How is the Dessert Eagle superior to a USP .45 or a M1911 .45?

Question

As far as I know, the Dessert eagle has a bullet caliber of .44 while the USP and M1911 and many other .45's have a bigger round.

My question is, why do people think a Deagle is better when it has a smaller round? (yes I am aware a Dessert Eagle can be capable of firing .50 rounds but that's not what I'm asking)

Is it muzzle velocity?

and if it is, can anyone give me comparissions?

10 points to the most detailed question.

Answer 1

Johnny, the Desert Eagle is chambered in superior calibers to the .45 acp but the weapon itself is not superior to the USP or even the old 1911.  The .44 Magnum is not smaller than the .45 acp.  It is bigger and more powerful.  The .357 Magnum (another Desert Eagle chambering) is more powerful and a better man-stopper than the .45 acp.  And the .50 Action Express is larger and more powerful than the three other calibers mentioned.  Both the USP and the 1911 are far and away more dependable than the Desert Eagle and they are easier to carry and hold at least as much or more ammo than the Desert Eagle.  In reality the Desert Eagle has very few practical applications and it is terribly over-priced.

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Answer 2

Uh, it's not.

Only posers think that hollywood gun is a viable selection.

Answer 3

Why would anybody think that DE is better than any .45?

added:  "10 points to the most detailed question."

It may not be detailed but its the only question....How did I do?

Answer 4

Most people are talking about the .50. As the guy above said, it has 1" extra barrel lenth over a full sized 1911 or the USP tactical. The .44 special rounds are about the same as far as ballistics goes as the .45 acp.

However, The .45 acp has a much bigger selection of bullets, such as Winchester's ranger,  (and about 4 different weights in all of the major manufacturers) a shorter length, comparable, if not better than the .44 spl.,

The Desert eagle is basically favored by the casual crowd because it's been marketed as the most powerful handgun in the world, it's huge, and it can be gold or chromed. (other guns can too, but the appeal just isnt the same). SWAT, Law Enforcement, Military and basically anyone in competitions do not choose the desert eagle.

From a functional standpoint, I would take a quality 1911 or any fighting .45 pistol over the deagle. Usually priced less, exact same firepower in a smaller package, More available ammo, larger capacity, More ergonomic... Unless you are set on cool factor, Pass on the deagle.  

Answer 5

The Desert Eagle comes in 357 mag, 44 mag, 50 S&W. There might be another one also but I'm not sure. You are talking about 44 mag verses 45acp. You are only talking about 1/100 inch in caliber difference so, for all practical purposes, the bullet diameter is close enough to be the same. The difference is velocity. 45 acp rounds have a average velocity of around 850 feet  per second (fps), depending on what load you are shooting. The 44 mag average velocity is around 1250 -1300 fps. Thats about a 50% increase. For hunting, that's a good thing. For self defense, that is a bad thing. The 44 mag bullet will almost always exit a deer thus leaving a good blood trail. The problem is that it will also exit an adult torso. If you fire a gun in self defense, you don't want the bullet going through your target & hitting an inocent bystander down the street. That gets you hauled into court.  The 45 acp bullet will almost always remain inside an adult torso.  That is good for self defense but bad for hunting. It doesn't leave as good of a blood trail to find the deer (or whatever).

So, if you want something to hunt with, go with the 44 mag. If you're looking for a self defense round, go with the 45 acp. Again, the diameter is so close that it doesn't matter. In fact, the 454 Cassul is an excellent hunting round & it uses a 45 caliber bullet and the 44 special is an excellent self defence round & it uses a 44 caliber bullet. The difference lies in the velocity.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

The bigger the caliber the bigger the hole thats all there is really the eagle is altogether a very big bulky heavy wep i own one myself and even in the smaller cal. after 3-4 shots your hand starts hurting and then your accuracy goes to c**p

Answer 7

My apologies, it is .44 Magnum and not Special.  

Jager seems to have the velocities down right.  The only thing incorrect is the magazine capacity for .45s - most have 7-10 capacity, not 15.  Beretta Px4 does come with 12-round mag standard and extended mags can be found, but usually not through the manufacturer.  (Don't you dare try to prove me wrong on this one, Jager!  I will punch you with my foot to the back of your face!)

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Since we are talking about .44 Special and not .44 Magnum...

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Answer 8

Ummmm the .44 would not be Spec. It would be a Mag., Russian. The Desert Eagle initially came out in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, and .44 Magnum. Now they have the .50 AE and dropped the .41 Magnum. It was also available in 6 to 14" barrels.

Ballistics for .44 Magnum Speer 240 grain 6.5" barrel:

1253 50yd velocity   837 lbs 50 yd energy

Ballistics for .45ACP Speer 230 grain 5" barrel:

845 50yd velocity    365 lbs 50 yd energy

.44Mag will put you down hard at further distances. .45 will put you down at shorter distances.

DE is much more difficult to carry than a nice .45. Unless you happen to be one of those 300 lb linemen.

DE has (I think) 8 rounds in the mag while a full sized .45 can carry 15 plus.

I own a DE and have it for home defense/pleasure shooting.

Answer 9

its not better. it just fires a big round. it is clunky, and not well desined. i say this because it is really hard to shoot, because its not very well desined. no i havent shot if but ive read about it, and if you have shot it, then tell me im wronge. but if you havent shot then i wont except im wronge. and yes, i know i am weird.

Answer 10

The Deagle weigh alot more than any 1911 and will hold your boat in place better as u use it for an anchor!I can't think of any other reason to own 1