Desert Eagle

[300wsmman]

I am looking for a big handgun for hunting and personal defense (bears and mountain lions) and i wanted something big. Does anyone have any information on the Desert Eagle 50 AE and how they shoot.

[Wings]

"...and how they shoot."

Expensively! :D

Wish I had some real information for ya. I'm sure others will. :)

[Rimrod]

Well you load 'em up and then pull the little trigger thingy and they go BOOM!

Thanks WildseewhatyoustartednowAlaska.

Sorry about that Wings, I have one and I like mine. I have a .41 and .357 magnum which I've qualified with for a duty gun, special duty that is. The .50 was just to see what all the chatter was about. (All mine were made in Isreal BTW)

I loaned it to a friend for two years for him to hunt deer with. He finally shot one at 105 yards, measured with a laser range finder, and dropped it with one shot. He now owns one too.

I'm not sure exactly what information you were looking for so let me know if there was something in particular. If I can't answer it for you I'm sure someone around here can.

[Catbird]

I've owned this .44 magnum version since 1987. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/Catbird1/DE-Pic001.jpg

[Gewehr98]

I enjoy it immensely - accurate, powerful, and a real pussycat. Just make sure you feed them the right ammo.

http://mauser98.com/deserteagle.jpg

[300wsmman]

I was going to buy a Springfield 45 acp but then i remember where i live in wyoming 2 hours away from yellowstone and i put in for a special draw for elk, only like 25 tags are giving and you are 100% chance that you are going to shoot an elk, but only like 10 people put in for it cause of all the bears, wolfs, and mountain lions, I know a 40 year old man who is 6'6 and weighs 300 and he won't even go up there anymore cause of all the bears, so i thought i've always wanted a desert eagle so i might get one. I want the 50 AE. Are they bigger or smaller then the Smith and Wesson 500

[Rimrod]

Wyoming! Beautiful state, only been there twice though, so far.

I've only looked at a couple of 500s. I think the cylinder is wider than the DE but overall size will depend on which barrel you get on the S&W.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=25146&stc=1&d=1182391440

This is a picture of my .50 next to a 4" N frame S&W, model 28, for size comparison. Hope this helps.

[Majic]

Here is a chance for BabyEagle.40 to strut his stuff with his love for the DE. :D

[KingofAttendance]

I have a sneaking suspicion that this guy is actually BabyEagle in disguise...

[BabyEagle.40]

No it's not actually. I could see where you might think that. However I am doing some research on the 50 myself. I thought I wanted the 357, but now I am changing my mind and think I want the 50. Right now prices that I have found on ammo are between $1.25 and $1.50 a bullet. Not a very friendly price for target shooting unless you reload. Before I forget, they recoil like a bear in the 50 cal also.

[BabyEagle.40]

Also let me know what price range you can get the 50 DE for. I talked to a dealer today and they quoted me $1175 new black finish 6". However I talked to a different dealer today also and he said that his cost was $1080. See what you find out. I am also pricing the used market on a 50.

[Tamara]

...would make a pretty fair hunting gun, (I've known quite a few owners who love them on hogs,) and the recoil's not as bad as most make it out to be.

Since you're going after elk, I'm guessing you'll be using a rifle due to the ranges involved, and just carrying the pistol in case of bear trouble. I'd probably pick something a little smaller and quicker to get into action one-handed for use as a backup bear gun, maybe a Ruger Alaskan or S&W 329PD.

[LFOD1776]

As I just posted in another (older) thread, the recoil is manageable if you fit the .50AE with the optional Hogue grips. Keep in mind that means you'll shoot it more, so that expensive ammo will add up.

If you're like me and like to clean your weapons after each trip to the range, you will find that there are really a lot of moving parts to clean in the Desert Eagle, which will add a significant amount of time to your cleaning experience.

[stephen426]

While the weight and gas operated action of the DE will tame the recoil, lugging it around will be a pain in the butt. If the primary purpose of the gun is self defense rather than hunting, you might want to go the revolver route. It will be much cheaper and much lighter, and you can get a shorter barrel. You could go with the .500 S&W or .454 Casull. If you are not dealing with grizzlies, you can probably even go down to .44 mag. The maintenance on a stainless revolver is going to be much easier than the gas operated Desert Eagle.

[Gewehr98]

Everybody makes the Desert Eagle out to be some sort of maintenance pig.

True, it's gas-operated, with an integral gas port and tube located in the barrel underneath the bore. The gas piston is attached to the front of the slide, and the slide acts as a bolt carrier, locking and unlocking an M16/AR-15 style bolt. That's about it. It ain't no Wildey or AutoMag, it's a lot simpler.

If you're a former GI and/or familiar with the AR-15/M16, it's pretty darned easy to keep clean and cycling reliably.

[tomh1426]

I read that the magazine needs to be floating , like you cant wrap your finger around the bottom.

[Gewehr98]

Factory magazines "float".

Aftermarket ones don't.

I never considered the floating mags a problem, because I don't cup & saucer the gun, nor with a grip that big do I need to wrap a pinky finger down around the bottom of the mag. Maybe if I had broken that finger and it didn't set correctly, permanently sending the fingertip off on a tangent, I could understand the need to do so. ;)

Really not a lot of moving parts, honest.

http://mauser98.com/destrip3.jpg

[tomh1426]

If the primary purpose of the gun is self defense that magazine deal is just one more reson I wouldnt pick a DE.
Im sorry I just see them as a fun only guns , hunting also but not for anything dangerous.
Oh yeah I guess they would be a good replacment for a rifle in a guard tower :barf:

[Rembrandt]

First rate firearms....extremely well made, reliable, and accurate. Have used mine for hunting everything from Antelope to Bison. Excellent handgun for deer. Have taken game as close as 20 feet and as far as 200 yards.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v405/Rembrandt51/de1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v405/Rembrandt51/DesertEagle6in.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v405/Rembrandt51/gripcheckering.jpg

[LFOD1776]

Gewehr98, that's pretty minimal disassembly you're showing there. To clean the bolt you have to disassemble the slide, and to clean the recoil springs you need to take apart that spring assembly. Those parts all get quite a bit of fouling.

[BabyEagle.40]

Rembrant,
Wow those are sweet!!! I really like the Magnum Research wooden grips. How do they feel when shooting them?

[Gewehr98]

The springs stay on the guide rods, and the bolt stays assembled. Once in a blue moon I'll detail strip further than what you see in the picture, just to see how grungy things get. I've found little need to actually do so from a dirt vs. reliability standpoint. (Then again, I don't take the firing pin, rebound spring, extractor, and firing pin stop out of my 1911 slides every time I clean them, see a trend?) I burn Accurate Arms #9, WW296, and Alliant 2400 in my gun, and haven't seen much fouling in the bolt area. The dirt is localized to the front of the gun. I'd wager that's probably because the gas cylinder and piston are right there at the front of the slide. Even though it has a similar bolt, it's not an M16/AR-15, farting in its own mouth, so that part of the gun stays relatively clean. Reliability has been top-notch, just remember to feed it ammo powerful enough to cycle all that mass.

As a young pup back in the day, an old armory sergeant reminded me that there's wear and tear from shooting, and wear and tear from excessive disassembly and cleaning. ;)

[44 AMP]

I'm not sure of the exact weight of the .50 DE, but both the .357 and the .44 go about 4 and a quarter pounds empty. And over 5 pounds loaded! That is a heck of a lot of weight to carry for "backup" when rifle hunting.

It is much better as the primary arm, within the limits of it's cartridges, and your shooting ability.

It is simple and easy to field strip, and everything you need to clean can be done without any further takedown. Now if the gun was submerged, that would be different. I have had either a .357 or a .44 since the mid 80s, and have never had to detail strip one for cleaning.

The original Automag is a little more complex to strip to the same level as the DE, but everything you normally need to clean can be reached just by locking the bolt back and removing the barrel. Don't know anything about the Wildey, or the later Automags (II,III,IV,V).

Lots of people find the grip too big to hold comfortably, and a few, with small hands cannot hold it securely. Very important for you to handle one (shoot it if you can), before you buy.

Most of the people who bash the DE either don't have one, or think it should be something other than what it actually is (like a combat or duty pistol), and the sheer size and weight puts them off. The DE is for recreation. Hunting or target shooting/plinking is recreation, and for that, they serve quite well. My only complaint is the grip size. I don't know why thay had to make it so huge. It isn't the length of the rounds, the Automag uses rounds the same length, but had a slimmer grip and a shorter trigger reach.

Don't get a DE just because Hollywood loves to put them on the screen. And certainly don't think the way Hollywood uses them is real. Rent "Barb Wire", and watch Pam Anderson showing off her pair of huge guns....a Desert Eagle in each hand!:D Not real. Don't be fooled.

[LFOD1776]

Gewehr98 - it's a personal problem, my impulsive cleanliness w/ firearms. Many folks don't clean their weapons at all. On the other hand, mine always look brand new.

I wouldn't necessarily take the DE apart to the extent that I do except that it's necessary to do so to remove the bolt, which I like to clean, and that's easier to do with it removed. And I figure I might as well clean the other parts as long as it's disassembled.

Disassembly of the recoil spring assembly is certainly debatable. Those stupid little retaining rings are easily lost. Apart from that, I really don't think that disassembly and cleaning causes as much wear as, say, firing a single round.

I should also mention that I don't refrain from keeping my floors clean because of the excess wear that might cause.

[Gewehr98]

Apart from that, I really don't think that disassembly and cleaning causes as much wear as, say, firing a single round.

I've both purchased (for parts) and witnessed many, many military rifles with barrels that were smoothbore the first 1/2" or so in from the muzzle. Cleaning rod wear was the culprit. Same outcome for a few WWII-era S&W revolvers. You can clean a gun to death, believe it or not.

I keep my firearms clean, but only to a certain level. I keep them clean enough to function reliably and accurately. However, I don't clean them to the point I would want to use their innards for eating utensils. The extractor and firing pin haven't been out of my carry Caspian 1911 in years, to be honest. I know they have lint and crud in them, but I'm ok with that - the gun will still go "bang" when I need it to. Same goes for my big Desert Eagle. ;)