Desert Eagle 3" 1911USS?

RetiredLEO · Dec 23, 2014

I was wondering if anyone has had the opportunity to see, handle or shoot one. I'm looking for a 3" lightweight 45 for a duty weapon (I work in street clothes). I put an ad in Handgun Classified to see if anyone had a Kimber Ultra they wanted to trade on my T3T Nighthawk. I wasn't aware that a 3 "DE was available until a friend mentioned it to me. They have the features that are important to me, lightweight, adjustable sight, single side safety, and I even like the two tone with the black on the frame. I do need 100% reliability and a quality weapon, but the price is lower than the Kimber. They are evidently relatively new on the market and I haven't been able to find any reviews on the internet.

If anyone has had any experience with them at all I'd appreciate your input.
Thanks

Semper Fi

SynapticSilence · Dec 29, 2014

Sorry nobody's gotten back to you on this one. I haven't shot the 3" but I have shot the commander version. These are really nice, well made 1911s with great features for the price. When you pick them up, they have the feel of a top of the line pistol, especially in fit and finish. The one I shot was a tack driver in terms of accuracy and cycled perfectly with no problems. If you google "Magnum Research 1911 Undercover" you'll get a few reviews, mostly positive. The issue with 3" 1911s of any manufacturer is that everything has to meld perfectly since so much is built into a much smaller package. They tend to be pickier on ammo and even the tiniest variance in tolerances can be problematic. That said, the Magnum Research 1911s are manufactured by Bug in Israel. Bug is a leading edge weapons manufacturer who's possibly most famous for its "Corner Shot" gun that incorporates video targeting that literally allows you to shoot the gun around corners, protecting the operator from enemy fire. Apparently their plant is a turnkey operation that was built by Colt and they've since upgraded it to allow the manufacture of even more modern firearms technology. I myself wouldn't hesitate to get the 3" if it were something I wanted. I carry a Kahr CM45 that's tiny, accurate, and utterly reliable that makes the MR 1911U a bit redundant for me. The 1911U's 6+1 capacity is less than some, but it's also quite small and concealable. And a real beauty of a gun. Kahr owns Magnum Research now and I think customer service has probably benefited from it. I have several Kahrs and a Magnum Research Micro Desert Eagle (very cool little thing) and have only had one problem with any of them, that being the cap on a recoil spring assembly on my PM40 that wasn't Loctited properly at the factory and disappeared down range the first time I shot it. One phone call and I had a new recoil spring assembly in a couple of days free of charge. I personally would go for it. It's a really nice gun for the bucks.

RetiredLEO · Dec 30, 2014

SynapticSilence said:
Sorry nobody's gotten back to you on this one. I haven't shot the 3" but I have shot the commander version. These are really nice, well made 1911s with great features for the price. When you pick them up, they have the feel of a top of the line pistol, especially in fit and finish. The one I shot was a tack driver in terms of accuracy and cycled perfectly with no problems. If you google "Magnum Research 1911 Undercover" you'll get a few reviews, mostly positive. The issue with 3" 1911s of any manufacturer is that everything has to meld perfectly since so much is built into a much smaller package. They tend to be pickier on ammo and even the tiniest variance in tolerances can be problematic. That said, the Magnum Research 1911s are manufactured by Bug in Israel. Bug is a leading edge weapons manufacturer who's possibly most famous for its "Corner Shot" gun that incorporates video targeting that literally allows you to shoot the gun around corners, protecting the operator from enemy fire. Apparently their plant is a turnkey operation that was built by Colt and they've since upgraded it to allow the manufacture of even more modern firearms technology. I myself wouldn't hesitate to get the 3" if it were something I wanted. I carry a Kahr CM45 that's tiny, accurate, and utterly reliable that makes the MR 1911U a bit redundant for me. The 1911U's 6+1 capacity is less than some, but it's also quite small and concealable. And a real beauty of a gun. Kahr owns Magnum Research now and I think customer service has probably benefited from it. I have several Kahrs and a Magnum Research Micro Desert Eagle (very cool little thing) and have only had one problem with any of them, that being the cap on a recoil spring assembly on my PM40 that wasn't Loctited properly at the factory and disappeared down range the first time I shot it. One phone call and I had a new recoil spring assembly in a couple of days free of charge. I personally would go for it. It's a really nice gun for the bucks.

Thank you very much for the information. Based on my experience with 1911's you are spot on in your analysis of their functioning. I appreciate your time.
Semper Fi

RetiredLEO · Dec 30, 2014

I guess the delay in response is due to the fact that as new as this weapon is to the market, not a lot of people have much experience with it.
Semper Fi

Wookie · Jan 18, 2015

I just put 200 rounds through mine with no issues at all. Unboxed, cleaned off the shipping crud, rem oil & frog lube on the metal on metal parts. Now I haven't done rapid fire yet or defensive rounds, but the unbox to bang with no issues fter 200 fmj rounds was promising.

Semper Fi

RetiredLEO · Jan 19, 2015

Wookie said:
I just put 200 rounds through mine with no issues at all. Unboxed, cleaned off the shipping crud, rem oil & frog lube on the metal on metal parts. Now I haven't done rapid fire yet or defensive rounds, but the unbox to bang with no issues fter 200 fmj rounds was promising.

Semper Fi

Thank you for your input. Best of luck with your weapon!