Desert Eagle Headaches...

[forgiven]

The DE is not a novelty gun, its a match target pistol. Its easier to shoot recoil wise than a similar caliber revolver. Its got a nice two stage trigger and if you use AA #9 instead of H110 in your loads its about the same as a 38 special.

The 357 version has a kick similar to a 1911 9mm, its an awesome gun.

I get it Bubba, that was funny!

[drkphibr]

A match TARGET pistol? In what action movie? When I laid down $1500 on that gun, it wasnt for making 2 inch groups at 20 yards. Its a novelty gun for MANY people who have $2000 to just spend on a gun they knew AHEAD of time they WERENT going to shoot that often, but to show off to friends and let others shoot for s**ts and giggles. Thats because we ALREADY have 10 or more guns for the sole purpose of target shooting already. When was the last time you saw someone at the range carefully aiming a DE for target practice? When was the last time have you seen a DE at the range period? THANK YOU BRAD..this dude obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. Besides, who the heck bothers shooting a freakin .357 DE anymore? Correcton: COlt 1911 is a MATCH PISTOL not a 50 lb Desert Eagle that spits out a fireball the size of a human

While I personally wouldn't call the DE a "match target" pistol, I have to say that for what it is (a finicky [at times], heavy fender) it can be EXTREMELY accurate all things considered. Wouldn't be a "go to" gun, but it is a lot of fun in either .44 or .50AE. The attached pic is at 10 yards with a 50AE and the center bullseye group was shot standing...and very carefully aimed.

[GUNNTZ]

I've own my DE for over a year now and have shot over 500 rounds through the 44 and about 100 out of the 50. Fun gun and accurate. Two things I have found: it needs very hot loads and all parts should be greased. When I first got the gun it had serious FTE issues. I completely stripped, cleaned and greased every part. It functions flawlessly now, but I am using my own loads too. The originals came with a sheet of paper with ammo recommendations on it, do the new ones still have this? If you can handle the weight, it could be used as a match gun.

[2nd Shot]

Funny this thread is up again, since I just got the DE back from MRI. It looks like they've indeed replaced the whole bolt, and the inner and outer recoil spring assemblies. In addition to that, they tuned the gas piston, which entails milling a little bit off of the top and bottom to allow more gas to bypass the piston - looks like they were trying to reduce slide velocity, which I could see having to do with erratic ejection since my 10mm Glock gets sketchy on extraction too once my handloads go from "intimidating" to "nuclear".

I don't have the work order in front of me, but it's interesting, as they list the recoil springs as "Import". Not sure how these relate to the stocker MRI pieces, but the force needed to pull the slide back seems a bit more, and it seems as though the slide snaps forward forcibly now.

As for being a match gun, there's no doubt in my mind about how accurate this thing is - easily one of my favorite things about it. Last time we were out in the desert, some of our guys were shooting an AK at a ~10x12" aluminum plate at 100-125 yards and another at about 100. Nobody had hit it yet, so I pulled out the DE, fired one carefully aimed shot at the more distant plate, knocked it off of its perch, fired a second shot at the second plate, knocked it over, then said "rifles are for p*****s" and walked off. The n00bs were dumb struck, and I decided to quit while I was ahead. Either way, due to the fixed barrel, and long sight radius, it's easily my most accurate pistol, if you're not feeling jumpy that day.

[2nd Shot]

... When was the last time you saw someone at the range carefully aiming a DE for target practice? When was the last time have you seen a DE at the range period?

If you go to Angeles sometime on a Wednesday and see a big tall guy with a chrome DE peering intensely down the sights and making precise shots on the 100 yard plate and all the smaller plates, it may be me. I guess everybody else blasts away because they're in love with the fireball and the recoil, but they're missing the best part of the gun - it's a tackdriver if you can figure out the trigger and you're calm enough not to flinch. IIRC, the DE was designed not just for hunting/range bling, but as a semi auto silhouette gun.

[Atlantaboi2012]

All this match talk is making me irritable, especially when you dont know whether or not if your next shot is going to pipe out on you as was the case this past Saturday. No one said you couldnt hit things with it, just not reliably every single time you want it to.Someone said it right the first time...why are DEs having these issues so far into the game? Youd think every model would improve over the years and smooth out the imperfections. It pisses me off because I went thru holy hell just to obtain this gun and now it jams on me constantly now... Im gonna have it shipped back to the company tomorrow. SD has great gunsmiths BUT they admitted they are not too familiar with the DE platform. Dont think I want to trust people to figure this out who dont know how to field strip this thing. Its true the gun performs a little better with hot loads, but I dont like the recoil involved. Shooting 240gr Winchester 44 mags are bad enough, but the part that doesnt make sense is the fact my gun likes the 200 gr Fiocchi out of all the ammo Ive tried, so there goes the hot load theory. This is frustrating...For the cost of each gun ,Youd think this company would do what automotive companies do, which would be to hire engineers to smooth these issues out and make design changes. Yes, the Glocks of today look the same as they did 20 years ago, but are the internal parts the same? I think not. Does the gun shoot better than it did 20 years ago? Definitely so.why cant MRI get this thing sorted out?

[drkphibr]

Anything that is mass produced is bound to have a lemon here and there. Guns are like cars in my opinion, mechanical devices that have performed incredibly well for me for the most part with the occasional problem child, regardless of what the shop does (and other owners can't praise it enough). Sh*t happens and somethings you luck out and sometimes you don't. One (or more) boo boo in the group doesn't necessarily mean a poor design or design flaw. Just ask any exotic owner about care and feeding. I will say that when a .44/50AE DE is firing on all cylinders, there's nothing quite like it.

[bubbapug1]

If you go to Angeles sometime on a Wednesday and see a big tall guy with a chrome DE peering intensely down the sights and making precise shots on the 100 yard plate and all the smaller plates, it may be me. I guess everybody else blasts away because they're in love with the fireball and the recoil, but they're missing the best part of the gun - it's a tackdriver if you can figure out the trigger and you're calm enough not to flinch. IIRC, the DE was designed not just for hunting/range bling, but as a semi auto silhouette gun.

Exactly, the gun is not without its issues, but when you get used to it, and get by the recoil, its really a tack driver. I like heavy guns, they don't sway in my hands...the DE is a heavy gun. The only issue I had with mine was a bad extractor spring (or glob of plastic). Once replaced I found my second issue...everyone wants to shoot it, and the ammo even with reloads is pricey.

The DE is not for everyone, and the OP should just hang it up and sell his...to me.

[2nd Shot]

I'm with you guys on the frustrations though. Something this expensive should definitely have more of the bugs worked out. As a non engineer, I've designed and built entire industrial machines that see 24 hour, 6 day a week duty that are more reliable. Is it because my design skills are awesome? Not at all. It's because I stick with it and won't walk away until it's bullet proof and tuned to perfection, no matter how tedious and frustrating it can be. I would expect no less of any commercially manufactured device for consumer sale.

I think the basic design and manufacturing techniques used to build the Desert Eagle are ok, as proven by the people who own one or more that shoot just fine and without issues. The gun will run when it's set up right and there's no defects or problems present. It's just that their quality control sucks, and small issues like inconsistent parts and poor quality control are crippling an otherwise viable design.

Basically, I think that if MRI paid some more attention to QC, and vigorously chased down and eliminated every little problem they could find, they'd have a gun in a whole new class, and sales would rapidly increase.

[bubbapug1]

I'd hang it up, they suck on the whole and never get tuned perfectly. I feel the pain and will offer you $1,000.00 for the gun.

[23's Dad]

I wonder...

I'm with you guys on the frustrations though. Something this expensive should definitely have more of the bugs worked out. As a non engineer, I've designed and built entire industrial machines that see 24 hour, 6 day a week duty that are more reliable. Is it because my design skills are awesome? Not at all. It's because I stick with it and won't walk away until it's bullet proof and tuned to perfection, no matter how tedious and frustrating it can be. I would expect no less of any commercially manufactured device for consumer sale.

I think the basic design and manufacturing techniques used to build the Desert Eagle are ok, as proven by the people who own one or more that shoot just fine and without issues. The gun will run when it's set up right and there's no defects or problems present. It's just that their quality control sucks, and small issues like inconsistent parts and poor quality control are crippling an otherwise viable design.

Basically, I think that if MRI paid some more attention to QC, and vigorously chased down and eliminated every little problem they could find, they'd have a gun in a whole new class, and sales would rapidly increase.

Is it possible that some of these issues are related to a particular manufacturing facility or time frame? For some period the DE was made in Israel, here, and is now back in Israel right? Are we seeing a Pre-Kahr/Post-Kahr issue? I would think that Kahr Arms would push quality control harder than an owner who was looking to sell... Just a thought...

I like drkphibr's analogy to owning an Exotic Car, but in this case it's more like an old Jaguar E-type. It's great when it runs, and really looks good in the garage, but you know it's gonna have some issues too.

[Atlantaboi2012]

Speaking of German cars, perhaps MRI should consider selling the company to the Germans. Maybe put some of that magic touch on the DE. Im not the type that will bail out on a deal like that after investing so much into it already. Ive sent it back to the company via FEDEX on their dime. Oh yeah , for all of you who dont know..DO NOT pay to send your gun back to MRI if your having issues. Follow the procedures online for return then CALL them back and request a prepaid FEDEX label to be sent to your email free of charge. I sent mine out yesterday and they got it overnite express around 10am pacific time..not bad. Im going to see what happens and let you guys know what the outcome is.

[IVC]

Something this expensive should definitely have more of the bugs worked out. As a non engineer, I've designed and built entire industrial machines that see 24 hour, 6 day a week duty that are more reliable. Is it because my design skills are awesome? Not at all. It's because I stick with it and won't walk away until it's bullet proof and tuned to perfection, no matter how tedious and frustrating it can be.

There are unknown variables in the DE equation: the type and quality of the ammunition, recoil handling by different individuals, etc. It might work great when you design it, but the operational parameters could be significantly different at deployment time.

When shot correctly and with good ammo, it's potential is great due to the fixed, match barrel. Nothing wrong with blasting away just for the fun factor either. Live, let live and have fun.

[2nd Shot]

Well that's the thing. All the really difficult engineering is already done and works well - I just think that a couple minor issues here and there are the only things that hang up the gun and are responsible for the negative opinions you see from time to time. If they had these simple issues worked out, the pistol would be regarded in a new light.

As for mine, I'll keep sending it in, fixing, and will even machine replacement components myself if that's what it takes to get it running. I still haven't fired it since I got it back, but will soon. I imagine it'll probably be fine. I'm particularly happy about them replacing the bolt, as any continuing failure to feed or ejection problems can be fixed by replacing or tuning inexpensive parts.

[stilly]

LoL@novelty pistol...

I dunno what SSE OH I get it. Single-Shot Exempt... LoL.

Anyways, Deagle in Brushed Chrome is on the roster for CA. There are TWO models now. Both are 44 mag, one black and one brush chrome, well, I am guessing by the description...

Anyways, I sold my Colt Kodiak 44 mag revolver and needed a pistol to fill the spot and the Deagle fit in nicely. I have shot more .44 mag in the past 7 months since I have been reloading then all of the .45 acp last year and this year combined. Funny though, now that I have become a brass rat I hate to go to the range and shoot ANYTHING but .44 mag and .22. I usually recover 99% + of the 44 mag shells and who cares about the .22 cause I got about 1/5th of a 5 gal bucket filled anyways... I **** bricks to see any of my 44 mag shells cross that line in the front, cause then they like to make a run for it and they do not stop until they are past the 10' mark, that makes it a PAIN to recover them with the squeegie... Anyways, the older deagles would throw brass right back in your face. HOWEVER, I find that if I load up H-110 the brass comes right off to the right and sometimes drops to the right or jumps up and barely to the right. Using Blue Dot or AA#7 it tends to throw brass back to my right about a 30 degree angle from the gun. I JUST loaded up 300-MP and I have hp-38, bullseye, AA#9, LIL GUN, VVn105, and Enforcer waiting to go next. I also have 1000 new unprimed federal cases on the way and I already have about 1500 OFB that has been cleaned and ready to shoot with about 300 being through the wash about 2-3 times now. Damn I love the reloading. I am reloading at a cost of about .20 or less per shot.

I had a problem with the factory mag hanging up the LAST round and I thought it was my crimping style and all but it turned out to be that mag had somehow spread apart a lil bit at the top. I will squeeze it together and see if it fixes the problem btu as far as running promags, Forget it. OKAY, at least the pro-mag that I got was complete garbage. It gave me all kinds of static and did not work and all that. 0o0o0 I just spent $27 and got a POS aftermarket mag. It embarrassed me at the range to let noobs look over and see a deagle misbehaving.

Bubbapug gave me some pointers with the deagle as far as loading and stuff and I think the info was about right on the dot. I have really enjoyed shooting mine and watching people jump although it DOES give me whiplash sometimes because I have developed a very bad habit of snapping my head to the right to look over my shoulder and watch where my brass falls.

The guys at the MRI site have been good to me. Well, They are good in that they told me a short history of my gun (serial number info, nothing more) and offered to send me parts (that I am going to customize) so that I can continue to have a killer "novelty" gun that is a lot of fun to shoot.

Good luck getting yours fixed. If you want to get rid of it I will gladly take it off your hands for $1000

BTW, I usually ship either fed-ex or UPS ground in an unmarked box with the contents labeled as Sporting Goods. The most I have paid was about $29.00