[erich w]

looking at this gun this gun is by all means very sinister looking not to mention the thought of it being 50 cal is intimidating but I was wondering do you think this gun is really practical in a serious situation, it seems like the recoil would be to dificult to control in a situation where you'd have to actually use it, I was wondering has anyone found this gun to be practical beyond just shooting at the range and what not.

[Geronimo45]

Some use it for hunting. It has a very good recoil-absorption system, apparently.
As for self-defense, not usually considered a good idea. The bullet tends to zip right through. A head shot would likely be devastating.
Might be a good gun for mutant armored zombie bears.

[erich w]

I just think its funny how every action movie people use the gun like its the greatest weapon for defending yourself and it never seems to have any kick to it.

[Demiurge]

It's a great gun. Practical? No, unless you're going to hunt with it, as has been mentioned.

Face it, it's range fodder, and it IS a cool gun. They make great pistols, and if you're thinking of getting something for range fodder -- do it if you've got the extra clams.

I don't have a problem handling the gun myself, but I'm a big guy.

[rockstar.esq]

So here's something that I've always thought was silly: Auto shooters carry on about the recoil and controllability of anything bigger/ hotter than the .45ACP whereas revolver shooters routinely shoot ammo with twice the recoil. Sure some calibers have more adherents than others however the .44 Mag remains a very popular round. The continued development of big boomers as exemplified by S&W's recent pair in addition to Casulls offerings have eclipsed the .50 Express by a significant margin however those firearms are fairly common. One thing that makes the revolvers more popularity easy to explain is the existence of several understudy calibers like the .44spl or the .38spl or in the case of the .460, and the .454 the .45LC. So getting back to the original posters question, I'd say that the same group of folks who'd purchase a .44magnum would also put a .50Express to use via the DE. I agree that the average CCW won't find the DE all that accomodating nor would the DE trump the ubiquitous pump shotgun as a home defence piece but there's really no reason to have "one gun for all seasons". That being said, if you were really looking to be as diverse as you could be with one gun, the DE platform allows easy conversion from .357 to 44 to 50 rickety tick and seriously, if you can't do it with that combination it most likely can't be done!

[erich w]

I have a 44 s&w revolver, and based on the kick that gives me thats what makes me wonder if it would be useful as a defensive weapon, because should you miss with the first shot you'd have to reaquire the target, I do see your point though, but I wasn't talking so much about the 357 and 44 but more the 50ae

[loki.fish]

I've never known anybody to shoot the .50 AE Desert Eagle with one hand. That being said, and from me shooting my own D.E. .50 it has no practical use in any defensive situation. I'd grab my .45 or 9mm first. The D.E. weighs a ton, it's like holding a concrete block. It's not easy to do a follow up shot very quickly or accurately. I love my D.E., it's fun as hell to shoot. But when it came down to defending myself or somebody else, it'd be one of the last guns I pick up for the task.

[Mooseman]

I've never shot the 50 but I got a chance to try out the 44 version and I was amazed at how little recoil it had compared to my 44 revolver. I would say it was similar to my sp101. Obviously too big a weapon to be carrying around all day but certainly very cool for plinking.

[Thumper]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=203981

:neener:

[erich w]

nice pics thumper, I think its one of the coolest guns I've ever seen but practicality comes first other wise I would have bout the de rather then the 1911, maybe a future thought.

[SilverState]

Yes it is sinister and intimidating looking. Not it is not practical. The recoil is not as bad as you would expect. It is great for the range and some people use them for hunting. It is very big and very heavy, so it is not ideal ccw.

http://photos.e46fanatics.com/data/500/DE.JPG

Here's a short movie of a guy shooting dual DEs:

http://media.putfile.com/Dual-Desert-Eagles

Another DE movie:

http://media.putfile.com/50AE

[Skpotamus]

I have a Desert Eagle in 44 Mag. I use it primarily for whitetail deer. With a lighter load, it's actually easy to control, even for my 115lb wife. Does it do a good job on deer? Very much so. Is it fun to shoot? Oh god yeah. Is it fast to draw? Hell no. Do I think it's practical for self defense? Only if I'm getting mugged by a water buffalo or bear. Stick with a caliber you can double tap with AND shoot one handed as needed for you SD gun and leave the magnums for your hunting trips.

[Seismic Sam]

I can and DO shoot one one handed (and a 100 rounds at a time), but I'm 6'3" and 240 pounds, and have forearms like a blacksmith from cutting 8 FULL cords of wood a year to heat my house. As far as it being a defensive piece for anything but a gangsta bull moose, you can "fagaddabahit". At 5.5 pounds loaded, in any kind of waist holster it will pull your pants down in 50 steps, so the only way you can carry it is with a shoulder holster. That being said, IF you're big enough and have a coat on, you actually CAN conceal one if you want to.

The problem, however, is that it is WAAAYYY too powerful for CCW, and God help you if one of those big 325 grain bullets doesn't hit the BG, or does and it winds up coming out the back side. The chance for collateral damage is just too great, and the muzzle blast and noise if you are indoors will make your chances of a good second shot neglible. Same for the 454 and the Smith 500. The only time I carry my DE 50 is in a tac thigh rig when I'm out patrolling my own land looking for hunters who haven't bothered to ask me for permission to hunt on my land, and I have a buddy who used to borrow my gun when he went up to his land in Cordova, Alaska where there are brown bears. Apart from that, the DE's only use is to put LARGE pieces of meat on the table and have fun with at the range.

[raz-0]

I have one in .357. It's a fun gun for sure, but not really practical.

It's HEAVY. This makes a wee bit hard to control for follow up shots.

It's big. If you have small hand, the controls are a reach. Even with big hands, the safety is on the real heavy side to actuate quickly one handed.

It's small. Hunh?!? Yeah.. it's small, whereas the grip is big front to back, it is pretty short top to bottom. If you have big hands (more precisely, long thumbs), you can hit the slide release unintentionally. Not a good thing in a practical gun.

It has a floating magazine. Heck, a lot of autos do, but because of the interchangability of cartridges, there is more movement in it than most. teacupping the magazine can get you jams a lot more frequntly than other guns.

Cleanliness. The gun needs to be clean to run, but it gets drity pretty fast. This is what comes of shooting pistol cartridges ina semi auto. The ammo makers aren't oo concerned about cleanliness. The best ammo ont eh cheap I ahve found in .357 has been magtech. That gets you about 300 rounds give or take 10% before you start getting bad behavior due to fouling.

It's big. Concealability is an issue. But i believe folks have posted custom DE IWB pics on here, and it concealed better than expected. Still doesn't make it easily concealable.

It's picky about ammo. Depends on your definition of practical, but this can be a killer issue for some.

[Red State]

If I was hunting in Alaska, I would consider lugging one around with me.

When the bear starts charging, it might allow me to get more shots off than a 44 mag revolver would. Be a bad time for a jam, though............. (shudder)