The .50 caliber Desert Eagle: Why?

[GunGoogler]

I have a few "non-gun" friends who always talk about buying a gun to shoot with me and invariably list the Desert Eagle as one of their first choices.

I thought I'd pose the question to you all because I'm generally interested: Why--besides a super loud plinker--would a person actually purchase one of these fairly expensive, heavy, and loud mammajammas? Is there a draw that I don't understand? Although a .50 caliber is certainly a useful SD/HD caliber, the gun itself is so unwieldy that it seems unusable.

What are your thoughts? Do people use these things for something? Do folks hunt with them? If you own one, what was the draw for you? Please note: I'm not judging--I"m genuinely curious.

[user293]

because they dont make a .51

[gunforhire]

I have a buddy in alaska that uses his as a companion when he goes hunting, camping, hiking and fishing, no matter the season. My dad wants one in .44 mag, but for really no good reason than he isn't a fan of revolvers

[Shipyard]

Question:

Why--.

Answer:

Why not?


Better Answer:

Why the **** not?

Best Answer:
(insert mag, pull trigger until it goes click - suddenly, there is no more why...)

[Pinnacle]

In .44 they are a treat to shoot. In a 50 even the inventor of the gun will not own one for any reason at all.

[GunGoogler]

I have a buddy in alaska that uses his as a companion when he goes hunting, camping, hiking and fishing, no matter the season. My dad wants one in .44 mag, but for really no good reason than he isn't a fan of revolvers

Is this because of its stopping power? I could see it stopping a bear, which might apply to your friend, provided you could actually get it out and on target fast enough at a close distance to get a shot or two off.

[GunGoogler]

In .44 they are a treat to shoot. In a 50 even the inventor of the gun will not own one for any reason at all.

I haven't fired the .44 variant, but I do like that caliber. Is it the same size/weight (unloaded) as the .50?

[Pinnacle]

I do believe the new ones are substantially similar in size and weight as it is a switch barrel pistol that will convert from 44 to 50 easily as best as I know the new ones to be.

The recoil is terrible no matter what anyone tells you (this should bring Seismic Sam out of hiding... ) Its simply too much gun for the average person to shoot and enjoy..

The 44 is a Cupcake to shoot.. I LOVE the 44.

[Dutch]

I've owned a .357 and a .44 DE for almost 2 decades. The .50 was/is a no-no in Holland.
Why, you say? BECAUSE I CAN!!!! First thing I bought upon arrival in the US.
The .50 DE delivers intense pleasure everytime I shoot mine and I consider recoil to be mild ( Got a .44 2.5" 329NG revolver, one of those scandium things, which is *way* worse).

[Spike]

I've shot the .44 and it was a lot of fun.

[Stradawhovious]

BANG!

giggle giggle giggle giggle.....


BANGBANGBANGBANG!!!!

giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle.....


Nuff said.

[cobb]

A friend of mine has a Desert Eagle in 50 AE and has taken a few black bear with his and loves it. His brother has a couple, a .44 and a .50 AE and took his hog hunting last January. To me they very heavy and all had a very crappy trigger. Personally I would not own one, just don't like them. But I do own both a .454 Casull and a .475 Linebaugh in Freedom Arms revolvers and really like them both, they are very well made and accurate. Yes they are expensive to shoot like the 50 AE caliber, but I handload for both and don't go to the range and run 100 rounds through them like I would a .45 acp.

Many non or new shooters see the Desert Eagle in a movie and just want to shoot one because they think they are cool. That's fine, some people pay big bucks to drive a tank over a car to crush it, I wouldn't pay to do that either, although most think it is cool.

I think it is a cool factor, like everyone had to have a .44 mag after the Dirty Harry movies came out. Then later if a person looking for a .44 mag for hunting kept their eyes and ears open, they probably found a very good deal on a S&W model 29's with only a few rounds through it. The cool factor wore off and ammunition was to expensive, so those new shooters unloaded their .44 mag.

[goatroper]

It's just plain fun!!!

Bowling pins don’t just get knocked of the table, they ZOOM off they table, and then seem to defy gravity as they fly threw the air (pins don’t seem to last very long !!!!)
I am reloading for it now, and shoot it a lot as I hope to use it for deer this fall

[crbutler]

I have one, with the .44 conversion.

As much as it pains me to say it, I haven't shot it in years.

They are heavy, not the best trigger, not the most reliable guns I have shot.

A .500 S&W or a .454 Casull is better for hunting.

The S&W 329 SC in .44 Mag with 300 grain hard cast bullets is a better bear defense gun because you actually don't dread putting it in its holster and strapping it on for a day's hunting/fishing.

Because you can is all the better answer I can give you for "why do I own it?"

[tletourneau]

Because it's fun as heck to shoot. I've had my Mark VII .50AE for over a decade and still love shooting it. So I guess my answer is because I can.

Sent from my EVO 4G