Shieldbreaker
Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2007
- Messages
- 27
14" 44mag. DE
Very accurate, and fun to shoot.
I lub DEs.
Very accurate, and fun to shoot.
I lub DEs.
Desert Eagle So Bad?
- Thread starter Sapanther
- Start date
- Status
The Lone Haranguer
Member
I have no practical use for one, but I've always been fascinated by complex mechanical devices, and this gun delivers on that, what with its gas operation and rotating bolt. And a lot of engineering had to go into making that long, straight-walled, rimmed cartridge (in .357 and .44 Mag.) feed out of a magazine.
When I'm playing video games, nothing smokes my rivals faster than DE, the giant shiny DE, the equivalent of the mid-life crisis convertible.
If I were going out the door to a gunfight in real life, and I had a choice between the 2, I'd grab my M9 every time.
If I were going out the door to a gunfight in real life, and I had a choice between the 2, I'd grab my M9 every time.
I love my Desert Eagle. Like it's been said, it's big, heavy, and expensive to shoot. But it's also accurate and powerful which make it a good hunting platform. I consider its weight and gas operation a plus. I can shoot 325gr 50 caliber rounds all day without getting fatigued. Not too many guns with that much punch are as enjoyable to shoot.
Glad to know I'm considered a fanboy...
And I don't even play CounterStrike.
This is my .357 Magnum Desert Eagle, very early serial number:
I've used it for IHMSA Silhouette matches, and took it deer hunting last fall. I also relax with it by knocking over bowling pins and steel plates at a private range.
It is what it is - a big gas operated autoloading handgun with an M16/AR-15 bolt arrangement. It needs hot ammo, because the MkI Desert Eagle's frame and gas system are designed around the .44 Magnum round. Since I handload ALL my centerfire ammo, it's no big deal for me to launch 158gr jacketed bullets at 1600+ fps from the gun. Reliability and accuracy is outstanding, and recoil with the mass of the gun is negligible.
It was the best $400 I've ever spent on a used gun. The previous owner couldn't figure out why it wouldn't cycle with 125gr store-bought fodder. I considered pointing him to Magnum Research's website of recommended ammo, but then he wouldn't have sold it to me.
I'm of the opinion that those who badmouth the Desert Eagle have never owned one, and get all their info from Hollyweird portrayals in movies like Barb Wire and The Matrix.
To me and the venison in my freezer, it's not so useless...
And I don't even play CounterStrike.
This is my .357 Magnum Desert Eagle, very early serial number:
I've used it for IHMSA Silhouette matches, and took it deer hunting last fall. I also relax with it by knocking over bowling pins and steel plates at a private range.
It is what it is - a big gas operated autoloading handgun with an M16/AR-15 bolt arrangement. It needs hot ammo, because the MkI Desert Eagle's frame and gas system are designed around the .44 Magnum round. Since I handload ALL my centerfire ammo, it's no big deal for me to launch 158gr jacketed bullets at 1600+ fps from the gun. Reliability and accuracy is outstanding, and recoil with the mass of the gun is negligible.
It was the best $400 I've ever spent on a used gun. The previous owner couldn't figure out why it wouldn't cycle with 125gr store-bought fodder. I considered pointing him to Magnum Research's website of recommended ammo, but then he wouldn't have sold it to me.
I'm of the opinion that those who badmouth the Desert Eagle have never owned one, and get all their info from Hollyweird portrayals in movies like Barb Wire and The Matrix.
To me and the venison in my freezer, it's not so useless...
Cavalier Knight
Member
What Da Hell Is A Desert Eagle?
LAK Supply
Member
I've shot some DE's, and they were fun to shoot. I wouldn't buy one.... if I wanted a magnum handgun I would opt for a revolver. My RH 44 mag is less bulky than a DE and handles a larger variety of loads. If they were smaller and held more rounds I would look at one. Until then, they're just fun, expensive range-only guns that I wouldn't own. 
WinchesterAA
Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2006
- Messages
- 870
MachIVshooter
Member
All the big magnum revolvers and single shots are cumbersome, too. I've actually found my Desert Eagle more pleasant to carry through the woods than my 7.5" Super Redhawk. It's about 2 inches shorter over all, and the .50 AE will make as much power from a 6" DE as the .454 Casull will from a 7.5" wheel gun using max load in both (1,663 ft/lbs for the Casull, 1,646 for the .50 AE).
The Desert Eagle is also an extremely accurate pistol. Using my 325 gr. loads, and with the 1.5-4x Burris scope that is not present in the picture, I can consistently put 5 rounds into less than 3 inches at 100 yards using sand bags. Pretty darn good for any handgun, let alone a powerhouse automatic.
And if you know how to handle the pistol, it is very reliable. Don't limp wrist and keep you paws off the magazine (tea cupping is a no-no anyway), and you'll be fine.
So no, they're not practical for combat, and a bit unweildy for IDPA and such (though loads of fun for bowling pin shoots
). But they are an excellent hunting handgun.makarovnik
Member
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2006
- Messages
- 1,678
They are excellent weapons. Big and heavy yes but also well balanced, reliable and very powerful. Just because they used them in "The Matrix" and can be had in .50 caliber does not mean in itself they are overrated.
OKAY...
I just have to ask...
The DE was designed and is manufactured to the best of my knowledge in Israel. Lots'a combat goin' on there. If the gun is useless for anything but shooting games like IHMSA, IDPA etc or hunting then why in the heck would an Israeli company design and manufacture the thing? What's their target market - Americans with way too much money?
I just have to ask...
The DE was designed and is manufactured to the best of my knowledge in Israel. Lots'a combat goin' on there. If the gun is useless for anything but shooting games like IHMSA, IDPA etc or hunting then why in the heck would an Israeli company design and manufacture the thing? What's their target market - Americans with way too much money?
QuarterBoreGunner
Member
That's actually a very interesting question.
Marketing plays a much bigger part of a firearms design presently; but when the DE was introduced, not so much. So yeah, what *was* their target market?
It's a common misconception.
The Israelis didn't design or build the Desert Eagle as a combat handgun. As a matter of fact, they came rather late to the Desert Eagle story. Three fellows in Minneapolis designed the gun beginning in 1979, with a firing prototype running in 1981. They went to IMI in Israel for help in the final stages of design and manufacture, with the first production gun in .357 hitting the stores in 1983. The above .357 of mine dates to early 1984.
Were Elgin Gates still alive, he'd tell you what the big push was to make the gun. It was originally designed for target, silhouette shooting, and hunting.
Folks in IHMSA silhouette competitions were hand-grenading their magnum revolvers with hot loads, because they wanted the extra muzzle energy to reliably knock over the steel rams at the farthest bank of targets. Something had to be done, so IHMSA initiated the overhang rule to make the targets topple easier, but by that time, the Desert Eagle in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum (Yes, and I want one!), and .44 Magnum handled the hotter ammo with nary a hiccup. IHMSA went dormant after Elgin died, but the Desert Eagle was here to stay, finding widespread use as a hunting and target shooting gun, too. During one IHMSA match, I pulled a shot low, into the dirt several yards in front of the steel critter. The round skipped off the hardpan and hit the silhouette, still knocking it over. I pressed on with the rest of the targets, but was suitably impressed.
Somewhere along the line folks got it into their heads that it was a preferred Israeli combat sidearm - and the myth continues to propogate to this day. Of course, Hollyweird didn't help matters much with their portrayal of the big gas autopistol. It's also the CounterStrike Kiddies version of the BFG-9000 as found in Doom.
The Israelis didn't design or build the Desert Eagle as a combat handgun. As a matter of fact, they came rather late to the Desert Eagle story. Three fellows in Minneapolis designed the gun beginning in 1979, with a firing prototype running in 1981. They went to IMI in Israel for help in the final stages of design and manufacture, with the first production gun in .357 hitting the stores in 1983. The above .357 of mine dates to early 1984.
Were Elgin Gates still alive, he'd tell you what the big push was to make the gun. It was originally designed for target, silhouette shooting, and hunting.
Folks in IHMSA silhouette competitions were hand-grenading their magnum revolvers with hot loads, because they wanted the extra muzzle energy to reliably knock over the steel rams at the farthest bank of targets. Something had to be done, so IHMSA initiated the overhang rule to make the targets topple easier, but by that time, the Desert Eagle in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum (Yes, and I want one!), and .44 Magnum handled the hotter ammo with nary a hiccup. IHMSA went dormant after Elgin died, but the Desert Eagle was here to stay, finding widespread use as a hunting and target shooting gun, too. During one IHMSA match, I pulled a shot low, into the dirt several yards in front of the steel critter. The round skipped off the hardpan and hit the silhouette, still knocking it over. I pressed on with the rest of the targets, but was suitably impressed.
Somewhere along the line folks got it into their heads that it was a preferred Israeli combat sidearm - and the myth continues to propogate to this day. Of course, Hollyweird didn't help matters much with their portrayal of the big gas autopistol. It's also the CounterStrike Kiddies version of the BFG-9000 as found in Doom.
NWdude83
Member
If brand new Desert Eagles were say $200 cheaper, I would consider buying one.
wyocarp
Member
These guys said it. I have a lot of serious guns. I would never had bought my desert eagles if I didn't have a son who liked them probably because of the movies and video games. But I really like them. They are fun. They shoot well. They are machined nicely. The nicer finishes are beautiful guns. And they have been used in hunting trips with good results.
Gun guys are like all the other sports and hobbies, a bunch of snobs who only like what is in their gun safe, gun closet, or whatever is under their mattress.
Gunnerpalace
Member
deagles are great guns L33T too bad there are no high-cap clips.
Counterstrike, running youngsters 1 frag at a time,(NOTE: I don't play counterstrike just GRAW2)
It's a cool gun, mostly a "impress your friends" thing but I would get one when I have the chance, they have said great things about them for hunting.
Counterstrike, running youngsters 1 frag at a time,(NOTE: I don't play counterstrike just GRAW2)
It's a cool gun, mostly a "impress your friends" thing but I would get one when I have the chance, they have said great things about them for hunting.
DougDubya
Member
I generally HAVE to write about the Desert Eagle .44 Magnum due to my job writing for Don Pendleton's Executioner. Bolan transferred from the Automag to the Desert Eagle around 1990.
I end up rationalizing the Desert Eagle in the text that Bolan, who crafted handloads for the .44 Automag, is capable of making use of the versatility of the .44 Magnum round in the Desert Eagle by loading ammunition that matches the 240-grain jacketed hollowpoint in recoil impulse and cartridge OAL, and being able to carefully monitor the gas feed.
The fact that there are long range target shooters whio can hit soft-ball sized targets at 200 yards with a .44 DE, and Bolan is an experienced Army Sniper/scout who knows the ballistic trajectories and behavior of his .44 handloads by rote give it the role of "a rifle that can be hidden under a jacket."
I end up rationalizing the Desert Eagle in the text that Bolan, who crafted handloads for the .44 Automag, is capable of making use of the versatility of the .44 Magnum round in the Desert Eagle by loading ammunition that matches the 240-grain jacketed hollowpoint in recoil impulse and cartridge OAL, and being able to carefully monitor the gas feed.
The fact that there are long range target shooters whio can hit soft-ball sized targets at 200 yards with a .44 DE, and Bolan is an experienced Army Sniper/scout who knows the ballistic trajectories and behavior of his .44 handloads by rote give it the role of "a rifle that can be hidden under a jacket."
Beowolf1911
Member
I only fired one so maybe it is an exception but it was in .44 mag and was not accurate or reliable. If stovepiped every 7th shot or so and was less accurate then my ruger super blackhawk with a shorter barrel. It is fairly unique I will give it that but the Nambu type 94 was unique that doesn't mean I want one. It wasn't my gun so it may just needed a good cleaning, but shooting it was in no way enjoyable, so had I the money to spend on it I would rather get a matched pair of 1911's.
USMCDK
Member
Well I didn't read through this whole thread, but I did read the first 10-15 post and got enough info to be able to say that...
I have played counter strike and other video games that have the "DEagle" and I also have a friend G-Unit (For the sake of keeping his name Annonynous) that actually owns a "DEagle" .44mag and it's one of the best handguns that I have held and fired. I have always loved the look of the "DEagle" not to keen on the grip, but I love it's weight and it loud @$$ report. I am fairly accurate with it up to about 25 yards (I can keep a 4 inch group) Hey I'm not claiming to be an expert by no means.
But none the less this is one NON-fanboyism type of person telling you I love the hell outta the DEagle and hope to own one someday. Not to brag to all my friends, but to, if one day should arrive, protect my family. Hopefully without even firing off one round.
Ps. I love the big@$$ bolky guns that just scare the crap outta someone just seeing it, you know???
I have played counter strike and other video games that have the "DEagle" and I also have a friend G-Unit (For the sake of keeping his name Annonynous) that actually owns a "DEagle" .44mag and it's one of the best handguns that I have held and fired. I have always loved the look of the "DEagle" not to keen on the grip, but I love it's weight and it loud @$$ report. I am fairly accurate with it up to about 25 yards (I can keep a 4 inch group) Hey I'm not claiming to be an expert by no means.
But none the less this is one NON-fanboyism type of person telling you I love the hell outta the DEagle and hope to own one someday. Not to brag to all my friends, but to, if one day should arrive, protect my family. Hopefully without even firing off one round.
Ps. I love the big@$$ bolky guns that just scare the crap outta someone just seeing it, you know???
USMCDK
Member
BTW I forgot to mention... Cleaning my friends "DEagle" was no sweat with all those aerosol solvents and stuff out there and a lil brass brushing. 5min. is all it took after shooting 200rds that day. The weapon worked like a charm then and still works like a charm now. who knows maybe G-Unit just got lucky when hey bought his USED "DEagle" .44mag.
Sorry for double posting
Sorry for double posting
TimboKhan
Member
Thats true to an extent, but in the context of the internet, you have to take everything with a grain of salt. I mean, look at the neverending Glock/1911 war.
Zundfolge, if you think counterstrike players saying "Deagle" is annoying, imagine my chagrin at listening to CoD4 players call grenades "Nades" as in "nadefest". I still kind of laugh when they call the 203 attachment the "noob tube" though...
Gixerman1000
Member
They are good guns though they can be sensitive to inexperienced shooters, I have had my MK-XIX in 50ae for about 8 years and have put a boat load of rounds through, it is very accurate and other than a few FTF from an extremely dirty mag (my fault) it's been totally reliable. I have taken deer with it but it’s now mainly a fun to shoot range toy but as long as you have your more important firearm needs covered then there is nothing wrong with that.
SRH 454, S&W 500 & DE 50
SRH 454, S&W 500 & DE 50
boomer1911a1
Member
Ten years ago, I owned an early example of the .44 Mag DE. I recognized its inherent, uh, "limitations" -- huge unconcealable dimensions, ponderous weight, expensive ammo -- and overlooked them. It was sweet! Forty-four magnum blast, a donut of fire the size of a dinner plate rolling down the range, decent accuracy...
What made me get rid of it was an odd habit the thing had of welding itself shut. The gas piston would bond itself to its mating surface and I would have to put the gun in a vice to open the action back up. Not conducive to reliability!
What made me get rid of it was an odd habit the thing had of welding itself shut. The gas piston would bond itself to its mating surface and I would have to put the gun in a vice to open the action back up. Not conducive to reliability!
- Status
