Best price for a used Desert Eagle 50 Cal?

I saw a used one for $750 the other day...http://www.ksl.com/?nid=678&ad=12104311&cat=185&lpid=

That would be a 357.

I picked up a brushed stainless one for $1100.00. (Almost brand new)

I've never seen one at any of my local gun shops for less than $1100, used or new. These pistols seem to hold their value very well.

You can find a DE in other calibers for less, but the 50AE seems to command a premium. This is not to say you won't do your due diligence, but please actually hold one in the store before you buy. Many people want one of these since they are a ton of movies, but after they shoot it a few times, their attitude can change in a hurry.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I have always wondered, is there any real practical use for the DE/50AE? When I handled one, it felt like I was holding a massive ingot of lead. The size and weight was comparable to a long-barreled S&W X-frame, and it did not offer much more in terms of firepower or capacity. Then I add in the cost and lack of availability of ammo and I have to ask... How has the platform survived this long?

^ One use would be putting 50 caliber holes in paper and animals. I'll bet thats what the OP wants it for.

Paper when I am in FL. For hiking in UT defense against Mountain Lions, unless you guys have an alternative suggestion.

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Honestly? A large-caliber magnum revolver.

Paper when I am in FL. For hiking in UT defense against Mountain Lions, unless you guys have an alternative suggestion.

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Defense against Mountain Lions? S&W or Ruger revolver in .41 or .44 Mag; or a 1911 in 10mm would be my preferences. I see from your user name you like Glocks though, so why not 15 rounds of 10mm in a G20, or 10 rounds in a G29? Any of those would be far smaller, lighter, and easier to carry than a DE. In the case of the Glocks, they'd be far less expensive. The wheel guns would also cost a good bit less. In a 1911 you could go from slightly less money to a whole lot more money. With any of those alternatives you'd still have a far more user friendly, and, IMO, far more practical weapon.

You can also get a .40 S&W bbl for either the Glocks or the 1911 to let you get cheaper, lower recoil, practice on the actual pistol you'd be packing in 10mm. You could do the same thing in the .44 Mag revolvers (well may not be much cheaper) by shooting .44 Special.

Heck, even a Ruger SRH in .454 Casull would be easier to tote & shoot than a DE. With the .454 you'd have three power levels of ammo - standard .45 Colt, Ruger & T/C only .45 Colt "+P", and, of course, full blown .454 Casull. There isn't much in the way of target shooting & North American game (or predators) that the .45 Colt/.454 Casull spectrum doesn't cover.

I know in magnum research's catalog they show a good portion of people hunting with them so id assume thats a good use

they even have a club or something to send photos in of hunting trips and things like that

The do make a conversion kit that will et ya shoot .50GI from a G21.

I have a friend who has a DE in every caliber. He doesn't shoot them as they are pretty snarky to clean--they have a chamber kind of like an AR15. They like to be clean and they like to be lubed "just so" (I hear), but they are superbly accurate and hard hitting.

If you can put up with the size, weight, and maintenance hassles, they're actually a decent gun.

a standard matte black 6" d.e. in great condition runs in the $850 range here.

as to the other points raised... it is not what i would choose for a defensive pistol for mountain lions, though it is a superb choice for hunting. it is a big, heavy, powerful gun. it is not maintenance intensive nor is it difficult to clean. if you still buy factory ammo, 50 ae ammo is available to me for $22.26 locally. since i am a handloader, this doesn't mean much to me, but finding component bullets typically means another order to grafs because locally the only 50 cal bullets available are for the smith 500 (350 grain bullets). accuracy of the gun is pretty typical of handguns. i don't think it shoots any better or worse than my other hunting handguns. the issue sights on the gun are fantastic - unfortunately mine came w/ a 250 or so yard zero. to remedy that i put a red dot on mine. i suppose if i was more patient or cared enough i could've filed the rear sight or replaced the sights, but i wanted a dot.

i use mine for big game hunting, and it is excellent in that role.

there are 2 issues with a d.e. that i wish could be fixed: 1 - it gets way too much attention at the range. best to shoot this gun when others aren't around, or when the guys that are there are the anti-social guys. otherwise you won't be left alone until you let everybody shoot it. 2 - the grip is very 'long' - you need to have long fingers or very large hands to operate the gun well.