44 mag.pistol
What would be the vote on the most RELIABLE 44 magnum semi-auto? (Assuming quality ammo and original magazines used). Original AMT Auto mag, Desert Eagle, LAR Mark 4, Wildley? I am not asking about size, looks. Just reliability.
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What are you using the pistol for? That might help with which to recommend.
BTW, I didn't know the Desert Eagles were gas operated!
Learn something new every day!
BTW, I didn't know the Desert Eagles were gas operated!
Learn something new every day!
The only semi-auto .44Mag pistol that I've ever shot is my Desert Eagle MK VII. Reliability has been very good. The only thing with Desert Eagles is that you have to shoot warmer loads out of it to cycle that heavy slide and of course jacketed bullets are a must. Reloading for it is pretty easy and forgiving. Its a fun gun to shoot but this thing is way too big and heavy to be a practical gun for defense or hunting, but this is nice because it tames the recoil very well even with full-house loads but it has a ton of report and muzzle flash. Accuracy is exceptional. An unintended feature of the DE is that it "tells" you that you are not holding it properly when ejected brass hits you in the forehead.
Wildey's are also pretty nice. I've had the chance of seeing one in person and I was VERY impressed with its design and overall quality. The only thing I do not like about the Wildey is that they all shoot hard-to-find ammo that you MUST reload for. The .44 Mag Wildey is actually chambered in .44 Automag which is basically a rimless version of the .44Mag but is a lot harder to come by than .44 Mag. The thing about both of these "pistols" is that while they are obviously layed out as a handgun, their actual action is much closer to that of a modern rifle, in that they have rotating bolt locking systems and they use gas pistons. This is why both of these pistols are very accurate.
Wildey's are also pretty nice. I've had the chance of seeing one in person and I was VERY impressed with its design and overall quality. The only thing I do not like about the Wildey is that they all shoot hard-to-find ammo that you MUST reload for. The .44 Mag Wildey is actually chambered in .44 Automag which is basically a rimless version of the .44Mag but is a lot harder to come by than .44 Mag. The thing about both of these "pistols" is that while they are obviously layed out as a handgun, their actual action is much closer to that of a modern rifle, in that they have rotating bolt locking systems and they use gas pistons. This is why both of these pistols are very accurate.
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The Automag and the Wildey shoot the .44 AMP cartridge. Not .44 Remington Magnum.
I've shot a Wildey in .475 Wildey Magnum and it wasn't that much fun. It's like holding a metal 2x4 and that grip tang doesn't have rounded edges.
The .44 DE I shot was a lot of fun. Accurate and reliable. Not a carry piece and not just because of size and weight. That slide mounted safety is NOT fast to disengage one handed. You have to push UP with your thumb. That is, if your thumb can reach it.
The Grizzly pistols I've shot in .45 Winchester and .50 AE were all reliable. The .44 magnum version is rare and used magazines that needed to be modified due to the rim of the cartridge. Capacity was only 6 and mags are hard to come by.
As of right now, the only semi-auto chambered in .44 Remington magnum that is still in production is the Desert Eagle. If you were going for a fun gun, go for that. If you were looking for a carry gun, um I'd say the Grizzly but the problem there is they are no longer made so have fun trying to get parts. Magazines are (of course) hard to come by as well. Especially since the guns generally came with one magazine. At least my .50 did.
But IMO, you're better off with a revolver. But if you insist on a semi-auto, get yourself a decent 1911 and get a Clark .460 Rowland conversion. It's pretty damn powerful.
I've shot a Wildey in .475 Wildey Magnum and it wasn't that much fun. It's like holding a metal 2x4 and that grip tang doesn't have rounded edges.
The .44 DE I shot was a lot of fun. Accurate and reliable. Not a carry piece and not just because of size and weight. That slide mounted safety is NOT fast to disengage one handed. You have to push UP with your thumb. That is, if your thumb can reach it.
The Grizzly pistols I've shot in .45 Winchester and .50 AE were all reliable. The .44 magnum version is rare and used magazines that needed to be modified due to the rim of the cartridge. Capacity was only 6 and mags are hard to come by.
As of right now, the only semi-auto chambered in .44 Remington magnum that is still in production is the Desert Eagle. If you were going for a fun gun, go for that. If you were looking for a carry gun, um I'd say the Grizzly but the problem there is they are no longer made so have fun trying to get parts. Magazines are (of course) hard to come by as well. Especially since the guns generally came with one magazine. At least my .50 did.
But IMO, you're better off with a revolver. But if you insist on a semi-auto, get yourself a decent 1911 and get a Clark .460 Rowland conversion. It's pretty damn powerful.
Three of the four you mentioned are no longer in production, that leaves only the Desert Eagle that is mass produced. For various reasons the others didn't have the longevity of the DE. Magnum Research has been supplying quality magnum semi-auto's for nearly 30 years. That alone speaks well of the guns reliability.
DE is top quality and accuracy, thrives on hot loads. As previously mentioned, stay away from non-jacketed ammo....leading will plug the gas ports. Gas operation and heavy slide tames the .44 down to the perceived recoil of a 357.
Accessories and options allow the owner to personalize these anyway you like.
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DE is top quality and accuracy, thrives on hot loads. As previously mentioned, stay away from non-jacketed ammo....leading will plug the gas ports. Gas operation and heavy slide tames the .44 down to the perceived recoil of a 357.
Accessories and options allow the owner to personalize these anyway you like.
I agree with what he said. I have a DE in .44mag its not practical or tactical but its really fun to shoot. I find it easy to shoot because the weight makes it more stable. If your looking for something to make a big bang with thats just for fun, DE is the way to go IMO. When I first got the pistol it would jam with really powerful loads. Then I used CCI Blazers and it never jammed once. So I stuck with them. I do notice the slide doesn't always lock after the last round is fired. But I'd say thats 1 in 20 times. Usually a good cleaning takes care of that. Oh and the safety screw can start to come loose after 200 rounds but then you just retighten and your off again. If you buy a MK XIX like me you can actually swap between .44 and .50 with new barrel and mag. The bolt assembly is the same for the .44 and 50.bromeo said:
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I didn't thought there was anything else than the Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum as a semi auto weapon firing that cartridge. I've never seen anything else.
If I were to buy a Desert eagle, it would be in .44 Magnum. I've tried the .357 mag and it just doesn't have enough punch for the "hugeness" (if I can use the word :biglaugh: ) of the peice. Up here .50 AE is about impossible to find and when you do, it's at an outrageous price. The Desert Eagle was, I believe, designed around the .44 Magnum cartridge in the first place, too.
As mentionned above, it's gas operated, with a very short gas return travel route. Ever heard of what hapenned when the AR-15 was shortened to 10 inch barrels? Jams a lot. I've never seen a Desert Eagle not jam in 50 rounds. Then again, a well cleaned one will shoot nicely. They're not hard to take apart (feild strip). I'd recommend any Desert Eagle owner to clean the pistol every 50 rounds in detail, paying special attention to the gas return system.
HUGE gun, lots of fun!!!!
Alex.
Magnum Research
If I were to buy a Desert eagle, it would be in .44 Magnum. I've tried the .357 mag and it just doesn't have enough punch for the "hugeness" (if I can use the word :biglaugh: ) of the peice. Up here .50 AE is about impossible to find and when you do, it's at an outrageous price. The Desert Eagle was, I believe, designed around the .44 Magnum cartridge in the first place, too.
As mentionned above, it's gas operated, with a very short gas return travel route. Ever heard of what hapenned when the AR-15 was shortened to 10 inch barrels? Jams a lot. I've never seen a Desert Eagle not jam in 50 rounds. Then again, a well cleaned one will shoot nicely. They're not hard to take apart (feild strip). I'd recommend any Desert Eagle owner to clean the pistol every 50 rounds in detail, paying special attention to the gas return system.
HUGE gun, lots of fun!!!!
Alex.
Magnum Research
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3,499 Posts
alexnormand said:
It was actually a .357 magnum first. A .44 magnum conversion was shortly followed by a complete pistol. Then it came out in .41 magnum. In the early 90's it came out in .50 AE and the last offering was the .440 Cor Bon (a .50 necked down to .429).
.357 First, .44 Best
The DE was redesigned around the 44Remmag and the 50AE. As far as balance of firearm to calibre, the 44 is still The Man. :rock:
Now, to the issue of carry...if you're about 5'6" and 180 lbs, you might be right. I have (on occasion) carried my 44 in an Uncle Mikey shoulder rig under some of my coats. Since I'm 6'8" and 320 lbs, I can get away with it.
Lemme tell ya...it's nice to know one can have that particular tool handy, just in case someone wants to roll over you in their favorite vehicular homicide tool! Plus, even though I am a HUGE fan of dear old Slabsides, the .45 WILL NOT do a lot against bear or (in many cases) cougar. We do have both up here in Oregon, and they DO get hungry.
The DE was redesigned around the 44Remmag and the 50AE. As far as balance of firearm to calibre, the 44 is still The Man. :rock:
Now, to the issue of carry...if you're about 5'6" and 180 lbs, you might be right. I have (on occasion) carried my 44 in an Uncle Mikey shoulder rig under some of my coats. Since I'm 6'8" and 320 lbs, I can get away with it.
Lemme tell ya...it's nice to know one can have that particular tool handy, just in case someone wants to roll over you in their favorite vehicular homicide tool! Plus, even though I am a HUGE fan of dear old Slabsides, the .45 WILL NOT do a lot against bear or (in many cases) cougar. We do have both up here in Oregon, and they DO get hungry.
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The .45 ACP won't but the .460 Rowland will. $275 + tax for a conversion.BBBCTC said:Plus, even though I am a HUGE fan of dear old Slabsides, the .45 WILL NOT do a lot against bear or (in many cases) cougar. We do have both up here in Oregon, and they DO get hungry.
http://www.clarkcustomguns.com/rowland.htm
To answer the original question I`d put the Grizzly Mk4 first with the Desert Eagle a close second. The Eagle can be more load sensitive. The other gun`s mentioned are as noted above not actually .44 magnums as in Remington Magnum. Since they were brought up though I`ll but in a few cents about them too.
The .44 Auto Mag is IMO the Ferrari of the group. It`s powerful,has an exotic design,is made from exotic material (Carpenter 455 Special, an aerospace stainless alloyed with 2% titanium) and the quality is outstanding. They were all hand fitted and assembled. The trigger is excellent and fully adj. They`re quite expensive,parts are hard to come buy and are also expensive and there is only one factory load in .44AMP (Corbon 240gr.JHP/1450fps.) though. The grip is suprisingly small and the whole gun is very svelt. It actually fits like a glove in unmolded holsters for L frame S&W revolvers!
The Grizzly is a natural for anyone who likes 1911s. It`s also got a larger but fairly slim grip. Size and weight are not too bad. The 1911 safety and nice packing size edge out the Auto Mag slightly for a gun for protection against dangerous game. The recoil and muzzle flip are somewhat less pleasant than the other guns being discussed IMO.
The Wildey is nicely made and a nice concept but is somewhat poorly excecuted in some ways. The rear of the grip frame is square and almost sharp,not a good thing for a hard kicker. The safety is hard to reach (around the square frame and the trigger reach is really long. They have a rep for being finicky and hyper sensitive to gas regulator settings.
The Desert Eagle is the best range gun out of the bunch. Fairly pleasant to shoot and accurate with a so so trigger. Being about 35% heavier than the AM of Griz and having a safety that`s awkward to work under stress it`s not a great gun for carrying or defense against dangerous critters. Big fun on the range though. Just my few cents YMMV, MadMarcus
The .44 Auto Mag is IMO the Ferrari of the group. It`s powerful,has an exotic design,is made from exotic material (Carpenter 455 Special, an aerospace stainless alloyed with 2% titanium) and the quality is outstanding. They were all hand fitted and assembled. The trigger is excellent and fully adj. They`re quite expensive,parts are hard to come buy and are also expensive and there is only one factory load in .44AMP (Corbon 240gr.JHP/1450fps.) though. The grip is suprisingly small and the whole gun is very svelt. It actually fits like a glove in unmolded holsters for L frame S&W revolvers!
The Grizzly is a natural for anyone who likes 1911s. It`s also got a larger but fairly slim grip. Size and weight are not too bad. The 1911 safety and nice packing size edge out the Auto Mag slightly for a gun for protection against dangerous game. The recoil and muzzle flip are somewhat less pleasant than the other guns being discussed IMO.
The Wildey is nicely made and a nice concept but is somewhat poorly excecuted in some ways. The rear of the grip frame is square and almost sharp,not a good thing for a hard kicker. The safety is hard to reach (around the square frame and the trigger reach is really long. They have a rep for being finicky and hyper sensitive to gas regulator settings.
The Desert Eagle is the best range gun out of the bunch. Fairly pleasant to shoot and accurate with a so so trigger. Being about 35% heavier than the AM of Griz and having a safety that`s awkward to work under stress it`s not a great gun for carrying or defense against dangerous critters. Big fun on the range though. Just my few cents YMMV, MadMarcus
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