The Eagle Has Landed

AllAboutTheChallenge · February 5, 2013, 12:02 AM

I'm about to buy a new desert eagle. I chose the eagle becasue i love how iconic it is, but also like how its one of the few guns that offers advantages of an automatic along with shooting big boy calibers. I have no interest in buying the 50ae because i want a gun i can actually shoot, not one i have to try just to hold on to. But I cant make up my mind between the 44 magnum and the 357 magnum. The 357 holds one extra round and is probably more controlable, but the 44 simply has a bit more bang.
I'm strictly a bow hunter whenever it comes to big game, but am around a lot of big wild boar that can sometimes make me a little nervous. This gun will mostly be for popping one of them occationally, but if some day i am able to fulfill my dream of going after a grizzly with a bow, this eagle will certainly be on my hip.
I'm just looking for some sugestions on which one to go with. Considering things like how the bullets preform, how each one shoots, and how pricy or rare the ammo is. Let me know what you think please!

alex0535 · February 5, 2013, 12:10 AM

If you are going to get a desert eagle that isn't a .50 go with the .44 magnum. It is a gun that is meant to have as much punch as possible, so use the caliber you get the most punch with.

chris in va · February 5, 2013, 12:19 AM

Curious, can you shoot 44 Special through it?

jason_iowa · February 5, 2013, 12:29 AM

I doubt you can shoot specials but I don't know...

I would go with the 44mag as well. My hands are just to small to shoot a Deagle. I think they are very cool and have some tremendous engineering.

Not to rain on your parade but you can get a super nice revolver and optics for what you will pay for the Eagle alone. Magazines are not Cheap and IIRC they are only 7 rounds over 6 in the revolver. I'm not trying to talk ya out of it. Just something to think about...

I would also look at getting into reloading if you are not already. The 44mag is very versatile and with the auto you can tailor a load that is not beating up the gun, reliably cycles, and is very accurate. I'm sure there are some guys that shoot Eagles and reload that can get ya pointed in the right direction.

I Hope ya enjoy whatever ya get!
Good luck

Hook686 · February 5, 2013, 01:44 AM

No you cannot shoot specials, lead bullets, or low/moderate level reloads. I have the DE XIX in .44 magnum. I also bought the .357 magnum kit and a couple of .357 magnum magazines. It is not difficult to change bolts. The DE likes full house loads and they shoot like the Special loads shoot, and mild ones at that. I find it a nice pistol to take to field hunting, as I also bought the 10" .357 magnum barrel.

'88Scrat · February 5, 2013, 09:39 AM

You cannot shoot .44 Special in a Desert Eagle of any kind. Also use only jacketed or SJSP ammunition, lead fouling can occur if you use exposed lead bullets.

As for the caliber, its up to you but my $0.02 is go with a .44 Mag for now. If you get a .44 or .50AE you can get the other caliber different barrel and have both calibers (the .50AE cartridge uses a rebated rim) without having to chage the bolt. I have a Mark XIX that is officially a .44 Mag but I also have a .50AE barrel for it. Swapping calibers is as simple as swapping barrels.

As far as the recoil, the recoil springs in a Desert Eagle are massive, if you end up with a .44 Mag, use +p+ .44 loads and avoid limp wristing to avoid cycling problems. I find that my Desert Eagle likes commercial MagTech .44 Mag ammo (though MagTech runs a little on the dirty side). I have never ever had a problem with mine cycling any make of .50AE load. Also I think your concerns about recoil on a .50AE model are misplaced. Don't forget those springs I was talking about, they soak up a lot of that power and while I wouldn't recommend shooting 100 rounds of .50AE at a time, it seems to me comparable to a .44 revolver.

Also a word about accuracy, a lot of people I meet proclaim Desert Eagles to be oversized paper wights, but most of these people have never shot one. My Desert Eagle is far and away the most accurate handgun I own (1/2 MOA @25yards from a sandbag) and I even won a small little tournament here in town with it. The guy I beat in the final round was using some sort of sporty looking Kimber 1911.

You can't really go wrong, in fact I am actually looking to get me a second Desert Eagle in .357 Mag. I like the Black Chrome finish.

Good luck.

Skans · February 5, 2013, 11:30 AM

Can you actually hunt large bears with a bow?

I have a Desert Eagle XIX in 44 magnum, and a spare 10-round magazine that extends a little from the grip. It's fun to shoot. It is very accurate and it is good for shooting bowling pins. However, when I bought it, 44 magnum ammo was more reasonably priced. It does not like the aluminum cased Blaser ammo - I think the charge is too weak and it won't properly cycle the action. That is the only ammo I've ever had a problem with.

February 5, 2013, 12:02 AM	#1
AllAboutTheChallenge Junior Member Join Date: January 21, 2013 Posts: 1	The Eagle Has Landed I'm about to buy a new desert eagle. I chose the eagle becasue i love how iconic it is, but also like how its one of the few guns that offers advantages of an automatic along with shooting big boy calibers. I have no interest in buying the 50ae because i want a gun i can actually shoot, not one i have to try just to hold on to. But I cant make up my mind between the 44 magnum and the 357 magnum. The 357 holds one extra round and is probably more controlable, but the 44 simply has a bit more bang. I'm strictly a bow hunter whenever it comes to big game, but am around a lot of big wild boar that can sometimes make me a little nervous. This gun will mostly be for popping one of them occationally, but if some day i am able to fulfill my dream of going after a grizzly with a bow, this eagle will certainly be on my hip. I'm just looking for some sugestions on which one to go with. Considering things like how the bullets preform, how each one shoots, and how pricy or rare the ammo is. Let me know what you think please!

February 5, 2013, 09:39 AM	#6
'88Scrat Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2011 Location: Kansas Posts: 558	Go with a .44 Mag for now You cannot shoot .44 Special in a Desert Eagle of any kind. Also use only jacketed or SJSP ammunition, lead fouling can occur if you use exposed lead bullets. As for the caliber, its up to you but my $0.02 is go with a .44 Mag for now. If you get a .44 or .50AE you can get the other caliber different barrel and have both calibers (the .50AE cartridge uses a rebated rim) without having to chage the bolt. I have a Mark XIX that is officially a .44 Mag but I also have a .50AE barrel for it. Swapping calibers is as simple as swapping barrels. As far as the recoil, the recoil springs in a Desert Eagle are massive, if you end up with a .44 Mag, use +p+ .44 loads and avoid limp wristing to avoid cycling problems. I find that my Desert Eagle likes commercial MagTech .44 Mag ammo (though MagTech runs a little on the dirty side). I have never ever had a problem with mine cycling any make of .50AE load. Also I think your concerns about recoil on a .50AE model are misplaced. Don't forget those springs I was talking about, they soak up a lot of that power and while I wouldn't recommend shooting 100 rounds of .50AE at a time, it seems to me comparable to a .44 revolver. Also a word about accuracy, a lot of people I meet proclaim Desert Eagles to be oversized paper wights, but most of these people have never shot one. My Desert Eagle is far and away the most accurate handgun I own (1/2 MOA @25yards from a sandbag) and I even won a small little tournament here in town with it. The guy I beat in the final round was using some sort of sporty looking Kimber 1911. You can't really go wrong, in fact I am actually looking to get me a second Desert Eagle in .357 Mag. I like the Black Chrome finish. Good luck. __________________ BOOM

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February 5, 2013, 12:10 AM	#2
alex0535 Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 908	If you are going to get a desert eagle that isn't a .50 go with the .44 magnum. It is a gun that is meant to have as much punch as possible, so use the caliber you get the most punch with.

February 5, 2013, 12:19 AM	#3
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	Curious, can you shoot 44 Special through it?

February 5, 2013, 12:29 AM	#4
jason_iowa Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2011 Posts: 686	I doubt you can shoot specials but I don't know... I would go with the 44mag as well. My hands are just to small to shoot a Deagle. I think they are very cool and have some tremendous engineering. Not to rain on your parade but you can get a super nice revolver and optics for what you will pay for the Eagle alone. Magazines are not Cheap and IIRC they are only 7 rounds over 6 in the revolver. I'm not trying to talk ya out of it. Just something to think about... I would also look at getting into reloading if you are not already. The 44mag is very versatile and with the auto you can tailor a load that is not beating up the gun, reliably cycles, and is very accurate. I'm sure there are some guys that shoot Eagles and reload that can get ya pointed in the right direction. I Hope ya enjoy whatever ya get! Good luck

February 5, 2013, 01:44 AM	#5
Hook686 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2005 Location: USA The Great State of California Posts: 2,090	No you cannot shoot specials, lead bullets, or low/moderate level reloads. I have the DE XIX in .44 magnum. I also bought the .357 magnum kit and a couple of .357 magnum magazines. It is not difficult to change bolts. The DE likes full house loads and they shoot like the Special loads shoot, and mild ones at that. I find it a nice pistol to take to field hunting, as I also bought the 10" .357 magnum barrel.

February 5, 2013, 11:30 AM	#7
Skans Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2008 Posts: 11,332	Can you actually hunt large bears with a bow? I have a Desert Eagle XIX in 44 magnum, and a spare 10-round magazine that extends a little from the grip. It's fun to shoot. It is very accurate and it is good for shooting bowling pins. However, when I bought it, 44 magnum ammo was more reasonably priced. It does not like the aluminum cased Blaser ammo - I think the charge is too weak and it won't properly cycle the action. That is the only ammo I've ever had a problem with.