I recently ran out of jacketed 44 mag bullets I had acquired a few years back. I have a few 44 pistols, but primarily loaded these in my 44 DE. So I decided to load up some cast and test them out. I know that the manufacturer states NOT to use cast, but most of us have already run cast through gas operated pistols and rifles with no problems.
So here are the details. The gun is a 44 mag Desert Eagle. The boolit is the Lee 240 grn round nose. The mold drops them a bit undersized, so I powdercoated them twice, via the shake and bake method (shake them up in a container with powder, pour them on a mesh rack, shake the rack a bit to let excess powder fall through, then bake). After the second coat I felt just enough resistance going through the .430 sizer that I felt good about it. I used large pistol mag primers and W296 (the starting load according to the Lee manual). I had to seat the boolits past the crimp groove a little to get them in magazine.
I plan on testing over the course of the next several weeks. I shot my first batch of 50 rounds this morning with absolutely no issues. This bullet actually feeds flawlessly. Accuracy was the same as jacketed. The pistol is a tack driver. I am extremely pleased with my first test. Shot at 10, 25, and 50 yds. No problem keeping them on a piece of computer paper at 50 yds.
So over the course of the next few weeks I will be posting more results (mainly for those that fear clogging their gas ports). I hope to be able to shoot 50 rds each week. Cleaning will be done after each firing, in an ultrasonic cleaner. I will be posting pics along the way.