Well, I've never owned the coonan, but I was pretty close to going for it a few times.
Owned two DE's in 44 and 50. They are a neat piece of engineering and a huge head turner. Plenty accurate if you do your part, but god, the ergonomics are by far the worst of any pistol I have ever used. Holding a length of 2x4 and having a guy sledgehammer on the top end of it gives a fairly similar feeling to what the DE is like to shoot. Not overly pleasant or comfortable, and your fingers need to be about 40% longer to reach the controls without having to move your hands around the gun. The best part about the Desert Eagle is that everyone knows what it is, and everyone wants to see it and shoot it. In my opinion it is the kind of gun that is fun to shoot, but loses its novelty fast to own. I wouldn't buy another because it has lost its novelty to me.
Just my .02.