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| Image | Product | Price |
|---|---|---|
 | Magnum Research Desert Eagle | Check Price |
The first time I became acquainted with a Magnum Research Desert Eagle in 44 Magnum we were standing about 25 yards away from a pile of loose cement blocks.
We completely demolished those blocks, bits and dust. The 44 Magnum rounds sledgehammered the cement blocks. It took a few hours for the silly grin on my face to go away.
The Desert Eagle is a massive pistol that is totally impractical, exceedingly expensive, and heavy as a brick, but it is damn fun to shoot.
The Desert Eagle didn’t come to fame for performance on battlefields or being a competent defense gun. The only Law Enforcement agency I know that used the Desert Eagle also employed “RoboCop.”
It owes its icon badass gun status to pop culture. Movies, TV, and video games can’t get enough of this massive pistol.
In a sense, the Desert Eagle has proven itself in pixel-based battlefield and shooter video games. I don’t know of anyone who actually carries a Desert Eagle for self-defense, and if I did, I would want to be on his side.
Looks Are Everything; Cue the Desert Eagle
The first Desert Eagle, the Mark I, was introduced in 1983 and by 1985 made its first appearance in a movie, which was “Year Of The Dragon.”
Since then it has been in countless movies and TV shows and is a regular weapon used in video shooters games. Jack Reacher used one in the TV series, not Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher, but the big dude who is well over 6 feet tall and weighs as much as a Harley Fat Boy.
Dead Pool uses a pair. It is easy to see why, since the Desert Eagle has rugged good looks, but don’t think the Desert Eagle gets by on the hype. This pistol performs and operates like no other semi-automatic handgun you have fired.
I looked forward to getting reacquainted with the Desert Eagle via a Mark XIX, the latest variant in 44 Magnum wearing a matte black finish that looks all business.
The finishes available range from a conservative all black to brushed chrome and even an El Jefe gold titanium tiger strip finish.
Rotate On This
The operating system is quite different than your typical blowbacks or short recoil, locked breech, tilting barrel pistols.
The Desert Eagle uses a gas operated system typically found in rifles. When a round is fired, gas is ported from the barrel to a cylinder under the barrel. The gas pushes the cylinder and slide rearward causing the bolt to rotate and unlock after a shot is fired.
A spring-loaded ejector spits out the empty case. Then, twin recoil springs move the slide forward, chambering a round and locking the bolt. The slide is an open design similar to a Beretta 90 Series pistol. The barrel stays fixed when the slide cycles.
The slide cycles smoothly and it feels like a hunk of steel slide is being slapped back and forth courtesy of the 44 Magnum cartridge.
Massive Steel Machine
In hand the Desert Eagle is massive like I was holding my big brother’s pistol, and I have an average size hand. The Desert Eagle does, however, have nice balance.
The 6-inch barrel had a Picatinny rail machined on top and a ramp front sight dovetailed into place. The rear sight is a fixed notch and dovetailed into place on the slide. Serviceable sights that I found shot low. The rear of the slide has course serrations that make the slide easy to rack.
The frame, slide and barrel are made out of steel. It weighs well over four pounds.
The safety is large and well out of reach; I used my support hand thumb to flick it on and off. The safety lever is designed to not interfere with manipulating the rear of the slide like it can with a Beretta 90 series pistol.
The grip is soft rubber with a pebble-finish texture on the sides, covering the rear backstrap. A large beaver tail is built into the frame, so there is no fear of a slide bite. The front grip strap is smooth, and I found it didn’t need texture there since the rubber grip did its job.
The slide stop is long, so a right-handed shooter can manipulate it with the thumb of the shooting hand. The magazine release button is small and smartly ejects the magazine.
The Desert Eagle is a hammer-fired pistol like a 1911 with a single-action only trigger. Pull weight was a palatable 4 pounds. The steel body magazine holds 8 rounds and is easy to load.
Controlling the Beast
Loading the Desert Eagle and racking the slide feels like you are manipulating a piece of heavy machinery. There is nothing subtle about it. I was all out of cement blocks, so paper targets sufficed.
With open sights and using a rest I gathered accuracy data at 25 yards. I then moved the target to 10 yards and shot it for speed in the event I was being chased by hybrid velociraptors on a gigantic plush teddy bear that had evil in its eyes.
Forty-four Magnum ammo’s sweet spot for bullet weight is 240 grains, though there are lighter and heavier bullet weights available. The 240-grain ammo I used included SIG Sauer V-Crown with a JHP bullet, Sellier & Bellot with an SP, and Black Hills (new) with a JHP.
I don’t usually say this about 44 Magnum handguns, but the 240-grain ammo was very tolerable and in fact I’d say pleasant in the Desert Eagle. It did shoot low at 25 yards but was dead on.
My best accuracy group was with Black Hills, which provided a tight 5-shot group that measured 1.84 inches and averaged 2.01 inches. Next was Sellier & Bellot, with a best of 1.87 and an average of 2.29. The SIG V-Crown gave up a best of 1.99 inches and an average of 2.10 inches.
There was no need to wear gloves when shooting the Desert Eagle. The gas system expends some recoil into operating the slide making the Desert Eagle pleasant to shoot. Yes I said pleasant. The soft rubber grip helped spread and stifle recoil to the palm of your hand. Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of recoil to deal with, but the Desert Eagle does not bash your palms like 44 Magnum revolvers can.
I had one initial FTF with the first magazine then the Desert Eagle ran with no issues.
The 10-yard test showed how fast I could get 44 mag rounds down range. I easily kept hits in the 8-inch circle. Can I shoot it as fast and as accurately as Deadpool? Umm?—no. But fast enough.
Change Caliber Flavors
Should you decide to downsize from the 44 Magnum to a 357 Magnum; calibers can be changed out by switching out the barrel, magazine, and bolt to the caliber you want to shoot. Hey, super size it to the 50 AE, if you want.
Magnum Research offers a conversion kit with barrel and two magazines; the bolt is sold separately. The gun easily field strips and locks back together like a metal safe. The quality on the out side and inside was impressive.
Why Would You Want A Desert Eagle?
I can’t think of any practical reason to own a Desert Eagle other than it being one badass pistol, and that I want one.
The Desert Eagle makes shooting the 44 Magnum fun and enjoyable. This would be an excellent pistol for handgun hunting, especially with the optic-ready Picatinny rail built into the barrel.
With a street price of about $1,500 what else are you going to spend your tax refund on?
Where To Buy
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