More Notes on the Desert Eagle: A Correlary to my review.

This can be read as a part two to my previous review on my Desert Eagle Mark XIX in .50AE from last October. These are just a few more things I'd like to add to that review and put down a few rumors and some misinformation I've seen floating around the internet. This will be in itemized format.

1) It seems there are two groups of people. There are those who love (and may be in love with) the desert eagle and those who absolutely hate it. Oddly enough, these two groups have something in common, they've probably never shot one.
a) Those who are in love with it have come up with a contraction for it, "deagle."
i) This got started because many computer games use this contraction when dealing with source files for
the desert eagle. In this sense, I find the phrase acceptable as programming is long enough as it is.
ii) If you use the phrase in conversation or internet communication, please quit reading my site. You are
a cretin. You wouldn't call the baby eagle a "beagle" or a lone eagle a "leagle." So why have you bastardized the the Desert Eagle's name? At least the other two are actual words. Using the "deagle" contraction makes you sound mentally impoverished.

b) Most fans of the Desert Eagle act retarded around the gun or just discussing the gun (refer to deagle).
i) This stems from a lack of experience which wouldn't be a big deal but they all act like experts on
it. It also stems from the glamorized image Hollywood gives the pistol.

c) Those who hate the pistol claim that it's useless, prone to break down, expensive, and inaccurate.
i) The pistol is great for hunting as it can take down anything in North America and a good chunk of
the African species within reason. It's also used as a 400yd target/competition handgun.
Useless? I think not.
ii) The pistol is no more prone to breaking down than any handgun but it does need to be cleaned
every 30-50 shots which is a good idea anyway. I clean mine after every range trip.
iii) The gun can be expensive, but like most things, you get what you pay for. The $1200 I paid for mine
was well worth it. It's a lot of fun to shoot and even more fun since I began hand loading for it.
iv) My Desert Eagle groups ~2" at 50yds but I'm not the world's best pistol shot. Again, some use this
for competition at 400yds- and win. The inaccuracy claim doesn't hold water, either.

2) It is my opinion that some people don't so much hate the gun as they do its fans. I don't blame them for that. I hate most of them myself. Actually, I use my gun as a sort of cretin detector. If someone asks me to bring "my deagle" over, I will correct them. If they do it again, I don't won't talk to them again. If someone gets ridiculously excited over it (not just usual, oh cool, excited but OMGWTFBBQ!!!!11eleven!!!!! excited), I don't speak to them- again. Yes, it is a cool gun because its big, accurate, loud, gas operated, and well, that's enough. It's not cool because Hollywood says it is. Most of the time it gets used in a movie, it's in a role that's unsuitable for it unless it happens to be killing zombies.

3) The Desert Eagle is not a home defense gun. It's too big, noisy, and the muzzleflash would blind the shooter in the dark. There's also the overpenetration factor. Out of a 6" barrel, mine will shoot through 8" of treated wood at 50yds and leave a large, splintered hole where it exits. Yes, it will kill whatever you hit with it, but it might also shoot through a wall or three and hit one of your own family members, too. It's like I tell everyone. When it comes to home defense, stick to your 12ga shotgun and #4 buckshot.

4) The Desert Eagle is not standard issue to the Israel's Army nor does Israel's Army have intentions of adopting it. Like the HK USP, it's just too big and unweildy for troops to carry. Remember, it weighs 4lbs unloaded.

5) The Desert Eagle is a great hunting pistol. I used mine last November year to shoot an average sized deer from 20yds. It only made it a few steps before it succombed to the 300gr Speer GDHP.

6) .50AE is NOT the world's most powerful handgun caliber. Off the top of my head I know that at least .500S&W, .460S&W, and .454 Casull all have more hitting power and velocity.

7) Magnum Research no longer makes .440 Cor-bon Desert Eagles. Sorry, this disappoints me too.

8) You cannot fire .38spc ammunition through a .357mag Desert Eagle. There just isn't enough power there to actuate the gas system.

9) Even though Magnum Research says not to, you can produce your own handloads for your Desert Eagle. I'm currently using a 300gr Speer GDHP bullet powered by 33.7gr of Winchester 296 powder and a Winchester Large Pistol primer. Cost? About $0.38 per round compared to $2 per round at the store.

10) The gold Desert Eagle isn't really gold, it's just gold plating.

11) The Mark VII and Mark XIX Desert Eagles have interchangeable parts. The old Mark I is not compatible with these other two models.

I think that's everything but I might add more later on if I can think of anything.