# Toughness of Desert Eagle



## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

I'm writing a book, and the main character will use two hand guns that are for shooting (of course), but also for hand to hand combat. Parrying swords and other objects, etc. I've seen in movies and read in books that a pistol-whipping objects with hand guns can cause a lot of damage to the gun. With a Desert Eagle 50 cal, would this be the case?


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

It's an odd question, and not one that anybody is likely to have any personal experience with, since most of us don't sword fight with a pistol, nor drive nails, nor conk people over the head.

But I would imagine that parrying a sword blow would damage the slide on most any pistol, and render it inoperable. The only reason a Desert Eagle might be stronger is that it is available in larger chamberings, such as .44 magnum or .50. Even so, I don't know if the slide would be enough heavier to absorb a sword blow without ruining it.


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## VAMarine (Dec 25, 2008)

Is this book a comedy?

Is the character compensating for something by using a Desert Eagle?

Is the character a Rhinoceros hunter?

If the answer to any of the above is "No", find another gun for your character to use than a Desert Eagle.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

Here you go...










This may be the silliest thread I've ever seen. Besides, I thought you had to be over 18 to sign up for the forums.


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

I've been on several forums where a writer joins to ask for some gun model advice - don't know why you guys are giving him such a hassle.


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

VAMarine said:


> Is this book a comedy?
> 
> Is the character compensating for something by using a Desert Eagle?
> 
> ...


No, not a comedy or hunting Rhinos - it's a fantasy novel about a guy hunting demons. The guns used must pack a serious punch. I can take a few liberties with reality given its venue, but I want to stay as close to the laws of physics as possible. It's even feasible to have the Desert Eagle constructed from another, stronger metal for the purposes of the story. Custom weapons would be fine, but must be believeable. I did some research yesterday on strong metals, but I'm not certain if they can actually be used for firearm construction. "Strong" is defined differently for different tasks. I need to know how much of a licking can the Desert Eagle take and still keep on ticking, so to speak.


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

zhurdan said:


> This may be the silliest thread I've ever seen. Besides, I thought you had to be over 18 to sign up for the forums.


Thanks for the reply, but I much prefer posts that answer the question rather than slinging insults. I asked this question in the "New To Handguns" area specifically because I didn't want to intrude on gun enthusiasts that would be posting topics of a more serious nature. Writers have to get background information on many topics, and don't have endless time to become an expert on everything they write about. They also don't usually have endless funds to purchase items for testing, and in my case I just can't shell out the $$ for a Desert Eagle to see if it will still work after taking a beating. I also don't have extra lives in the case that I damage the barrel and the gun backfires.

I have to ask questions of people who are knowledgeable, which often includes posting in forums. Most people are happy to provide a bit of advice, even if the request is odd. But there are always a few that take offense.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

Ironwil said:


> Thanks for the reply, but I much prefer posts that answer the question rather than slinging insults. I asked this question in the "New To Handguns" area specifically because I didn't want to intrude on gun enthusiasts that would be posting topics of a more serious nature. Writers have to get background information on many topics, and don't have endless time to become an expert on everything they write about. They also don't usually have endless funds to purchase items for testing, and in my case I just can't shell out the $$ for a Desert Eagle to see if it will still work after taking a beating. I also don't have extra lives in the case that I damage the barrel and the gun backfires.
> 
> I have to ask questions of people who are knowledgeable, which often includes posting in forums. Most people are happy to provide a bit of advice, even if the request is odd. But there are always a few that take offense.


Never said there wasn't merit to your question, just that I thought it was silly.

Want some free advise? Ok. Remember though, it's free.

Asking a question about something that no one in their right mind would have any experience with (deflecting swords with pistols) is hardly realistic, so no one will have any practical knowledge for you.

That being said, we didn't know what _type_ of book/story you are writing. What background do you have? Have you published anything thus far? Is this a personal project for your own benefit or is there even a realistic chance that it will be published? Do you have any contacts with publishers?

I'll relate a different topic that is also just as silly. (please note, if you are doing it for fun, more power to you). There are often times that people come on gun forums and ask questions like "I'm designing a gun. What features would you like in a handgun?" Why is this silly? Because 99 times out of 100, the people asking the question end up having no possible way of actually making it come to pass. They don't even own a mill/drill press/cnc machine or anything even remotely close to building an actual gun.

Can you see why it's silly? They're spinning their wheels AND everyone elses.

Now, back to your "main character"... why on Gods green earth would he be deflecting swords with his pistol rather than just shoot the antagonist? Why take the chance? If he runs his guns dry, he sure as hell didn't plan his attack very well. If it were me, and no I'm no writer, give him guns AND a sword. By the way, this notion has been done a bazzillion times in Hollyweird. Ever see the Blade movies or Underworld or The Expendables or Commando or Starship Troopers? (see my point yet?)

The notion of deflecting swords with a pistol is what is silly. The thought of writing a book/novel/short story is great as long as you have the capacity to make it come to pass. If not, it's just silly. Given one paragraph in your original post, it's silly, to me, to try and offer anything of substantial value on a topic that no serious gun owner would ever dream of trying. They wouldn't want to damage their gun, let alone run the risk of losing an appendage.

Sorry you took it as me being harsh, but sometimes people need more information to be able to provide substantial, usable information. Hence, it's a silly thread.


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## Tuefelhunden (Nov 20, 2006)

Shipwreck said:


> I've been on several forums where a writer joins to ask for some gun model advice - don't know why you guys are giving him such a hassle.


I agree with you Ship but I gotta love Zhurdan's pic suggestion. That is hilarious.

To the OP a slightly more realistic option might be the IMI Baby Eagle or Witness. Super rugged in a functional stylistic package that a mortal could theoretically actually use in dual wield fashion. If you are primarily just looking for the biggest "real" hand cannons you can find then yes the Desert Eagle, S&W L frame or Ruger Super Redhawk or Alaskan all seem like good head bonkin canidates. None of them would work very well for hitting or obsorbing blows from other metal objects such as a sword but it's your book.


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## EliWolfe (Nov 20, 2010)

Here's my pick buddy. .50 cal. and stainless steel!
Eli :mrgreen:

Smith and Wesson Most Powerful Handgun - 500 Cal Magnum Pistol from Smith and Wesson - Popular Mechanics


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

zhurdan said:


> Never said there wasn't merit to your question, just that I thought it was silly.
> 
> Want some free advise? Ok. Remember though, it's free.
> 
> ...


"This may be the silliest thread I've ever seen. Besides, I thought you had to be over 18 to sign up for the forums."

In your reply you called me a child and derided my question. I'm cannot imagine anyone that wouldn't find this extremely insulting.

You said that asking a question no one in their right mind would do isn't likely to yield results. Maybe no one here would smack something with the barrel of their handgun intentionally, but I'm nearly 100% certain that, at some point, some members have dropped or accidentally struck their handguns against something. I didn't think it difficult to extract a comparison.

You said you didn't know what kind of book I was writing and asked about my publishing history. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? All I need is an answer to what I thought was a rather simple question: Can the barrel of a Desert Eagle take a good whack and still function correctly?

Then you proceed to deride the use of guns in my story to deflect attacks. The whole "demon hunting" thing brings this out of the realm of usual attack patterns. If someone is right up in your face, shooting them becomes more difficult, particularly if they might take several rounds and continue to fight, unlike regular people. Still, to answer your question about carrying a sword - it's fairly easy to carry handguns, even Desert Eagles, at least partially concealed under a long coat. Since the setting is in a rather cold city, this works. Strapping a sword to your belt is going to draw a lot of notice.

"The thought of writing a book/novel/short story is great as long as you have the capacity to make it come to pass."

Yeah. That's the whole reason I asked if a Desert Eagle could strike something with the barrel and still operate correctly. If it can't be done, I'll have to change the approach.

I don't really care at all if you think my ideas are stupid - don't buy the book when it's published. But if you're not going to answer a very simple question, at least have the courtesy to refrain from throwing insults.


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

Tuefelhunden said:


> I agree with you Ship but I gotta love Zhurdan's pic suggestion. That is hilarious.
> 
> To the OP a slightly more realistic option might be the IMI Baby Eagle or Witness. Super rugged in a functional stylistic package that a mortal could theoretically actually use in dual wield fashion. If you are primarily just looking for the biggest "real" hand cannons you can find then yes the Desert Eagle, S&W L frame or Ruger Super Redhawk or Alaskan all seem like good head bonkin canidates. None of them would work very well for hitting or obsorbing blows from other metal objects such as a sword but it's your book.


Thanks for the info. It's possible that this idea won't fly at all, and I'll think of another way to carry through the story in a more realistic fashion. Even when writing fantasy, if it's set in the 'real world', as mine is, the best practice is to stick as closely to reality as possible. At least for normal concepts, like basic physics, interaction with law enforcement, medical issues, etc.


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## EliWolfe (Nov 20, 2010)

A good solid whack with a broad sword might well put the DE's slide out of action. Check out that [email protected] .500 in my previous post, all it needs is a finger guard, part of your artistic license.
Good luck,
Eli


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

EliWolfe said:


> A good solid whack with a broad sword might well put the DE's slide out of action. Check out that [email protected] .500 in my previous post, all it needs is a finger guard, part of your artistic license.
> Good luck,
> Eli


Thanks. That is a monster of a gun. It seems reasonable that a gun with fewer moving parts would be more likely to withstand a solid hit and still function.


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## EliWolfe (Nov 20, 2010)

Ironwil said:


> Thanks. That is a monster of a gun. It seems reasonable that a gun with fewer moving parts would be more likely to withstand a solid hit and still function.


Good luck with your book.
Eli :mrgreen:


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

Ironwil said:


> "This may be the silliest thread I've ever seen. Besides, I thought you had to be over 18 to sign up for the forums."
> 
> In your reply you called me a child and derided my question. I'm cannot imagine anyone that wouldn't find this extremely insulting.


The age comment stems from the question about Desert Eagles. Again, 9 times out of 10, people asking about Desert Eagle .50's get their information from video games. The Desert Eagle is one of the most over hyped, utterly unrealistic, heavy and large handguns ever made. Dual wielding them is also not practical and is generally propagated by either video games or Hollyweird.


> You said that asking a question no one in their right mind would do isn't likely to yield results. Maybe no one here would smack something with the barrel of their handgun intentionally, but I'm nearly 100% certain that, at some point, some members have dropped or accidentally struck their handguns against something. I didn't think it difficult to extract a comparison.


Perhaps, but dropping a weapon on a fence post or a rock holds no correlation to something being struck with a broadsword.


> You said you didn't know what kind of book I was writing and asked about my publishing history. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? All I need is an answer to what I thought was a rather simple question: Can the barrel of a Desert Eagle take a good whack and still function correctly?


Tea in China? It's called context. Is this another exercise in mental masturbation or will delving into an answer actually yield usable results? That's what I ask myself before deeming something "silly" like I did. You didn't provide enough information to "extract a comparison".


> Then you proceed to deride the use of guns in my story to deflect attacks. The whole "demon hunting" thing brings this out of the realm of usual attack patterns. If someone is right up in your face, shooting them becomes more difficult, particularly if they might take several rounds and continue to fight, unlike regular people. Still, to answer your question about carrying a sword - it's fairly easy to carry handguns, even Desert Eagles, at least partially concealed under a long coat. Since the setting is in a rather cold city, this works. Strapping a sword to your belt is going to draw a lot of notice.


That's weird... the last three pistol classes I've been to have stressed NOTHING BUT contact distance defensive shooting. Weird. I can understand that carrying pistols is more low key, but I'd figure that the "demons" running around would probably draw a bit more attention than a sword on a belt, and it would probably negate anyone's worry as to _why_ someone is carrying weapons... "Hey look a guy with a sword" - CHOMP (he just got eaten by a demon because he was worried about the guy with the sword )


> "The thought of writing a book/novel/short story is great as long as you have the capacity to make it come to pass."
> 
> Yeah. That's the whole reason I asked if a Desert Eagle could strike something with the barrel and still operate correctly. If it can't be done, I'll have to change the approach.
> 
> I don't really care at all if you think my ideas are stupid - don't buy the book when it's published. But if you're not going to answer a very simple question, at least have the courtesy to refrain from throwing insults.


There's more to it than can a Desert Eagle handle it. Let's put our imagination caps on for a second. Think about the dynamics involved with deflecting a sword with a pistol. Without some sort of handguard, the hero would undoubtedly lose some fingers. With a handguard on the pistol he'd lose the Oh so important ability to conceal it easily. Even given these things, the part of the gun that would be of concern when it comes to damage would be the slide. Think about how a person would have to turn their shoulder/elbow/wrist to deflect something with the top of the slide of the weapon. There's no strength in the appendage when rotated in a manner that would facilitate blocking a sword strike with the slide of a gun.

I know... why not just keep the pistols and put some armored plates along his forearms!!! Problem solved. They could be part of his coat, so as not to be noticed, he could block blows from swords and they'd keep his hands free to do what needs to be done!

See, given more information... answers can be formulated.

Oh, and if you are indeed a writer, I hope you have thicker skin than what you've exhibited here because an editor isn't gonna take you to mamby pamby land to find you some self confidence (you jack wagon!)

My wife was an editor(and published) for over 10 years, trust me, she'd make you cry.

Best of luck to you. Oh, and the jack wagon comment was just me finishing the quote from the commercial. Don't get all butt hurt.


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

zhurdan said:


> The age comment stems from the question about Desert Eagles. Again, 9 times out of 10, people asking about Desert Eagle .50's get their information from video games. The Desert Eagle is one of the most over hyped, utterly unrealistic, heavy and large handguns ever made. Dual wielding them is also not practical and is generally propagated by either video games or Hollyweird.
> 
> Perhaps, but dropping a weapon on a fence post or a rock holds no correlation to something being struck with a broadsword.
> 
> ...


"But if you're not going to answer a very simple question, at least have the courtesy to refrain from throwing insults."

I apologize for asking you to do something which is clearly beyond your capabilities.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

Sorry, I don't have a spare Desert Eagle and a sword to smack it with. Anything short of someone doing or having done it is pure speculation. 

Does that answer your question? Perhaps you should talk to a metallurgist. They'd probably have more of an idea than guys who value their handguns.


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

zhurdan said:


> Sorry, I don't have a spare Desert Eagle and a sword to smack it with. Anything short of someone doing or having done it is pure speculation.
> 
> Does that answer your question? Perhaps you should talk to a metallurgist. They'd probably have more of an idea than guys who value their handguns.


Thanks, though I would think that anyone that's accidentally dropped their gun or dropped something heavy on it would also have a pretty good idea. Kinetic force, no matter its origin, tends to have pretty much the same effect, so I doubt they'd need a sword to test it. A point could be made that a sword, with a cutting edge, would be different than a tire iron. While true, this is not important. I used a sword as a random example. Any understanding of the effect of force on the barrel would have helped.


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

zhurdan said:


> Oh, and if you are indeed a writer, I hope you have thicker skin than what you've exhibited here because an editor isn't gonna take you to mamby pamby land to find you some self confidence (you jack wagon!)
> 
> My wife was an editor(and published) for over 10 years, trust me, she'd make you cry.
> 
> Best of luck to you. Oh, and the jack wagon comment was just me finishing the quote from the commercial. Don't get all butt hurt.


I do have rather thick skin. You'll notice my lack of hurtling insults back at you, or the use of invectives. Still, it seems beyond common sense to insult someone and then criticize them for calling you on it. If you provided some constructive criticism, that might be different. Just posting that someone is a child and their question "silly" isn't going to:

a. Provide any constructive response to their question whatsoever.
b. Be received well by... well, by anyone.


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## EliWolfe (Nov 20, 2010)

Ya'll done yet?
Eli :watching:


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## Ironwil (Jan 12, 2011)

EliWolfe said:


> Ya'll done yet?
> Eli :watching:


Yeah, I think so. I got a little ticked by the barrage and kept arguing a stupid point. I'm done.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

I guess our definitions of insults differs. I'd call it internet bantering. It's hard to convey tone in text. Like I said, I never said your question was without merit, just that getting any sort of meaningful answer was silly. I'd put money on it that no one here has or would smack their guns with a sword. 

Sure, I've dropped weapons, and they were traveling at exactly 9.8m/s2 from approximately 1 meter. This is what I was getting at when I said there's no correlation to a full on sword swing against a semi-stationary object. I thought that answered the question in it's entirety. You asked a question with a likelihood of actually being factually answered in line with someone actually knowing the exact amount of the grains of sand on a beach.

Oh, and there were plenty of ideas to get around your hero's problem. You may have missed them. I didn't just fling poo, I offered reasons why it would be impractical to do what you had originally asked. You'd mentioned that you wanted to base it in reality, I gave you reasons it was departing from reality. You mentioned things about defensive pistol use that were for all extensive purposes incorrect in a real setting. Based on your desire to keep it based on reality, I figured that would be useful information for you. Perhaps not.

Seriously though... good luck. Getting published is an ugly, tiring, grouchy process. I've seen what it does to people close to me.


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## zhurdan (Mar 21, 2008)

EliWolfe said:


> Ya'll done yet?
> Eli :watching:


OK.. done. :mrgreen: Wife starched my underwear this morning apparently. Having a bad day. My apologies.


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## EliWolfe (Nov 20, 2010)

Ironwil said:


> Yeah, I think so. I got a little ticked by the barrage and kept arguing a stupid point. I'm done.


Well then, goodbye and good luck to you sir.
Eli :mrgreen:


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