MAGNUM RESEARCH DESERT EAGLE 357 MAGNUM - 9 Rounds

This gun is absolutely fabulous. It handles .357 magnum recoil like a champ to the point where you feel like you're shooting a very heavy 9mm. And it IS a very heavy gun; forearm exercises would not go amiss before handling this gun for extended periods. The point of aim out of the box for me was spot on; if I aimed properly, my shots went exactly where I wanted them to. However, it is CRUCIAL that you read the manual before you take one of these to the range: mine arrived absolutely filthy from the factory, indicating it was not cleaned after going through Magnum Research's test firing. DEFINITELY clean and oil your new Desert Eagle before you start putting rounds through it. Also, during the break-in period (roughly 200 rounds), you will have a much better time if you follow Magnum Research's recommendations for ammunition. I did not, and I had numerous failure-to-feed, but only a few failure-to-eject issues. This does not at all dampen my enthusiasm for the gun, because I know the issue was poor ammunition selection. The next time I take it to the range I'll be following ammo recommendations very closely. However, even though I selected the wrong ammunition to start with, the firearm faithfully discharged every single round it chambered. The Matte Chrome finish is gorgeous in its simplicity, but if you are looking for a shiny chrome pistol, or a pistol that will gleam in the sunlight and let you reflect glare at your target, this is not the Desert Eagle finish for you. The Matte Chrome is just that: matte. It's a smooth finish, yes, but it is not at all polished, so there is very little gleaming shine to it; if you take this pistol out in broad daylight at an outdoor range, neither you nor anyone near you is likely to be blinded by this firearm's finish under direct sunlight. But, with that said, if you're looking for a bright finish that doesn't carry the same price point as brushed or polished chrome, or the stainless steel, Matte Chrome is the way to go. One definite benefit to the matte chrome is that it's likely to resist showing any sort of indication of brush strokes or wear marks from using nylon brushes or perhaps coarse fabric patches to clean the various parts of the pistol that accumulate gunpowder residue. Magnum Research does include a finish care guide for ALL Desert Eagle finishes with the enclosed paperwork, which, if you are a firearms enthusiast who is looking to build a collection of various Desert Eagles, or order multiple barrels in different finishes, this care guide will give you a preview of what you might also see with other Desert Eagles or components for them. The manual includes a number of points regarding the care of these pistols, and when the manual says that the Desert Eagle is selective in its ammunition and other users/reviewers say the pistol is a diva or a prima donna when it comes to its care and feeding, they are not joking or embellishing in the slightest. This is a firearm that requires things to be just the way it likes it for reliable operation, but when you consider the engineering that went into it, the power it handles, and the unbelievable flexibility the Desert Eagle Mark XIX platform offers (specifically, the ability to fire .357, .44, and 50AE from the same platform by swapping a few components), it's impossible to be unhappy with this gun. Pay close attention to the warranty stipulations on the Mark XIX as well; if you do follow the Magnum Research recommendations on ammunition and the gun still consistently fails to feed and/or fails to eject, contact Magnum Research directly and they'll work with you to arrange service on the firearm. They specifically state in the manual that using hand-loaded rounds could void the warranty. The manual itself is full of just about everything you could want to know or need to know about the safe and reliable operation of the Desert Eagle across all three calibers, as you would expect. Lastly, the safety on the Mark XIX is absolutely fantastic. I'm a shooter who has a deep distrust of any pistol without some sort of safety that either somehow blocks the firing pin or disconnects the trigger and/or de-cocks the hammer when engaged. I absolutely treasure the ambidextrous safety on my Beretta M9, and while I wish the Desert Eagle's safety was a little easier to operate, the fact that it's there makes me feel so much more comfortable when handling the firearm, especially when loaded, because the possibility of human error resulting in an accidental discharge is so severely reduced as to be almost a zero chance when that safety is engaged. The Mark XIX is a magnificent pistol, and I fell in love with mine as soon as I opened the case for the very first time. I HIGHLY recommend this firearm to any enthusiasts or collectors out there who are considering purchasing one of these, whether you are experienced or a relative novice like myself at the time I purchased. The Desert Eagle has been a dream gun of mine for years, and finally owning one has filled me with a special sort of joy.