So I currently own a S&W 629 44mag & i've been considering a DE 50ae for a while now, I like the s&w 500 but the DE 50ae just seems more fun,only thing is theres not to much info on the net. Has anybody ever hunted with a DE 50ae handgun are these things accurate for this stuff ,how effective is the 50ae compared to say a 44mag or above ,I knew a guy at a gun shop that used to talk about Hunting with his, but i thought he was just BS'ing, let me know if anybody has experience with these, thx.

That's a really big and cumbersome piece. The .50 AE loaded properly should work just fine. I like flat-nosed hardcast bullets, but don't know how they would feed in the DE. This is why I prefer revolvers.......

Just check out my hunting photos on this site to see if a 50 AE will work. You will be limited with a semi auto, with ammo, thats why my 50 AE's are single shots. You need to handload to reach the 50's potential. Hardcast bullets are out in a semiauto, they will not function properly in a gas operated semiauto.

The cartridge itself is powerful enough for deer, hogs, black bear, and similar size game. I've used it to my satisfaction with 325 gr. JHP's, but mine is a FA revolver.

I've taken 4 deer with my desert eagle .50AE and 2 with my DE .44 mag. The .50 hits deer with much more authority than the .44 does. I use the old Speer factory loaded 325gr. unicore JHP which functions much like a hardcast on a smaller bodied animal like a deer. With factory loads it shoots 2" groups at 50 yds. and 4-5" at 100yds. putting it on par with most revolvers, and that's with the 6" barrel. I have a 2x Leupold on mine which has served me well in the woody river bottoms where I hunt in MN and NC. It should work even better with the 300gr. Gold dots or 300gr. XTPs, but I haven't tried them yet as I have a near lifetime supply of the Speer factory loads. Give it a try as everybody I tell thinks I'm BSing them, but I have multiple deer to prove you can hunt with a semi-auto, and it really doesn't weigh all that much more than your typical specialty pistol like an Encore or XP...

The only game I took with my DE was a black bear. One shot one kill. It only went a little ways after being hit. After I bought my 500 Smith the DE gathers dust in my safe.

I have experimented with the 50 AE for about 10 years now. I have done approx. 90 percent of my hunting here in NC. Every deer and hog I have hit with the 50 went straight down. Granted I was using single shot pistols with special handloads. In real life on GAME it is very similar to the great 454. Don't let any of the "experts" tell you any different. I have read about handloading problems and bullets slipping in the cases. I have NEVER had these problems. A little common sense solves any reloading problems. The advent of the 500 S&W has given the 50 AE reloader many more choices. I used a 385 gr. BCHP bullet to take a large Yak bull with 1 shot. No suffering, dead within 10 seconds. I used a 370 gr. HC to kill a large Water Buffalo. It has taken some of the shooting industry pros many more shots on similar game with more powerful rounds. Keep it Simple-Hit it Hard in the Kill Zone and you will have great success. Within range of course. I also killed a large Nilgai bull with 1 shot from my 50 AE using a custom 335 gr. penetrator bullet. My single shot 50 AE's are a Competitor pistol and an Encore with SSK barrel. The Competitor has a stronger action hands down, so my handloads reflect this. Good Luck, theres nothing you can't kill with a properly loaded 50 AE that walks on this continent. If you can do it with a 454, you can do it with a 50 AE.

Thanks to all you guys so far, with your very informative reply's ,im more convinced about the 50ae caliber is another very capable round, Just not so about the Desert Eagle for hunting.

The 50 AE will do the trick on critters for sure. Desert eagles are great for rap videos and movie bad guys and thats about it IMO. I'd look for it in a Freedom arms gun

Is That a Cub-do you own a Desert Eagle and/or have you used one for hunting? If not you need to try one as they have several advantages over a Freedom Arms or any other revolver/SSP including a 7 shot magazine (I've never needed more than one though having that many is reassuring...) and the ability to tame recoil due to the gas operation. It also doesn't have a metallic sound when cocking the trigger like a revolver does which makes it a perfect late season hunting rig.

They are not just for rap videos and movie stars (nor can they really be fired with one hand,) and just because they're not your cup of tea does not make them extremely capable hunting handguns. It's sort of like saying an AR-10 or AR-15 (in the correct caliber) isn't suited for deerhunting because it's semi-auto, black, or both... I've owned several very nice revolvers and have multiple SSK barrels for my contenders/encores, but when it comes to short range hunting in close cover, I go back to my Desert Eagle every time.

I actually think they would be great for hunting. Plenty of power and plenty of rounds!

Don't sell the 50AE Desert Eagle short, it is a powerful and accurate handgun, and contrary to what some say, it can be shot single handed, but it takes a pretty aggressive grip get it to cycle (and to not get hit in the forehead with the ejected case).

My only objection to it is the weight, but given the choice of a number of hunting handguns, the DE is my favorite.

sw44mag69
no expert here but...You never mentioned what you would be hunting. If it's deer or smaller, i can't imagine you needing to load that round yourself for it to be effective. A good factory ammo should do it. As for the gun, I'm a revolver guy, but you get what makes you happy, that;s what it's all about. If we hunted with what someone told us to hunt with, it would be like work.......well almost! lol

This is a great big game round. I've taken game as large as a Yak and a Water Buffalo ( I used handloads) Game as large as Eland has been taken in Africa w/ the 325 gr. factory load. I have never used the Desert Eagle, but the 50 AE is a great big game round.

My son-in-law has a 44 Magnum DE with the .50 AE extra barrel. I have shot the 50AE quite a bit, and see no reason why it would not make a capable hunting gun. I have the same complaint about the DE, as I do any other semi-auto firearm. Too old to chase brass! However, it is a well made nice shooting gun.

sw44..,

The 50AE is a great round in a revolver and the DE. Unless you have large hands the DE is a bit to grasp properly; however, the revolvers ( BFR and FA '83 ) have smaller grip diameters and can take after market grips. The DE obviously has to accommodate the magazine. The factory ammo is great quality, although limited in bullet selection; however, handloading opens the gates.

Doc

As long as it is accurate....

Can all you folks who have hunted with your 50 AE revolver for 50 AE Desert Eagle post pictures please? Thanks!

Also to the OP I have the 50 Cal Desert Eagle in brushed chrome and I love it. Last year I did my deer hunting with my AK-47 but this year it will be the 50 AE Desert Eagle for sure.

Someday I have goals of hunting large game with the gun.
This is a picture I took of my weapon:

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/tt280/NL226/Nathator1SC_6806-1.jpg

Don't have time to do more right now, but here's one to get you started:

Check out my photo gallery on the bragging board, several of my first handgunned trophies were taken w/ my Freedom Arms 555 in 50 AE.

WOW... huge animals!

I am just curious why more of you hunters don't choose the 50 AE Desert Eagle as your choice for hunting? It has so much character and tremendous power!

To Bobhanson,

What did the 325 grain speer bullets do exactly when you dug them out of the deer? I am trying to decide what kind of bullet I will use for hunting this year and I think I may use that one.

I have not recovered a 325gr. Unicor from any of the 4 deer I've taken with it. Two were clean pass throughs via the lungs with .50 caliber holes in and .50+ caliber holes on the way out with massive lung damage inside. 3rd one actually sheared about a 3" piece of rib off on the side it impacted and literally drove the rib piece through the lungs and out the other side of the rib cage leaving a 3-4" gash. 4th deer was quartering, hit shoulder bone on the way in, destroyed lungs, exited back of rib cage on off side-exit hole was 2" with lots of internal damage. At minimum you can expect it to act like a .50 caliber hard cast, but they don't seem to tear themselves apart like some other bullets out there even when they hit bone. Incidentally, I've shot them through 12" of wet pine and even with that they still drive straight and expand, but not overly so...

Very very interesting. For some reason I was picturing the 325 grain bullets staying inside the body. I've done some gelatin testing with them and they are amazing. I will post pictures.

I own the Mark XIX DE 44mag and have the 50AE barrel and magazine to convert to 50AE. I also own the S&W 500mag in 8 3/8 barrel. While I have larger hands, I've never had any issues handling the the DE in 44mag or 50AE from set up to firing. I think sometimes the lore of handling a DE gets blown out of proportion. I'm 6' and 185 lbs, and I can shoot it one handed without much problem. Not very accurate when I do that, but it's not as difficult as some make it out to be. While I have not hunted with the DE, I have shot hundreds of rounds through it. It's extremely powerful, reliable, and accurate...when it's cleaned. It doesn't take long for the DE to have FTF issues if you don't clean it every 100 rounds or less, just based on my experience. And in hunting conditions rain, dust, dirt, leaves, pine needles, pollen, etc can get on and in your gun. For this reason I hunt with the S&W 500mag. Just don't want to take a chance that it will get "gritty" and cause a FTF issue when I need it to be shooting. BUT, it's an outstanding gun that I believe would be an excellent hunting gun in the right situation. I won't ever get rid of mine, but for my own peace of mind, I hunt with the S&W 500mag.

The new fad has started... HUNT with the Desert Eagle 50 AE!