Today I want to discuss my latest purchase the Desert Eagle 50 cal Semi Auto Pistol. This is one HEAVY pretty lady 🙂 It’s huge but I have very large hands so it’s nothing to big for me. We have a semi auto, 7 shot mag, 50 cal, gas operated monstrosity at an over inflated price of $1700 plus, easily that much. I bought this new but “old stock” and got it home for 1300$ flat. Often times they are 1700-1800$ on Gunbroker new.
Desert Eagle 50
She has a nice nickel finish, not matte but not shiny either, somewhere in the middle. I find the heft of the thing to be pleasant. It is still too big even for me to get my thumb around to cock the hammer on a speed draw, it needs to be cocked with my weak hand and that’s fine. I am working on it no problem. The safety is still to stiff to be turned off with my right thumb too. Although I can flip it on. Its a real bear to turn off though. That needs some attention.
There are 3 kinds of factory ammo that I have tried. 2-300 grain loads and 1-350 grain load. The 350 was Magnum Research brand and the 300’s were Hornady
Desert Eagle 50
and Speer. The Speer was the hottest feeling, the most recoil and noise. The 350 JSP was mild compared to the others. The Hornady has the best fireball and feels the “slickest” feeding. Really smooth, nice stuff from Hornady. (as usual)
For your better part of 2000$ for a new 50 cal, that doesn’t even get you sites that are square on the gun 🙁 Yeah, the rear sight is far left and the front site far right side of the slots they are slid into, it was so far off that I was hitting just over 3 feet to the left at 35 yards, unbelievable. I need to take it in to have them centered. I don’t want to scuff the thing myself.
My next complaint is ONLY the Hornady would feed the last round of the magazine, the other ones jammed up going in every magazine, just the last round. So for all that cash Magnum Research did not produce a gun that would feed its own brand of ammo well. I ended up bringing her home, detail stripping the thing and polishing my feedramp, boltface and chamber with a dremel and some compound, now all 3 kinds will feed perfectly. But come on, for that kind of money, that thing should hover in the air and guard me at night for that much. I don’t feel for that kind of cash we need to be our own repair shop too. Just my feelings on it. My buddy Dean, well his was fine right off the get go.
I wanted to discuss Magnum Research and their 1 year warranty as well. Now nobody made me buy the thing and I can read so I can always just choose to not get one but it seems to me that AGAIN for that much money and they won’t stand behind the gun on day 366? Additionally they can’t produce a spring that holds tension for more than 3 years? They recommend spring replacement every 2-3 years, used it or not. Yet they are out of spring kits and I desperately need a set for my 44 DE, that thing is a 5 lb paperweight and its all crappy weak springs. I guess I look at it like this. I have a 1918 original government model with ORIGINAL springs and it works, same with a 70 year old German Luger, same with a 65 year old Browning Hi-power, same with some late 1800 Colt revolvers. All these guns have springs that last what?? 50 times as long?? Can’t they produce some better springs?? If anybody has info on this please let me know so maybe I can stop being ticked about it. I just don’t know why an old revolver made 125 years ago has good springs in it and with modern factories they can’t seem to make one that will last.
Anyway, I know I may sound a bit cranky about it and I am. Please don’t take it as I don’t like the gun. I do!! It’s really fun. It looks neat and after the sites are straitened out I will have a better range report to post. I enjoyed the heck out of shooting it. It runs fine now after my home polishing job. Overall I like it a lot. I don’t know what its good for though, fun I guess. I wouldn’t hunt with it just because I love the Super Redhawk 454 for that. I will say this to wrap up for now. If you have all your other gun toys covered go ahead and get one. They are pretty neat. If you don’t then save this for last.
Thanks for reading and happy shooting.
By: Cary Kieffer
Cary Kieffer
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1/12/12 UPDATE: My buddy Jeremy talked me out of the silver 50 cal. He must have called 12 times a week till I gave in lol…no kidding….I turned around and bought a black 50 then. So thats why in the video you will soon see here on TGR I am shooting a black one. The video is simply a few shots to show that this weapon is by no means uncontrolable. Its actually quite tame considering its got 1500 lbs of muzzle energy. In comparison if you watch the DB9 video on here I fire that tiny 9mm next to the 50….the 9mm actually stings more than the 50 cal does. Comfort wise the 50 cal is much better. Thanks for watching. Cary