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Sidearms & Scatterguns Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

Glock45

Glock45

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 29, 2010
450
0
south-central WI, USA
#1
Hi All,

I know the firearm is "ridiculous", but I have an opportunity to get one that is compensated for a good price. Besides, it's firearms, not like I need much of an excuse to be intrigued! I've fired the 50AE both compensated and uncompensated with factory hot ammo. The compensator makes a HUGE difference!

That being said, Those of you that have had them long term, even the other calibers, had any issues? Concerns? Experience customer service from Magnum Research?(which if I read correctly, KAHR owns them now?)

I will be getting a .44 barrel with it as well, so the .50 would come out a few times a year to blow up bowling pins and such. .44 to actually shoot the pistol.

I welcome your input and thoughts. Thank you!

-G45
 
#2
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I have a .50AE with 2 6" barrels. One wears a Aimpoint T1 the other has adjustable night sights.

Mine is big, heavy, well made, VERY Accurate and hits HARD.

If anyone here has a 6" 440 Corbon barrel that they want to sell please let me know
 
#3
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I shot a friends a f times. One of the most accurate handguns I have ever shot. It as a long time ago, but I seem to remember the safety falling down while firing that was annoying. If I found one with a top rail at a good price I would be very tempted to buy one.
 
#4
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

About a month ago a DE in 44 mag showed up at my local range. The owner was very nice and let me shoot a mag at about ten yards. I was able to shoot a roughly one inch group with it which amazed me as I had never fired such a heavy pistol or caliber ever.

However it did jam twice in that one mag. The slide would catch as if the magazine was empty even though it wasn't. These were DE mags too.

The owner said it had been doing the for a while. He shipped it back to DE who gave it a clear bill of health and returned it. The problem still existed. Supposedly the owner was not able to get much help at all from DE.

Now I know, I know. A guy tells a guy that another guy had issues with a product. But I saw roughly 60rds get run through a 44mag DE with no less than 10 hangups.
 
#5
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I have a 44 DE and love it. It is huge but is fun and very accurate to shoot. The only thing I would add is wear double hearing protection as it is louder than my 500S&W.
 
#6
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I had a DE in 44mag.... It was a cool conversation piece, but kind of ridiculous to shoot. They weight roughly 7ilbs loaded and I can have 3 shots off on target with a 1911 b4 I could get 2 off with the DE. Just my 2 cents
 
#7
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

It's one of those guns that you have to compensate for a lack of something else.
wink.gif
 
#8
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

The .50 AE feeds much better than the 44 mag because of the rim on the case of the 44 which was designed as a revolver cartridge.

Yes,I do have to compensate by using the 50AE in my DE when I want to launch a 300 grain 50 caliber pill at 1650fps with an instant follow up shot if needed. My Freedom Arms 454 will work as well but I'm alot slower with it on a follow up shot.

I will be the first to say that these pistols are not for everyone.BUT If you want or need a large caliber self loader with power to spare the 50AE in a DE is right platform
 
#9
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I had a .50 with the 6 and 10 inch barrel. The 10 was very accurate, but after the "newness" wore off it sat in the safe for many a shooting trip. Ammo is ridiculous, and it's not the most useful tool in the box. Fun? hell yeah, but I traded it for a nice Ar and never looked back.
 
#10
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I had a .50 for a while. It was just too much for me. I did not shoot it well and it was expensive to shoot. I also had to search for ammo, mostly buying online.

Never had a failure and no issues with the safety. It is a show stopper at the range. Don't shoot if you have loose fillings. It was an experience and a lesson learned.
 
#12
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I had one years ago (probably somewhere around 2002 or so) in .44 Mag. The one I had repeatedly had a failure to extract issue. I took it to someone who called himself a gunsmith who told me that I had an eroded chamber. I called about a replacement barrel which was expensive (at least to me it was at the time). I chose to sell it and fund something a little more practical. Was this the best decision making? I suppose it could be argued either way, but its what I did.

Do I regret getting rid of it instead of getting a replacement barrel? Meh, it was a neat conversation piece, but I probably wouldn't shoot it much if I still had it. I say if you can get it for a decent price it's worth having as a conversation piece or investment purposes. They seem to hold their value well.
 
#13
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

Right onboard w. the Novelty value.

The only time I used mine is fish shooting up in the Champlain Islands. Yes, fish shooting. You can't make this **** up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/11/us/how...st-bullets.html

It works on shock of a .44 mag. Effective on muskies and bullpout. Other than that, I wouldn't own one. Had I not bought it for peanuts because the last guy who owned it thought it was a novelty, too, I never would have bought. It's more a joke in my collection than a serious firearm.

But that's just me... spend your money on something more worthy...

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
#14
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Sirhrmechanic</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Right onboard w. the Novelty value.

The only time I used mine is fish shooting up in the Champlain Islands. Yes, fish shooting. You can't make this **** up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/11/us/how...st-bullets.html

It works on shock of a .44 mag. Effective on muskies and bullpout. Other than that, I wouldn't own one. Had I not bought it for peanuts because the last guy who owned it thought it was a novelty, too, I never would have bought. It's more a joke in my collection than a serious firearm.

But that's just me... spend your money on something more worthy...

Cheers,

Sirhr </div></div>

That article is worth reading. Never heard of that before. And you yankees call us rednecks
 
#15
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

The 44 mag DE ranks right up to the top of one of the worst shooting experiences I have ever had.

One of best was a 44 mag Dan Wesson wheelgun that shot like a dream! I would not spend good money on a DE.
 
#16
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: h4everything</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

That article is worth reading. Never heard of that before. And you yankees call us rednecks</div></div>

You guys noodle the damn things... we just blow them out of the water.

BTW, we're known as woodchucks, not rednecks... but it's the same thing. Country is as country does! I love America!

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
#17
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I have a 357 de it shoots well with hot ammo. The 50 ae is a great round for flat shooting out to 100 yards. It is very costly to fire. The guns are very accurate with the fixed barrel design. In less you just want to hunt with a semi handgun and want a bigger round then a 10mm I would spend my money else where
 
#18
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I have an Israeli production Mark VII in .44 mag. It's more of a novelty than anything; it's fun to shoot a couple times a year or even better let other people shoot it and watch the reaction.

It's big, heavy, loud, and did I mention it's big and heavy?
smile.gif


The most fun I've ever had with it was when I brought it to a USPSA match a few years ago and several of us shared a ton of laughs as we took turns running a stage with it.

Besides being big and heavy I was surprised to find that it's very accurate, the two stage trigger feels surprisingly good, it's easy to shoot as long as your arms don't get tired holding the heavy SOB up, and as long as you don't cup the bottom of the grip and press up on the mag it's been perfectly reliable for the 2000 rounds or so I've ran through it. Any pressure whatsoever on the mag means a failure to feed or the slide hangs (there's a note about not putting any pressure on the mag during firing in the manual.)

I had it coated in NP3 2 years ago which made the cleaning of the gas cylinder, gas piston, and the areas all around it even easier. The NP3 also looks great on it.

Would I buy one at today's prices? Probably not... but I picked this one up brand new back in 2001 for $620 so I doubt I'll ever part with it.

If you do get one keep in mind they like hot loads to cycle and lead bullets will clog up the gas port; jacketed bullets only!
 
#19
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

Well, it's a hoot to shoot. Compensated it shoots like a .44. Who knows, maybe I'll sell/trade it in a couple years. Then again, I may just keep it. Either way, for now, it's fun. Sounds like many of the problems are with .44!? Maybe I'll just keep the .50 on it and shoot .44 through my wheel guns as intended!? I skipped the .44 barrel option for now. Thank you everyone for your valued input!

-G45
DE50.jpg
 
#21
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

Anyone know where to come up with a holster that's not a universal fit or a shotty piece of nylon? I don't mind paying for quality, but I don't want a 6 month wait either. I have looked at the Blade Tech and the Tactical Tailor and will most likely get one or the other but the wait sucks.
 
#22
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I think you can get a nice leather Ankle Holster from Galco ;-)

Just chuckling at the image of Starsky or Hutch with a DE...

A friend of mine knows a leather guy who makes some amazing holsters w. good turnaround and no broken bank accounts. I'll query him today and see if I can get you a name and contact.

*** By way of follow-up, I talked to my friend and his holster-maker passed on. Unfortunate, he made beautiful stuff for a song. Sorry.***

Cheers,

Sirhr
 
#23
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I have shoot a couple over the years, ergonomics suck ass, recoil is ridiculous, accuracy average means I have zero need or want to own such a big piece of engeneering.
pass.
 
#25
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

The phrase gayer than a fag in a dick tree comes to mind with a de 50.

Slightly kidding, I get the novelty of them and even thought about gettin one for shits and giggles, just never could justify that sorta money on something I'd shoot once a year and is 16 times bigger than my pecker. Seem like I see em at the range in the hands of retards trying to show off and make themselves look even more retarded once you talk to them, just my limited experience with the ones I've seen local so don't take that personal
 
#26
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I had a .44Mag DE 6" (uncompensated) in the 90's that functioned flawlessly.

It was a ton o' fun especially on long range (for pistol) steel. Eventually I gave it to a friend who also wanted to have some fun.
 
#27
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I only have experience with the .44 as a friend has owned one for 25 years. It is a bit of a novelty but accurate and has never failed to function. I find the recoil to be very soft.
 
#28
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

VJJ - that was funny stuff. If I'm gonna be insulted and cry about people here that have strong opinions. If I were, I should just leave now. Thanks for the laugh!
smile.gif


Everyone else too actually. I qualified in my OP I knew it was ridiculous, and I still stand by it. Yep, it would've been 1/3 of another Nighthawk 1911, or so many other cool things.

But, it is fun. Handguns are my #1 joy in firearms. In teh 50AE it has functioned flawlessly, and it IS surprisingly accurate. Yep, it's expensive to feed but in the end, it's not really much more than buying 12ga slugs or buckshot.

Thanks for the honest and funny comments alike.

Cheers!

-G45
 
#31
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Veer_G</div><div class="ubbcode-body">OP should talk to this guy ...

http://snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3696083#Post3696083</div></div>

UGH!!! That was 2min of my life I'll never get back!!!!
shocked.gif
That was painful and one of the absolutely most strange videos i've ever seen!!

-G45
 
#32
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

To me the Desert Eagle has always been a novelty item. But would that stop me from buying one for the shits and giggles if I had the money? NO. I did once meet a man at a local range who said he used his as a bear protection gun when hunting in bear country. Only thing he said he didnt lik about it was the weight. But if you really want to see some thing with barf.com writen all over it , look up the 50 A.E uppers for the AR15.
 
#33
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

My first gun was a DE 50. but i also got it for $500 new. put probably 500+ rounds though it and had a blash with every one of them. eventially sold it for $1000 and got an AR15.
 
#34
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?


No one wants to fess up to ever owning one in 41 mag???
smile.gif


I've fired one, easier to wield than I would have imagined but not something I would want to own myself.

If you get it be prepared to have lots of friends at the range asking for a chance to fire it.
 
#35
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

I had one with the 50AE barrel and the 44 Mag barrel. The 44 mag recoil was tolerable if and when you could get it to cycle. The 50AE was just too much; it cycled reliably as opposed to the 44 but it recoiled ALOT. To me it kicked harder than my fathers S&W 500 4inch and 8in revolvers. I ended up sellin that paperweight to fund an OBR. It is a hell of a conversation piece and that is its greatest accomplishment.
 
#36
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

i owned a .357 it was the biggest POS i have ever owned. it jammed all the time and the gas port even after cleaning it would shoot lead in my face i would NEVER own another one. it was an expensive piece of junk.

P.S
years later i decided to give them another try and bought a .380 made by them. it was a big POS to. i owned that one less then a week. ill never buy another gun from desert eagle as long as i live.
 
#37
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

For the most part I would say it would be a range gun to have fun with. Ammo is expensive for it. Most places won't allow you to hunt or open/conceal carry it. It would still be a fun toy!
 
#39
Re: Desert Eagle .50 - thoughts & experiences?

A little old but I had a .50 and had Magnum Research put there compensator on it, what a huge difference. I really enjoyed the pistol but like many have said, feeding it is a little pricy. I have heard people say they jam often but I never had much of a problem with mine. I tried to explain to people about limp wristing it, seeing as it has much more recoil than people are normally used to. They insisted that no it was just a piece of crap. Anyway, I sold mine to buy reloading equipment and now everytime I see one I wish I still had it, just for shits and giggles. Always draws attention at the range.
 
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