Hottest 357 mag loads for Desert Eagle?

[000Buck]

Hi, i just got a used 357 Mag Desert Eagle. I read a few places they were as stout as possible so I loaded up some 158jhp with 17.0gr of H110 and magnum primers. That is 2% over published max only. It felt like a pop gun almost. Are there any more powerful loads I could safely use in this gun or is that about it? I see on Alliants data they have "silhouette" loads listed that are hotter than the regular loads, but nothing like that on Hodgdons website. I might just trade this for a 44mag DE since I load for that more anyway.

 

[RecoilRob]

I don't think there are any 357 loads that are going to feel more than 'pop-gun' in the DE. Mine ate everything I fed it and was most controllable even in really rapid fire. It really is a BIG platform for launching a relatively small round, after all.

 

[000Buck]

I am going to load up some 180gr pills to the max with H110 and see how that works. It is a fun gun regardless, it is so smooth. Thanks

 

[ArchAngelCD]

If you want to feel recoil in a Desert Eagle you will have to get it in .50 AE because even the .44 Mag feels like a .22 LR pistol.