The Magnum Research Desert Eagle 44 Mag Wasn't What I Expected
The Desert Eagle is one of the most widely used firearms in movies; while watching Deadpool & Wolverine, I pointed out to my wife that Deadpool was using Desert Eagles, and this wasn’t the first time I’d done this during a movie. Having never fired one until recently, I wondered why they were so popular in movies but not so much in the home or self-defense realm. I had my suspicions. It’s a giant, intimidating handgun, perfect for use in cinema. However, that doesn’t translate well into concealed carrying or home defense, so I had to test it out.
Magnum Research was happy to send me a DE 44 Magnum (the most well-known model is the 50 AE) to test and see what the big deal is with this big gun. I’m used to shooting 9mm and 45 ACP, so the 44 Mag was new. My grandpa has some 357 Magnums, and I’ve never been a fan of shooting them. I always thought they had too much recoil, and I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with them.
To prepare myself while waiting for the Magnum Research Desert Eagle to arrive, I spoke with a buddy at church who had some experience with the 44 Magnum. He said, “It’s a man’s gun; be prepared for some serious recoil.”
A few days later, I received a call from my local gun shop to come pick up my new firearm. Since Desert Eagles are more prevalent in the movies than in the wild, I was the talk of the shop, and apparently, every gun shop employee had drooled over this pistol.
Initial Thoughts on the Desert Eagle
I couldn’t blame them as he opened the box to show me a beautiful black behemoth of a firearm. I’m a small guy, standing only 5’6” and with small hands, but this pistol makes my hands look tiny.
As I reached to pick it up, the gun shop employee warned me about the weight. At over 4 pounds, it was just as heavy as the .22 LR rifle I was also picking up. I wasn’t sure how I would be able to hold it up and aim for any length of time, so I would definitely have to start working out again!
I was eager to get home and start shooting it at the range I built on the backside of my property. So I ordered some ammo from Ammo.com, and when it arrived, I headed straight for my shooting range.
I set up paper and self-healing targets and properly positioned my steel shooting tree. I loaded the magazine as calmly as possible with some jacketed hollow points (I couldn’t find any full metal jackets), put on my hearing and eye protection, and stepped to the shooting line.
Taking aim, bracing myself, and as smoothly as I could with adrenaline surging through me, I squeezed the trigger, expecting to get thwapped upside the face and receive a broken nose from this chunk of metal.
To my shock, I hit the target, and the recoil was minimal. I hadn’t thought about the weight of the gun helping to absorb the recoil until I’d fired it, then it made sense.
After I finished shooting the mag, grinning like a raccoon who had just found a trash bag at a campsite, I called my brother to tell him about my shooting experience with the Desert Eagle.
Magnum Research Desert Eagle 44 Mag Specs
These specs were taken directly from the Operating Instructions manual. You can choose from several models, and the specs will vary depending on the exact model you purchase.
- Length: 10.75”
- Height: 6.25”
- Width: 1.25”
- Trigger Reach: 2.75”
- Sight Radius: 8.5”
- Empty Weight: 4 lbs, 7 oz
- Magazine Capacity: 8 Rounds
- Gas Operated
- Combat Sights
- Comes With Manuals, 1 Magazine, Gun Case, Lock, and 5 in 1 Cleaning Tool
Getting A Second Opinion
When I showed my dad the gigantic pistol, he wasn’t overly enthused about firing it, but my brother was just as eager as I was, so while on the phone with him, he let me know when he’d be back from his deployment and have some time to shoot.
As we headed to the range, I relayed my initial testing to him to let him know what to expect. He must not have believed me because he had the same reaction I had after my first shot: a look of disbelief in the amount of recoil. He claimed the recoil was less snappy than his buddy's 9mm Springfield Armory Hellcat.
This makes sense, considering the pistols' tremendous size and weight difference.
We encountered a few jams while shooting, which I thought was abnormal, so I checked the Operating Instructions to see that we were shooting it incorrectly, causing the jams.
Since we were both used to shooting 9mm or 45 ACP, we needed to adjust our grip and lock our elbows, which allowed the gun to cycle better and quickly fixed our jamming problems.
Both he, a left-handed shooter, and I, a right-handed shooter, were able to shoot consistent groups despite having minimal experience with the pistol.
We agreed the Desert Eagle 44 Mag is incredibly fun to shoot!
Desert Eagle Pros
While testing the Desert Eagle, I wanted to ensure I remained as neutral as possible despite my excitement. Here are all the benefits I thought of while testing the Magnum Research Desert Eagle 44 Magnum:
- Iconic Firearm
- Multiple Cartridge Options
- Lower Recoil Than Expected
- Fun To Shoot
- Well Designed & Well Built
- Easy To Field Strip & Clean
- Fully Customizable
- Multiple Models Available
Desert Eagle Cons
Even though this is an excellent firearm, there are several reasons why I didn’t own one sooner, and they might keep you from purchasing one.
- Expensive To Purchase & Shoot
- Slight Firearm Manipulation Learning Curve
- Unable To Conceal Carry
- Less Than Ideal For Home Defense
Parting Shots
Whether you’re a movie lover, like my wife, or drool over firearms, as I do, you can appreciate the Magnum Research Desert Eagle 44 Magnum.
Despite initially being a little leary, I’ve found that I enjoy shooting this firearm as much as any of my other guns. I’m not quite confident enough with it to take it deer hunting, but that could be a possibility in the future since the 44 Mag has plenty of power to harvest deer ethically.
For now, it rests locked in my gun safe, waiting for the next trip to the shooting range, which will be sooner rather than later!
Magnum Research Desert Eagle in 44 Magnum
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I would agree that the muzzle break makes a difference. I originally bought the 44 magnum without a muzzle break, and then later got the 50AE barrel with the break. A friend of mine has a 50 without a break. The 50 with the break fills like the 44 without one. Plus the gas recoil system is soaking up some of the recoil.
I've owned three DEs over the years going all the way back to their introduction. The first model was 100% reliable. The last model I had was surprisingly problematic on ejection due to the extractor slipping off the rim.
I like the design - it's actually a very simple design, but being gas operated and built for a cartridge never intended for auto use, the gun is just plain "yuge." The DE is a lot more impressive in movies and TV than in real life - after the new wears off it really is a range toy. At 72 whopping ounces it weighs 15 ounces more than a S&W M500 4 inch that outpowers it round for round, and the effective brake on the M500 makes it more fun to shoot and better balanced for sure. The gun is grossly oversized for any sort of single-handed use other than hollywood stylin' it.
Then came the day I finally bit the bullet to use a phrase and went all in on the 460 Rowland. My first conversion was a Glock 20 fitted with entire 6.61 inch barrel, long slide top unit - it weighed just 34 ounces - HALF that of the DE! But it got worse. Using Underwood 185 grain 460R ammo, the G460R clocked 1,722fps/1,218fpe, while the DE stoked with PMC 180gr 44 mag HC, clocked a pedestrian 1,561fps/974fpe! WHAT? The DE was huge, ungainly, not reliable, and nowhere nearly as user friendly, street/field carriable as the large frame Glock, and the mighty 460 Rowland simply outpowered it!
Okay, so then when I built my first 1911 pattern 460 Rowland conversion using a Clark Custom barrel and brake, the same Underwood 185gr 460R load clocked 1,613fps/1,069fpe from the 5.4" braked barrel, versus the DE 44M load! The 1911 weighs just 39 ounces with brake, has SUPERB ergonomics, a SUPERB trigger, holds 10+1 with CMC mags and is readily belt carried if desired. The efficient muzzle brakes used on 460R conversions really tamp down rearward "drive" or kick and makes the magnum round feel not much more than shooting stock 45ACP. The big Glock barely lifted and seemed to cycle in slow motion due to the mass of slide, barrel and brake!
I subsequently moved into developing handloads for the 460R and found it easy to build loads in the thousand fpe range, which makes carrying ANY 44 mag revolver with less than about 8" of barrel pointless, and pointless anyway considering the revo holds just 6 shots and takes a lifetime to reload versus the 1911 that can be reloaded in the blink of an eye! My current carry load, Underwood 230gr. Nosler goes 1,391/988 from the 1911.
After I experienced the 460 Rowland I came home and immediately sold off the DE because I knew I'd never even pick it up again - novelty factor or not.
Of course this one reason IMI chambered the DE in 50AE and more recently the 429DE, because the gun is just too huge, heavy, unbalanced, and ungainly to justify owning unless it's in a caliber not readily relatable to more usable guns. But even the larger chambering is still heavy, huge, ungainly, unbalanced, and unsuitable for anything but range-play and boasting, and pretending to be in the movie, "Year of the Dragon"! Once the kilojoule energy threshold has been passed, it's less important to have more "power" than to have more shots, faster reloads, and full carryability.