Why do some guys think that the Desert Eagle is the ultimate handgun?

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Sure, IMO the Desert Eagle could be an "ultimate" handgun, as long as we define "ultimate" as big, unwieldy, heavy, impractical, of limited usefulness, and capable of firing a more powerful-than-normal handgun cartridge. That's the reality of the DE in a nutshell.

But the fantasy is another matter, and so I daresay that some owners of Desert Eagle pistols would be better served by lighter-weight replicas that are non-firing or shoot nothing stronger than 8mm blanks or airsoft pellets.
 
Its just another platform for launching your 44 Mag or what ever. I see hunters every year with with 6 shooters that seem very large. Does it really matter what some one else wants in a handgun.
In bear country I always carry a 4" 44 Mag 29-2 have for many years. The good thing is I have never needed it. I know some d### good hunters who carry DEs and the old LAR Grizz in 45 Win. Mag. for the same reason.
My concern is that if my time comes and theirs a chance that I could end up as bear poop on a rock. Well my hope is that I have my old Pre-64 Mdl. 70 .338 Mag. in hand, a smooth trail and a fast horse.:D
 
Hey, I just read a detective novel where a hooker took a SW 500 snubby out of her purse to draw down on the PI. Very realistic!
 
For non-gun people it's video games.

For gun people it's the caliber and price tag.

I shot one once and was surprised at what a nicely-made gun it is, but one box of ammo was all I cared about shooting through it.
 
I wouldn't kick one out of my safe......and if I saw one for around $750 I'd buy it just for the fun and the fact that I like shooting .44mag

For .357 I'd rather have a coonan and I'm not really interested in .50
 
Movies like The Matrix and others give the DE it's coolness.

In defence of the DE, it is the most accurate, unmodified, semi-auto I have shot and it's about half the price of a starter race gun.
 
I actaully saw an episode of the first 48 when a drug dealer killed a man with one. He shot him and then shot him again on the ground and I guess it mushroomed against the sidewalk and did some serious damage to the guy. I was suprised a drug dealer even had one and the fact that he used 50ae ammunition. Common for movie drug dealers but not so common for real life dealers.
 
IMO, we all have out 'ultimate' gun -- at least in our heads -- depending on many factors, that gun will vary from shooter to shooter. Yes, there are alot who really like the DE -- to each his own! I've put a few rounds through a DE -- and although it was fun to shoot, it really didn't do anything for me.
 
Why do some guys think that the Desert Eagle is the ultimate handgun?
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think of it this way: is there another handgun you would rather be carrying if you suddenly got into a pistol whipping competition :neener:
 
I once knew a LEO who carried a .50 caliber DE as a BUG, in his briefcase~!
I think it was for "show and tell", more than any other reason; cuz is duty
weapon was a Smith & Wesson 4506~! ;):D

Since I've been in the firearms business, most people awe over the .50 cal
DE strictly as a conversation piece; as the more serious types (hunters,etc)
will opt for the S&W .460 or 500 magnums.:)

However, I don't desire to own any firearm mentioned above; as
I'm a .45 ACP shooter.
 
A buddy of mine had a DE .50 AE in the two-tone gold tiger stripe. He said it was cool, he even carried it at the range where he works for awhile, but after a few weeks, he got plenty tired of lugging that thing around and switched to his Glock 21SF. Besides, he said the ammo was about $4.00 a shot for the damned thing and made keeping current with it plenty expensive. He did use it to kill a few old computer components though, it left... an impression...
 
A regular old DE .44 Magnum is a wonderful gun to shoot.

I was never interested in them, but a friend had one and I took a few shots when we were plinking with it. I couldn't believe I was shooting full-power .44 Magnum. It was like shooting Cowboy Action loads or something. Recoil was negligible.

After shooting one, I understood why people like them.

Still, I think most people haven't ever shot one; they have just heard of the things. They probably haven't heard of any other modern gun.:)
 
Still, I think most people haven't ever shot one; they have just heard of the things. They probably haven't heard of any other modern gun.
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That reminds me...
I should have mentioned that I not only shot a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle, but I also owned one for about a year. That's why I made the following observation:

the Desert Eagle could be an "ultimate" handgun, as long as we define "ultimate" as big, unwieldy, heavy, impractical, of limited usefulness, and capable of firing a more powerful-than-normal handgun cartridge. That's the reality of the DE in a nutshell.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree that it certainly eased some of the pain of shooting full-powered .44 Magnum loads in a handgun, but it was just too big and heavy for me to warm up to or to endorse for any extended shooting sessions. I'm not a little guy, either. I'm 6'5" and 250 lbs, so it's not like I don't have the upper body strength.

But, as they say, whatever floats your boat!
 
A regular old DE .44 Magnum is a wonderful gun to shoot.

I was never interested in them, but a friend had one and I took a few shots when we were plinking with it. I couldn't believe I was shooting full-power .44 Magnum. It was like shooting Cowboy Action loads or something. Recoil was negligible.

After shooting one, I understood why people like them.
Click to expand...

That's what I figured. It seems like a nice shooting gun because it's so huge. I handled one at the gunstore and can understand why noone would want to shoot it for very long because of it's weight, but still it seems like it'd be fun.
 
The Desert Eagle is considered the "ultimate handgun" mostly by people who have never actually fired one, just seen them in movies and games. For instance, I first heard of it when I played Tomb Raider 3, where the Deagle was featured and was twice as powerful as a 12-gauge loaded with slugs.
And no, I have never fired a desert eagle.
 
I think most people should go to a rental range to try one and get it out of their system. It's a lot more cost effective than buying one and never shooting it because it's too heavy and the ammo is expensive.

A friend of mine has one with the .44 and .50 barrels and mags. It has nicks on the feed ramp, and the .50 mags won't feed. In other words, it's useless. I told him take it to a smith, have it worked over, or get rid of it. He's been sitting on it for three years, because it's cooler to own it than to shoot it.
 
50 A&e

A DE in the 50 A&E is almost unmanageable. It's big and too heavy, even to carry for hunting, let alone self defense.
I say almost unmanageable, since I can just get it to hit what I want, but my buddy, the owner, cannot control it at all. He not only cannot hit a steel chicken at 25 yards, his lack of control, allows the empty cases to strike his head (muzzle lash) and cutting him. I told him to either sell it or use it as a boat anchor, because he certainly couldn't shoot it.BTW, I changed the chicken for a pig (which is shot at 50 yards) and he still couldn't hit it at 25 yards.
If it was so accurate and controlable, as people think, it would be seen at handgun sillohuette competitions.
 
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