I love you Elizabeth. I just want to be there for you
It has been a while since I dissected a post comment in detail but working in a gun shop I find myself having to correct a lot of misconceptions about guns, either in general or a specific model/brand.
This will cover the Desert Eagle since I saw the comments below on a recent post.
1.) The caliber is not overkill for a handgun. The 50 AE cartridge, although powerful, is eclipsed by the .454 Casull, .460 S&W Magnum and .500 S&W Magnum. Handgun is the blanket term and definition for BOTH revolvers and pistols. Both of the guns pictured below are handguns but one is a pistol, the other is a revolver.
2.) The cost to shoot a Desert Eagle is expensive because the bigger the caliber, the more you pay. Comparing the cost of 9mm to 50 AE is like comparing the cost of .223 to 50 BMG. You’re paying extra for the added materials; larger brass casing, more powder, magnum primers, specialized bullet heads. If you can afford a Desert Eagle, then the cost of ammo should have already been a factor in deciding to buy one or not.
3.) The fact that the commenter wrote “I’m not a shooter myself because I have no purpose for real guns to justify it…” is where the uninformed bias and negativity comes from. Due to the unconventional (for a pistol anyway) gas piston system employed by the Desert Eagle, it is more prone to failure to eject issues than other handguns. Basically the Desert Eagle is sort of an ego check; it will tell you that you have a weak grip because it punishes the shooter for limp wristing. Failure to feed is often cause by two things; ammo or once again, grip.
It is true that Desert Eagles are picky on ammo. Being gas piston operated, you need a specific grain weight for proper cycling. It seems the magic number is 158 grain and above. Jacketed soft points are also known to cause feeding issues but more so with the .357 Mag and .44 Mag Desert Eagles.
Desert Eagle magazines are free floating, so if you use the “teacup” grip and palm the mag, you increase your chances of feeding issues because you’re adding upward pressure to the next round. In fact Magnum Research has a guide on how to shoot the Desert Eagle.
4.) Not sure if it’s just internet sarcasm but the Desert Eagle weighs 4.5 lbs. By comparison a full size Smith & Wesson Model 500 weighs 4.3 lbs. So I have no idea where the 7 lbs is coming from.
Is the Desert Eagle impractical? For the most part yes. It was never meant to be a concealed carry option. It was never meant to be a tactical offensive or defensive handgun. It was designed to be one of the first semi-automatic pistols to use calibers that were only relegated to revolvers.
Although it is usually just going to be a range gun for a majority of people buying one, it can be used for hunting. I actually have customers who use the 50 AE for deer. There are much better choices when going handgun hunting but with the right ammo and proper understanding of how to handle a Desert Eagle, it can perform admirably.
Personally I’ve shot the .357 Magnum and 50 AE models. They’re loud but fun. Very few handguns produce the same wow factor when you let a first time shooter try it out.
Hollywood and videogames have given the Desert Eagle the pop culture icon status as being a big, bad handcannon used by villains or sexy girls. It is not a gun for beginners by any means.
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