Reloading for the Desert Eagle (.50AE)

Specs on the gun for which I'm making these loads:

Gun: Magnum Research Desert Eagle Mark XIX
Chambering: .50AE
Barrel: 6"
Weight 4lbs

Earlier I wrote a review of the Desert Eagle for which I did the following load testing. It can be found here .

What prompted me to start reloading for .50AE was the price of cartridges. The going rate is about $2/shot so I figured I could make cheaper hand loads of equal or greater quality for less money. As it turns out, I was right! The following loads will take you down from $2/shot to about $0.38/shot and give favorable results.

When using the following recipes, be sure to put a healthy taper crimp on the finished round. Failure to do this will result in feeding problems and difficulty in loading the magazine. Also, use this data at your own risk. I cannot be held responsible for any injuries or damages that may result. As always with hand loading, be careful!

Load 1:
This is what I originally used in the pistol before coming up with the other recipes.
1) 33.5gr of W296 powder (I'm told H110 can be used as a substitute for this)
2) Speer 300gr GDHP bullet
3) Winchester Large Pistol Primer
4) COL: 1.575"

This yielded an average muzzle velocity of about 1500fps and somewhat abrasive recoil, but it could be managed. The barrel in my pistol wasn't quite long enough so there was some wasted gasses. While this translates to loss of velocity and energy, the resulting muzzle flash and fireball was impressive to say the least! Accuracy was acceptable and yielded groups of about 8" at 50yds, but someone better than me could probably improve upon this. MOA of whitetail deer to be sure.

Load 2
CAUTION, for experienced shooters (or for those wanting to watch their dumb buddies shit themselves) only!
1) 34.5gr of W296 powder (as before, perhaps H110 could be used, but I've never tested this)
2) Speer 300gr GDHP bullet
3) Winchester Large Pistol Primer
4) COL: 1.575"

This load yeilded an average muzzle velocity of around 1600fps and extreme recoil that resulted in flinching. Needless to say, there was also a lot of wasted gas here, too. The muzzle flash that resulted was colossal, to put it mildly and produced a "ring of fire" that traveled down range and lit up everything around it. I was unable to fire a decent group with this load. Probably best used to demonstrate what the pistol is capable of to onlookers. I personally have no other use for this particular recipe.

Load 3
My personal favorite.
1) 29.7gr W296
2) Speer 325gr UCHP bullet
3) CCI Large Magnum Pistol Primer
4) COL: 1.575"

Recoil is mild and controllable. There is some upwards twisting, but this is easily overcome with practice. Muzzle flash is fairly low, but present. Muzzle velocities averaged around 1300fps, about like a hot .44 mag. However, I've never seen a .44 mag pistol produce those kinds of velocities with a 325gr bullet! Accuracy is about 4" at 50yds, but could probably be improved by someone who is a better pistol shot than myself!

So there you have it! Three loads to try in your .50AE desert eagle! Don't let this small guide limit your own load development; there are hundreds of possibilities for your own hand loads that fall within the parameters set by SAAMI. I've just mentioned a few different loads that I have some experience with and would be worth trying out for yourself. Again, as always with hand loads, be careful and follow all safety guidelines, and have fun!