Why I like The Desert Eagle Pistol

I like the Desert Eagle because it’s an engineering masterpiece. This is the king of auto pistols. It’s the most powerful and the most visually striking auto pistol ever made. It’s featured in more movies and TV shows than I can count, one estimate is over 100 movies and TV programs.

The great thing about the Desert Eagle is that it works, exactly as intended, accurate and powerful. No other pistol can put that type of stopping power on a target as quickly. It is a tool for the expert hand gunner. In the hands of a genuine marksman the Desert Eagle is simply awesome. The smooth gas action of the Desert Eagle allows for accurate and fast follow up shots. This is very valuable in hunting, and indispensible in defense against dangerous animals. It is the auto pistol for hand gun hunters of large or dangerous game. In my Jeep, a .50 Caliber Desert Eagle is “bear defense” if I go into large bear country.
All of that performance comes with a price of weight, and exclusive use of jacketed bullets for its gas system and polygon rifling. The Desert Eagle is rugged, robust, and simple to operate and maintain. Over the years it’s been offered in a variety of calibers, most famously, the 50 Action Express. The 50 AE was the first commercial mass produced .50 Caliber handgun cartridge, and an outstanding success. In a 10 inch barrel, the 50 AE has 1600 fps of velocity. The largest bullet suitable for the Desert Eagle is 350 grains. Finishes come from a stealthy black oxide, a variety of chrome, to gold and wild gold titanium tiger stripe.
For years the Desert Eagle was one of the best buys in handguns, with all due respect to comments in the aforementioned paragraphs. I have seen a 44 magnum Desert Eagle out shoot, meaning tighter groups, than a famous gunsmith tuned 1911 45 ACP that cost twice as much as the Desert Eagle. A powerful pistol that has match grade accuracy in a controllable package is a marvel. The 50 AE Desert Eagles are also very accurate, but a bit more challenging to control.

Desert Eagle Mark VII



My last thoughts are on people in and out of the shooting community who I call Desert Eagle haters. Outside of the shooting community it’s been called the “Anti-Tank” hand gun, dangerous, overly powerful, etc, etc, etc. All of that is trash. It’s the usual we can expect from these people. More disturbing, is the hate and strange comments from INSIDE the shooting community. Frustrated tactikhulers, dye in the wool revolver lovers, and just those ignorant of the pistols uses seem to have formed an unholy alliance against it. It’s not everyone’s cup tea and that is the first thing someone must understand about the Desert Eagle. Just like bench rest rifles, race guns, and schutezen rifles, the Desert Eagle has its uses and purpose. The Desert Eagle deserves respect it does not always receive.

American Hoggers Update!!

I just watched the second week of American Hoggers and enjoyed it toughly. It combines, horses, jeeps, and classic firearms. I like it a lot better than most other reality TV shows. It will be interesting to see how they keep it fresh and new each week. Right now, it really captures the thrill of the hunt and the chase very well and is exciting to watch. I'd still pay real money to go out and hunt with them.

American Hoggers!!!

I recently saw the new show on A&E called American Hoggers. I enjoyed it immensely. Not only does it show a hard working family in a rural setting, but it has a positive portrayal of classic firearms also. I really enjoy the single action revolvers and lever action rifles. It’s a little of the old west in a modern setting, controlling the destructive and out of control feral hog population. Someday, the public will realize these are dangerous animals and their population is exploding in many parts of the country.

The Campbells do the job with old west style, excitement and adventure. I wish I could go with them……..

Quaddafi is dead!

Finally a vicious terrorist is brought to his end.

All I can say is good riddance!!! He was taken out by his own weapon! The gold plated Browning shown below.

John M. Browning is surely smiling down from above.

80 years of the Walther PPK

With all the attention paid to the centennial of the Colt Model 1911 pistol, it’s easy to over look the 80th anniversary of the legendary Walther PPK (Polezi Pistole Krimminal). Introduced in 1931 the PPK was the shortened version of the very successful and reliable Walther PP (Polezi Pistole). It provided a very concealable pistol with all the positive attributes of the Walther PP. They succeeded magnificently. It was heavily used in WWII by the Germans and continued its success into the post war years.

The pistol was slightly redesigned after WWII and the new rakish looks are the thing of legend. No pistol is so functionally excellent and as beautiful as the PPK. It has been copied in many places, however, none of the clones match the original German made guns for quality. The PPK is the Rolex of concealable firearms. It has completely over showed it’s ancestor the Walther PP. 80 years later it still dominates the market. Current guns are made by Smith & Wesson in the USA.

If the perfect auto pistol in the Colt Model 1911, a very close second is the Walther PPK. For a strict lover a auto pistols, the greatest trio is the Walther PPK, Colt Model 1911, and the Magnum Research Desert Eagle. This would cover all the bases.

The PPK offers the average gun owner a rare opportunity, a truly world class firearm at an obtainable price. There are a lot of new and different small automatic pistols around these days, but they do not equal the PPK.

What is so super about the 38 Super?????

I don’t really know, but I’ve gotten so attached to the 38 Super over the years. It’s a somewhat difficult cartridge to hand load. Its supposed to take a .356 bullet; but people have used .355 and .357 bullets in it. The biggest problem with the 38 Super is bullet setback in hand loads. Neck tension has to be tight. The bullet hits the feed ramp with considerable force. The can force the bullet back into the case and create very high pressures and a case head blow out.

38 Super Case Dimensions


My own 38 Super Colt Model 1911 started out as an ugly well worn project gun. With a trashed barrel, poor refinish and buggered trigger, it appeared beyond hope. It’s serial number placed production in 1958. However, the slide and frame and internals were in good shape, well worth the bargain basement price.

A set of Millet sights, Bar-Sto barrel and bushing, new trigger and parkerized finish put this gun right. The interest of the 38 Super is that it started live as the mild mannered 38 Automatic Colt Pistol cartridge in the elderly colt Model 1902 Pistol. Loaded to +P pressures in 1929 and chambered in the reliable and strong Model 1911 the super should have been an instant winner. It was not. The head spacing on the tiny cartridge rim ruined the accuracy potential of the cartridge. Its power was soon eclipsed by the much more powerful 357 Magnum in 1935.
For decades the 38 Super was a minor player; an unpopular second chambering in the popular model 1911.

Bank Robber John Dillinger's 38 Super with a fore grip and extended magazine




In the 1980s the 38 Super was rediscovered action shooters, it could be hot loaded with fully supported barrels, to make the “major” power factor. New barrels that head spaced on the case mouth and solved the accuracy problems of earlier barrels. Since then, action pistol has moved on to 40 caliber guns. The 38 Super is now a modestly popular cartridge with a few enthusiasts. Personally, I think it’s great!!