Worth the money or just an expensive way to impress friends?
Got some money to spend and I’ve been wanting an auto with more bite than a 45.
Got some money to spend and I’ve been wanting an auto with more bite than a 45.
Desert Eagle
- Thread starter Nazirite
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Why, to impress your friends of course! 
If you have every other s/auto you want/need. Then by all means its a great "fun" gun....and alot will say the 50 AE is a great hunting load....yes it may be. But I prefer big bore revolvers when Im out in the back country......
IMO the Deagle is a stellar gun with great versatility...but its still a fun gun.
Shoot well
If you have every other s/auto you want/need. Then by all means its a great "fun" gun....and alot will say the 50 AE is a great hunting load....yes it may be. But I prefer big bore revolvers when Im out in the back country......IMO the Deagle is a stellar gun with great versatility...but its still a fun gun.
Shoot well
My wife got the .41 Magnum version from CDNN for $599.
Worth the money and she still has enough left for something else, compared to getting a .357, .44, or 50 AE version.
And it gave me an excuse to finally get my reloading stuff!
Worth the money and she still has enough left for something else, compared to getting a .357, .44, or 50 AE version.
And it gave me an excuse to finally get my reloading stuff!
Unless you plan on using it for hunting, not really all that practical or comfortable unless you have oversized hands. Does have some conversational and engineering aspects but that's about it. If you're just starting your gun collection there are a number of other guns probably worth buying (more useful, inexpensive, fun, etc.) before the DEP.
I got one but I didn't buy it new due to the price of them. Shop around and get a good used one for about $600 +/-.
The first time I shot a Desert Eagle .50 was at a local range that had it available for rent.
Just renting it was a big deal for us due to the expense: $25 to rent it and another $20 for a box of 20 cartridges.
The thing weighed a ton and the grip was huge. It took both hands on it for me to really get a grip on it.
The range was a very popular outdoor shooting range that had a lot of stalls; about 15 25 foot stalls, 10 25 yard stalls and 5-10 100 yard stalls. It was in the late summer and there were a lot of people there.
So we take the DE out to our stall and get it loaded up. My buddy had really had a hankering to shoot one of these for a long time, so he got to go first. He got the target wheeled out and lined up.
Did you remember in the movie "Robocop", when robocop first goes to the police firing range? Well, I did at that moment. The first shot from DE was deafening. I could feel the muzzle blast blow past me, even though I was standing well behind him.
In the moment after he fired, the entire range, all the way down the line went silent. The moment after that, about 30 heads poked around the corner of each stall. It didn't take long for a crowd to form.
After he finished the clip, the range master approached us. I was a bit nervous that we had broken some rule; the DE was so over the top that it wouldn't be hard to believe. He asked if he could try it.
They are big, heavy and friggin' expensive. Forget the cost of the gun, $1 a bullet is outrageously expensive to shoot (at least thats what we had to pay). But the sheer hillarity of it is worth it I think. It was so funny seeing the reactions of every person at that range...
Just renting it was a big deal for us due to the expense: $25 to rent it and another $20 for a box of 20 cartridges.
The thing weighed a ton and the grip was huge. It took both hands on it for me to really get a grip on it.
The range was a very popular outdoor shooting range that had a lot of stalls; about 15 25 foot stalls, 10 25 yard stalls and 5-10 100 yard stalls. It was in the late summer and there were a lot of people there.
So we take the DE out to our stall and get it loaded up. My buddy had really had a hankering to shoot one of these for a long time, so he got to go first. He got the target wheeled out and lined up.
Did you remember in the movie "Robocop", when robocop first goes to the police firing range? Well, I did at that moment. The first shot from DE was deafening. I could feel the muzzle blast blow past me, even though I was standing well behind him.
In the moment after he fired, the entire range, all the way down the line went silent. The moment after that, about 30 heads poked around the corner of each stall. It didn't take long for a crowd to form.
After he finished the clip, the range master approached us. I was a bit nervous that we had broken some rule; the DE was so over the top that it wouldn't be hard to believe. He asked if he could try it
.They are big, heavy and friggin' expensive. Forget the cost of the gun, $1 a bullet is outrageously expensive to shoot (at least thats what we had to pay). But the sheer hillarity of it is worth it I think. It was so funny seeing the reactions of every person at that range...
I have a DE .50 and my friend has one in .357 Mag. You HAVE to load full power loads in the .44, .41, and .357 for them to cycle reliably. I like H110 if you get the .50 or the .357 reloading is a must. Why the .357 is such a big deal on the reloads you ask? Because it's so much fun to shoot FAST!
The DE being so big and heavy makes the sights come right back down on the target after you pull the trigger. The .357 DE is my one of my friends favorite pin shooting guns.
I recently got a .44 barrel for mine so that it would be cheaper to reload. Even reloading .50 it still cost about $.30 a shot because the bullets aren't available cheap in bulk like they are for the more normal calibers.
If you are going to shoot a big handgun the nice wide backstrap on the DE makes it easy on your hand. I can shoot the .50 loads one handed with only a little discomfort. About the same as shooting my friends Redhawk .44 mag two handed.
The tough part about shooting the DE long is it gets heavy and hard to hold on target, plus you waste a LOT of powder with the 6" barrel. If you go .50 I think you'll get more accuracy and punch from the 10" version. If you're like me and just like to see big holes in paper only the accuracy part matters
It's not a gun for everyone, but it's an experiance. I for one wouldn't let mine go but it's definately not perfect. It took me a long time to work out my grip so the slide catch didn't tear the crap out of my thumb while I was shooting.
Hope that helps.
if you get the .50 or the .357 reloading is a must. Why the .357 is such a big deal on the reloads you ask? Because it's so much fun to shoot FAST! The DE being so big and heavy makes the sights come right back down on the target after you pull the trigger. The .357 DE is my one of my friends favorite pin shooting guns.
I recently got a .44 barrel for mine so that it would be cheaper to reload. Even reloading .50 it still cost about $.30 a shot because the bullets aren't available cheap in bulk like they are for the more normal calibers.
If you are going to shoot a big handgun the nice wide backstrap on the DE makes it easy on your hand. I can shoot the .50 loads one handed with only a little discomfort. About the same as shooting my friends Redhawk .44 mag two handed.
The tough part about shooting the DE long is it gets heavy and hard to hold on target, plus you waste a LOT of powder with the 6" barrel. If you go .50 I think you'll get more accuracy and punch from the 10" version. If you're like me and just like to see big holes in paper only the accuracy part matters
It's not a gun for everyone, but it's an experiance. I for one wouldn't let mine go but it's definately not perfect. It took me a long time to work out my grip so the slide catch didn't tear the crap out of my thumb while I was shooting.
Hope that helps.
Mine is an early IMI in .44 mag. It's wonderfully accurate, but it has a tendency to spit an ejected case right back at me once in a while - no big deal.
Fun, reliable (as long as it's never fed SN rounds), and great for making sure you don't have flinch problems - not to mention good for building up muscles - I'll never part with it!
I have no experience with the new mfg - I'd suggest you find a minty IMI.
DO NOT TRY THIS :
After a week of incremental loading and chorno testing with new +P nickle brass, I found mine never blinked with 200gr Barnes solids at 1645 fps - though headstamps were just starting to smear. . .
Bear and mountain lion are regularly on the property. It's nice to slip that on when I'm out up here after dark, with two spare mags and a 9v Surefire!
Have fun, and be safe!
Trisha
Fun, reliable (as long as it's never fed SN rounds), and great for making sure you don't have flinch problems - not to mention good for building up muscles - I'll never part with it!
I have no experience with the new mfg - I'd suggest you find a minty IMI.
DO NOT TRY THIS :
After a week of incremental loading and chorno testing with new +P nickle brass, I found mine never blinked with 200gr Barnes solids at 1645 fps - though headstamps were just starting to smear. . .
Bear and mountain lion are regularly on the property. It's nice to slip that on when I'm out up here after dark, with two spare mags and a 9v Surefire!
Have fun, and be safe!
Trisha
I've always wanted one.
It will be mine....oh yes....it will be mine....
They are a lot of fun to shoot.
If you like big guns that make so much noise, everyone will be staring and crowding around you at the range trying to figure out who's got the elephant gun, the DE is for you.
It will be mine....oh yes....it will be mine....
They are a lot of fun to shoot.
If you like big guns that make so much noise, everyone will be staring and crowding around you at the range trying to figure out who's got the elephant gun, the DE is for you.
Got to shoot the .44magnum Eagle this past weekend. Personally, IF I could find one at a reasonable price, I'd sure get it. It fit the hand real nice, and to me, felt recoil was something akin to really warm .357 loads out of an N frame.
Dan
It fit the hand real nice, and to me, felt recoil was something akin to really warm .357 loads out of an N frame. Dan
Thanks for all the advise. I was leading toward purchasing a DE but yesterday one of my neighbor’s apartments got broken into. I know it can happen to anyone but this hit’s a little closer to home.
It happened in broad daily light between the hours of 10:00 and 3.00. They got in through the sliding glass door and scooped up all the electronics they could carry. What is amazing is that the apartment complex I live in only has on entrance and no one saw anything. I assume the perps scoped the place before they robbed it, needless to say I will be much more observant in the future.
In light of current events, I’ve been thinking of buying a gun safe but I live on the second floor. Getting a safe up here will be a monumental task. I have renters insurance but the thought of some jerk breaking into my apartment and stealing my firearms gives me a sickening feeling.
It happened in broad daily light between the hours of 10:00 and 3.00. They got in through the sliding glass door and scooped up all the electronics they could carry. What is amazing is that the apartment complex I live in only has on entrance and no one saw anything. I assume the perps scoped the place before they robbed it, needless to say I will be much more observant in the future.
In light of current events, I’ve been thinking of buying a gun safe but I live on the second floor. Getting a safe up here will be a monumental task. I have renters insurance but the thought of some jerk breaking into my apartment and stealing my firearms gives me a sickening feeling.
Nazirite,
Maybe you should get a nice .357 Desert Eagle to properly greet your unexpected guests.
Wes
Maybe you should get a nice .357 Desert Eagle to properly greet your unexpected guests.
Wes
What movie was that where someone had one in a sholder holster? That would be insane!!!
I looked at a .500 S&W Mag and just from looking at it, 2 images came to mind: Taking out a tank, or the scene in Batman where the Joker is pulling out that S&W revolver with the 4ft barrel
. My own AAA battery in a CCW holster. Ooohh....
I looked at a .500 S&W Mag and just from looking at it, 2 images came to mind: Taking out a tank, or the scene in Batman where the Joker is pulling out that S&W revolver with the 4ft barrel
. My own AAA battery in a CCW holster. Ooohh....
.500 S&W is a little too long to work in any through-the-grip loading system I can imagine working. Don't think you'll see it in a auto anytime soon unless is a carbine.
I think a .50 AE carbine would be a great huning gun. There's so much wasted powder in most loads for it even in the 10" barrels for the Desert Eagles I'm sure my H110 loads would hit much higher velocities from a nice 15" carbine or Contender. But I don't even want to think about the recoil of that thing in a Contender, much less the .500 S&W!
I think a .50 AE carbine would be a great huning gun. There's so much wasted powder in most loads for it even in the 10" barrels for the Desert Eagles I'm sure my H110 loads would hit much higher velocities from a nice 15" carbine or Contender. But I don't even want to think about the recoil of that thing in a Contender, much less the .500 S&W!
the movie is Snatch
perhaps the greatest scene is when the three stooges try to rob Bullet Tooth Tony with replica guns (it is England!) and he calls their bluff:
"seein' how ya guns say REPLICA on the side of 'em (zoom to REPLICA headstamp) and seein how mah' gun says DESERT EAGLE FIVE-OH (lays it on the table) i think ya [male members] will be shrinkin' even further"
great movie BTW gotta love cockney british gangster flicks
Is there a difference in ballistics between .50 AE & .500 S&W Magnum?
Nazi:
1. I agree with what someone said above; you should get a DE to properly greet unwelcome guests!!!
2. What is worse: the very temporary struggle to get a safe upstairs, or the pain, suffering, heartache, and financial struggles to replace stolen guns? Heck, hire a couple moving guys to help you...
Nazi:
1. I agree with what someone said above; you should get a DE to properly greet unwelcome guests!!!
2. What is worse: the very temporary struggle to get a safe upstairs, or the pain, suffering, heartache, and financial struggles to replace stolen guns? Heck, hire a couple moving guys to help you...
No DE but I got a LAR Grizzly 44 Magnum - an oversized 1911 type. A great fun gun, accurate and attention-getting. Forget about reloading, the brass is somewhere in the next county.
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