Why badmouth the Desert Eagle?

Hi

It's the old story, well my buddy had a friend who's second cousin on his mothers side knew this guy who had one and didn't like the gun.

As you have pointed out, most people who disapprove of this gun have never even had one in their hands, much less shot one. The gun is intended for a particular market, the Magnum Auto class. In a real sense, most of the guns in this class are from a design standpoint only fair. My favorite of the bunch is the Mars Pistols, if nothing else for the method employed in getting the cartridges from the magazine into the chamber.

This class of gun is in most senses intended for the collector. You don't see concealed carry rigs or even a lot of hunting rigs. They are special purpose guns intended for a eclectic audience. That they are not understood by the general shooting public is to be expected.

I think it has to do with the size and weight of the weapon. I have fired a couple of Desert Eagles. I was looking for a semi-automatic 357 magnum. The choices were severely limited. I tried the Desert Eagle and didn't like it. The weapon was accurate, but let's face it, it is a boat anchor. So I went with the Coonan Model B. The problem with my choice now is that Coonan went out of business, so if my weapon breaks I'll have to contact a local machine shop to manufacture me the part.

I feel the reason people bad mouth the Desert Eagle is because of its size, weight and price. They don't bad mouth it because of its accuracy or reliability. The Desert Eagle in 357 magnum weights almost 4 lbs! If you get it in 44 magnum it weighs over 4 lbs. That is quite heavy for a handgun. The only factory handgun I can think of that is heavier is the S&W 500 magnum revolver coming it at 4.5 lbs.

The gun is impractical for anything except target or plinking, and it requires hotter loads to cycle properly. Its more of a show gun than anything.

.500 SW is impractical for anything except target, fun, and killing massive bears. And in that case, a .454 casull, .44 mag, or the like would be more practical. The .500 SW magnum is overkill, and for bears, there are more practical options. But at least the guns that fire it aren't jam prone, or extremely expensive, or very long.

well I shot a .44 Desert Eagle before and I just don't like it, to bulky and cumbersome for my taste. my opinion there's nothing a good .44 revolver can't do better then a Desert Eagle except maybe adding to dramatic effect while you scream "you want to play? okay we play say hello to my lil friend !"

They are not comfortable to hold, so for me shooting one would not be smart. (talking about the .50AE and the 44). They are ugly, they are a show piece, and they are expensive and not practical. To0 big and bulky, heavy, but that is just me. And my boat already has an anchor.

Don't hate....You know its true....What would be the purpose of getting a Deagle.

I think many people on here just regurgitate previous answers they've read and have little if any actual experience with the firearms they are commenting on.

Sounds like 'Hi-Point Syndrome" I agree. I have a jericho, and recently added a micro DE to my gun locker, and I find them to be fine. Pricey and overkill in thre .50's but thats just my opinion.