really well built and very sturdy. I have not heard that many stories about breakages but every gun breaks and when you are shooting a cartridge like the .50 AE the wear on the gun I can imagine can be significant. For its intended purpose its an excellent firearm and I do not believe I have ever had such a big smile after shooting a pistol before, or so many people distracted by the tremendous flash and the noise coming from our lane. :evil:

[only1asterisk]

I got beef with the DE! The trigger reach is too short. I wish they could make it betyourlife reliable, the grip is just right for me. Too bad they had to put the trigger within reach of homo sapians, it ruins it for me.



David

[WonderNine]

Someday I'd like to get a DE in .50AE. They seem to be by far the most reliable model. There seems to be alot of problems with the .357 and .44 models. And after all .50AE is an auto-cartridge. And it makes the biggest boom. If you buy a DE you're buying it for a big boom. I wouldn't mind a hard chromed or nickel .50AE DE someday....

[WhoKnowsWho]

My wife is ordering a .41 Mag Desert Eagle later this week...

Yay! A gun I will want to steal from her!

And double yay, a really good reason to get my reloading stuff! It's already in the mail too!

[MJRW]

I thought limp wristing was really only a problem in the lightweight firearms like glocks. How does one limp wrist a 400 pound gun?

[JG]

I thought limp wristing was really only a problem in the lightweight firearms like glocks. How does one limp wrist a 400 pound gun?

That is true, limp wristing commonly occurs with polymer framed guns.

It does happen with the DE though, due to a few factors.

1. The grip is very thick and for many shooters its a bit difficult to get ahold of properly.

2. Desert Eagles, specifically chambered in 50AE have a tendency to make people flinch and falter in anticipation of the gun going off.

[hksw]

The only thing that has 'broken' on my DEPs was the little red painted dot under the safety comming off of my .44mag Mk VII.

What was breaking in those articles you've read?

[raz-0]

The different versions of DEs have different issues. The mark XIXs, particularly the american made ones, are solid. IT would appear the non american made ones are holding their own as well.

The mark VIIs had some issues with QA which is why MR brought production over here and redesigned some things on them. It made them more modular, but also made QA easier and more efficient.


1)clean it RIGHT. especially if factory new. It comes with a packing coating that is not standard lube, but also not super obvious. It increases fouling greatly. get in all the nooks wherever the lugs lock and anything that moves on the bolt as well as the gas "tube".

2)RTFM. read the manual. Al the way to the LAST PAGE. That's where it tells you how to shoot the gun. You don't shoot it like a revolver, and you don't shoot it exactly like your wondernine either. flinching and shooting it wrong will make it jam. teacupping it will make it jam.

3)feed it ammo it likes. It's picky. .50AE is more reliable in this aspect because there is so much less choice. .357 is the most problematic. They federal 158gr SJSP work well as do magtech 158gr SJSP. Do NOT try anything lighter than 158gr. And you really shouldn't shoot open botom bullets. From what I hear, the .44 is a bit easier to feed as if you get the recommended bullet weight in SJSP or SJHP, you are basically ok.


I personally love my .357. If I don't flinch, and I shoot clean ammo of sufficient velocity, it is very reliable as long as when I do clean it, I clean it well. I have found the magtech ammo to help with this greatly. with a good cleaning, and proper shooting stance/technique (not jsut me but folks I let try it out), it shot without a hiccup for 200 rounds. After cleaning it, I'd guess it would shoot problem free for another 100-150. But I ran out of money for ammoe and didn't want to leave it without cleaning.

[krept]

I put a combined total of 40 rounds or so through a DE .44 and .50AE that were range beaters. No malfunctions in either.

I don't know about limp wrising the .50AE... I think you could hurt yourself doing that.

[Jake]

Pulling a couple of the recoil springs (it has four) can improve reliability in the smaller caliber DE's. Alot of .357 and some .44 ammo doesn't have enough power to fully cycle the action which of course will cause jams.

[WonderNine]

Pulling recoil springs?? I was reading over on the DE forum that some people were having problems with their DE's going back into battery after firing a shot. You aren't one of those people who posted that are you? :scrutiny:

:neener:

[Jake]

Nope wasn't me. The recoil spring thing is something I have heard of but never done. I've got a 50AE so I don't tend to have any problems with weaker ammo.

[ZekeLuvs1911]

Here is my .44 Mag DE. I've put about 100 rds through no problems. The gun is heavy and does stress your wrist and arms abit.

http://www.hunt101.com/img/049454.JPG (http://www.hunt101.com/?p=49454&c=549&z=1)

[litework]

My Desert Eagle 357 was very finicky with ammunition. You have to find ammo that it likes, and that doesn't mean premium ammo. I was very surprised to find out that my Desert Eagle wouldn't cycle Starfire ammunition. I never had a failure with Winchester Silvertips. Sadly, I sold the gun. It is the only gun I regret selling; I've only sold four guns.

[TODD3465]

I wouldn't hesitate to use mine to protect myself with it. I've got a MkVII two-tone I bought used in .44mag.

Only function trouble I've had has been when I was working up a load for it.
Found out you need a real heavy crimp on the bullets to get a good clean burn for the gas system to work properly. I don't like to over-crimp so I had cycling touble.
Got that solved so no worries now.
I don't have trouble rapid firing mine cause I've got big mits so it fits me perfect.
:D

[Gewehr98]

And as Gawd is my witness, there are only 2 recoil springs. Just like the manual that came with it shows. Stout little buggers, but there's only two of them.

For the fussy .357 version? Heavy jacketed bullet loads, from 158 to 180 grains, on top of a full case of WW296 or Alliant 2400. That works with my gun the best, no jams, no short-stroking. ;)

http://mauser98.com/deserteagle.jpg

[WonderNine]

Is the .357 DE actually smaller in size than the .50AE?

[Gewehr98]

Which is why there's no conversion kit to .50 AE for those early small-frame Desert Eagles. ;)

[WonderNine]

And they'd hold 9+1 rounds of .357 fiochi...hmm....that would be pretty cool.

Maybe I have another gun to add to my wish list.

[Gewehr98]

I haven't tried it, nor seen it in the recommended ammo list from Magnum Research. IMI 158gr fodder does work ok, though. Here's a good place to read up on the differences between the different models, and what ammo works/doesn't work:

http://www.zvis.com/dep/dep.shtml

Oops, I see the Fiocchi is in the list of recommended ammo. That's good to know!

[WonderNine]

Yes, in fact the Fiochi 148gr. ammo is the hottest I know of other than the Deerstoppers.

And I know the DE likes it hot.

[BHPshooter]

That's too bad that the .357 is so finicky, I've always wanted on in .357 (it's the only caliber DE that I can really justify having right now).

Still, if I had one of those in my face, I'd wet myself. :uhoh:

Wes

[WonderNine]

I'll bet it's not that finicky with heavily loaded ammo. And I don't tend to limp wrist. A friend of mine has an HP-22 that kept jamming on him at the range last time. Like every other round. I took it and started shooting with it about 5 clips and it didn't jam once for me. I think if you hold that DE right and don't limp wrist it then it could be very reliable.

[Gewehr98]

If it's a stout, 158gr or heavier .357 load, should be no problem cycling the .357 Desert Eagle. See the list as illustrated in my previous post, and if you handload, just match or beat those velocities with those bullet weights. ;)