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General Categories => General Firearm Discussion => Topic started by: mott555 on October 29, 2014, 11:21:37 AM

Title: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: mott555 on October 29, 2014, 11:21:37 AM: Currently my most powerful handgun is a Ruger LC9, for concealed use. Not very powerful, but good for its intended purpose.

I want to get something more powerful for open-carry situations, namely to be a sidearm when hunting, and for bear or mountain lion defense while camping in the Rockies. If I had to stop a bear with the LC9 I'd probably die. I also don't like using my 7mm Rem Mag to finish a deer at close range if I find it's still alive when I approach. What a mess. My LC9 works in that regard, but not very well. 9mm is too weak for deer in my opinion.

A 1911 in 10mm or .45 would be an obvious choice, but I've been thinking about a Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum for this purpose. The most fun I ever had firing handguns was with some friends and their Taurus .44 Mag revolvers, very powerful handguns with great accuracy and manageable recoil. Personally I don't care for revolvers, I much prefer a good semi-auto if it'll get used outside the shooting range.

I've been reading reviews online and they're all over the place. However I noticed they tend to fall into two camps: Experienced shooters who say it's a reliable handgun if you know how to handle it; and relatively inexperienced shooters who wanted a Desert Eagle because of Hollywood movies and claim it jams up every third shot. To which the experienced shooters respond that a bad grip or stance will cause it to jam.

I have zero interest in .50 AE at this time, but it's my understanding that conversion kits are available and easy to install.

What say you? Any opinions for or against it?
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: gsd on October 29, 2014, 11:55:22 AM: A friend had one in .44, and I ran about 50 rounds through it. it is BIG. Everything about the gun is oversized. It felt comfortable in my hands once I got used to the weight and balance, but it is not something that I would even bother with trying to shoot one handed.

That being said, i didn't have a single function issue with it when I ran it, and accuracy was surprisingly good. now, i didn't run it past about 20 yards, so beyond that who knows, but inside of that it was a pretty solid shooter, if a bit punishing.

My 0.02 would be to steer you towards a 1911 in 10mm, or even a used S&W 1006. IMHO, the .44 is best served in a revolver platform, semi auto is just too much thump for a followup shot, and if a bear is coming at you, you will want to be back on target asap.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: tobydog on October 29, 2014, 12:05:33 PM: The Desert I had was a blast to shoot. 44 mag. That said, it was picky on ammo. FMJ would feed fine, lead would not, needed to be clean to function reliably. 44mag on a deer close range would be overkill and messy. I would think your 9mm would be fine to the head. I carried the Desert sometimes deer hunting just to try it, had mags blocked to 6 rounds I think to be sure I was legal. Never got a shot with it, but its heavy to carry all day. You would be better off with a light-weight revolver in 44mag for animal defense IMO. Wish I hadn't traded mine off.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: mott555 on October 29, 2014, 12:32:48 PM: Hmm, good info. Might have to rent one sometime just to see how it handles with follow-up shots.

I know I like 1911's so it might make sense to get one of those first, then think about something larger for camping trips if I'm still worried about stopping power. I only get out to Colorado about once a year anyway, any 1911 would be worlds better than my little 9mm.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: jonm on October 29, 2014, 01:05:14 PM: I'll second the 10mm. I'd even look at a 10mm Glock. Lighter than a 1911 and holds double the rounds.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: gsd on October 29, 2014, 01:52:29 PM: I might have a 10mm Glock for sale shortly...
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: mott555 on October 29, 2014, 01:57:55 PM: I doubt I'll be making any handgun purchases this year. I live in Omaha and don't want to register so I need my CHP first. I'm taking the class and qualifying this Sunday, but if Nebraska is anything like Missouri was I'll be lucky to have my permit by January.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: RLMoeller on October 29, 2014, 02:01:27 PM: They have been processing applications in 3 - 4 weeks lately.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: mott555 on October 29, 2014, 02:14:05 PM: Quote from: RLMoeller on October 29, 2014, 02:01:27 PM
They have been processing applications in 3 - 4 weeks lately.

That's not too bad. Took them dang near 3 months in my old state.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: JAK on October 29, 2014, 04:06:05 PM: A friend of mine had one, made the mistake of firing a box of unjacketed bullets through it and had nothing but problems with it afterwards. It would constantly jam due to the slide not coming back far enough to fully eject the fired case or pick-up the next round. I thought it was oversized for what it was and would rather carry a revolver if I need the power of the 44. Both Taurus and S&W have 5 shot 44 mags in a K-Frame sized gun.

John K
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: barmandr on October 29, 2014, 06:15:12 PM: I'd recommend a 454 as an all around gun for what you've stated your intended purpose will be. It will be fine on bears and what-not and much lighter than a 44 DE. By the way, I wouldn't be stating on a public forum that you use/have used a 9mm to finish off a deer because it is a violation of NE fish and game laws as it is not a legal caliber unless it has a velocity of at least 400ft/lbs at 50 yards. I haven't found any that meets the requirements, even Buffalo Bore +P+.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: mike_p on October 29, 2014, 08:03:23 PM: I had a Desert Eagle in .44 mag for a few years. I traded it for a S&W 629. It was heavy . I mean really heavy. I don't think it would be fun to carry. It also had feeding issues. It would only feed FMJ reliably. Soft points would hit the feed ramp and jam. If I loaded it with more than 5 rounds in the magazine it had issues too. I will say it had almost no felt recoil. I would not recommend it for anything other than a novelty/ range toy.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: newfalguy101 on October 29, 2014, 08:55:43 PM: Never had a .44, but did own a .357 DE ( and stupidly traded it away....sigh ).

Fun gun to shoot, but BIG, BIG, BIG, everything about it was BIG.

Personally for what you are thinking, I would look more towards a revolver ( yea, I know you said you are not a revolver fan, but, sometimes, its the best option )

With factory ammo, my DE was dead reliable, however, with "factory reloads" with lead bullets, it was a singleshot
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: gsd on October 29, 2014, 09:54:02 PM: I'm glad someone caught that he said he wasn't interested in revolvers...:)

That's why I suggested the 1006.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: JTH on October 30, 2014, 06:07:59 AM: Quote from: gsd on October 29, 2014, 09:54:02 PM
I'm glad someone caught that he said he wasn't interested in revolvers...:)

That's why I suggested the 1006.

C'mon. We all know what .44 Magnum handgun people REALLY want to get...

(http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/1/16/DH4AutoMag-6.jpg/600px-DH4AutoMag-6.jpg)

(http://www.imfdb.org/images/6/61/CallahanAutoMag.jpg)

:)
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: gsd on October 30, 2014, 09:21:39 AM: Ha, that thing looks like a Ruger MKII on steroids...:D
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: mott555 on October 30, 2014, 09:31:32 AM: Quote from: barmandr on October 29, 2014, 06:15:12 PM
I'd recommend a 454 as an all around gun for what you've stated your intended purpose will be. It will be fine on bears and what-not and much lighter than a 44 DE. By the way, I wouldn't be stating on a public forum that you use/have used a 9mm to finish off a deer because it is a violation of NE fish and game laws as it is not a legal caliber unless it has a velocity of at least 400ft/lbs at 50 yards. I haven't found any that meets the requirements, even Buffalo Bore +P+.

I haven't hunted with 9mm in Nebraska, just to clarify. I'm fairly new to this state.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: Chris C on October 30, 2014, 06:19:58 PM: Quote from: barmandr on October 29, 2014, 06:15:12 PM
I'd recommend a 454 as an all around gun for what you've stated your intended purpose will be. It will be fine on bears and what-not and much lighter than a 44 DE.

I would go with that also. Cabelas often has Ruger Alaskan's chambered in 454 either new or over in the gun library. Recoil isn't the friendliest but will stop a black bear better than the .44mag.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: NE Bull on October 30, 2014, 07:08:02 PM: A bit of review from KJW :
http://youtu.be/jmFoZ-EaiG4 (http://youtu.be/jmFoZ-EaiG4)
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: FarmerRick on October 30, 2014, 08:03:51 PM: LAR Grizzly in .45 Winchester Magnum. There's one on Gunbroker right now for under $1k.

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg/usa/lar-grizzly-e.html (http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg/usa/lar-grizzly-e.html)

(https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7253/7450267548_220b1dfe5d_z.jpg)

(http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i160/thegerk/Reloading/_45WinchesterMagnum.jpg)

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_g31ai11hjUs/Sej4H58sT0I/AAAAAAAAAWk/9hfDisY2ccw/s1600/GrizzBlast4.jpg)
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: depserv on October 31, 2014, 08:13:37 AM: If you get a Desert Eagle you might also want to get a four wheel cart to haul it around on since it's too big to carry otherwise. Also, any problem with grip could be fixed by putting a stock on it, which wouldn't hurt anything since it's already so big. And then you would need to put a longer barrel on it to make it legal, which would also improve ballistics. And of course once you did all that you'd have a carbine, which is a more realistic form for something so big to take.

I had a Ruger Redhawk .44 that I really enjoyed shooting; one of the most fun guns to shoot I ever had. I remember shooting down at floating ice in a stream and how big things always happened when I pulled he trigger, even at ranges that were long by pistol standards. I finally sold it though and bought my first Glock 9mm with the money because I wanted something more practical. But for the purpose you mention I'd think a .44 revolver would be fine.

I'd like to add my vote to those for the 10mm Glock. I have one, and it's an excellent pistol if you want a combination of stopping power and firepower in a pistol that's not too big to be easy to carry. If I remember right the size, weight, and capacity is very similar to the Beretta 92F, the difference being that the Glock 10mm is hugely more powerful.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: Wildgoose on October 31, 2014, 08:38:13 AM: Hi Mott,
I owned one in .44 for about ten years and put a lot of reloaded ammo through it. It was very accurate and reliable if you understood the ground rules for loading for it. I think I still have all the loading data I worked up. I carried it for hunting and did a lot of shooting with it at 100 yards just for fun. But like many others here sold it off to buy something else. I think that is what you might want to gather form most of the posts here is that its a great firearm but just limited enough by its size and weight that many who have owned them let them go at some point. If you do pick one up get it used and have fun. If you decide to pass it on they do hold their resale value well enough that you can recover most of your investment. Oh ya, and drop me a note and I can fill you in on how to live with it. ;D
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: rudy on October 31, 2014, 08:41:09 AM: Since you are more inclined to get a semi-auto, have you considered .460 Rowland? There are drop-in kits for many popular platforms (1911, Glock, XD).
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: Wildgoose on October 31, 2014, 08:54:15 AM: Quote from: JAK on October 29, 2014, 04:06:05 PM
A friend of mine had one, made the mistake of firing a box of unjacketed bullets through it and had nothing but problems with it afterwards. It would constantly jam due to the slide not coming back far enough to fully eject the fired case or pick-up the next round. I thought it was oversized for what it was and would rather carry a revolver if I need the power of the 44. Both Taurus and S&W have 5 shot 44 mags in a K-Frame sized gun.

John K

Yep, lead fouling in the gas ports from gas cutting on the plain cast bullets. Until the gas passages are cleaned out it short cycles. Only JHP and FMJ bullets worked in mine. The fine print in the owners manual states to stay away from cast. I wouldn't even recommend gas checked slugs.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: mott555 on October 31, 2014, 11:20:54 AM: I'm not dead-set on a semi-auto, just a preference thing. I have a .22 revolver and it's a pain to clean, probably because it's a .22 more so than being a revolver but it's tedious. The .44 Magnum revolvers I've tried in the past were a pleasure to shoot, but I didn't have to clean them afterwards :D

I will most likely look at a 10mm semi-auto first for hunting use, and try to pick up something magnum before my next Colorado camping trip. It may be a revolver, may be a semi-auto, just gotta see what I can try first.

I didn't realize how unwieldy the Desert Eagle is, but so many reviews are on the .50 AE model so maybe the .44 isn't as bad? I would definitely have to try one before buying though, I'd hate to spend that much on a pistol and not be able to use it for the intended practical purpose.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: gsd on October 31, 2014, 04:17:57 PM: Still have that Glock in 10:)
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: GreyGeek on October 31, 2014, 05:17:57 PM: When I was in graduate school .44 magnum revolvers with 12" barrels were all the rage in the shooting mags. A fellow student bought one. On the range, on his first shot, the recoil broke his wrist. A week later, on the range again, he broke the wrist in his left hand attempting to shoot it.

Two times, two limp wrists.

He never said another thing about that .44. Three or four years later the movie "Dirty Harry" came out.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: newfalguy101 on October 31, 2014, 05:54:46 PM: Quote from: mott555 on October 31, 2014, 11:20:54 AM

I didn't realize how unwieldy the Desert Eagle is, but so many reviews are on the .50 AE model so maybe the .44 isn't as bad? I would definitely have to try one before buying though, I'd hate to spend that much on a pistol and not be able to use it for the intended practical purpose.

I am not 100% positive, but, I am pretty sure the .50 and .44 use the same frame as its a fairly modular design/system.

I would assume the .50 would have heavier recoil, but wouldn't be willing to wager on it.
Title: Re: Thoughts on the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle?
Post by: Ronvandyn on November 05, 2014, 09:26:39 PM: Quote from: jthhapkido on October 30, 2014, 06:07:59 AM
C'mon. We all know what .44 Magnum handgun people REALLY want to get...

(http://www.imfdb.org/images/thumb/1/16/DH4AutoMag-6.jpg/600px-DH4AutoMag-6.jpg)

(http://www.imfdb.org/images/6/61/CallahanAutoMag.jpg)

:)

I'd sell one of my kids for one of those. Maybe even 2. :)