The page where you find out how to identify Desert Eagle model. Differences between different Desert Eagle Pistol models as per Magnum Research.
Click to expand. It has a little wear from in and out of a holster.at the front of the barrel.and safety lever. I never liked the 50AE. One shell less when you step up from the.357 to the.44.
Then again with the 50AE.No thanks. I want bullets. But at the same time.
If someone was shooting a Desert Eagle at you. I don't think you'll have time to ask them. They are shooting at you. Desert Eagle.being shot at you? Yea you have real life issues. Desert Eagle.
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Hi I picked up a Desert Eagle in.44 magnum and after doing a little research. I have found that it is a very early gun made by IMI in the mid 80's. I am going to give IWI a call and see if they have any records from IMI as I assume they are the same company. What I would like to know is did the early Desert Eagle's come in any color than Black? The reason I ask is that the frame is Silver in color kind of like a brushed aluminum and the slide and barrel are Black. I think it may have been refinished at some point. Anyway I bought this gun because I think it was way under priced at 600 dollars and I have never seen one less than a 1000 dollars around here.
However it is not perfect the are a couple of light rust spots on the slide and I am thinking of having it refinished to all Black and was wondering what that would do to the value as I know it's more of a collector's pistol than anything else. Any idea on value?
If I refinish it I will be disclosing that it was refinished when I sell. Anyway thanks in advance for any info you can give me. Smee78 I am taking it to the range this weekend. I will let you know how it shoots. I honestly bought it just to resell it for a profit. It's such a ridiculously large gun I don't even know what to do with it. But I don't want to put anymore money in it than I have too.
I think that having the slide Duracoated black will add to the value because of the rust but I could be wrong and that's what I'm trying to get a feel for if it worth more in it's current finish or if I should refinish it. Also this gun was so dirty when I got it I did not even know it was two tone until I got it home and started cleaning it. The insides of the Pistol were jet black from all the carbon took two hours and lots of CLP and a toothbrush to get the carbon off. Again thanks to all that reply. Grizz, Several things to look at to help determine the gun and possible value.
Unfortunately, your photo is too small for any detailed analysis. What is the serial number range, and is there a letter suffix? Keep the last several to yourself when posting like this - 32,xxx. If the gun is a stainless or more uncommon alloy frame, it will have an appropriate letter suffix preceded by a dash - 32,xxx-S or A.
A closer photo showing the left slide legend, safety, and slide stop would help determine the correct model. Looking down into the frame below the hammer for the presence of an adjustable engagement screw head will also figure if it is a MKI or MKVII. Is the barrel/slide assembly parkerized or blued?
Again,pretty hard to tell from that photo. Just cannot provide more help with realistic value without more detailed photos. Except to say if the serial range and slide legend match (in timeline), the two tone would have been ordered that way and it will bring more than a common black (or parkerized)version. I would not re-finish it, just clean the rust.
The cost would cut into profit. Magnum Research will probably not be of too much help with dating it, but it doesn't hurt to try. Seems that the DE is the most polarizing handgun I have ever owned.
Some are impressed with the semi auto power and accuracy on tap, while others despise and ridicule the gun and it's size. Just not many folks on the fence about the DE.
I have found that it is a very early gun made by IMI in the mid 80's. I'll disagree with that statement, with a proviso. Assuming it is all original, based on what I could see in that very small pic, it is NOT a mid 80s gun. Mid 90s is much more plausible. The Desert Eagle in.357 Mag hit the US in 1984, and the.44s didn't come out until at least a couple years later, so the earliest it could be would be 1986, BUT, the slide stop and the safety lever(s) are not the ones on the original Desert Eagle (now called the Mk I). I bought my.44 NIB in Feb 1990 (for $650).
Your gun has the 'shelf' or 'ledge' on the safety lever, and the enlarged one on the slide release, that did not come out until several years later. The two tone finish was a factory option, but I'm not sure when it began to be offered, only that it was not offered on the early production (first decade, I think) guns. A couple of important tips about shooting the beast, never, never, NEVER run cast bullets through it!!!! Lead, and bullet lube can plug the gas system! And, unlike some guns, cleaning a plugged gas system on a DE is close to impossible. I know of one case, where a gun got so badly plugged (owner ignorance) that the FACTORY could not clean it.
The owner got his gun back with a new barrel assembly, and a bill for the same. Also, the magazine of the DE must 'float', or feeding trouble will result. Don't cup your support hand under the gun, or it will likely have issues. Plated bullets and bullets with exposed lead in the base are a bad idea, too. Loads must be basically full power ammo, or the gun won't cycle reliably. Did you get just the gun?
Any accessories? DE's came with a reamer to clean the gas chamber. One possible reason you got it so cheap is that it might have a plugged gas system.Only test firing (with appropriate ammo) will tell that. If the gun is ok, mechanically, clean the rust off and put it on the table for $8-900 and it will get snapped up, IF someone with a desire for a DE sees it.;). Hi guys Thanks for all the prompt responces.
After looking at 44 AMP's responce I went back and looked at the photo that I posted and saw I put the wrong pic up when I was posting so let me correct that. The serial number is 297xx-S. The slide is blued and the finish is thin on all the edges like it was holstered alot. Like I said it has some small rust spots that I have cleaned up with some oil and Copper wool but there is still small discoloration where I removed the rust. Well it seems I can't post the pics because they are to large.:confused: Ok I fixed it now it works. Looks like a stainless frame standard MKI that I would date in '87 if I was guessing from the slide.
Looks straight. Not super rare with that frame but the two tone effect is a draw. I could see getting a 1000 if it is good and clean. Neglected DEs that have been shot a bit often require elbow grease to remove the old carbon from the interior forward frame flat. I'd let the new owner replace the rear sight, but they are pretty reasonably priced from MR.
Never tried to drift a sight with a center punch;) JT. Skans That's because the first pic was not my gun. I pulled it off the internet when I was researching Desert Eagles and accidently posted it as mine not paying any attention sorry for the confusion. 44 AMP I did not receive anything but the gun and 1 mag. It was very dirty as I mentioned before I cleaned but not anymore nice and clean. Is it ok to run jacketed hollow points thru a Desert Eagle as I can not find any FMJ.44 magnum anywhere?
You got me really worried about the gas plus being plugged up I bought it off another Deputy and I would hate for there to be problems between us. Is the Stainless steel supposed to be as dull as it is on mine? The jacketed HPs are fine.
![Serial Serial](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125564594/878355894.jpg)
Just no lead or exposed lead base bullets. If you shoot it you'll probably want to keep it, so be careful. Simple enough to check the gas ports on the dis-assembled barrel if firing is not a practical option. Plug the muzzle with an earplug.
Get a can of compressed air and wrap the end of the extension tip with enough tape to form a seal at the breech (just enough to seal at the rear of the chamber, too far in and you will block the gas port at the front end of the chamber). Insert that into the chamber and give it a shot of air. You should feel the air from the port under the muzzle immediately. The air comes out of that port at an angle, so it will be a rush of air rather than a direct blast. The standard steel and stainless frame guns were not polished nor were the casting mold lines all cleaned up. The forward frame flat, with it's rough casting marks, catches a lot of fouling as a result. Only the alloy frames (that were usually given a dark anodized finish) and nickel early frames were polished before the finish was applied.
Custom finish guns are another matter. The jacketed HPs are fine. Just no lead or exposed lead base bullets.
This is correct. I shoot Rem 240gr and Sierra 180s, both have exposed lead tips (the rem has a lot). It is exposed lead at the base of the bullet (or lead & lube in the bearing surface area) that can cause problems.
I don't mean to make it sound like the gun will plug up from a single round of lead ammo, but any significant use poses a risk. The 'problem' is in the design of the DE gas system. Gas is ported from the barrel just ahead of the chamber, and then travels almost to the muzzle, where it makes a 180 turn to impact the piston. This happens inside the barrel assembly (the gas tube is underneath the bore). Unlike other systems that can be disassembled and cleaned fairly easily, the DE can only be 'gotten at' at the gas chamber end. At one time (I do not know if they still do) the maker recommended NOT using 2400 powder (a common powder for the.44 Mag), because of the concern that unburned or partially burned powder could clog the gas system.
I used 2400 in DEs in.357 and never had a problem, but I didn't use it a lot, and don't know if I was just lucky, or if the risk was overstated. I use AA#9 in my.44Mag Desert Eagle loads, and have had fine results. I don't think polishing, or any refinish will 'hurt' the value of the gun you have. It's already a bit thrashed, finish wise.
A collector looking for a pristine example of the gun from that specific era wouldn't pay top dollar for yours, anyway. So, essentially, all your gun is worth is as its value as a shooter. Considering the low price you got it for (low by today's standards;)), any low cost work to improve the looks improves the odds of a sale at whatever price you decide is appropriate.
If you have the gun professionally refinished, I would recommend you setting a fairly low price for the gun, and then adding the cost of the work (and documentation of it) to the final price. However, that's a judgement call, and you would need to know if the total cost would approach the cost of a new gun. If it does, that will hurt the resale chances, a bit. A refinished used gun for close to the price of a new gun isn't likely to attract many buyers.
Better to leave it as it, or do some work that improves the look, but doesn't materially affect the price (your profit margin) and let the buyer think he's getting a bargain. Which, if you are reasonable about the price, he will be.;). 44 AMP Thank you for all the helpful tips. If I refinish the slide it would be 75.00 and I was going to hand polish the frame with an old t shirt and some Mothers mag polish so I am not looking at a lot of money but think it would add a lot of curb appeal to it. Also the gun smith said he could patch up the dents in the sight from the dummy trying to drift it with a punch while he was refinishing the slide.
So I'm thinking it might be worth it. Maybe ask 900.00 and take the first 850.00 that came my way.:D.
I was going to hand polish the frame with an old t shirt and some Mothers mag polish Just polishing compound alone will not do the job. Especially since it appears to be bead blasted, you will probably have to go over the entire frame with different grades of wet-dry sand paper and some gun oil to prep it before polishing. If you just started polishing the frame as it is, it would look polished, but very rough and uneven. Prepping it with different grades of wet dry will give the finished product a flat mirror polish. Start at 600-800, and go up to 1000-1200 to finish it off before starting to polish.
For any flat surfaces of the gun wrap the wet-dry around a a small wood block, or small arkansas stone if you have it as it is very flat. Personally I would have the slide cerakoted or duracoated as you said, and the frame bead blasted. You said the slide will cost you $75 for refinishing, bead blasting the frame should cost around $50. If you have an air compressor you can pick up glass bead media and a blasting gun for around $30 for both and do it yourself. Hi guys Just wanted to let you guys know took my DE out shoots great very accurate however I did get two lite primer strikes so I took it home took the firing pin out and clean the firing pin channel. There was some light rust on the firing pin.
Anyways was just wondering if it was common for DE to have light primer strikes? Dragline45 Boy you were right. I started polishing the Stainless steel it is awful under the bead blasting their are giant pits in the steel.
But after about 1 hour with some 1000 grit sand paper it is looking better. Looks like I got a lot of work ahead of me. Oh well I need to wait for the slide and barrel to come back anyway and it gives me something to do.
I have had 3 different early (pre mark I designation) Desert Eagles, two in.357 and one in.44. Never had any light strikes with them, nor have I ever heard of DE owners complaining about it, so I think its not a common issue. Your gun, neglected and abused the way it was, anything is possible. Rust on the firing pin? (and if the pin rusts the its channel is usually affected, too) Could be enough drag to cause light strikes, or perhaps your mainspring has weakened.assuming, of course the issue is actually the gun, and not the ammo.
Good luck with your project! You have what is commonly referred to as the Desert Eagle Mk VII.44Mag Bad Boy. Stainless frame with a blued barrel and slide. The serial number in those early Mk VII's may or may not reflect the more common serial numbering scheme of the Mark XIX, where they end in a letter 'A' or 'S'. The less digits, the earlier the production.
The lower the digits, the earlier the production. Desert Eagle Mk I's were only in.357Mag, and it wasn't until the Mk VII that they released the.41/.44Mag.
The.50AE didn't come until the current Mk XIX frame. They were all backwards compatible. Mark VII's could be barrel, slide, lug and mag swapped with the other two calibers available at the time, and the Mk XIX could accept any of released caliber configurations. The Mk I released in 1983, and the first production serial number for consumers was 3000. They did approximately 3000 per year, sequentially, for the first 5 years of production. The Mk VII was introduced in 1987. Your magazine will have a three digit date code on it, formatted X-XX.
This is not the year of the magazines manufacture, however. This is the magazine's last revision date. Yours on a.44Mag should likely be something like 8-87 (for August 1987). At $600, if the finish is in good shape, you got a great price.
I've been looking for one of these for many months now, since finding a late 1983 production Mk I all blued in immaculate shape. When I called IWI they told me that the gun I had was so early in production that the records were kept in Israel at the manufacturing plant, and had since been lost in one of their many conflicts in the region. I paid $800 for mine. The serial number is 4digits, and well under the 6000 mark.
If that finish is polished, or high gloss, there's two possibilities (it's hard to tell form your pictures): 1.) It has been refinished, possibly by IMI/IWI. Not so long ago, if you had a Desert Eagle, you could send it back to IMI and they would give it a tune up, check the springs, and you could have it refinished in any of the current finishes they offered. I believe they charged $200 for the service, plus the re-finish (depended on finish) fee, plus shipping. They provided a letter of authenticity of the refinish work, and updated their records on the firearm on their end.
2.) It's been refinished elsewhere. I can't help you here.
When did (or do they?) start putting the Mark # on the pistols? None of the.357s nor the.44 I have a 'Mark #' on them anywhere. I can tell you that the.44 Mag I bought in Feb 90 has identical external features to the.357s I got in 84, and 88. Does not have the built up ledge on the slide release, nor the 'paddles' on the safety levers. In fact, other than the markings, size of the bore, bolt face, & magazine feed lips, the only difference I can find between my.44 and the early.357s is that the gas piston on the.357 is (loosely) retained by a pin, and on the.44 it is not.
SO, what I am wondering is, If it doesn't say Mark I, VII, or XIX on it, what is it? And how would you tell? When I got mine, none of them were referred to in print or conversation as Mark anythings, they were just Desert Eagles, and caliber. I can't say that I know a lot about Desert Eagles, however I will say that I've gotten the opportunity to load, shoot and care for one for an extended period. And I did also have the chance to do a little 'service' on a different one while -at- the shooting range.
![Eagle Eagle](/uploads/1/2/5/5/125564594/755978416.jpg)
Because it was doing exactly the light strikes that the OP mentioned in his short range recap. I did nothing more than what you did. Getting the firing pin out, swabbing out the area, wiping down the pin and re-assembling, but it ran through the next 60-70 rounds without hassle after doing that.
Common problem? But I would imagine that it's always an opportunity for a light-strike issue when you are talking about a semi-auto with a firing pin that is spring-loaded and runs through a channel and gets wacked by a hammer. Much, much moreso when the history of the gun in question is entirely unknown. I would say that most typically, it's lubricant in there, or more to the point - congealed or crudded-up lubricant in there. I remember the early DE manuals listed the ammo they recommended, and, essentially, said that if your gun didn't work with the listed ammo, there was a problem, and they would help fix it. If you shot anything else, and your DE didn't work, it was your problem. I've shot handloads through mine, and with the right load, they work fine.
With a load they don't like, they don't work well. The.357s seem to have a clear preference for stuff on the hot side, especially with the lighter bullets.
I have even tested a friend's.357 rifle load (125gr JHP) from an early.357 DE, and gotten a chrono'd 1720fps. Gun ate the whole mag, smiled, and asked for more.
My experiences are a little different. Never shot a round of factory in any of mine. My.357s have only tasted the 158 gr.
And they all shoot very well (for my ability that is!) with 14 or 15 grs. 2400 or 16grs.
The only malfunction I've ever had in.357 has been with a lighter loading - 158gr./15grs. It was a failure to eject and lock open in a 14' barrel and that was just once.
Since standardized with 14.5 grs. My primer strikes on fired cases look light, but have not had a single failure to fire that I recall. Same in.41 and.44 as well as my Automag. Light looking strikes, but they all go bang. My 50 primer strikes do look a little deeper. LOLs on the whole 'limp wristing - hold it properly and it works' subject. Some folks just don't take instruction well.
Don't know if it is video games or what, but at a fun shoot a year ago eight out of ten 20 something year old guys experienced stoppages shooting my.44 after receiving the standard 'push - pull' spiel. All the women, who actually listened including several 50+ yr. Old females, experienced no stoppages at all. I'm always curious about Auto Mags, and their owner's reports of their experiences. My first was an El Monte 8' ser#AO 60XX.
Your gun runs on 10gr Unique? Mine will only run about half a box to a box with 13gr Unique, before it gets dirty enough that the load won't reliably cycle the action. Blue Dot works better in my shooter gun, and full house loads are WW 296 in the 21gr range with a 240 bullet. Guide rods on my 8 in will loosen, a little bit. A small drop of Guntite ends the issue.
I'm happy to discuss details of all these guns, as I have, after decades, finally completed my collection of magnum autos. Auto Mag, Desert Eagle, Wildey, Grizzly, and Coonan. Lots of people don't get it, but for those who do, there's nothing like them.:D.