Anybody make a halfway reliable auto loading .44 mag?

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nadrepadre

New member
Seems like there are a lot of issues with the desert eagle line of guns with jamming due to crap springs and mags. I'm familiar with the model 29 revolver and can shoot it with accuracy...for about 18 rounds. I'm willing to bet that something with a reciprocating slide might absorb a little bit of the recoil. Also I have massive hands so I can put fat rubber grips on it whilst still maintaining proper contact.
 
Have you shot a Super Blackhawk? The recoil of a single action revolver has always been much more pleasant for me. I guess it's the way the plow handle grip works with my hands. I also have extremely large hands. To me, some 44 magnums feel like getting hit across the palm with a stick. With reasonable loads I can shoot lots of 44 magnums through the SBH with no problems. The weight and 7.5" barrel probably help too.
 
Yeah, single action sixguns can be a lot more pleasant to shoot with magnum loads.
Mostly due to using their special technique of letting the gun roll up with the recoil while cocking the hammer for the next shot.
Not the most speedy of techniques, but effective non the less.
 
Handguns are greatly affected by position in the hand . For multiple shots that creates a problem --each shot will have a different point of impact. You may not have time to re-adjust your grip before the deer is gone !
Best to have no movement in the hand. For a 44mag I slightly bend elbows and on firing they bend more but no movement in the hand. Rubber grips may help to absorb recoil.
Then there is the Bisley grip .Much more comfortable to hold but I've never fired one. :)
 
I suspect maybe MANY will say something similar if this discussion goes on for a bit, but I don't know WHERE you get the idea that many or most Desert Eagle pistols have problems with feeding and running...

Frankly, by the numbers, they surely do NOT have such a reputation. Desert Eagle guns, when fed proper ammo (full-throttle, not light and always jacketed) run extremely well, are very reliable and are damn accurate.

And if you have the financial ability, buying a 14" barrel will add to the accuracy (or rather your ability to use the accuracy), it'll add speed and energy to the bullet and it will add weight to the already massive handgun, which will further help you with recoil management.

If you can get past the cartoonish looks and the silly Hollywood reputation, these are fantastic guns and really -- seems to me to be exactly what you seek.
 
Seems like there are a lot of issues with the desert eagle line of guns with jamming due to crap springs and mags.
Click to expand...

Not sure where you are hearing this, is it from Desert Eagle owners and shooters? Or is just something you heard??

I've had two .357s and a .44Mag Desert Eagle, got the .44 in 1990. If they aren't fed right, or HELD right, you can make them jam. Otherwise, they run pretty good.

I don't know if recent production guns are having issues, but my original ones (now old) only had problems if I did something wrong for them.

They are NOT like most other semi autos. First off, they NEED to use ONLY jacketed bullets. NO CAST (the maker says so!) and I wouldn't run plated.

Full power loads (or even hotter) are what it wants. Anything less, and it can choke. The gun must be held so it has something to recoil against, AND the magazine must be allowed to "float" (meaning no pressure on the mag base plate) otherwise, you will have feeding issues.

It is NOT an omnivore, it needs a special diet (the ammo it likes). Use the right ammo, and the right grip and they are more than "halfway reliable".

Recoil is MUCH less punishing than a S&W 29 or a Ruger SuperBlackhawk. (I also have those) Mostly because the Desert Eagle is much heavier, but also the shape of the grip helps.

For me, full house .44 Mag out of a Desert Eagle feels like hot .45ACP from a lightweight duty gun (like a Sig). Blast is fearsome, but the recoil isn't.

I had an LAR Grizzly in .44 Mag. Was not happy with that one, Mags only held 6, and it liked to jam. I traded it for the same gun in .45 Win Mag, and its a whole different beast, runs well and smoothly, and holds another round.

Desert Eagle holds 8 in the mag. 8+1 .44Mag in an accurate pistol, which runs (in my experience) pretty well. The only real drawback is the overall weight and the size of the grip, which is simply too big for some people to manage well.

Its NOT the combat gun that movies and games make it out to be. NOR was it ever meant to be.
 
I do not know if the Wildey or automag are reliable. I have never shot any .44 Magnum. Most powerful guns I have shot handgun wise are 10mm, .357mag
 
only

Not certain, but I believe the Eagle is the ONLY .44 mag autoloader that uses the rimmed, revolver cartridge.

The .44 AutoMag is the only other autoloading .44, and it used a different , rimless cartridge.
 
The Desert Eagle is the only semi auto in current production that uses the standard rimmed revolver round, .44 Mag or .41mag, or .357 Mag. (.41 is out of print currently, and I'm not sure about .357) .50AE uses a rebated rim case.

.44 Auto Mag is a rimless case, originally made by cutting off (and reaming) .308 Winchester rifle brass. (any .473" rifle case with the same taper could be used. Case length is 1.298")

Coonan is back in production, but only in .357 Magnum.

LAR made the Grizzly in .44 Mag, but its long gone, as well.

As much as I love the Auto Mag pistol, I have found them to be ..tempermental, each one seems to be an individual about what it wants to run on, and, for how long. ;) They are stellar accurate for a handgun, but very balky about feeding. :(

For the most reliable .44 cal semi today, go with the Desert Eagle. (provided you "fly it the right way" :D)
 
A friend has had a DE .44 mag. for many years. Once he found the brand of ammo that it likes, he hasn't had any issues with it. It has very mild recoil for a .44 mag, but my Mag-na-ported 6" 29-3 is almost as soft shooting.
 
I have had zero problem with any factory .44 magnum ammunition (Georgia Arms, Black Hills, Buffalo Bore, Federal, Remington) I have tried in my Desert Eagle, nor have I had any problem with reloads where I reloaded to upper end of the reload data using Alliant 2400. Lighter reloads, yup failures to recycle occurred, but once a loading was reached that did not yield a failure to recycle no problems from there and above. My Desert Eagle is a smooth shooting pistol and will be one of the last I ever get rid of. Sorry you are having problems with yours. Have you had a good gunsmith look at it ?
 
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