I've 'semi' wanted a DE 44 Mag for a while but I don't know jack about them.
Someone has offered me a couple hundred bucks and their DE in trade for my Vepr12 (with a couple extras) which I have had listed for over a month.

My concern is I will grow tired of the DE quickly but can't nail down why. I enjoy shooting my 626 revolver and 44 lever gun. I load reduced loads for the revolver.

Will the DE run with reduced loads? I'm running 8.5gr of Unique usually with a 240gr bullet.

What are the faults with the DE and what can I look for? Are there different generations of it?
Looks like one mag is a Promag-are they worth a crap?
Any other advice is appreciated.

Photo's of pistol:

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Apparently it's a Gen 1 from 1995.
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The bulk and weight have always turned me off. I have had several 29, 629 and now have a 329PD scandium titanium S&W revolver that I like a lot.  I regret getting rid of my 44 mag Winchester and would love to have another lever gun.  My other 44 mag is a Bullberry Barrel Works  TC Encore pistol very heavy very accurate single shot with scope, but not as clunky as these feel to me, but hey if you like it you should have one at least for a while.

I have a .357 Mark I.  Friend has a VII .50 with a .44 Mag bbl.  They're fun guns.  We've run them at Pin Matches.  

Reloading for the Desert Eagles: Reduced Load is not a goal.  They're Gas Operated, and they have twin double-coil recoil springs.  You need a hot load that generates a lot of gas to cycle them reliably.  Also, don't cheap out and get soft plated bullets.  They'll lead up the barrel and/or clog your gas port, and bang: you just made a single shot.  (I nearly ruined my Mark I doing just that.)  Good thick jacket is a must.  You won't be putting thousands of rounds with it so splurge a bit.

Now...all that said, there could be a powder out there now that generates the amount of gas needed without the associated high pressure and felt recoil.  But, I run H110 in my Magnums (including revolvers) and part of the fun of the Eagle is seeing the HUGE fireball out the end (or in the case of the .50 and .44, the big RINGS OF FIRE that go down range) and the concussion of the blast.

This is a gun that AH-nold uses to shoot airplanes down airplanes flown by robots, right?  Reduced load, indeed.

I also have a .44 Mag lever gun and a 12" Contender bbl.  .44 is a great cartridge.  I do find that the Eagle seems to recoil a bit harsher in .44 than in .50AE.

Interesting. My experience is the opposite. My .50 seems to have noticeably more recoil and muzzle flip than the .44. Granted, I generally shoot with a brake or some other muzzle device on the .44, but I've shot it un-braked and then immediately swapped barrels and shot the .50.

And both are noticeably more pleasant than my 10" Contender .44 barrel.

Dunno

I had a MK VII and a MK XIX, both in .44 Mag.

"Had" being the key word.

Well made guns, that's for sure.  IMI is a quality company.  I just got bored with them (and all of my .44s, they are all gone now) as they had no practical application for me.  They just sat around gathering dust for 7 years after my initial infatuation went away.

I will say this:  The Desert Eagle will handle some STOUT fucking loads.  300 grain XTP loads that would get stuck in the cylinders of my Dan Wesson (which I had to move to since the S&W 629s can't handle the full power 300gr loads) would easily run in the Desert Eagle.

I passed on the deal.
figured I'd get bored with it fast.
A 44 wheel and lever gun is enough for me.