50 Action Express

[gpracer]

Looking for some direction in reloading for a Desert Eagle, Bullet, powder, and primer selection. I am assuming that cast bullets would cause some issues in this pistol due to the poly rifling.

 

[Melnibonean]

D.Es use a gas port in the barrel to syphon off some of the spent gas and uses it to cycle the weapon. You don't want to be firing cast bullets, or even jacketed bullets with exposed lead bases; the lead will gum up the gas port. The result is a short stroke in the gas cycle that will at first just not fully chamber, then failure to extract, then complete failure to cycle. You can still hand cycle them if the ports are plugged, but that is all. I don't know many gunsmiths who have yet figured out a way to get the gummed up lead out, even after soaking the barrels in mercury (which will dissolve lead and most heavy metals, even gold...)

As for data, the Hodgdon web site is a good place to start. Buy some reloading manuals (Hornady, Speer, Lymann, or all 3 if you can) and read through them. The websites where you can some info as well are:

Hodgdon: http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp
Handloads.com: http://www.handloads.com/loaddata/d...&Weight=All&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=