what is wrong with a Desert Eagle?

Question

I got 13 thumbs down when I suggested it as the weapon of choice for a backpacker.

Answer 1

Large, impractical, and not a very accurate weapon. Difficult to aim because of the way it's built and the large caliber and short muzzle length. Also, ammunition for it is hard to find and expensive. It's a weapon designed more for looks and impact than for use.

Answer 2

There's an impressive list of things wrong with the Desert Eagle, impressive because it's larger than the list of features of most firearms. Like everyone else has said, it's too big and heavy to be carried or handled readily. It's heavier than my AR, which, so I've been told by AK kids, is too heavy. I'd much rather lug around a Marlin 1895GS, which is more powerful, more dependable, more accurate, and far cheaper to operate. It uses a gas operating system similar to a Remington 1100, but because the gas rings are closer to the chamber in the gas flow, and because pistol cartridges produce higher pressure than shotshells, they wear out even faster. Hence, the Desert Eagle has an expected service life of about 200 rounds of good, clean ammunition, but usually won't get through all of them.

Another serious problem is the calibers. While the .50AE isn't such a bad caliber for feeding in a magazine, other than the restriction on capacity due to size, the others aren't so good. Both the .357 and .44 Mag rounds that the Eagle can utilize have one trait in common that should never be used on any magazine fed arms of any type, and that's a rimmed cartridge. The rim will prevent cartridges from feeding properly, and is highly undependable. If a rim from cartridge slips behind another in the magazine, which is likely, seeing as how the magazine feeds all three calibers, then you're going to have a very serious jam when it comes time to feed that round. They tried to avert such jams by staggering the rear of the rounds in the magazine, but this hardly will help, as an overall length any shorter than the maximum will allow movement in the rounds when it's fired. All this really did was make the pistol more cumbersome.

Another problem with using the Desert Eagle outdoors comes from the design of the slide. If you've handled one before, you'll see that not the whole top of the firearm recoils, but only the rear portion of what normally is the slide actually slides. The front portion is fixed to the barrel and remains in place, other than the bit on the bottom of that. This is very prone to catching dirt, sand, dust, hair, and fouling from dirty ammunition. Pretty much anything between the size of a golf ball and a few microns will be capable of jamming this, and getting in isn't going to be much of a problem at all.

Now, if everything does decide to cooperate, and a round is fired, there comes the problem of getting it to go where you want it. Now whoever built the Desert Eagle realized that ultimate uber super-duper macho man bling pistols are going to have as much crap bolted to them as possible, so the sights are low and out of the way, as you might be otherwise tempted to try and use them. The problem with the short slide does help here, though, as the non-sliding forward portion also will mount a scope, some of the newer ones even have a picatinny rail built right in, as if the engineers realized that the only way to get this pistol to hit something was to aim with something else. Unfortunately, since this is mounted directly to the block of metal that the barrel is in, it's going to shake your optic pretty badly, increasing wear and tear, and on cheaper optics moving the zero. Really, this isn't a problem, since you can just get a new optic every time you have to tear it apart to rebuild, which is going to still cost less than ammunition.

I had a few other reasons, as well, but I seem to have forgotten them, but I'll add them later if they come to me.

All in all, there's nothing wrong with a Desert Eagle, and it's an excellent pistol, but only up until the point where you're going to use it to shoot something.

Answer 3

As a Backpackers "Weapon of Choice" the Desert Eagle would make a better boat anchor...For all of the reasons already listed from being too heavy to expensive and clunky not to mention requiring a second mortgage to be able to buy ammunition. The Desert Eagle was whats called a "Concept Gun" designed to be flashy, powerful and cater to the "flash in the pan" crowd with more money to spend than common sense. They are a Gunsmith's nightmare...and they are really particular about what type of ammunition will feed and function thru them. They just plain aren't worth the expense of the trouble they create to own...Now if you don't mind paying a Sherpa or Native Bearer to carry your things while backpacking,the Desert Eagle might be the weapon of choice. As it stands now, they are copied more in action Video games than they are used in real life....And as Boker advised the IDF doesn't want anything to do with them and they are NOT in service in Iraq as many people believe....

You would be better served and protected with a quality 4-6" Barreled 357 Magnum and the ammunition options that others have again already recommended..Lighter, powerful,practical......

*Do you see an ANSWERS trend here? Not one person has said they like them......

Answer 4

I should ask do you own on or fired a Desert Eagle? I do and looking to get rid of it. For a carry pistol backpacking in the woods my Ruger GP100 .357 mag would work better being light weight and never jams which is alot nicer than the Desert Eagle that jams all the time.
The Desert Eagle is just a Hollywood hype pistol that people think is such a good gun and all but in reality its a heavy paperweight.

Answer 5

The Desert Eagle is large and heavy. Do you want to add that much weight when you are backpacking? Additionally, though it comes in .44 Mag and .50 AE, it is not really powerful enough to justify the added weight. Some semi-auto handguns are somewhat sensitive to dirt, and the Desert Eagle has earned a reputation as one of these. A good revolver in .357 with a 4 inch barrel would probably be much more useful. If you are hiking in bear country, Ruger makes a great scaled down .44 mag called the Alaskan. If you are not in bear country, the .44 mag is probably not needed. Look at what Smith and Wesson offers in their 686 line for what you might find most useful.

Answer 6

There is nothing wrong with the Desert Eagle. On the other hand, there aren't many things that are 'right' with it either.

Cons: A behemoth pistol too unwieldy & heavy to carry on your person; it is so big hardly anyone can wrap his hand around it or shoot it one-handed; it is pricey; unless you pick out one of the smaller, standard calibers (.357 Magnum or .44 Magnum) ammo is also too costly; if you pick it in .357 or .44 you're really better off with the revolver version since you're not gaining that much powerwise; it tends to jam if held limp-wristed.

Pros: It is a handsome, somewhat unique pistol that one day may interest collectors; it is available in a seriously big caliber which is the .50 Action Express (down side is that it is still 'weaker' than the .500 S & W Magnum revolvers).

That's about it.

I'm curious. Why do you think it is a good choice for a backpacker???

Best.

H

Answer 7

The first time I saw one, I about hurled. Everything is wrong with a Desert Eagle. Carry a desert eagle with you in the wilderness and you might as well be wearing a 10 pound gold chain.

If you want a respectable hand cannon got with a .44 mag, .454 casull, or a S&W 500.

Answer 8

It's big.
Very Big.

It's heavy.
Very Heavy.
It's a lot to lug around on long journeys afoot,
where weight is an important consideration for all items.

It's powerful,
But unless you are hiking in dangerous bear country,
it's overkill - big time. A backpacking gun would be far more likely to be employed against 2 legged predators of the human variety, where speed, accuracy, and reasonable stopping power are more important than the ability to stop a charging grizzly or crack an engine block.

It's a cumbersome piece to draw and aim.
Due to the design, even the "short" barrel models are Loooonnngg.

It's too unwieldy for smaller persons,
due to the above factors, and that's before you even consider the recoil issue.
.50AE has 60% more muzzle energy than a .44 magnum....
....And 60% more recoil as well!
Add this to lousy sights and possibly the worst ergonomics/human engineering of any modern firearm,
and that becomes a big problem in and of itself.

It's impossible to carry one of these monsters without it being obvious you are packin' heat. They are better suited to a sling than a holster. You don't want everyone who sees you to immediately notice you are armed in this day and age. It's inviting unwanted attention.
If you WANT to appear armed, I suggest slinging a rifle over your shoulder.
It's more effective than ANY handgun, anyway.

Answer 9

Desert eagles are VERY heavy, and in my opinion not suited for a back packers weapon. For bear country, I'd pack a S&W 4" barrelled revolver in S&W 500. For general back packing, I'd back a S&W in .357mag and carry snake shot, .38special and .357 mag ammo for it. That covers killing snakes, harvesting a grouse etc for dinner, and protection from 2 and 4 legged critters, with half the weight of a desert eagle.

Answer 10

The Desert Eagle is an absolute piece of trash. If you want a gun just to say you have a gun and feel cool then buy the D.E. But if you want a gun for the right reasons get a real gun. The first person who said "Big, Heavy, Inaccurate, No Range, Ugly" was right and should get the *Best Answer*, That's exactly what this waste of space in your gun safe is.