The article is specifically referring to the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle. While it is very likely that the following concepts will work for all calibers, I have only tried this with the .44 Magnum version and only know the results of the .44 magnum caliber and I'm stating this solely in reference to the .44 Manum version.
Desert Eagle factory magazines hold almost all responsibility for the stove pipe jams and all responsability for slide stop failures. The primary reason is that some factory springs are just not strong enough to hold the slide stop back and often lack the pressure to keep the bullet in a firm, stable position while chambering.
The button in the side of the magazine that pushes the slide stop up, also tends to be a little to small on some mags, which results in decerased contact surface against the slide stop. That requires more pressure to stop the slide, more then the magazine was ment for, hence it faila to catch the slide from time to time.
Fortunately, while it has a price to it, their is a way around this problem. Desert Eagle magazines from "Pro magazine" have EXCELENT springs in them, they are thick, durable and have perfect amount of pressure and by themselves, should fix stove pipe jams once and for all.
The magazine beds in Pro magazine DE mags also have a very good size button that makes positive contact with the slide stops. While the cut of the magazine beds will give you an impression that they are made of a cheaper material then factory magazine beds, they are actually made of the exact same material. The ammo and the feed seems to like the Pro magazine beds more then factory ones. In fact, most ammo feeds so smoothly in my gun with this magazine arrangement that you can barely feel the ammo enter the chamber. It feels like cocking an unloaded DE almost. However, Pro magazine DE Mags are made of a slightly less durable metal and are drop free (you will have to manually pull them out of the gun after releasing) and the bottom of the mags are very thick so the best trick is to take the magazine springs and mag beds out of the pro magazine DE mags and put them in the factory mags.
It seams pricey but you can get factory mags from www.cdnninvestments.com for around 23.00 and there are a few guys out there who sell Pro magazine DE mags for under 20.00 wich ultimately, given you buy 3 or 4 of each at a time, could easily cost you less to make the conversion then what you are probably paying retail for factory mags right now. In adition, the slight less durability of the Pro magazine mags is not enough to make any real difference in any way, shape or form and you can always put the factory beds and springs in them and use them for plinking at the range.
In addition, if you are OK with Drop Free mags, you may actually find Pro magazine mags more suitable then factory overall.
Additional Notes
One, is that some mags may require a gap be carved down the center of the FRONT of the magazine bed (the synthetic thing inside the magazine) allowing the bullet to rest in a slightly less slanted position. I did this to my mags and they made it to wear ALL of the bullets in the magazine came to the top in the same angle. Also, some of the older factory magazines do not lock up high enough which also has a negative affect on ther ability to activate the slide stops. I fixed this problem on one by trimming the sides of the magazine beds about 3/4 mm and the slide stop problem ceased. These factory mags however usually have lips that down slant in the fronts making the bullets very wobbly and can often cause stove pipes. I recommend disposing of these mags. Even pro mags are far more dependable and potential.
Last updated - 05/19/19