While the whole "Mall Ninja" concept makes the Desert Eagle seem like an over rated gun, I can't personally say I hate it. Obviously it isn't a combat handgun, but I think it is still a fun gun to own if you want to shoot magnum rounds without nursing your thumb webbing and wrist back to health and want a decent hunting handgun.
It's heavy, yes, but that kind of helps handle that massive recoil. The .50 AE is not necessarily an incredible round, but it is very powerful and it means something when you can actually fire the round with some control. Also, .357 Magnums and .44 Magnums are a breeze to shoot through one, according to what a few guys I know say.
And everyone rags on reliability. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it more or less have similair reliability to an AR-15? They use the same direct gas inpingment system. And if some asshole drops it in mud and it jams when he fires it, does that make it an awful firearm? Try dropping your gun in the mud and getting excellent consistency with it. If the haters tried cleaning the damn gun every now and then, maybe it would be a little more reliable.
I don't believe the Desert Eagle was first built as a military firearm, or with the military being in mind, so expecting 100% reliability in all conditions is a little harsh for a civie gun designed to fire uber-rounds.
While I don't praise the weapon and would never carry one for practical use, I think some people are too harsh on it.
And Matt, I think the muzzle flash would depend on what time it was. During a nice sunny day you wouldn't see much flame, but as the sun sets it gets very noticable, and by night, it's like a milisecond flamethrower!
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