what would you use a .50cal pistol for?

this may seem like a silly question for some, but im pretty curious. im new to handguns and i occasionally lurk around this site and read interesting titbits of information.

a little while back i read a thread where the poster was wanted to know wether a shotgun, or a .50 Desert Eagle was more practical as a home defense weapon. everyone who responded shot down the desert eagle idea basically saying it was rediculous.

so whats the purpose of a desert eagle? if you cant use it as a defensive weapon, is it for novolty purposes only? how many people actually hunt with it? it seems so impractical that it may just be an extension of masculinity, or something used for bragging rights.
so if you own one or have used one id like to hear what you use it for, or why you bought it

thanks guys!

Well, it'd make a great anchor for a small rowboat...

:mrgreen: your probably right lol

Well if you don't hit with the first shot.....everything will be over by the time you recover for your next! Maybe the muzzle blast will blind and confuse if you miss. :mrgreen:

Turn squirrels into mist???

It could be used for demolition if you had to tear down a block wall

Weight lift ?

Zombie elimination, of course

hitting your self in the face from recoil...its good for that! some funny stuff on you tube.

They can enlarge a .45 caliber hole.

.45's enlarge .40 holes and so it goes. :buttkick:

tumbleweed

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Originally Posted by khegglie

Turn squirrels into mist???

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Not if you...mist!

lol ok so its just a novelty! a novelty that makes small game disintegrate :smt082

then is there much difference between that and .44 or .357 magnum rounds? the kick and muzzle blast must be similar..or so i would think. but those seem to be popular revolvers. unless those are for fun as well

Hello 'vribbade ;-)

I am restricted to paper punching (no handgun hunting allowed in Italy...), so I shoot .44 magnum for the pure thrill of it.
As with most things we do to please ourselves, we choose following emotion, not strict reasoning.

When you cock the hammer on one of those Maggies, you enjoy the thrill of something spectacular going to happen. If and when you hit your target, you are rewarded by the feel that you can control all that power, which therefore becomes "your power". Also, gun weight and recoil introduce some "workout factor" in the act of shooting. When I used my Glock 23, 100 rounds seemed few and would be gulped in no time. With the .44, a single 50-rd box fills the day, and you drive back a bit tired, a bit aching in the hand, and very much relaxed and rewarded. :-)

This said, .44 mag revos are born in the USA for very practical purposes in their homeland: hunting and self defense in areas with large and dangerous game.

The Desert Eagle, instead, IMHO loses even this practicality. Extremely large and heavy for serious packing in the woods, offers a useless "advantage" (fast repeat shots, obliterated by recoil and muzzle flip) paid with mechanical complexity and with having to collect your brass. Ah, not to mention that a .50 AE case is hot and heavy, when ejected full speed against the fore head of the shooter or his friend watching him closely (I've seen that happen. OUCH!).

I admit having no significant experience (just fired it once, then seen it fired by others, in .50). But so far, this is my conclusion: the reason for a DE is the pure pleasure of possession, "as seen on the movies", plus the same pleasure for "controling power" I take in shooting my totally useless (in Italy) magnum revolvers.

While there is nothing wrong with enjoying those things if one wishes, I'd really advise against home defense. A .44 mag revolver can be used with tame ammo (44 specials, soft 44 mags) but a semiauto can't be downtuned too much, without malfunctioning.

Ciao ;-)

GfA

I bought my DE 50 because I wanted one since they came out. It really has no practical value, but I love it. I also just bought a S&W 500. I don't hunt so neither gun has a real purpose except to target shoot.

They are both way too powerfull to be effective home defense. You are much better with a smaller caliber that would allow you to get back on target for a 2nd shot....if needed. :)

Pat

+1 Steve M1911A1's - hey steve where have you been - I haven't seen your posts lately :anim_lol:

If you have a need to blow a whole mountain away - it would probably do it !!!! :rolleyes:

:smt1099

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Originally Posted by dondavis3

+1 Steve M1911A1's - hey steve where have you been - I haven't seen your posts lately :anim_lol:

If you have a need to blow a whole mountain away - it would probably do it !!!! :rolleyes:

:smt1099

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First, we went on a three-week vacation, and had a very good time.
Then, we both came down with "normal" flu, caught during the vacation. That took a week more.
Then our weakened systems were struck with an opportunistic virus that piggybacked on the flu, and it tied our guts and inner-ear systems into knots. There went another week.
We're OK now. Thanks for asking.
We're wondering what's coming next... :watching: