Desert eagle mark VII .44

[DirtyLarry]

Hey guys,

My pal recently picked up an older mark VII .44 , or as I like to call it, Frankenstein because he got it at a trade show for dirt cheap and it's made up of parts from 2 pistols that were broken. The chrome doesn't match lol. The slide looks like someone tried to bead blast it and just opened up all the pours. But it fires well and the inside is actually clean. Anyways it has a ridiculously long extended barrel and we're trying to figure out the cheapest easiest way to replace it with a regular size DE barrel and maybe send the slide to get refinished. I'm guessing the new XIX barrels don't just drop into place?

 

[44 AMP]

I's suggest you ask the Desert Eagle people. (is it still Magnum Research?)

The different marks confuse me. The pistols don't have the marks, marked on them.

Mine is what is now called a Mark I, bought in Feb 90. Can't tell you much about the later marks, but I'd bet the people who make them can. Call them?

 

[JT-AR-MG42]

Larry,
You are correct.
A MK XIX .44 caliber barrel (barrel extension and barrel diameter) is too big for the MK I or VII slide.

Sounds like you are sure it is a VII.
All MK I and VII .44 slides were marked with either a 44 caliber or a 41/44 caliber designation.

I've never seen a MK XIX with a slide marking solely for .357 or .44.
These calibers were added well after initial MK XIX 50AE production began while the MK VII production for the smaller calibers was winding down.

All the MK XIX .44 barrels are easily identified by the flutes cut into them (to save weight), so there is no mistaking the two different sizes.

I have all the caliber/barrel lengths and do agree the 14" barrels are a bit unwieldy for off-hand shooting.
The 10" barrels are my favorites, largely because of the somewhat reduced muzzle blast.
Only one spare 6" .44 barrel, or I would offer to trade.

If your pal grows tired of watching for an earlier 6" barrel to come up for sale.
Which is not that often,
and since he is in it cheap,
and since the finish has been compromised.

It would not be much of a chore to chuck up the barrel in a lathe and shorten it.
Be sure to plug the area ahead of the chamber as well as the piston recess under the barrel to keep fine shaving out of the gas ports.

When milling the new front sight dovetail, I would keep it on the tight side.
Magnum Research factory sights are made with hollow bases that are slightly oversize so that they are a tight fit into the dovetail.
This feature keeps the sights from shifting or loosening due to the recoil forces.

JT

 

[DirtyLarry]

44 amp,

I'm pretty sure it's mark VII because the sight rail is narrow and has no scope grooves and its stamped .44 on the barrel. One side says IMI and other side says magnum research made in Israel.

 

[DirtyLarry]

JT

I think that finding a 6" is gonna be a bit of a challenge within a budget, so cutting it down could be a good option. We'll look into finding a machine shop since he doesn't have a smith in the area.

 

[Rembrandt]

If you have the 14" barrel, I'd recommend against cutting it down. They command a premium price and would bring far more than a six inch would cost. 14" barrels are great for hunting and very accurate. Gun would be worth much more as a package with both long and short barrels.