Desert Eagle 1911 a Kahr?

[tractiongrips]

I'm looking into buying another 1911 and have been eyeballing a Desert Eagle 1911. I've been told by a few different people that they are being made by Kahr, or are owned by Kahr. I have 4 Kahr pistols, none of which are 1911's. I haven't really been impressed with the AO 1911, but the DE looks like it may be a decent gun. I'm just wondering if there is a connection, or if the rumor mill has just been blowing hot air around. The pistol I'm looking at says it's made in Israel.

[Bawanna]

Kahr purchased Magnum Research who makes Desert Eagle. It's a good looking gun. Look for reports soon as I think our head man here just bought one so we'll have first hand info.

[O'Dell]

I'm looking into buying another 1911 and have been eyeballing a Desert Eagle 1911. I've been told by a few different people that they are being made by Kahr, or are owned by Kahr. I have 4 Kahr pistols, none of which are 1911's. I haven't really been impressed with the AO 1911, but the DE looks like it may be a decent gun. I'm just wondering if there is a connection, or if the rumor mill has just been blowing hot air around. The pistol I'm looking at says it's made in Israel.

I was looking at the same pistol at my LGS and almost bought it. I ended up with a FS RIA Tactical nickel, [I like shiny things] but I think the DE 1911 is an excellent gun. The reviews are good too.

[tractiongrips]

I had the chance to buy one for $650 cash today, but passed it up to buy a Springfield Loaded full sized 1911-A1 instead. I'm going to mention why I chose the Springfield over the Desert Eagle. I spent over an hour comparing each to the other, and to a few other models before coming to my decision.
-The finish on the DE was shiny, and the bluing looked very even, but I could see machining marks on the side, which were made more pronounced due to the high gloss finish. A flat finish would have hid the lines a lot better.
-The front sight on the DE was dinged up a bit, and I could see tool marks where it was installed. It was also a purple color that didn't match the rest of the bluing. I'm guessing it is made of a different grade steel, and reacted to the bluing differently.
-The DE thumb safety (not ambidextrous) extended back behind the radius on the frame, and had a gap that was approximately 1mm between the safety and the frame. Just working the slides to see how it felt caused my skin to get pinched in the gap, and poked by the slightly oversized rear side of the safety. The safety didn't seem to click into position in the "safety on" position either.
-When resetting the DE trigger, it didn't seem to spring forward like the other models did. It had a short reset, and a really nice break, it just felt like it didn't want to return to the forward position quick enough, as if it had a burr on the trigger, or a weak spring.
-The DE slide didn't feel like it was mated to the frame as well as I've heard people describing it. The Springfields, Smith & Weson, and even a Taurus were much tighter and had noticably less side-to-side movement. I could really only notice the slop when the trigger was cocked. I will mention that the Remington 1911 R-1 had even more slop than the DE.
-The DE rear sight has an unusual circular pattern, which was easy to match up with the front sight, but there was no white markings, which would have made it a bit easier for low light shooting.
The price of the Springfield was higher (I paid $780 out the door), but it also has night sights. I know it sounds like there was a lot I didn't like about the pistol, but strangely, it was really still a tough choice when I figured the prices in to the decision. It may have been the owner of the shop working to try to talk me into the DE, but there was something I liked about it. Maybe it was the name. I'm hoping the Springfield shoots a hundred and thirty dollars better than the DE.
I did like the standard style guide rod in the DE better than the single piece Springfield guide rod. I also like that the DE doesn't have that weird Springfield main spring housing lock.

[Bawanna]

Good honest comparison report. I thought I heard the DE had a 1 piece guide rod also which isn't my preference so that would be a plus.

The night sights alone would make up for the price difference so they are actually comparable in price.

I'm hoping to see one in person some time soon. Just curious to hold one and look it over close. They are generally getting good to very good reports but could be a few that slip thru the cracks that are off just a bit.

Was all that writing on the slide pretty obnoxious in person as it is in pictures. That was one kind of a negative to me. Much more suttle writing would have been better.

Looks like you gave several a good honest chance and made the best choice for you.

[gb6491]

Magnum Research doesn't actually make the Desert Eagle 1911; rather they import it from Israel (with BUL being the manufacturer). I've looked at/handled the DE 1911 several times, but just can't get past the aesthetics (in particular the left side slide markings and the stainless/in the white grip safety). I feel, from what I've seen and handled, that they compare to the Remington (that tractiongrips mentioned), the Philippines made guns, and the Para GI Expert. If I had to make a choice of one prior to shooting it, I'd probably go with an RIA Tactical or Para GI Expert over the DE or Remington R1. YMMV
Regards,
Greg

BTW, congrats on the new Springfield Loaded. i think that's an excellent choice.

[tractiongrips]

I could be mistaken about the DE having a standarg plunger type setup with the guide rod. It may have had the single piece guide rod as well. It didn't look like it did though.
As far as the huge roll mark goes, it didn't look bad. The finish on th eslide is done in an excellent blue, shiny finish, and the lettering didn't stand out in a way that made it shout at you. I've seen the promotional pictures and the pictures look like they did their best to make the letters stand out like a neon sign, whch they didn't appear to do when i looked at it in person.
I'm guessing that the minor cosmetic issues I noticed aren't typical, or there would be more folks making note of it in their reviews. If I was going to buy a Desert Eagle, I'd handle it first to see if the thumb safety was better fitted than the example I handled. That was my biggest issue with that gun. Overall, it seemed like a pretty good gun. Knowing now that Kahr is involved in the company, I'd feel comfortable buying one. I just had to pick between a few that were in stock, and felt the Springfield was a better deal at the price it was offered to me.