Micro Desert Eagle .380acp

MICRO DESERT EAGLE 

After years of teetering back and forth between my desire to carry concealed and avoid the dreaded 5-day waiting period when buying new toys, and my innate paranoid distrust of "the system" keeping records of me as a gun-owner... I finally gave in and got my license.

For home and camping use I have always had a .45acp at the ready. In the past it was my home-built 1911 on an Essex frame, but more recently it has been a Glock 30 which has proven exceptionally reliable, accurate, light(er), smaller, and has less recoil than the 1911 in my opinion. I also carried on occasion a .25acp Galesi or a .38spl Charter Arms that afforded me at least an illusion of security when larger guns were not an option.

I knew that for everyday carry a .45 would be uncomfortable and awkward for my taste, and so I looked into the new trend of micro .380 pistols that every maker seems to be bringing out. Normally I would have dismissed the cartridge as useless, but after reading "Handgun Stopping Power: The Definitive Study" by Evan Marshall and Edwin J. Sanow, I changed perceptions. The book is a compilation of case studies of actual documented police and forensic reports of shootings, as well as lab tests, for the most prolific modern cartridges and their most popular loadings. It turns out that .380 can be at least as effective as .38spl, and in some cases more if properly loaded. I encourage would encourage anyone interested to pick up a copy and be amazed at the actual street performance of some popular cartridges. I certainly had to reevaluate my faith in the old .45acp...

I spent weeks reading reviews on numerous .380 pistols and loadings. The cartridge itself is marginally acceptable with the proper loading (Marshall/Sanow rate it 60-70% one-shot stops), and my biggest concern was reliability.

Here is an interesting comparison chart on the micro .380's:

http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf

I dismissed the Kel-Tec and Ruger LCP models due to mixed reviews. They are essentially the same design, with a slight cosmetic advantage to the Ruger. I will give the two companies the benefit of the doubt and assume that many owners do not give the guns a proper break-in, but I still decided not to take the chance on that design.

MDE and a Baby Browning for comparison

The Diamondback DB380 is appealing as it seems to be a Glock copy, with a chihuahua-like cuteness about it. In the end I opted against it because there were too few overall reviews, but the price is about right. I would like to try and maybe own one at some point though.

The Taurus TCP seemed to have positive overall reviews and it did make the list. The slide will stay open on an empty magazine, which is a nice touch although ultimately unnecessary to me in this type of pistol. 

The Sig P238 is a thing of beauty. I love the 1911 style and operation. I handled one at a gunshow and it probably has the best trigger out of all the micros. This would have been my top choice if not for the price tag. I am willing to pay for quality in what is a tool to defend myself and my family, but the premium to have Sig or Rohrbaugh on the slide is unwarranted.

The Micro Desert Eagle by Magnum Research is actually a licensed copy of the Kevin pistol by ZVI out of the Czech Republic. The design has been around a while and has good reviews. Its reliability, size, and almost squared outline were big pluses for me. I had read in reviews that the trigger was a long, hard double action pull and they were right. The gun has no safeties, so I am willing to let the tough trigger slide in exchange for some added security while carrying a loaded chamber. The barrel is the shortest out of all the micros, but as long as you load hot hollowpoints, you should still be above the 950fps mark for reliable expansion.

ZVI apparently makes the Kevin in both .380 and in 9x18mm, I would be curious to find out if they use the same frame. The magazines for the MDE cannot load 9x18, but I suspect you might be able to use different mags, barrel, and springs to switch back and forth between calibers. I would really like to find out!

The MDE normally retails for about $500, which was out of my desired price range. It just so happened that when I was concluding my study for a potential micro and nearly convinced on the TCP, I received the newest CDNN catalog that listed the nickeled MDE at a discount price of $299. Well, that was that....

The fit and finish on the little pistol is excellent, definitely on par with the more expensive micros. The trigger pull is acceptable for the gun, although the grooves on the front of the trigger are a bit too sharp for my taste. Sights are also acceptable, but might be improved with a bit of paint on the front blade.

I purchased 250rds of Blazer cheapos to use as a break-in and a box of Buffalo Bore 90gr +P for actual carry. The MDE performed flawlessly through all five boxes of Blazer and 13 rounds of the Buffalo Bore. Accuracy was much better with the premium ammo than with the aluminum cased stuff, and recoil was not noticeably harder with the +P. I have bought 9mm and .45acp Blazer in the past and my experience has always been that it is way more inconsistent than the cheap Russian ammo like Silver Bear or Tula.

I had read elsewhere that the pistol was unpleasant to shoot, but throughout the session it never really bothered me. The recoil is mild for my taste even with the +P, less sharp than my Radom P64 in 9x18mm and comparable to a J-frame shooting wadcutters. When I left the range I did notice, however, that I had a tiny blister on my trigger finger! That has never happened before, and I would attribute it to the sharp serrations on the trigger face.

6 rounds rapid fire @ 15 yards
Buffalo Bore 90gr +P

The magazine release is bit too easy to depress and I accidentally dropped the mag on two occasions while shooting. When I arrived home I removed the grips and bent the leaf spring that provides tension to the button. Problem solved.

Overall I am extremely please with the MDE. Accurate enough for a pocket pistol, small, reliable, and way more gun for the money than all the other micros at less than $350.

UPDATE MAY 9, 2011
It looks like the mag release issue was not that easily fixed. The button went soft again and I dropped the mag accidentally on several occasions until finally managing to break the baseplate. I called Magnum Research and they told me to send the pistol in via Fedex free of charge. Exactly one week later the pistol was back in my hands with acceptable button tension, a new magazine base plate, and an extra magazine: all free of charge!
That is good customer service!

UPDATE SEPTEMBER 18, 2011
I went to the range with a friend and had the opportunity to compare the Kel-Tec .380 to the MDE. It is lighter, slimmer, and I found the trigger to have a longer,harder pull than the MDE. The difference in triggers plus the virtually non-existant weight made the Kel-Tec terribly inaccurate. Any doubts I might have had about my choice of the MDE over the other micros were eliminated after this... although I still really want to try the Sig...