Desert Eagle 5L 357 full power loads

[59WildBill]

I'm looking for some pointers loading 357 magnum cartridges. I just bought a new Magnum Research Desert Eagle 5L 357 magnum. The heavy springs and slide necessitate heavy loads to cycle properly. I knew this before I bought it. Kahr Arms has a published list of recomended ammo to feed this gun. I bought some Federal 158gr cartridges (on the list) and was disappointed with about 1 in 3 rounds not cycling properly. Thoughts? I'm going to get started with Hornady 158gr XTP bullets and H110 powder.

 

[Rule3]

I'm looking for some pointers loading 357 magnum cartridges. I just bought a new Magnum Research Desert Eagle 5L 357 magnum. The heavy springs and slide necessitate heavy loads to cycle properly. I knew this before I bought it. Kahr Arms has a published list of recomended ammo to feed this gun. I bought some Federal 158gr cartridges (on the list) and was disappointed with about 1 in 3 rounds not cycling properly. Thoughts? I'm going to get started with Hornady 158gr XTP bullets and H110 powder.

Well then used the published load data for that bullet and powder, H110 does not have much room to adjust loads,

 

[59WildBill]

So I'm planning to start in the middle with the Hornady data and do incremental steps up to or near maximum recomended. When I get to one that works consistently ill stop there. These will be my first 357 magnum cartridges. I would think this cartridge would work best with a fairly heavy roll crimp but maybe don't need it so heavy in an autoloader vs. Revolver.

 

[Blue68f100]

If your gun likes the full power the H110/W296 is the right choice. Not all manuals follow the reduce by only 3%. This powder shines at the top end.

 

[EricBu]

I'm looking for some pointers loading 357 magnum cartridges. I just bought a new Magnum Research Desert Eagle 5L 357 magnum. The heavy springs and slide necessitate heavy loads to cycle properly. I knew this before I bought it. Kahr Arms has a published list of recomended ammo to feed this gun. I bought some Federal 158gr cartridges (on the list) and was disappointed with about 1 in 3 rounds not cycling properly. Thoughts? I'm going to get started with Hornady 158gr XTP bullets and H110 powder.

They need some breaking in. Any FMJ or jacketed bullet will work well, but the hornady are a little short, and aren't the best in a mag. I have a Coonan myself, so the most standard 158 JHP/JSP, like Speer or Zero are your best bet for cycling, and you need to crimp it pretty good. It's not unusual for the semis in 357 to need a few hundred rounds of break in before they run good. My Coonan runs ok on H110, but it really runs best with AA9 or Heavy Pistol...that's flat out the best performance I've gotten with it, also used the same powder with a DE in 44 Mag with 240 JSP's, and it ran very well. The DE needs a bit more gas than H110 seems to deliver I think, as with H110 the 44 Mag would not even BHO with the max load with H110, but ran 100% with a moderate AA9 load.

 

[59WildBill]

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated! I'll look for AA9 if I don't get the H110 to work for me. I've got 5lbs of the the H110 so I'm hoping it'll work out. Bullet advice is good, too. Bought the Hornady cause it was on the shelf. Been loading for my rifles for a number of years now. I'm fairly new to handguns, my first being a Sig 1911 45acp. That gun has never jammed or failed to cycle. I'll keep working with the DE and post results. Thanks again!

 

[Smaug]

Another thought: for revolvers, 158 gr. is considered heavy. Overall though, it’s only mid-heavy. Don’t be afraid to load it with 180 gr. bullets and a stout load of H110.

 

[59WildBill]

I was considering picking up some 180 grain. The "recomended" ammo list for this gun only listed 158gn rounds. I'll get some some and give it a try. Looking forward getting this figured out. Thanks!

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

think this cartridge would work best with a fairly heavy roll crimp but maybe don't need it so heavy in an autoloader vs. Revolver.

Experience has (sort of) proved that out for me, however your experience may differ.
I taper crimp 158 JHPs with 14.5 grs. of 2400 and get very reliable cycling in all of my .357 DEs with lubed side rails.
The same loads tend to creep in revolvers unless roll crimped.
Regardless of the powder you choose, make sure your expander is compatible with your bullet.

Lucky for me that 2400 shot accurately in the .357s, as H110 has a
large muzzle flash and blast that is disconcerting at times.

The .357 DE is really a pleasant pistol. Not sure what a 5L is. I do notice the difference in felt recoil
between my steel and alloy .357s though.
Hip and point shooting function fine with a firm grip.

The same shooting stance with .41s will give so-so function and
are unreliable with the .44s and up. At least for me.

JT

 

[59WildBill]

Hi, the 5L desert eagle is significantly lighter version with a 5 inch barrel and aluminum frame. Gets the weight under 5lbs. It really is pleasant to shoot with recoil less than a 9mm. It's a handsome looking gun. Seems quite accurate and is definately fun to shoot. It's Cycling better as I shoot more, so maybe it does need some break-in. On Thursday I'll put some of my heavier loads through it and see how it does. Thanks for sharing your experience with taper crimp. I have Lee crimp dies for my handguns, they work very well. Got started with the Lee crimp dies when I was having trouble getting a heavy enough roll crimp for S&W 500.

 

[Palladan44]

H-110 will cycle it very well. Good luck chasing the brass though... ;-)

 

[59WildBill]

Plot twist to this story: I used Hornady 10th edition for my load work up, starting in the middle going up to the highest recommended. Hornady 158gn XTP bullets. So here's the interesting part. I pulled out Lyman 50th edition and was surprised to see their recomended starting load was greater than maximum recomended Hornady load, same weight bullet: 158gn. Lyman data based on Speer jacketed soft point, Hornady data based on their jacketed flat point and their jacketed hollow point. H110 powder max recomended by Hornady is 16.0 gn. Starting Lyman load is 16.3gn. I'm thinking I should continue on up the ladder with Lyman data.

 

[EricBu]

Plot twist to this story: I used Hornady 10th edition for my load work up, starting in the middle going up to the highest recommended. Hornady 158gn XTP bullets. So here's the interesting part. I pulled out Lyman 50th edition and was surprised to see their recomended starting load was greater than maximum recomended Hornady load, same weight bullet: 158gn. Lyman data based on Speer jacketed soft point, Hornady data based on their jacketed flat point and their jacketed hollow point. H110 powder max recomended by Hornady is 16.0 gn. Starting Lyman load is 16.3gn. I'm thinking I should continue on up the ladder with Lyman data.

IIRC, there is a big difference in the XTP OAL. H110 is one of those powders where you need to be on your game. It does not like a big gap, and can be just as dangerous undercharged as overcharged.

 

[59WildBill]

Thank you for the caution! I'll stick with the Hornady data and see how they work. I'll look over the cases for pressure at each step. Just need to get this DE cycling consistantly.

 

[KY DAN]

I can't offer an opinion on the 357, however I can offer regarding the 44 mag and the design is the same for both.

The only way my DE would function and not jam was to shoot the hottest handloads I could.

I hope you like this pistol better than me, 80ish rounds and I traded it to my ffl.

 

[GarrettJ]

I have both the MK-XIX and L5 Desert Eagles in .357 Mag. Powders that did not work for me were: Blue Dot & N350.

Powders that I’ve used that work well are AA#9, H110/Win296, and N110. I like the Vhit powders and N110 but doesn’t necessarily do any better than H110 or #9 and it’s harder to find at times. But having options is good. 2400 or IMR-4227 should also work well but I have not tried either of those.

One other that you might try is AA#11FS. It’s a bit slower than #9 and works well in the .429 Desert Eagle cartridge. Hodgdon has data on their website.

I mostly use 14.1 gr. of #9 with a 158 gr. Zero JHP. I have used these bullets interchangeably with Hornady XTP. Both feed and function well.

My other “standard” Desert Eagle load is 16.1 gr. of H110 with the same bullets. It works as well but has a bit more blast and produces nice fireballs.

As noted by others, keep the gun clean and lubed. Be sure the slide rails have oil on them. Also put a drop of oil on the bolt locking lugs and on the bolt cam pin. Use a firm grip when shooting as well. If you let the gun roll back as it recoils it may not cycle as well. Use a firm grip, but no need for a death grip.

I have loaded 180 and 200 gr. bullets for the Desert Eagle as well, but the 158s do what I need. I can shoot larger calibers if I need more power.

Have fun!

 

[59WildBill]

Hey there, thanks so much for your detailed experience. Haven't been to this sight for a little while. Here's an update. Was doing some load work ups trying to get the gun to cycle. I actually had a full magazine of factory Federal 158 gn cycle without jamming. I'm thinking maybe this gone needs to be broke in, as some folks have mentioned. Loaded another magazine of the factory ammo...back to not closing all the way! Crap! Switched to my handloads. Jam, jam, jam. Now it won't extract. ****, I broke the extractor! Sent it back to Magnum Research. Springs, gas piston and extractor were replaced. They tested it with both of my magazines and said its good to go. Haven't fired it yet, maybe tomorrow!!

 

[59WildBill]

BTW, good looking collection!

 

[MikeInOr]

I'm looking for some pointers loading 357 magnum cartridges. I just bought a new Magnum Research Desert Eagle 5L 357 magnum. The heavy springs and slide necessitate heavy loads to cycle properly. I knew this before I bought it. Kahr Arms has a published list of recomended ammo to feed this gun. I bought some Federal 158gr cartridges (on the list) and was disappointed with about 1 in 3 rounds not cycling properly. Thoughts? I'm going to get started with Hornady 158gr XTP bullets and H110 powder.

Do you mean an L5? Light weight frame with a 5" barrel?

For my Desert Eagle L5 in 50ae and 44 I started at about 75% of the suggested max load then worked up to just under 100% max book load. To me this is the safe way to proceed. I use H110 in both rounds but that has little bearing on 357.

After about 500 rounds the trigger really polished itself to a nice pretty light and crisp pull. When my DE L5 was brand new I put a lift me flitz on the bolt lugs and cycled the slide a couple hundred times without the recoil spring set installed. This smoothed put the slide considerably and really upped the reliability to pretty much 100%.

Garrett is right on about limp wristing causing FTF. You dont need a death grip on the handle but you do need to keep your wrists taunt. I keep my wrists tight and bend at the elbows and shoulders to take up some of the upwards recoil.

 

[59WildBill]

I load for a 357 mag Colt Python and none of those loads would cycle in the DE. However, many of my cartridges tend to be on the lighter side. I always start off at the recomended starting loads and stopped when I was happy with results. I've been loading rifle and shotshell cartridges for more than 40 years. I'm relatively new to handguns. My first handgun purchase being a Sig Sauer 1911, 45auto about 5 years ago. That gun has never failed to cycle. Fun to shoot! So, my new DE L5 is my 4th handgun. The other two are both revolvers so they always go bang when they're supposed to. My shooting technique with handguns is probably not so great. I'll focus on keeping my wrists straight and solid and not let the gun jump around too much. Kahr Arms has a youtube video on proper gun stance for DE. But, I think shooting my 500 magnum taught me to keep my wrists straight and solid, it's painful if you don't. What is a "lift me flitz?" I like the idea of breaking it in some before I get back to the range. BTW, Kahr Arms is a good outfit!! When i broke the extractor I figured it was my fault, being a little rough with it with all the misfeeds out of the magazine and slide not closing. I ordered a new extractor. Two days later I sent an email and described the whole story. Same day I got an email back telling me they'd fix the gun under warranty. Sent the gun out on a Thursday afternoon and got it back the following Wednesday. They covered the shipping, too. Couple days later my spare extractor arrived. Hope the gun works! It's a beauty.

 

[59WildBill]

Ok, great news for my Desert Eagle. Yesterday i was able to fire 4 consecutive magazines without problems. No problems feeding from magazine, failure to close, stove pipe. Well, I'll keep this gun after all. 158 gn XTP with H110 16.4 gn, 16.5 gn, 16.6 gn, and 16.7 gn. These loads are out of the Hornady book with 16.7 being the max recommended. I loaded some 180 gn bullets that didn't work. I'll send those with my Python (don't like disassembling cartridges much.) The Hornady XTP bullets seem to be the easiest to find right now.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

OK, I think I have what yoh need.
The data from Hornady has been known to be most times on the light side.
Hodgdon recommends a max charge of 16.7gr W296/H110 with that very 158gr XTP bullet.
The Lyman manuals go even higher. I was concerned the older manuals might be outdated on pressure but even the most current edition, the 51st Edition lists a max charge of 17.0gr H110. The bullet is a Hornady 158gr JHP.
You have to decide for yourself but Hodgdon does list 16.7gr max while Hornady is only @16.0gr which I can't understand.
With a charge of only 16.0gr I can understand why you are having problems.

Good luck...

 

[59WildBill]

OK, I think I have what yoh need.
The data from Hornady has been known to be most times on the light side.
Hodgdon recommends a max charge of 16.7gr W296/H110 with that very 158gr XTP bullet.
The Lyman manuals go even higher. I was concerned the older manuals might be outdated on pressure but even the most current edition, the 51st Edition lists a max charge of 17.0gr H110. The bullet is a Hornady 158gr JHP.
You have to decide for yourself but Hodgdon does list 16.7gr max while Hornady is only @16.0gr which I can't understand.
With a charge of only 16.0gr I can understand why you are having problems.

Good luck...

Appreciate the info. I had good results with 16.4 through 16.7 grains H110 using the XTP bullets, so I'm quite happy this gun is working the way it should. I always find it interesting how much difference there is from different published sources.