The Gun Counter

Does anybody have experience with .357Mag Desert Eagle pistols?

A gentleman at our range has one with a failure to feed problem. It seems to misfeed repeatedly on the third round out of the magazine. The pistol appears otherwise to be in good order, though I have no previous experience with these guns.

I do notice that the magazine does not seem to seat in a very positive manner into the magazine well- there is maybe 1/16" play in it once engaged, and I wonder whether this might be causing the malfunctions.

Does anybody have or know about the D'Eagle? In particular, could anybody check whether their magazine locks in firmly, or has some slop.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions with this.

I have a .50AE not a .357, but I know the magazines do fit loosely.

He must allow the magazine to freely "hang" in the mag well.

If it is gripped (around the bottom of the magazine) while firing, it will cause misfeeds.

Some informative sites for all things Desert Eagle:

http://thedeserteagle.yuku.com/

http://zvis.com/dep/articles/dephist.shtml

Desert beagles are magazine sensitive, fouling sensitive and spring sensitive. They are toys. I don't consider them weapons.

I have one in .44 Mag. Other than getting hot pretty quickly (gas operated), requiring jacketed ammo (lead ammo fouls the gas port in about 3 magazines), and being about as heavy as some of my AR15s, it runs pretty well.

Make sure the magazines are all IMI factory mags. Mine came with a magazine that wasn't IMI marked. I'm not sure who made it because I can't imagine much of an aftermarket for desert beagle magazines, but that magazine had issues. IMI mags didn't.

Make sure the gas port is clear of fouling (dental tools work well for this).

See if you can get a new recoil spring.

A) Buy a revolver

B) Coonan

C) My guess is Ammo. Revolver Ammo, I think, can vary considerably as OAL, is relatively unimportant, etc.

D) Sold my 44 for more than it cost. One of the only guns I sold which I was happy to see go, that I didn't sell as a "parts gun"

Thanks, all.

Glad to know the DE magazine is supposed to "float". I will suggest he tries some different .357 ammo. The slide spring pressure on this gun is a beast - cycling it by hand is hard work, so I wouldn't be surprised if he needs hotter ammo.

BDK wrote:A) Buy a revolver
...
D) Sold my 44 for more than it cost. One of the only guns I sold which I was happy to see go...

Haha! Certainly, if were my gun and not of sentimental value. However, it seems this pistol is a family heirloom, so the gentleman is not likely to want to part from it. I do think it would be nice for him to be able to use it, though.

I'm told you can find a gold-plated Deagle on a roof in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.....

What "vintage" or 'Mark' DE?

Some thoughts in no particular order:
Depending on what's been fired through it, and the possible gas system clogging, there's a possibility for issues, especially if he's limp wristing it by then. The lack or reduction of gas essentially short strokes the gun and if he's limp wristing it, it causes a friction bind between slide and the frame.
Magazines must hang freely, as has been mentioned.
No plated bullets, Gold Dots are a no-no. They will swage out and clog the gas system ala a lead bullet.
The "hot" Norma ammo was required to get a first Gen DE running properly, it didn't like anything else until a ton of polishing and spring tuning has happened.

Whirlibird wrote:Some thoughts in no particular order...

Thanks! Not sure of the vintage of this particular DE, but I suspect it's a pretty old one - I understand the owner inherited it from his father, and it's been sitting in a safety deposit box at the bank for many years.

Limp-wristing might be a factor, but the pistol also jammed when I fired it, and I was careful to give it a firm hold.

I think we'll see how it does with some cleaning, lube, hotter ammo and maybe a fluff and buff...

Thanks, all, for the suggestions!

He says run the .357 Mag DE wet, with lots of oil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wges0SmBOVw

Hope this helps