Who wouldn’t love a stainless Desert Eagle?
(Editor’s note: This article was a submission from freelance writer Max Slowik)
Magnum Research, Inc. is launching two updated all-stainless steel Mark XIX Desert Eagles in .357 and .44 Magnum, rounding out their latest series in style. The stainless lines are complimented with matte black components for a slick two-tone look.
Magnum Research unveiled the new all-stainless Desert Eagle chambered for their flagship cartridge, .50 Action Express a year ago. While the iconic handgun was developed around the .50-caliber cartridge, a lot of Desert Eagle owners prefer to shoot more common .357 and .44 Magnum loads. Due to demand constraints, that wasn’t an option until now.
What do you think of the flashy designs?
“When we introduced the first stainless steel Desert Eagle Mark XIX in .50 AE last year, the demand was overwhelming and it was difficult to keep up,” said marketing and sales vice president Frank Harris. “Unquestionably, the Desert Eagle Mark XIX-series is the most popular handgun that Magnum Research manufacturers, and now, in stainless steel…This has been our most successful introduction to date.”
And there’s no mistaking these new Desert Eagle as shooters. They have as much swank as they do polish, updated with dual rails for optics in addition to frame-mounted accessories and an integrated four-baffle muzzle brakes to keep the overall length and size envelope the same as with standard Mark XIX-series pistols.
Magnum Research will start shipping the guns at the top of 2016, but buyers had better be ready to make it rain–these stainless Desert Eagles have a suggested list price of $1,931.
The .50-caliber model, which is already available, retails at around $1,600, and is a pretty solid indication of what the .357 and .44 Magnum models will sell for in terms of real-world pricing. Older model stainless Desert Eagles sell for a little less but don’t have the 6-o’clock rail or the integrated porting. Add-on compensators are available but negate any price advantage, and add mass and length to an already large and heavy handgun.
MRI, a Kahr company, has been ramping up their production of Desert Eagle pistols with snazzy new finishes, having recently added handguns with animal and camo print finishes including cheetah, snakeskin and now zebra print in addition to a spread of Kryptec camo patterns.
These new designs take the Desert Eagle to even higher levels of flash, cementing their place at the top tier of show guns. That being said, they’re no joke when it comes to performance downrange, and will always have a place in the world of handgun hunting, making a functional case for the camouflage models.
I’ll have to correct one detail in the article: the Desert Eagle most certainly wasn’t developed around the .50AE, which was introduced in 1988. It was first designed almost a decade earlier, patented in 1983/1985 and it’s been manufactured since 1982 in .357 and .44. I bought my first .357 DE Mark I in mid 80’s when .50AE didn’t even exist yet.
Ditto – the Mark I was developed around the .357 and in fact the Mark VII was offered in .357, .41Mag, .44Mag, and 440 Carbon all before the .50AE came into existence. Granted, the .50AE gave the gun a “wow” factor and the Hollywood prop guys could not get enough of the thing; accordingly, the “marketing hype” is the only thing at DE developed around the .50AE cartridge.
I have a DE in 44mag. Love the pistol, love the look too. If one day I have extra cash Ill buy the 50 AE barrel kit and then Ill have 2 pistols in one. But shooting 50 AE can get very expensive. A couple of things you should know about the DE in my experience it is picky about the ammo you use, and dont limp wrist it cause it will fail to eject or fail to load on you. I love the looks you get from people at the range and the people I show it too…
Can these Desert Eagles fire the same cammo as my 357 revolver?
Or do they need rimless ammo?
Yes, it shoots the same ammo as your revolver. Desert Eagles and Coonans are the only two semi-autos that shoot the rimmed 357 magnum cartridge.
Absolutely beautiful but how to carry it concealed. Those suckers are huge!
Yes but a well balanced machine…. shoots like a 380 or even a 22lr.
I’ll bet it does. Nice heavy weapon, not one of those plastic light weights. I’d have one in a New York second if I was still open carrying.
(Merry Christmas to you & yours, Rocko.)
50AE stainless ported is also available.
http://www.magnumresearch.com/Firearms/Magnum-Research-Desert-Eagle-50-AE-Stainless-w-Integral-Muzzle-Brake.asp
Thank you Russ, I sure do like it !!!
I hate the two tone look. If I buy a stainless gun, I want a stainless gun. I will never understood the appeal or current trend of putting black appointments on a stainless firearm. Beretta did it with their 92FS and while it’s just my opinion, I think it looks horrible! Also, while it may look cool, the DE only needs a comp. in .50AE IMO. The .44 and especially the .357 have very manageable recoil. The real issue with the DE is noise and blast….a problem accentuated by the compensator. Also, I don’t like the look or understand the point of a rail. This is not a self defense firearm by any stretch of the imagination and the need to hang a light or laser off of an already heavy, heavy pistol is trivial at best. To me, this is just another case of a so called improvement, ruining the aesthetics and function of an otherwise interesting and good looking pistol. IMHO, it’s a step back and I wouldn’t buy one now. It’s a case of fixing something until it’s broken. Just my $.02
Allen, I agree with your comments. I definitely did not like the compensator, but I would like the porting – while I do agree that in 44 and 357 Mag it does not need it. The gun is heavy enough to absorb and the action helps a lot as well. I almost got the 50 AE, but decided 44 only because I have a couple other 44 revolvers and rifles. If I had to do over, I would buy the 50 AE just to try it out and re-load something new. I also agree with the bottom rail comment – I do not like it either. I was questioning the top rail until I got one and used it. If it were optional, I would have chose the wrong option 😉
I love them and wish I would have waited to purchase mine. I have the Gold Tiger Striped version and even found a magazine with a gold floor plate. My regret is that it would have been nice to have it ported, but the recoil is not bad anyway. I am partial to the Zerbra pattern and have had a couple of guns done in it and they look great. My carry is a Glock 31 in that pattern and I had the slide done in Cerakote in a metal flake black. I love the DE and use it for hunting, my only complaint was the sights. There are really no other sights (adjustable) on the market for them except for Williams and they do not fit well and let’s just say they are not robust enough for the firearm. Meprolight had a set which I would have bought in a second, but they do not fit the newer models. I ended up using a Burris Fast Fire III and it works great. Is it practical ? For medium game it works just fine and I carry it in a bandolier style holster and have fun doing it. I have not used it for anything larger than deer and hogs, but I am sure it would work as well as my Super Redhawk which is mag-na-ported. Something different is always interesting to me. Pricey – yes, but isn’t everything ? In reality, a single shot shotgun or rifle is all anyone would every need if they wanted to go on the cheap, but for me a good part of the thrill of hunting is the preparation using a new firearm and then trying to be successful with it. Although I will say that in my case one Desert Eagle is enough ;)~. Great review and I do like the new models, especially the ported feature without having to have a “port extension” on the pistol.
Wow- So much better looking than the animal print versions. Somewhere in my deep crazy dreams, I’m walking around with a pair of the .44 Magnums strapped on my hips. Very cool.