Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 50 AE Desert Eagle

I have had my 50 AE Desert Eagle for a few years now and have finally started looking for suitable loads for it. I have some plated 325 gr bullets and have tried 23 gr of #9 which provided good accuracy but fails to lock back the slide on an empty mag, maybe I'll go up a bit to see if I can get it to lock back with safe pressure indications.
28 gr of 2400 worked the slide great but had a fairly decent fireball and pressure wave.
30 gr of IMR 4227 was very dirty and was inconsistent with ejection. It's all Starline brass but I can't find that particular sheet that has all the info about what primers used as these are a 50 round container of primed brass I primed last year but I think they may be Small Rifle primers and not the magnum variety..
Anyone have a favorite load they would like to share?

Steve............

Bud, if the only hiccup is failure to lock the slide on last shot I would be looking mechanical issue, not load issue.

Nothing wrong with it, it locks back on factory and reloads it's just this particular load it doesn't lock back on so it leads me to believe the pressure curve isn't long enough or it peeks early and this powder doesn't want to work in my pistol.

Steve...........

Steve, if the Acc#9 at 23 grains is shooting well but not locking up the slide, up the charge by .2 or .3 grains and see if the slide locks. You could do that a few times, but stop before 24 grains. The data I've seen goes up to 23.8 grains. You may be just a hair below fully functioning loads.

You ever seen a 50AE that used small rifle primers? SAMMI calls for LP, all load data is LPM.

I haven't. Doesn't mean there aren't any.

I’ve got two 50 Grizzlies and two 50 DE’s, all I have ever used is H110 powder. Works fine.

Tony

HuntinShoot

I was thinking about trying just that instead of .5 grain as I am close to max with this bullet, not sure why I said small rifle primer. I had been loading .223 the day I posted that and had a brain fart I guess. I did find my load recipe book and they were indeed Large Pistol Primers and not the Magnum variety. I do have some H110 so I will try the Magnum primers with it.

Steve.........

ww296 or H110, DE seems to like heavier loads to work.