Desert Eagle v HK Mk23

[Loosedhorse]

the deagle

Does anyone who owns a DE actually use this gamers' term?

Well, from what I can see, a DE .50 is about $1200, the HK closer to $1800.

Because we suck, and they hate us. Next time I have $1800 of gun money rattling around in my pocket, it's not going to a Mk23.

 

[Hk Dan]

HK Customer service has been outstanding to me. The people who bark about it seem to be the internet commandos--they have gone over and above what they needed to get my USP40 back running and keep it there faultlessly. It has over 70k rounds through it and is an original 1993 model. I have no complaints about their service.

Now--have you cleaned a Desert Eagle? It has a chamber like an AR, it looks like an asterisk and is very hard to get clean. Secondarily the gun likes to be surgically clean to function 100%. The Mark 23 doesn't care. Mud, carbon, guts--it'll all blow out the end. I shoot fast; I am a match shooter and every gun I have must shoot fast and accurate. The Mark 23 does. It's the softest shooting 45 I've ever fired, andI have 6 1911s, a USP45 and a Tactical, a GLOCK 21, and two other 45s who shall remain nameless (I have a reputaqtion to protect. The Mark 23 is the best money I've put into a gun, bar none. The price is forgotten long after the gun is being enjoyed.

 

[Brockak47]

for the price, definitively would choose the DE because it would be more fun on the range & in the desert. The HK is in a totally different round, how do you compare those two handguns? Before I would pay almost 2000 dollars for the HK, I would rather spend my money on a glock, get the barrel threaded and buy a hi cap mag for it. ( bear in mind I don't own a glock,hk, or DE. Just a .38spl revolver. )

All in all both handguns are relatively expensive/large and if I were to spend that much coin on I think I would have more fun with the DE, plus at least you can hunt with it if plinking isn't your style.

 

[IdahoLT1]

Id take the DE over the Mk23. You get $600 of extra spending money(ammo/reloading components) and the DE is fills a hunting role no other autoloader can. The Mk23's role can be filled by a dozen other autoloaders.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I had to go MK23. While I admit that I didn't like them in the Army - I wouldn't mind one now for nostalgia reasons.
As far as the preference:
Mil-spec
Accessories
Resale

Also, while I can wrap my head around a MK23 in this sized pistol for .45 given it's design criteria, were I to opt for a DE I think it would have to be in some whompin' monster caliber.

 

[vaupet]

IMHO the DE was designed to show off, I've shot one in .50 and don't like it.
The Mk23 was designed to reliably get the job done. I regularly shoot a friends mk23 and i own and shoot a USP Match .45 .
We shoot these one-handed in competition at 25 metres and they are great.

 

[usp9]

I regularly shoot a friend and...

Your friend is a tough hombre!

 

[Loosedhorse]

Secondarily the gun likes to be surgically clean to function 100%.

If you say so. I've owned a .50 for (yes, literally) 20 years and never had a problem. Must be that new-fangled "clean" ammo.

BTW, the DE does not have a chamber that looks like an asterisk: it does not have a fluted chamber, just cut-outs at the breech for the bolt's locking lugs, like a bolt-action rifle does.

Bottom line: the Mk23 fires .45 ACP. If you think it is the best .45 platform out there around $1800, then it's a buy.

The current DEs (unlike the Mark VIIs) were designed around the .50 AE. If you want to shoot that cartridge in a semi-auto, your choice is clear. If you don't, your choice is also clear.

(I know that DEs shoot other calibers, and that all I need to shoot .44 Mag is a barrel and a magazine...but I've never bought them, and don't think I will.)

 

[lyrikz]

You absolute can conceal a desert eagle. I have a holster that wraps and tucks it under my chest and near my right arm pit. Im 5'10 and 180. Not big at all. An average jacket and you cant tell.. Not comfortable at all and only use it when hunting, but you cant tell.

 

[lyrikz]

Deagle Does anyone who owns a DE actually use this gamers' term?

Well, from what I can see, a DE .50 is about $1200, the HK closer to $1800.

Because we suck, and they hate us. Next time I have $1800 of gun money rattling around in my pocket, it's not going to a Mk23.

I dont use the term. I hear alot of people use it. Most who try and mock the gun. ahaha...

 

[el Godfather]

I have not used Deagle term. In fact some of people that I know who use it, don't have have the "deagle".

@Lyriks, can please post link of a website that sell that holster or link to its image? Thanks.

 

[conhntr]

//IMHO the DE was designed to show off//

Honestly you can say the same for lots of things. I dont see how it is a negative...

I cant see why its dumber to buy a deagle to show off than to buy a hk mk23 to do what (offensive handgun)?

 

[lyrikz]

The guy was at our local gun show. He makes them custom. Mine was 85 bucks. I will see if i can dig up his card and website.

 

[MachIVshooter]

the Desert Eagle being a heavy boat anchor of a pistol that offers nothing I cannot get in a better platform.

Yeah, with all those other .50 AE pistols out there, you can have your pick..........

 

[JustinJ]

The DE is completely impractical for anything but hunting. The 23 is not designed for concealed carry but for military/para military applications. So if one were to want a handgun for hunting its obviously which is better as is which is better for military/LE/home defense. Asking which is better is like asking if a certain boat is better than a certain car.

 

[fennecfrank]

here is a picture of the Mark 23 and Desert Eagle for size comparison:

in case you're wondering why the Mark 23 has no threaded barrel, here is the California regulation:

The term “assault weapon” also means any firearm that falls under one of the following definitions pursuant to Penal Code section 12276.1:

.....(4) A semiautomatic pistol that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:
(A) A threaded barrel, capable of accepting a flash suppressor, forward handgrip,
or silencer.......

unfortunately, I live in CA and if I have the threaded barrel on the gun, it's deemed as an assault weapon......