Coonan 357mag...Thoughts, Opinions, Experience?

[camramrod87]

I've been thinking about ordering one for a while now because every time one pops up on here either cost more used than brand new or sells before I can snag it. Anyone have an opinion or experience with these.

 

[hamburglar3]

i would be jealous if you got one! does that help?

 

[camramrod87]

Yep, it does!

 

[shootin4fun]

My friend has one. The .357 single stack is a beast! Crisp trigger. Shot a mag out of it a couple of years ago. Just south of Nashville, if you ever get up that way, Barrett owns Outpost Armory. They have several different Coonans available. Also Barrett Big bore rifles for days!

 

[camramrod87]

Sounds like my kind of place!

 

[james357]

I have owned 2.
My first one 1994 I had 5 mags.
When I shot the 3rd or 4th mine the barrel Jam the slide open due to the expansion caused by the Heat.
I bought a second one in 2004 the same thing happened I had 4 mags and after rapid-firing 3 mags the barrel expanding it cause the slide the jam.

 

[sovietak474u]

I’ve fired them before but it did not do much for me . If it’s just for fun or if you just gotta have a semi automatic .357 then I’d go with a mark I desert eagle .

The mark I is much smaller than all the other DE models and it has a softer recoil in plus than the coonan

 

[fhsjrm]

I wanted one because I thought it would feel like a 1911 but after handling one at the NRA show I changed my mind. The grip just wasn’t comfortable for me and the fit and finish didn’t look as good in person as it did in the pictures I’d seen.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Blyco]

I've looked at a couple over the years at LGS. Agreed, they look like classic 1911, but feel awkward in your hands. I've also noticed that resales happen pretty quickly. I hate to comment on something I haven't shot, but the sales peeps say the recoil was not much better than a revolver. The aforementioned DE, which I do have, seems to have less recoil than my subcompact Glock .40.

 

[sovietak474u]

I've looked at a couple over the years at LGS. Agreed, they look like classic 1911, but feel awkward in your hands. I've also noticed that resales happen pretty quickly. I hate to comment on something I haven't shot, but the sales peeps say the recoil was not much better than a revolver. The aforementioned DE, which I do have, seems to have less recoil than my subcompact Glock .40.

It does. The desert eagle gets a really unfair reputation. 99% of people who have problems with the desert eagle.... cause the problems themselves. It is a rotating bolt system hence you have to keep the system clean or else it cannot rotate. Also limp wristing . If its a .44 or above you gotta hang on to it. 99% of jamming issues are caused by the user. All 3 of my desert eagle .44 mags run 100% IF the shooter does their part.

That being said I have a special love for the original mark I .357 desert eagle. I could not get it to malfunction. I fired it with limp wrist, sideways , upside down and everything. Ate it all. Recoil like you said is less than most .40s.