Desert Eagle

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257WM_CDL-SF

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hi all i'm kinda new to pistols I would like to get one,I really like the looks of the Desert Eagle.But dont know alot about them.Are they a well made and reliable pistol?
 
i've heard that they aren't to reliable, but i can't really say anything about that. take my advice, get a smaller gun to get familar with handguns first.
 
If you read up on them most people are going to tell you that they are unreliable, I expecially one not get one if it is your only pistol, and it would even be worse to learn to shoot a handgun on.
 
In my experience, they are prone to problems, and are finicky. They like hot ammo, such as Corbon defensive loads, as opposed to a conventional revolver that can shoot just about anything without worrying about cycling the action. I have a friend who could only use really hot ammo in his .44 barrel, and tried his brother's handloads in his .50 barrel and it chewed up the feed ramp. Three of his five magazines won't feed reliably at all. It's NOT a lot of fun to shoot, it beats you up pretty good. I doubt he has shot it in about four years. If it's not fun, doesn't work, costs a lot, and beats you up, it's not a good gun to learn on. I mean, we're still complaining non-stop about the cost of REGULAR handgun ammo.

If I were looking for a heavy handgun to hunt with, I would look at the heavy revolvers in .460 S&W, .480 Ruger, .475 Linebaugh, .454 Casull, etc.
 
I had one years ago in 44 Mag and it was reliable with factory and handloads,but we are talking a BIG handgun with an equally big price. IMHO you'd be better off buying a 22 of some type then look into something centerfire. Also have you looked at what 44 mag ammo goes for these days and with the DE in any of its chamberings you have to use jacketed ammo as lead bullets will clog up the gas system.
 
My friend has a .50 Desert eagle. When I first shot it I expected fierce recoil. The gun made a very big boom, big enough to draw attention from the other shooters around. I did not find the recoil to be objectionable at all though. The gun is very heavy. I haven't observed his being unreliable but I have heard others complain of Desert eagles having reliability problems.

A desert eagle is fun in a gee wiz sort of way. The ammo is expensive which should be considered if you what it for more than occasional shooting. If it is something that will only be pulled out now and again remember that it is an expensive gun. There are not many tasks that another handgun couldn't do better. That said I would consider buying one just to have one and for the heck of it, but only if I had my other gun bases covered pretty well.
 
Here's a picture of mine. MK 1 - 44. It is interesting how many people ...men included can not chamber a round by jacking the slide. Got to have big hands and strength.
DesertEagle.gif
 
I have a hard chrome Mk XIX in .50 AE, and I love the gun. That said, it'd be a horrible choice for someone new to handgun shooting. The DE doesn't have a pratical application outside of silhouette shooting and hunting. It is big, it is heavy, and it is prone to malfunction if not properly handled-especially the .50.

If you like the look, get a Baby Desert Eagle. They come in 9mm, .40 and .45, and are fantastic guns, based on the CZ-75 platform. They are currently imported by Charles Daly as the IWI Jericho.

Here's mine next to it's big brother. To keep it in perspective, the baby eagle is a FULL SIZED pistol.

Eagles.jpg
 
Yeah that's definitely not the first gun I would buy if I was new to handguns! Too high of a price for something I can almost gaurantee won't get shot that much. If you're looking for a self-defense gun I would rather point you in the direction of a 9mm glock or springfield xd. Simply because the prices on them are awesome and they are extremely reliable. And a 9mm is a good round to start off with too.
 
How are Sig Sauer Pistols?I'm not entirely new to pistols I have shot friends.Just kinda new to the buying process,Looking for a good reliable one for shooting at a club,and home defense
 
I have a Mark VII in .44 mag. It shoots WWB (Winchester White Box) just fine, and I don't have any problems at all racking the slide. No misfires or FTFs.

The folks above complaining about the gun "beating you up" obviously haven't fired one, or have the constitution of an anorexic 9 year-old. You'll find most .44 mag wheelguns have a lot more recoil; the gas system in the DE does a great job (along with the mass of the pistol . . . it is heavy) in keeping the gun manageable.

It's not my first handgun, but I haven't been a handgun owner for very long. I started 3 months ago with a S&W M&P .40 Compact and later bought a Full Size. The Desert Eagle I've had for less than a month.

I love the gun. It's a lot of fun to shoot, and one helluva conversation piece. Not cheap to shoot, though; plinking ammo is going to cost you $30+ for a box of 50 rounds, and it won't do .44 Special. I agree with the others that it probably shouldn't be your first gun, but it's not bad at all as your 2nd or 3rd. :D
 
So your looking at either a DE or a Sig. You've got expensive taste. I've shoot a few of both. The DE I shot was a 50, it had less recoil than my 10mm 1911. I never made it completely through a mag without failure. That being said, someday I might have to get one just for the giggle factor.

Sigs are right up there with the best. I would highly recommend looking at a used Sig for your first gun. I have one of the P6's that came in from Germany last year. They can be had for around $400 and are a blast to shoot. I've never heard someone say they didn't like their P6. I've heard that police trade in P226's are now available at a decent cost as well.
 
Yeah Sig's are great, get a sig the p6 would be a great gun. Just dont get the DE for your first handgun, I have about 20 guns pistols I would get before that.
 
The DE I shot was a 50, it had less recoil than my 10mm 1911.

Come try some of my loads ;). Factory ammo is a joke.

From a 6" tube, I'm clocking 325 grainers at 1,540 FPS. Energy is 1,712 ft/lbs. Recoil is more pleasant than my .454 Casull, but substantially more than even my compact 10mm's with very hot handloads (180 grainer at 1,406 FPS from 5" guns).
 
Its a huge manly beast of a pistol, and it will put hair on your chest.:D

I'm looking to get one this year, in .50AE of course. I just think they are cool, I know they are totaly useless.
 
Hatterasguy said:
.....Its a huge manly beast of a pistol, and it will put hair on your chest.


Desert Eagles are for guys that like power tools, chainsaws, Monster trucks, and NFL Football.......not for girly men.
 
If you are "kinda new" to pistols, you shouldn't even be considering something like that. Not only are they damn near useless outside of an "awe" factor, but you will more than likely develop poor shooting skills starting with something like that
 
Yeah, like they said, I have a .50 and I haven't had any problems with mine, but I certainly wouldn't recommend one for a first handgun. Its like a corvette, its a lot of fun, but not really practical.
 
Hmm I'd say more like an older Viper...you can at least daily drive a Corvette :p Viper would get on your last nerve driving every day
 
In my unaskedfor (<---- new word!!!) opinion the DE .50 is a heck of a cool gun but also kind of an answer to a question nobody ever asked. Still...if one fell in my lap, I'd smile.
 
I had the opportunity to fire one once (.44 Magnum caliber), and took it. It is heavy, recoil is very light even when shooting full-power blow-the-doors-off-the-barn loads. It has a goofy trigger that stacks at the end of a considerably long pull (long for a single action trigger). It is BIG, my hands fit full sized guns just fine but with the Desert Eagle I only had the tips of my fingers and the meat of the thumb holding the gun, instead of the entire hand. If you have to have a .44 Magnum, I would not recommend the D.E. unless your hands are big enough to fit it.
 
Interesting my first handgun was a desert eagle 44 I got it when I was 16 as a gift from my dad, neither one of us knew anything about handguns but I still have it and I would like to think of my self as a pretty good handgun shot, 50' with a USP match slow fire no optics I can manage 1.5-2" 10 shot groups. Oh and my first car I bought myself was a 90 vett, Got that when I was 18 used it as a daily driver for about two years until I decided i needed more room and got a LS400.The desert eagle can be a difficult piece to learn on, if you don't hold it right {IE with a push pull grip} it can have reliability issues, Then again if you learn to shoot it properly I don't find them to be any less reliable than most of the handguns out there, I guess what I'm trying to say is that even though I love my desert eagle I would probably not choose one as my first pistol I would probably say get something in 45acp or maby a 40S&W, BUT DON'T START WITH A SMALL CALIBER!!!! I have seen it so many times, people starting with a 22 and never getting above a 9mm. They get used to so very little recoil that anything more is just too much, and they cant shoot it effectively and therefore get very disco urged, So once again I strongly urge you to go with a larger caliber, Yes there is the slight off chance that a very large caliber {IE 50 ae} might frighten some from shooting handguns at all. But I still think you should go with a larger caliber first, shoot it allot, get good with it, get used to it. Then if need be change calibers to suit you preferences. I feel that leaning to shoot a handgun is basically the same with no regard to caliber. But if you set your baseline "normal" {IE expected} recoil with a 45acp then shooting a 40 or 9mm or 22 or anything inbetween will seem to be soft recoiling light ect ect. So get yourself a reliable large caliber handgun don't worry about the mag capacity or having that match grade trigger, at this point it just complicates things. I promise you that if you work hard and are dedicated you learn to shoot any handgun very well. I just find that it makes life easier to start off and get used to big caliber handguns. Think of it this way if your first car was a crewcab dually 1ton pickup and you learned to drive it like a pro then later driving an Avalon or a corvette will seem like a piece of cake. but if you start off with a smart car then try to work you way to a crewcab dually truck you will most likely find it to be "so big and bulky with low visibility, hard to part, ect ect ect...." Do you get what I mean? OK well I'm done ranting for the night, thats just my 0.02.
 
Never had a problem with mine. Had it for about 7yrs now. Feed it good ammo, hold on tight and it will work right.(like any firearm) Weak ammo and limp wrist it and you will hate it.(like any firearm)

I have large hands so it fits me, I also hunt with it
 
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