Anybody shot the MRI Lone Eagle?

[RatFink]

I'm looking for a pistol for a spring Javalina hunt, (All of my other pistold are combat/defensive pistols) and I was originally looking at all the standards like a S&W in .41 mag, or a Ruger Blackhawk in ,357 or .44 mag, but in my looking around I bumped into something that I've always thought was kinda cool, and had my first chance to hold one today.

It was a Magnum Research Inc, Lone Eagle, if you've never seen one, it looks like this;

This one is chambered in .243 wwhich is exactly what I would had picked if I went with a T/C pistol.

IT felt really good in my hand, and online reviews seem to give it a thumbs up, but I was wondering if anyone here had ever shot one and could give me thier opinion.

Thanks

 

[Mark]

I have no experience with these pistols. Go to the Speicialty Pistols forums here:

http://specialtypistols.infopop.cc/6/ubb.x?a=cfrm&s=9066056864

There is a forum dedicated to the rotary breech pistols.

You should check me on this but I vaguely remember reading that they are not made any more and that parts are not available.

Hope this helps.

 

[RatFink]

Thank you for the link, and you are correct, they are no longer made. If I get it I plan on using that fact plus my knowledge (given to me by a not so attentive salesman) that this particular pistol is in their stock only because an older gentlemen ordered it then died before taking possesion, and that they have had it since late 2000 as bargaining points to knock the price down.

 

[jem375]

I shot one in .243 and it was very accurate.......I ended up buying a Savage Striker in .308 instead.....this one is really a good one..........

 

[RatFink]

this one is really a good one..........

Do you mean the Lone Eagle is good?

 

[Okiecruffler]

Never owned one, but have shot 2, one in 35 rem and one in 22-250. Both were capable of MOA, but felt kinda funny in the hand. I've got my Contenders and my Stykers now and I'm happy with those, but I would pick up a Lone Eagle if I found one reasonable.

 

[Dionysusigma]

It remains to this day the only handgun I have ever fired.

Guy at H&H had one in .308, and was down to his last four handloads. I had just run out of ammo for the AR-15 I had rented, and was modestly watching him try and miss the 10 ring by about 4" every time. Frustrated, he turns to me and asks if I'd like to try it. He loads one up and hands it to me (as I had only been into guns for about a month and had no idea of its operation). He runs the target out to 25 yards as I activate the cheapie BSA holosight. Holding it one-handed, I take aim and and am about to squeeze the trigger as he says (rather loudly too) that I'd "better grip it with both hands or it'll go through the ceiling." I then teacup it, and with one shot get the bullet a quarter of an inch off dead-cnter.

I'd say they're good.

 

[jem375]

I meant the Savage Striker is really a good one since it is a 3 shot pistol compared to the Lone Eagle's one shot, but they are both good pistols and accurate..........I shoot contenders so the one shot is also fine with me..

 

[RatFink]

One of those Strikers was in the case next to the Lone Eagle, The damn thing is as big, and weighs as much as my light-barreled AR Carbine. I'm sure they are fine shooters, but they don't interest me at all.

Thank you for clarifying you comments.

 

[Okiecruffler]

That Styker is heavy

And you won't find a holster for it at wallyworld. But my .308 will do 1/2MOA with handloads. And that'll bring a smile to your face everytime.

 

[BlkHawk73]

Haven't shot the LE but have shot the Competitor. Basically the same thing but with hundreds of chambers available, easy swap bbls (not the entire action like on LE) and choice of grip mterials. Brother had one in .357 max and a friend had one in .25-06. Both were super accurate. I'm actually considering one myself for a future purchase.

 

[RatFink]

Those Competitors are nice.

I found a T/C Contender today in 30-30 w/ a 2X Luepold scope, they want $500, I might be able to talk them down a bit, it's used, but in great shape.

I would choose a different caliber if buying it new, but 30-30 would be fine for Javalina, and having a Luepold installed makes it a pretty good deal.

 

[Ranger61]

I've got 3 Lone Eagles: 44 Mag no muzzle break, 7-08 with muzzle break and a 223 with muzzle break. I also have a Stryker in 308 and two XP 100 in 7MM BR and 221 Fireball. I also have an SSP 86 which is the Lone Eagle before MRI bought the design. I like the balance of the lone eagle and I also like the way it ejects the brass when you open the chamber. Its a better single shot hunter than the Contender. The stryker is very large and heavy and I really think my Ruger compact rifle in 260 is only slightly heavier but better balanced . Scope mounts are a little tough to find for the Lone Eagle so try to get one with at least the rail. Scopes need to be mounted in front of the Breech in order to get a good hold to open the action. I've taken several deer with my 7MM-08 and with the muzzle break it is easy to handle with factory ammo. My only complaint is the triggers are not as good as a contender but better than my Stryker. As for accuracy they are all excellent but nearly all my contenders and the stryker have excellent accuracy. Just my two cents worth

 

[Aegan]

Hi All
I have shot the SSP86 in 45-70, 30-30, and loved both guns.
at the time they were made in Stetson Maine and just a few miles down road from me... Also the 357mag took it back and they rebored the chamber for 357 Maximum both calibers shot well.... the 2 I wanted were 223 and 243 at the time they didnt make them for the simple reason of ejection and not a large rim on rear of cartridge.... then they sold to Magnum tech... I bought one of the lone eagles in 223 and cocked the thing and it fell apart in my hand at the gun store so I guess you know I didnt keep it only 5 min. but am thinking on another if I can get it in 243. Accuracy was excellent in all..
My two cents
Aegan

 

[Bluehawk]

I've shot the SSP 86 (forerunner of the Lone Eagle) in .357 Magnum and .30-30 Win. Both give exceptional accuracy with 1X red dot sights.
See the target shot at 50 yards with the .357 Magnum, 10 inch barrel.

 

[mrmeval]

I have and it's was less brutal than I thought it would be. That one looks to be even less so as it's ported. It was a friends and for target use since we don't get to hunt with rifle cartridges.

 

[Boom-stick]

I've got a Competitor in .44 mag, very, very accurate
I can get a 5 shot group about the size of my thumb nail with my reloads.

In fact it could almost be called a boring gun, the second or third time I used it was with my first attempt at home loading and it printed a tiny 5 shot group. What is nice about it, is with slightly downloaded cartridges it shoots dead on at 30 yards, but when I take it up to 100yards with full house loads it's still zero'd

More luck, than judgement I think.

Edit: Just requested a barrel in .308 for my Competitor, been told the .308 barrels are on back order and have been for 18 months

 

[bigmike45]

You certainly cant go wrong with that T/C in 30/30. I had one for a number of years and took several hogs and a nice buck with it.

 

[MCgunner]

Those Competitors are nice.

I found a T/C Contender today in 30-30 w/ a 2X Luepold scope, they want $500, I might be able to talk them down a bit, it's used, but in great shape.

I would choose a different caliber if buying it new, but 30-30 would be fine for Javalina, and having a Luepold installed makes it a pretty good deal.

The .30-30 in a contender is a great deer/hog gun, not just javelina. I've taken four deer, one of 'em a pretty nice sized buck, all killed quite dead on the spot with broadside shoulder shots. Helps to handload it. I was using the 135 grain Sierra pro hunter when I first got the gun, but that bullet is out of production and I'm using the Nosler 150 ballistic tip in it now. This bullet expands nicely at Contender velocities and has a 200 yard effective range. I haven't shot a hog with it, but have worked up a 140 grain Barnes X load for such tougher skinned game. It's plenty of caliber for even a big hog IMHO so long as the bullet is up to the task. The Barnes solid copper X bullets don't blow up, they penetrate.

If you can kill it with a .243, you can kill it with a .30-30 and you have a better selection of possible bullets for the .30 caliber. I don't think you're going to get any more range out of a .243 either, considering field positions and you're shooting a pistol. It might shoot a little flatter, but unless I'm shooting off a sand bag solid rest, I can't hit at much over 100 yards with field rests anyway. That's just part of pistol hunting, the challenge.

 

[Tropical Z]

I have a Lone Eagle in .308 and although I haven't shot it extensively,it's fun when I do.Thats as long as you don't use surplus ammo.If you do,you have to push the spent case back out of the barrel with a dowel. Anyone know why?

 

[mordecai]

Yea - .308 WIN and 7.62x51 are not exactly the same. The 7.62x51 brass flows a bit into the .308 chamber and gets stuck. I have this same problem with my Savage 99's.

I had a Lone Eagle in .30-06 and it was "neat enough", but fairly impractical. I switched to a S&W .44 - less weight, more shots. It was fun - don't get me wrong - it was a real wrist-buster but who wants to go hunting with a steel-brick weighing them down?

And to be honest, the trigger leaves a lot to be desired, which is why I think it lost out to the Contenders. That, and you had to be careful to keep from breaking firing pins with dry-fires or out-of-battery trigger pulls.

 

[308 shooter]

commercial ammo is the only thing you want to shoot. mil-surp cases are thicker and expand and have to be manualy extracted. my 308 is a wrist breaker but i woudn't trade it for anything. once i added optics it shoots better from a rest than my m14, m1, bm59, or my 1941 johnson. gun will will shoot 1" groups at 100 yds dead on all day long. if only the range officer would let me shoot my 5.7x28 at that range!

 

[BlkHawk73]

I'd take a Competitor over one of those anyday. Same basic design but the Competitor allows MANY more chamberings and you only change the bbl not the entire firing asembly. I do believe the man behind the Competitor was also instrumental in the Lone eagle but went off on his own with ahis own design improvements. Those I've shot were more accuarte than many rifles. Do a search for them on the Specialty Pistols forum mentioned above.

 

[kool100vr4]

My Lone eagle pistol review

I originally bought the Lone eagle in 300 win mag that looked just like the pic shows here in this forum, i took it hunting for a couple times for elk hunting, after that i took it out to the gun range for the 2nd time, i shot a few shots and the gun stopped firing. I sent it back to its factory, the facto had they told me that they would stop making it in 300 win mag, bcuz 300win mag was just too much power for its firing pin to handle, so they would replaced me in 30-06 cal, i can shoot this 30-06 at 75 yards about 2 1/2-3in group, not bad. I love it, i put out a show at the gun range, people love to see it fires, with the flame shoot out of barrel thru muzzel break,i used it with Tasco 4x32 scope, i also have the sling for it too.I sure hope one day i will harvest a big game with it.
I use this Lone Eagle with a shooting stick when i go hunting for elk.

 

[thebear101]

I have the 30-06 lone eagle and the Competitor in 300WBY Mag, both have muzzle breaks and both leave perminate sight marks on the but cheecks when fired, from Andy