Desert Eagle...anybody running powder coated bullets for these?

[Demi-human]

I pull Berrys from Oak logs as far in as I can drive them, ten to sixteen inches on average. They all hold together.
If you look closely there is a ring around the bullet where I crimp the peened case mouth into the side of the bullet. Not only is the bullet undamaged from firing, it is whole even from its ride through a fire log.
I have no issues with Berry’s, but not all bullets are equally constructed.

barrel has polygonal rifling. Probably safe with plated and easier on coated bullets than

Like @GarrettJ says, two shots aught to tell you. Paint colored piston? Bad Mojo.

The first barrel that came with my pistol was poorly machined. The rifling looked like Morse code was run down one whole land and the end of all of them. At the gas port there was a raised kerf like the port was pushed through the steel. I think it was made worse with the rifling land beginning at that spot, the bullet engraving right at the gas port.
All this railroad rack caused a huge plume of copper to be laid out in the air in front of me and deposited at the muzzle where the bad land ended. At the piston chamber there was a much worse flare of copper from the vaporized particles burned down the tube with the powder gas.
After three shots I quit from noticing the “glitter” falling around me. I discovered the problem and Magnum Research replaced it. No fuss.

The new barrel had a happy coincidence of the gas port located in the groove of the rifling instead of the land, or more accurately the lead.

After seeing the beating a barrel could give a jacketed bullet, I would be reluctant to try a regular coated bullet.
It seems silly to me to buy the Ferrari that is the Desert Eagle and try to use the tires off a Buick Century, yet the Berry’s are the most inexpensive bullet for the DEP.
For use in hunting though, I have no qualms of their effectiveness. I am nearing the last of my Berrys and have Rainiers and Speer Deep Curls to work with next. I admit that if I did cast my own bullets I would be tempted to make something that would work. All it needs is just the right formula.

I would have thought more than a thousand rounds would have worn off the new, but that’s the best part of the Eagle, it never gets old!

 

[Havok7416]

I do not have a Desert Eagle. Interested in billet choices and why though. I shoot a lot of plated and coated bullets. I shoot them because I can load them to lower velocities than jacketed bullets. If you gave to load to full velocity what would the purpose of a plated or coated bullet be?

Coated bullets can be run at full velocity but they are far cheaper than jacketed, so in that case the purpose is cheaper bullets. Unfortunately in the case of the DE that is erased by replacement barrel costs.

 

[MikeInOr]

I don't use lead, powdered lead or plated bullets in my DE. I can usually find Speer 50ae 325gr hp bullets at a decent price and stock up on them when I do. I can't say other bullets don't work (well I can say that some other .50 bullets don't feed well) but I can attest that the Speer 325gr HP bullets work very well. I imagine that a 325gr HP would make quite a SPLAT out of an intruder if it ever some how came down to that.

What ever bullet you do try I recommend buying a box of 50 and trying them out with YOUR DE before you buy a big load of them!!! The Speed 300gr TMJ's with a flat point is one that didn't feed well in my L5 DE and I ended up with many of them I will probably never use.

 

[Toprudder]

What ever bullet you do try I recommend buying a box of 50 and trying them out with YOUR DE before you buy a big load of them!!! The Speed 300gr TMJ's with a flat point is one that didn't feed well in my L5 DE and I ended up with many of them I will probably never use.

Good advice.

Regarding the Speer TMJ, I tested them in my DE and they worked fine. Midway recently had them on sale, and Speer had a rebate, which brought the price down to about $0.21 each. I stocked up.

 

[GarrettJ]

View attachment 879040
At the gas port there was a raised kerf like the port was pushed through the steel. I think it was made worse with the rifling land beginning at that spot, the bullet engraving right at the gas port...

As long as we are on the topic of clogging gas ports, I have also experienced a barrel where the gas port seems to shave copper jacket from the bullet. Nothing nearly as bad as what you describe, but definitely shaving jacket.

I would get obvious chunks of copper in the dust cover where they would eject after the gas piston opens. The gun had gotten to where it would usually have malfunctions typical of when there is not enough gas operating the gun - kind of like if the gas tube was partially blocked. This particular barrel has only had jacketed bullets through it. XTP, Zero JHP, and Magtech factory ammo with JSP & JHP bullets. Here is what I was finding after one or two mags through the gun:




My experience with MRI customer service is that they are prompt and responsive. I emailed them explaining the issue and they sent a prepaid Fedex shipping label. I shipped the gun with a written description of the issue, and I included a small baggie if the copper chunks. Turnaround was about a week.

They said they had replaced the recoil springs and installed an upgraded gas piston. They did not mention the copper flakes or gas tube. I was expecting to have the same issues crop up.

So far I have only run around 50 rounds through the gun since it was returned. I’m happy to report it has cycled flawlessly so far, and no evidence of jacket material having gone through the gas system.

I need to run more ammo through the gun, but I’m cautiously optimistic.

 

[Demi-human]

obvious chunks of copper in the dust cover

That is amazing, not in a good way, that the bullet shards were nearly perfect circles!
Mine looked like drill shavings from the jagged edges around the port.

It seems to me that the rifling could, and perhaps should, be clocked with the barrel assembly, with the groove resting at the six O-clock with the gas port.

Further, there is a hex head set screw in the bolt lug recesses that cap the gas tube. It is glued in and I certainly won't be messing around with it, but why does the gas system need to be so "hands off"?

Melting lead out of a barrel tube seems ridiculous when a screw is just setting there.
Maybe the MarkXX Eagle will address these issues.

 

[GarrettJ]

Further, there is a hex head set screw in the bolt lug recesses that cap the gas tube. It is glued in and I certainly won't be messing around with it, but why does the gas system need to be so "hands off"?

Melting lead out of a barrel tube seems ridiculous when a screw is just setting there.

Except the screw isn’t the whole story. I removed the plug on mine in an attempt to clean it prior to sending it back to MRI. There is a second, non-threaded (?) plug in there just behind the gas port, which I don’t see how to remove. Zoom in on the picture below.

 

[Demi-human]

Except the screw isn’t the whole story... There is a second, non-threaded (?) plug in there just behind the gas port,

Dang.
I knew I couldn't be that easy.
It's probably pressed in, interference fit.

I love my DEP too much to try to get lead to work with it.
It seems strange. I thought this pistol was developed for Steel Silhouette Shooting. I was under the impression that those guys did I a lot of casting, using big Lead for their big Revolvers.

Even thought the selection isn't as great as the 500 Smith, there are still pleanty of bullets that are awe inspiring for the Arid Raptor. Without a chance at debilitation.

Very interesting cutaway, @GarrettJ.

I'll just have to leave the Christmas colored bullets to my 1911...