Desert Eagle: Not a Combat Weapon

[Crunker1337]

For some reason, I come into contact with many people that try to convince me that the Desert Eagle is a good choice for a combat sidearm.

It's not.

It's gas operated, it doesn't cycle well with lower-powered rounds. It's bulky, it's heavy, it's got a relatively low magazine capacity, it give you plenty of felt recoil.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a great pistol for hunting or recreational shooting.

But I can't imagine it being a decent choice for combat. Look at what GLOCKs, for instance, can go through and remain operational.

I've searched far and wide, and I can't find a single credible source that suggests that the Desert Eagle is anything but a hunter's pistol at most.

Is it accurate? Sure. Is it powerful? You better believe it.

But it's not nearly as pointable, reliable, or controllable as a more reasonable firearm. Why is a hot .357, .44, or .50 caliber round needed for defense, anyway, when a lower-recoil 9mm, .40S&W, or .45ACP round will do the job just fine? Especially when with that smaller round, you get more capacity, less recoil, and a more reliable gun.

Are there are torture tests of Desert Eagles out there? Any side by side with combat-minded pistols?

 

[wyocarp]

I own a lot of eagles and I would agree for the most part. The baby eagles might be the exception, but I don't think you talking about them. They are available in 9mm, 40mm, and 45acp, and I like them a lot, as well as the larger bores.

 

[atblis]

Yeah

You can thank counterstrike for a lot of that.

The one thing I'll say is that you shouldn't be pissy to people about their misconceptions regarding the Desert Eagle aka DEAGLE. Try and enlighten them in a nice manner.

 

[Highland Ranger]

A cool toy, no doubt. Where did you et the impression that they were combat weapons?

 

[Crunker1337]

I know they're not combat weapons. Trying to tell others the same. And yeah, I'm talking about the Deagle, not the Beagle, heh, I know that the two families of firearms have no functional or operational similarities.

 

[.38 Special]

For some reason, I come into contact with many people that try to convince me that the Desert Eagle is a good choice for a combat sidearm.

Stop hanging out at gaming conventions, would be my suggestion.

HTH!

 

[Kman]

I'll give it one concession, you can clear a building without ever leaving the same room. You wanna wait and see where that next .50 round is going to hit? No such thing as a crippling hit, your either missing an appendage or dead.

 

[Prepster]

.38 Special nailed it. I'm a pretty hardcore gamer, and I'm frequently embarassed by my own kind. Some folks at a LAN party last week were talking about how "elite tactical units" use "Deagles," and how awesome they are. I responded that if I had my choice of Magnum Research products I'd rather have a BFR. The response: "What's Magnum Research?"

 

[brigadier]

I am surprised that anyone thinks that anymore. Even on all the video game boards, everyone and their grandma know that the Desert Eagle is an unpractical weapon.
I have been studying the weapon for years and can go on all day about what's wrong with the gun.
However, an 8 round capacity .44 Magnum semi-auto is not necessarily unsuited for combat. If the recoil can be tamed by the gun and/or the shooter, the .44 Magnum fills in plenty of gaps for pistols and we went in to WW I, WW II, Korea, Viet Nam, Somalia and even both Iraqi wars with 7 and 8 round capacity pistols.
In that respect, the unpractical of the Desert Eagle lies entirely in the make-up and mechanics of the gun it's self. Capacity and ammo type are not factors.
FWIW, while I hear civilians going on and on about the 9mm replacing the .45, and wishing we still had the .45, the only pistol cartridge I have ever heard SOLDIERS say they wish the military would replace the 9mm with is the 10mm Auto. There must be a reason for that.

 

[Timthinker]

If this question is not too impertinent, who is giving you such advice? I concede that DEs are visually impressive. Beyond that, I can not see how anyone with a modicum of handgun experience would see them as viable combat weapons. I do not wish to insult your friends/acquaintances, but their viewpoints seem utterly unrealistic for reasons already stated. Again, my purpose in this response is not to offend anyone, but I would beware of any firearms information those individuals offer.


Timthinker

 

[brigadier]

Allot of these rumors are made by people with intermediate shooting experience but have never so much as seen a Desert Eagle in person. The Desert Eagle's self-earned reputation is starting to infiltrate even that crowd, but I guess it hasn't fully settled yet.
I often run in to people who have never fired a gun before who know better just by watching them in action on youtube and listening to people who actually own and shoot them.

 

[gazpacho]

I have seen 3 DEs in person, in my lifetime. All three were gold plated pimp guns. I think the manufacturer's impression of the firearm says all that needs to be said.

 

[nwilliams]

I held a DE for the first time the other day.

I would never buy one, I didn't care for the way it felt in hand and it just seemed too big and heavy to serve any practical purpose. Then again I don't think the DE was designed with practicality in mind

As for a combat gun, I would definitely consider other options.

 

[rocinante]

My friend that did reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan claims some of them carried Desert Eagles. I wanted to call B.S. on him but maybe those small teams get more lee way in what they carry.

 

[brigadier]

I read a few years ago that the military was doing allot of head turning with troops carrying their own personal side arms. That be the case, it is not beyond reason to suggest that some people may have brought Desert Eagles with them.
While the later Desert Eagles are generally fancy junk, the earlier .357 Magnum MARK I was actually a pretty decent gun, in size, weight and reliability. I for one wouldn't be afraid to use one as a side arm.
My buddy has one and between him, myself and all our buddies, I have easily seen 2000 or more rounds through it, and haven't seen it choke once in anyone's hands.
of course, most people will ignore guns like that, being too small and light loaded for most Desert Eagle lovers, not to mention that the 10mm Auto fills just about any gap a .357 Magnum automatic can.

As for the larger calibers, while I realize that many people join the military for all the right reasons, there are plenty who join for all the wrong reasons, being a cool spec ops guy being among them. I wouldn't be surprised to see some people like that sneaking a Desert Eagle on to the battlefield without any previous experience in combat.
Luckily, the rifles do most of the work, so there is a chance that having a Desert Eagle won't make much difference, apart from weighing them down.
My brother for one, use to have a friend who was trying to get in to the seals. Their friendship ended before his military fate was decided, but I could easily see him sneaking a .50AE Desert Eagle off to war with him. I could also see higher ranking soldiers saluting him in the field.

 

[japaneezy]

Yeah... I agree, CS is mostly to blame for that deagle pwns all mentality...

 

[ZombieHunter]

i've put two rounds through a DE .44, it was a very impressive gun. The recoil was managable, 2nd shot follow-up was slow to say the least but i put both rounds damn near through the same hole at 15 feet. trigger pull was REALLY light.

The guy who owned the gun worked at the range and was getting made fun of by the other guys, they all know how impractical it is but they also all stated how it was a cool gun. if i had $1200 laying around i'd use it

 

[Gordon]

Actually the old DE MK 1 in .357 WAS designed and USED by Israelian spec ops guys in the 80s. The .357 is a real arse ripper in real life, and it is very controllable in the DE. The idea was to go in plain clothes to a terr. house and kill everyone quickly with no survivors.
I don't know anything about these "games" however.

 

[grendelbane]

One thing the Desert Eagle had going for it was product placement in Hollywood films.

I have seen a list of modern films where the DE appeared, and it is extensive.

Considering most people's opinions of firearms actually come from movies, it is no wonder that the DE is highly thought of.

 

[North of 49th]

They (DE) are guns that are built like tanks if you ask me...bulky, heavy, unbalanced tanks. I've not seen any pimped out ones in person but I can only imagine I would never take one into combat or even as a back-up gun when hunting; why lug around a tank when a nice light Glock will do the same job much nicer and most importantly ALWAYS.

 

[woodybrighton]

my platoon commander bought one back when handguns were legal and brought it on a two week operation in NI by the end of it he was not impressed.
in fact mentioning the desert eagle was cause for extras
sitting in the ops room with it on his hip soon made him regret his choice there were moves a foot to claim the army had run out of pistols and he would have to carry it for the rest of the tour
yes its a fun range toy carrying one for any length of time hell no.
why carry a pistol when you could carry an UZI?
I doubt unless your built like dolf lungrun you'd carry it as a carry gun.

 

[makarovnik]

Why are they not a good combat weapon? Size... weight... capacity... reliability?

I would carry one in combat. I especially like the .44 magnum. I'm not big (5-8" 200#) but I have carried one for extended periods of time without too much problem. I would rather carry a 10mm on a 1911 platform. It is slimmer and lighter but not more power or capacity.

 

[mljdeckard]

Do a hundred rounds of failure drills with one. And after you do that, and think to yourself, "I can actually do that ok", pick up any other conventional cartridge large-medium frame auto, and do a hundred rounds of failure drills. WOW. THAT'S why we use other guns. In comparison, a Desert Eagle is very difficult to shoot and maneuver quickly and accurately.

Another couple of questions. I can't find any record of Israel using it in any wide issue as a sidearm. Was it ever? I've also been yelling at a friend of mine, telling that they are not, and never have been fully automatic. Was there ever any kind of prototype or movie prop that was shooting full auto?

 

[LTB15J]

anything you have seen must have been a movie prop or modified DE shooting blanks. fully automatic desert eagles never were and never will be produced.

as far as the original reason behind the desert eagles making, i can only speculate based on the guns design.

perhaps either a target or hunting pistol

 

[AJD]

Great range gun and I mean that as a compliment. Since shooting at the range is what most of us actually use our guns for.