Confused about my Desert Eagles model

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mr wack

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E14A1C11-83E5-4204-94BF-59E576345B98.jpeg C8C7B129-06C6-4857-A852-500BC680F104.jpeg 45337EE9-4EB4-4AAA-B761-F4306A04883F.jpeg :cuss: Hi guys , my SIL gave me a DE chambered in 44mag but for the life of me I am too dumb to figure out the model, all I think I know is it’s an earlier mod .
Buy looking at it can someone tell me what model it is ?,
Xii or xxxxxx????? .
Is there a link to a serial # lookup site I can possibly get on ?.
 
Shot one of those years ago. My only thought at the time (Comparing it to an S&W M29) is this thing shoots soft. It's begging for more horsepower.
 
I kind of felt the same when I shot my Eagle for the first time.

Then my dies came in the mail and I discovered what a true Fifty A.E. felt like...:)

Just say no to factory fodder.
 
Would it not have an indicator in the serial #?
Haven’t looked yet I’m trying to find link to their #’s.
I kind of felt the same when I shot my Eagle for the first time.

Then my dies came in the mail and I discovered what a true Fifty A.E. felt like...:)

Just say no to factory fodder.

I haven’t bought factory ammo for years so I’m really looking forward to mixing me up some nice and spicy 44mag ammo .
Dies are ordered and I have all else needed.

Gotta say my SIL is a pretty good fella, maybe he knows the model, he should he bought it .
Any thoughts on model still welcoming, thx guys.
 
Another reference, I think yours is a Mk VII as it doesn't have the cross slots on the rail.

https://www.magnumresearch.com/PDF/Differences_MarkVII-XIX.pdf
Thanks Ohen , that’s what I was thinking but needed another voice to confirm my sups , can hardly wait for my Redding’s to get here so I can reload some ammo that is capable of operating the slide fully ,
Most factory ammo won’t hack it, well maybe cor-hon .
Time to make my own .
 
The model number is not marked on the DE.
The MK VII's used the safety that is on yours.
The slide release on the 7 is also much wider than a MK I and is grooved for thumb traction.

With the slide off, you can look down into the frame to look for a hole in the front of the trigger group.
That is a sear adjustment screw hole that started with MKVII pistols.
The MK XIX slide has noticeably higher slide serrations on it and is bigger (to accommodate the .50 case) than the the 1's or the 7's.

I've shot and loaded for all calibers of the DE's for quite a while and have always had my best results using a taper crimp die.
The lack of sharp recoil with the .44 allows for a moderate taper crimp with no bullet movement of the rounds in the magazine.

JT
 
Awesome thanks jt
I haven’t decided wether to go ahead and buy some “ jacketed “ bullets or stock up on some Linotype lead and cast my own hard bullets , I usually cast for all my calibers but I’m a tad weary about clean up and such using cast in this one .
That means if I do decide to cast I’ll be on the hunt for a mold or two ,,,, all part of the fun I quess.
 
I'll do the obligatory warning about lead in the Desert Eagle, even though I have no personal experiences using a bare lead bullet in said Eagle...

The gas port for the operation of the pistol is right at the point of obturation for the bullet.
My Eagle's first barrel had a very rough bore at this and other spots. I shot it first, as sometimes you just never know. The copper was cut from the bullet so severly it left a copper flare at four o'clock on the muzzle and a pretty patina of Orange around the piston. (Which was replaced in seven days by Magnum Research. Very cordial on the phone and great service.)

The point being that when a lead bullet is fired it is in the process of expanding as it passes the gas port. This shaves lead and deposits it in the tune. The next round melts it and packs it in the necessary u-turn, stopping the gas and fun.
It is said that an unwitting human may then fire many more round single fire, thoroughly filling the tube, rendering it a paper weight.

But, again, not personal experience. I just follow the directions, my life is simple.
That is only the way I have it reasoned out in my head, based on my barrel experience. Were it flame cutting and lead vapor a gas check would work, wouldn't it?

However, I have been wondering about coated bullets in the Eagle.
This barrel's gas port resides in a groove instead of a land. I wonder if it were polished by over a thousand Berry's plated and eighty overpriced factory rounds, if the coated bullets would work?:)
I like some of the brick wall meplats on some of those cast bullets...
 
I haven’t bought factory ammo for years so I’m really looking forward to mixing me up some nice and spicy 44mag ammo .
You will want to use a slow-burning magnum powder. Fast and medium powders don’t generate enough gas to cycle the slide. You may have a little more leeway, as the MK-VII has a lighter slide than the newer models.

I have had good results using AA#9, and have gotten highest velocities with Lil Gun.

H110 is another favorite, and seems to produce the best fireballs.
:D

j3j1aCVh.jpg
 
Another vote to not shoot lead in it as mentioned above. Pretty sure that is direct from IMI and not urban legend.

Mine has run fine on std 240gr SP factory loads. May need some lube on it and a firm grip. Not opposed to loading for it though.

IIRC they are sighted in for 100m or maybe 50m so keep that in mind when you go to shoot it the first time.

Great pistol!
 
Mine has run fine on std 240gr SP factory loads.
Regarding factory ammo, both Winchester and Federal 240 gr. JSP have worked well for me. I haven’t tried anything lighter.

IIRC they are sighted in for 100m or maybe 50m so keep that in mind when you go to shoot it the first time.
That one actually is an urban legend, which I have found to be incorrect. I suspect it stems from MRI using the same front sight for all calibers. (They have recently started using a taller front sight for their .429DE barrels).

My .357 and .44 barrels shoot close enough to point of aim at 25 yds. However, the .50 barrel would hit a foot high at that distance. I’ve heard the “sighted at 100 yards” thing often enough, and it’s almost believable... almost. It seems to me, even a pistol cartridge would likely still be rising at that distance, not dropping off.

So I tried it out, more to satisfy my own curiosity than anything. I shot from sandbags at 25 yards and hit around 12” high, as noted. Then I shot at a 24”x34” paper from there bench at 100 yards.

The sights are heavy “combat” sights, and not that great for precision at distance. The front blade was wider than my target that far away. So I did my best to center the sights at the very bottom edge of the paper and fired 5 shots. All hits were at the top or slightly over the target, centering almost three feet high.

For comparison, I sighted my (scoped) .44 barrel at 25 yds, and fired at the same 100 yd. target, but aiming for the orange spot in the middle. That one was only a couple inches high at that distance.

I recently installed a taller fiber optic sight from Dawson, and all is well. I haven’t tried shooting at 100 yds with it, but it hits where I want it to at 25 and 50.

PlFlV61h.jpg
 
Thanks guys , all comments and advice is great and it is indeed noted .
I may just buy a box of win or the like just to try out for my own curiousity’s sake but I can almost guarantee you I’ll be ordering a couple of boxes of jacketed bullets in a couple of different configurations just to play with and experiment a tad , I have suitable powders hanging around , so soon the fun and games ( in my loading room ) shall begin .
Anything else you think I need to know about this handgun please feel free to share I’m all ears and eager to be tutored. ;)
 
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