Got my .50AE bullets from the States

You can't use lead bullets in a Desert Eagle. Apparently, it clogs the gas ports and the gun stops working. You then have to send the gun to Magnum Research and have them unclog the ports (very expensive). There is a guy in Australia that has been using lead bullets but he's using some special blend of metals that doesn't clog the ports. It all sounds like hogwash to me but there are enough guys on DE forums that say lead clogging the ports is actually a problem. The gun is so precious to me that I don't want to damage it. Plus I don't want to be without it for weeks or months while it's away at Magnum Research.
 
They are great to deal with. I have the .44 and I love it. Bought mine from Wild West in Edmonchuk. Always wanted a gold DE. I imagine you got a good deal buying from the US.
 
DE and cast

Ben's not out to lunch on this one. Have a 44 and 50 and have been shooting cast for years. On the 44, after 10,000 rds. and tiring of the sky is falling speeches if I use cast, I knocked the the large pin holding the chamber to the barrel out and then drifted the chamber off the barrel (it is on super tight). All I found was the expected carbon build up which I scraped out with a dental pick.
Now to clarify, the bullets are all gas-checked and this inspection is not for the faint at heart.
I have Dan Wesson 445 and in the manual it says don't shoot 44 special or 44 mag even though they fit:rolleyes: and I even have some guns that state in the manuals that shooting reloads voids the warranty. Take from this what you want but I have done it and this is what I have found.

On a foot note, there is no fire ball as compared to using jacketed.
 
Win Shooter said:
Ben's not out to lunch on this one. Have a 44 and 50 and have been shooting cast for years. On the 44, after 10,000 rds. and tiring of the sky is falling speeches if I use cast, I knocked the the large pin holding the chamber to the barrel out and then drifted the chamber off the barrel (it is on super tight). All I found was the expected carbon build up which I scraped out with a dental pick.
Now to clarify, the bullets are all gas-checked and this inspection is not for the faint at heart.
I have Dan Wesson 445 and in the manual it says don't shoot 44 special or 44 mag even though they fit:rolleyes: and I even have some guns that state in the manuals that shooting reloads voids the warranty. Take from this what you want but I have done it and this is what I have found.

On a foot note, there is no fire ball as compared to using jacketed.
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Are these .44 and .50 you're talking about Desert Eagles? I would really like to see a pic of the large pin. Once these bullets run out I might have to try some gas-checked lead bullets.
 
What da ya mean...Ben's right" ON THIS ONE"!!!!! And yes, the sky is falling!! All that warning about not shooting handloads or not shooting cast, is all B.S.
 
For regular recoil handguns yes. It's just a liability issue. But the DE is gas operated and the reason for not using lead is different. I would imagine that it would take thousands if not tens of thousands of rounds to clog the ports but then again, ya never know. I'll probably start making my own bullets in the future, but for right now TMJ bullets will do.
 
Yes, these are desert Eagles. I don't have a camera thats worth a fiddlers fart for close-up pictures but the pin (on mine anyway, I bought them in 1990/1991) when holding the barrel after field stripping is located in the lug under the chamber portion of the barrel. This lug is also how you remove the chamber from the barrel ( barrel well supported and chamber drifted off with hard wood) Replacing is easy for the pin won't go in unless the barrel/chamber are lined up. If not, you need to knock it off and do it again for you just don't twist to line it up.
The first shooting session with the .44 I went through 700 rds. trying to decide what bullet weight/speed etc. would work best. realizing the jacketed option was going to bankrupt me I went with the cast option for volume shooting thinking the worst result would be a new barrel down the road.
When I got the .50 there were no bullet molds for it at that time, but I was able to cross the border in those days and pick up 300gr. IMI JSP for about $150/k at Kesselrings in WA/USA. Those were the days.
For what its worth, Rainier ballistic plated bullets for the .44 in 240gr. were going for about $60k and Samson/IMI 20rd. 50AE were going for $16 in those days.

Every desert eagle owner that I have come across have barely, if at all shot a 1000 rds. through their guns. I realize that I am probably the exception. My guns are not safe queens, I use them regularly. I treat them like a good car, fuel, oil and cleaning and you're good to go. Nice finish on your DE Mercury, but I would hate to see what it would look like with the volume that I have put through mine :) and the odd part will break once in a while when the round count gets up there too.
 
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Cost for 1000 primers - $42.00
Cost for 1000 bullets - $292.06
Cost for powder for 1000 bullets - $124.41

Total cost for 1000 Desert Eagle .50AE bullets (I mean rounds:redface:) - $458.47
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$458.47 / 1000 = 0.45847 cents each round x 50 = $22.92 per box of 50 [not including your time].

So, that's a net cost of $22.92 per 50 rounds if you load 'em yourself. :cool:
 
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metoe, after 18 years at what point do I decide its "too dirty". Please read my posts again, and besides, with the money that i've saved over the years I could have replaced the guns a few times over. Again, I cast my own so this isn't for everyone. These are my findings, for what they're worth.
 
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NAA said:
$458.47 / 1000 = 0.45847 cents each round x 50 = $22.92 per box of 50 [not including your time].

So, that's a net cost of $22.92 per 50 rounds if you load 'em yourself. :cool:
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You have to add the brass:) There is even some jacketed bullets that are crappy you get pieces of copper everywhere. I dont use my 50 any more but I do you my 357 a lot, round count is 2650.
 
While I do not have a desert eagle to play with. I have shot many cast bullets out of M-14, sks, and cz. They work. You just need to match the pressure to the strength of the bullet. Have fun
 
metoe said:
You have to add the brass:) There is even some jacketed bullets that are crappy you get pieces of copper everywhere. I dont use my 50 any more but I do you my 357 a lot, round count is 2650.
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Figured since he already had 200 rounds of brass from a previous purchase of factory ammo the calculation should just go with the cost of components... ;)
 
Win shooter, that's some excellent news. Being able to clean the ports out myself is fantastic. Once I've used this batch of bullets I might try casting my own. I like the idea of making bullets. My Desert Eagle is definitely not a safe queen, and I plan on shooting thousands and thousands of rounds with it. It's just too much fun not to shoot a lot.:D As for the finish it's actually the toughest coating Magnum Research has. It's the same stuff drill bits are coated with, extremely tough. So far so good anyway.
 
Mercury0 0, You probably would already know this, but when I did this I naturally assumed all warranty/liability issues would be void. Like I said earlier, it is pressure fitted on so a lot of hammering on my part to get it off. If I could have afforded jacketed all the time I would haved stuck with them, but as with the .50 there isn't much, if at all to choose from in this part of the world.
On another note, I believe all the molds for the .50AE are for single shots and the Freedom arms 5 shot revolver if my thinking is correct.
 
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