So I've got a narrated link over on Imgur here:

Desert Eagle Review

Any thoughts or ideas?  I'm headed to hang out with the FFL tomorrow evening and to use his punch set (since I'm not at home to access my tools)... anything I should examine while I'm there?

DEs are different from many pistols out there. Rule 1 when shooting them is to not allow the muzzle to flip up with the recoil. That causes most all malfunctions. Strong arm the pistol. Do not roll back with the recoil.

The DE does like more powerful and heavier loads. You should use jacketed bullets. Don't used all lead bullets. Thats what they mean about not using lead bullets. Lead nose is fine too.

Not being able to insert a mag with the hammer down is a strange one. They aren't connected in any way. Though there are different models of the DE which have various differences I can't see a connection.

When racking the slide pull it back and let it slam forward. Don't baby it.

DE recoil springs are pretty stiff. There is a break in period.

If you haven't done so take apart the slide/bolt/firing pin assembly and clean it up. There have been the occasional reports of the rust inhibitor fouling things up. Remember to use a light tough on oil. The DE is a dirty dirty hog since its gas operated. I would spend hours cleaning mine sometimes.


Hope this is helpful.

Not sure if it was helpful to the OP or not, but it is helpful to me!

Thanks for posting.

<---Noob DE owner.

Yep, been using the weaver stance/grip and trying to avoid flip. The only thing I can really find is either defensive loads or JHPs and have only bought the 240 grain ammo.  I've yet to find any 320 gr. or 340 gr., or at least looked out explicitly for it.  

 Yeah, I think there's a burr in the magwell, but when I open the slide and insert it slowly, it goes in just fine.  



Yeah, I haven't babied it all, the ones that didn't go all the way forward was during normal shooting and what appeared to be normal ejection.


How many rounds do you think... and I'll have to do a better teardown .


Thanks! I've seen a lot of those from reading before, but it's always good to verify and it looks like you helped 6winchester2, so it's all good!

Its not enough to shoot 240 grain.. you have to shoot full power 240 gr. Some loads are "soft"... Blazer for instance will not cycle a DE reliably. Remington... Winchester.... PMC.... Prvi.... Sellier & Bellot.... Fiocchi.... 240 gr flat nose jacketed soft points will operate it nicely.

The gun is short stroking. I know you feel that you are holding it steady, but any rearward movement on your part is stealing energy that slide needs to eject and load the next round. Desert ealges also "torque".... the polygonal rifling acts like the rotor of a helicopter... the bullet spins one direction, the gun itself wants to spin the other. In the .44 its manageable, but this is why some folks complain about the shell casing ejecting into their faces.

Soft shooting .44 mag ammo will also short stroke a DE... giving you similar symptoms. I've had issues in the past with Hornady ammo as well... the .44 mag leverlution would not cycle it reliably.

A good cleaning, like the poster above said, is a must.

With the trigger issue among others on a brand new gun, I contacted MRI and they suggested I ship it in for warranty repair.  Coupling the trivial things like slide locking back with the more serious trigger reset issues and the mag not inserting, I'm going to ship it in.  

I've also shot more than just Blazer, but aside from from self defense rounds at close to $2 a round for 20, I have yet to find any P+ or 320 or 340 gr. ammo in the 4 shops I've stopped in.

Blazer is .44 mag "lite"... You dont need +p... you just need true, full power .44 mag. The cheaper ammo target loads can be too weak to power a DE reliably.  If you shoot a full power load from Remington next to that American eagle.. you would see what I am refering too.. a very noticeable difference in recoil.

The slide locking open... no offense, could be you. Are you accidentally hitting the slide stop during recoil?

I figured with the aluminum casings, it was weak stuff.  What do you consider a full power load, something in the 300 gr. range? I've yet to find anything more than 240.  The AE, Magtech, and Winchester are all listed on the sheet of "ammo found adequate for use" that was included with the gun.  In fact, most of the loads on there are 240 grain, with even the Remington 180 JHP's being sufficient (supposedly).  

As for the slide, I made sure to keep my thumb down on the plastic side grip after the first few instances and it was still happening, although without videoing it or close examination, I really couldn't tell you much more.

To agree with several of the previous answers, yes , you do need to use the right ammo. Magtech is by far the best factory round I have tried...in the 240 gr softpoint load.
From my experience with factory loads, most of them will not work well at all.....  
I have been handloading for this  gun two years now, since I makes it much more affordable to shoot, not to mention I can make up very reliable rounds that function well.
I am getting almost 100 % function with mine, unless my thumb goes up and hits the slide release under recoil. I have started to hold my right thumb down with left thumb while shooting.
Mine is working so well with my handloads, that I can fire this beast one-handed and it functions fine, except my accuracy suffers a bit.

When the expense got too great and unpredictable reliability of factory ammo was frustrating me, I learned to make my own.

I can shoot for 1/3 the cost of new.

A single stage press is more then adequate for feeding a DE.

Like others, I reload the majority of my DE ammo.  Primarily 240 and 300 gr. XTPs.  

For factory ammo, I've had good results from Winchester and Federal 240 gr. ammo.

Its not the bullet... the 240 grain bullet. Its the powder behind it. Blazer claims a muzzle velocity of 1200 fps in their 240 gr load... I dont believe it. I would be shocked it if was over 1100. Whereas Remington, Magtech (mentioned above), fiocchi, Winchester super x , ect.. all would have true muzzle velocities over 1200 fps.

They are all 240 grain loads... the difference is some companies download theirs... making them too weak to power your gun. Other companies, usually more expensive ammo companies, load them where they should be, and they have enough energy to run your gun.


So shooting a 240 gr load from one of these would be fine. Desert eagles are not inexpensive guns.. they like expensive ammo. Sadly.. all these brands (excepting the magtech) are probably going to be close to $1 a round. Thus why reloading can be so economical.

So I got it back.  The trigger adjustment screw stripped and backed itself out into the magazine well, thus the not being able to insert magazines and mushy pull/reset problems. There was also a burr on the trigger bar.  Shot probably 100 rounds of mixed Magtech, S&B (that stuff is hot and burns completely, very little muzzle flash), and Winchester.  Overall, no issues other than the slide not locking back on an empty mag and once with the Winchester, which among them all, felt kinda underpowered.  It was noticeable, felt recoil from least to greatest was Winchester < Magtech < S&B, so it looks like it might not like Winchester.  Overall though I'm pleased that it began working better.  Just thought I'd update everyone.

Make sure you are firing TMJ ammo and not FMJ ammo with an exposed lead core at the base.

I was going to use S&B FMJ on the trial run of my new DE until luckily I re-read the owner's manual and caught that detail which I had missed the first time.

You will foul your gas system with lead if the base of the bullet is not jacketed.

In addition to the owner's manual, my DE (Mark XIX) came with a supplemental sheet from MRI which listed the recommended loads by manufacturer and catalog number.