School me on the desert eagle.

Craig0ry

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Hey guys, always looked at the desert eagle as a novelty/fun gun. But now Iam seriously considering one.
Wonder if any of you owners could educate me a bit, the IWI ones seem to be more sought after than the American made magnum research ones, how much different are they? How’s parts interchangeability?

Iam a little fussy on the one I have in mind and it might make it difficult to source. I like the old school looking ones without picitinny rails on the top(think the matrix or cliffhanger) the one that has the 2 slot for a mount doesn’t look too bad Woild only consider 44 magnum too, the one in the EE right now looks perfect other than its high gloss, would prefer a matte black finish, are these unobtanium to find?

Pro and cons of Israeli made ones vs American made? Any info at all would be awesome!
 
I got a .50 USA made one and the only issue I ran into was if I insert the mag too far it’s a bloody nightmare getting it out with and dealing with the slide. I did hear the .44 mag ones take more abuse so they may not last as long. It’s only a novelty if you don’t reload, I shoot mine all the time. I find it really helps with practicing no flinching or anticipating.
 
Why would you bother buying a DE in .44mag instead of .50AE as a novelty? The whole point of having a big ridiculous Desert Eagle is .50AE.

My IWI matte black .50 Desert Eagle runs great with the one type of mag I have (Steel base plate), but not great with the other type (Plastic base plate), not exactly sure which ones are factory, as they all came with the gun. The factory hard plastic grips are MISERABLE, but the Hogue finger grip rubber grips turn it into a completely different gun. It was sketchy to shoot before, especially with gloves on, but is a pleasure now with the new grips.

As far as comparing them to the US made ones... Iiii dunno, never shot one.
 
I only shot the old ones. First in .44 and then later in .50 AE. They are comfortable to shoot but really are physically large handguns. I can't say anything about the IWI vs new ones.
 
Already set up for 44 mag, and components can be found locally as well. And I have a good little stockpile of factory 44 mag that doesn’t get eaten up to often.


Why would you bother buying a DE in .44mag instead of .50AE as a novelty? The whole point of having a big ridiculous Desert Eagle is .50AE.

My IWI matte black .50 Desert Eagle runs great with the one type of mag I have (Steel base plate), but not great with the other type (Plastic base plate), not exactly sure which ones are factory, as they all came with the gun. The factory hard plastic grips are MISERABLE, but the Hogue finger grip rubber grips turn it into a completely different gun. It was sketchy to shoot before, especially with gloves on, but is a pleasure now with the new grips.

As far as comparing them to the US made ones... Iiii dunno, never shot one.
 
Why would you bother buying a DE in .44mag instead of .50AE as a novelty? The whole point of having a big ridiculous Desert Eagle is .50AE.

My IWI matte black .50 Desert Eagle runs great with the one type of mag I have (Steel base plate), but not great with the other type (Plastic base plate), not exactly sure which ones are factory, as they all came with the gun. The factory hard plastic grips are MISERABLE, but the Hogue finger grip rubber grips turn it into a completely different gun. It was sketchy to shoot before, especially with gloves on, but is a pleasure now with the new grips.

As far as comparing them to the US made ones... Iiii dunno, never shot one.

I got a Magnum Research in .50. Don't see any point in buying a .44 or .357. Bought mine new a few years ago, it's Matte Black. It's pretty much a novelty gun so I'd buy the .50. Ammunition is expensive and they are somewhat picky over the ammo type. Mine, and others I have heard of, like round nose hollow points. I use 305 grain Hornady, around $75.00 for a box of 25. It's fun to shoot, but make sure you hang on to it. Obviously, the recoil is somewhat savage.https://imgur.com/FHqAJDqhttps://imgur.com/9PS4WNGhttps://imgur.com/C82Ac4Nhttps://imgur.com/1SlXzTd
 
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I have a very early .50 AE, it is one of favorite fun guns, a total riot to shoot. Other than that, what more needs to be said lol? It's eaten tens of thousands of rounds, had 1 or 2 spring changes and runs pretty good. There have been some issues, but the spring changes fixed it
 
I have a .44 RM that is IWI made and a 50 AE that is US made. Other than the obvious calibre difference, the workmanship, fit and finish is the same. Can't speak to the metalurgy, but I'm assuming it's the same, too.
 
People either love them or hate them. Find one and shoot a few rounds through it, and you will know which one you are pretty quick.

I have had my Mark XIX 50 AE for more than 20 years now: I think no other handgun is as giggle-worthy.

It is accurate, LOUD and remarkably easy to shoot. I've taken mine out to 200yds with a 4x optic with great success. Bowling Pin matches with it elicited gales of laughter from both shooter and audience.

Reliability is not why you buy one: A Glock it is not.

That being said, keep it clean and lubricated, and change the springs every couple of thousand rounds and it runs well enough.

I find brass work-hardens over time so you may have to anneal when bullets stop holding tight. If you can find one; the CH4D 50 AE TiN sizing die is fantastic, especially when loading the Speer nickel brass.
 
I've only had the opportunity to shoot one once, a .44. It seemed like a quality firearm and was more accurate than I was. I definitely did not like the grip though, struck me as feeling like I was holding a 2x4, but grip is a personal preference thing and I don't think in this case it reflects on the quality of the gun, it just didn't work for me.
 
I've shot .50 and 44 mag D.E. back to back and the cost difference in ammo/reloading is not worth it getting the .50 unless you just like looking at it and not shooting. Difference in recoil is pretty small.
 
I shot a .50 and a .44 before buying one in .44 (matte black). You can have both, the frame is the same, you can buy a slide/barrel and mags to run .50 if you really have to have it.

I like it in .44. It is a bit of a novelty, but damm, .44 makes big holes in stuff. I bought a bladetech holster for it and shot a couple of ipsc practise stages - it was a real kick. Double taps were a little slower, instead of quick pop pop, it was more like BOOM.................BOOM ;)

Only negative, if I can call it that, is that it needs fairly hot loads and powder can sometimes be a little hard to find. Mine is a Magnum Research, no quality issues what so ever.
 
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