4" S&W 500mag vs Desert Eagle 50AE Auto?

TheZman13 · Jun 26, 2016

So I use to have a 8" 500 S&W i ended up selling it years ago. Looking at getting another but I want the 4" For more of a toy and range gun and maybe some hunting. I already have a Ruger 454 revolver for my primary hunting handgun. Another gun that has my attention is the Magnum Research Desert Eagle 50AE.. They come standard with a 6" barrel i believe. Even though the Desert Eagle has a longer barrel then the 4" 500 they are very similar in size and weight. So it has me thinking. I know the 500 S&W bullet is a little more powerful then the 50AE but how would it compare out of these 2 guns? Would be an interesting test. So a standard 50AE out round of a 6" barrel vs a standard typical (not hot)500 S&W round out of a 3.75 inch barrel..?? I have a feeling the ballistics would be fairly close. And the Desert Eagle holds 7+1 rounds!!!. Which one would be the better all around fun gun? Im just playing Devils advocate and thinking out loud. I like both for different reasons.. Which one would you guys like between those two configurations?

Tom S. · Jun 26, 2016

If, as you speculate the ballistics is close, I'd be interested in the difference in recoil. With a revolver, you get all the recoil. With a semi auto, some is used up in operating the slide. Does the Eagle come ported?

TheZman13 · Jun 26, 2016

Tom S. said:
If, as you speculate the ballistics is close, I'd be interested in the difference in recoil. With a revolver, you get all the recoil. With a semi auto, some is used up in operating the slide. Does the Eagle come ported?

Desert Eagles have ported and non ported models. I definitely would think the 50AE would have at least a little less recoil. Id love to see a test done on these 2 handguns side by side through the chronograph, accuracy, range, and recoil using the same or close grain bullets. I really feel like the 4" 500 and Desert Eagle would be a fun comparison of .50 cal Revolver vs Auto.

colt_saa · Jun 26, 2016

I own, load and shoot several firearms in each chambering. This goes back decades.

These are two totally different animals.

50AE is a less powerful round and the DE has much less perceived recoil.

My 325 grain GD 50AE handloads leave my 6" DE at roughly 1500 FPS for just over 1600 pound feet of energy.

The lightest load I produce for my 500 Smith and Wessons is my 350 grain cast lead HP which leaves the 4" revolver at roughly 1600 FPS for just under 2000 pound feet of energy.

Remember with an autoloader you have a very narrow window of power for the cartridge to function properly. There is no such limitation with a revolver.

I have heard of folks loading the 500 Smith and Wesson cartridge with light projectiles down to 1000-1200 pound feet of energy levels.

Some of my 500 Smith and Wesson cartridge hand loads exceed 3200 pound feet of energy, more than double the energy that the 50AE is capable of.

TheZman13 · Jun 26, 2016

colt_saa said:
I own, load and shoot several firearms in each chambering. This goes back decades.

These are two totally different animals.

50AE is a less powerful round and the DE has much less perceived recoil.

My 325 grain GD 50AE handloads leave my 6" DE at roughly 1500 FPS for just over 1600 pound feet of energy.

The lightest load I produce for my 500 Smith and Wessons is my 350 grain cast lead HP which leaves the 4" revolver at roughly 1600 FPS for just under 2000 pound feet of energy.

Remember with an autoloader you have a very narrow window of power for the cartridge to function properly. There is no such limitation with a revolver.

I have heard of folks loading the 500 Smith and Wesson cartridge with light projectiles down to 1000-1200 pound feet of energy levels.

Some of my 500 Smith and Wesson cartridge hand loads exceed 3200 pound feet of energy, more than double the energy that the 50AE is capable of.

I realize that the .500 S&W can be loaded hotter because its a Revolver. Thats why i said in the comparison both guns shooting standard rounds meanining just regular store bought anmo and (not the hot stuff). I still have ammo from when i owned my 8" 500. Looking at it right now. Not the greatest ammo but its a box of 500 S&W Ultramax. Says 1,400fps right on the box. And im betting that wasnt tested with the little 4" 500 barrel. Probably was tested with the full length 8" barrel. When you reload like you do you can make hotter loads. Even your lightest load usually out performs a lot of store box ammo. Revolvers can handle a lot more power and i realize that. The comparison i was just wondering if you take both guns and test them with standard store bought ammo. Id be willing to bet that $36 Ultramax 500S&W ammo out of the 3.75 barrel of the 4" 500 would get out performed by the 6" barrel of the Desert Eagle with similar ammo. Or it would at least he really close..

DonD · Jun 26, 2016

Any way you slice it the 50AE is in the dust power wise to the 500 Mag, plus you can load anything you want slug wise for the 500 but for the DE you'd better use only jacketed slugs or you'll probably foul the gas system and have a malfunctioning gun. Don

3rdgeargrndrr · Jun 26, 2016

Do you reload?

TheZman13 · Jun 26, 2016

3rdgeargrndrr said:
Do you reload?

Not yet. But i want too. My dad says he has i big reloading set that he will give me. I didnt check it out yet so i dont know whats all with it.. But for the most part i just shoot store bought ammo. Cheap stuff for plinking and the good stuff for self defense and hunting. Who knows if ill ever really reload

sw282 · Jun 27, 2016

Desert Eagles are messy. Throwing big fat round pieces all over the place..Dangerous too with that brass laying around..Big tripping hazard..Not nearly as accurate either..Messy and inaccurate compared to a Smith kinda turns a DE into "turkey"

BLUEDOT37 · Jun 27, 2016

TheZman13 said:
I know the 500 S&W bullet is a little more powerful then the 50AE but how would it compare out of these 2 guns?

I'm not sure why you think there's any comparison between the 50AE & the 500 S&W?

The 50AE has a SAAMI max of 35K psi while the 500 S&W is 60K psi. Even at the more commonly loaded pressure of 50K psi, for the 500, it's still no comparison.

Hornady factory loads: (store bought)

-50AE, 300gr XTP, 1475mv, 1449me, 6" bbl

-500S&W, 300gr FTX, 1950mv, 2533me, 8.5" bbl

The 500 S&W case holds >25% than the 50AE.

The 4" 500 S&W is really a 3" bbl. with a 1" comp (not rifled)

The 6" 50AE Desert Eagle barrel length includes the ~1.75" chamber so the rifled bbl. is closer to 4.25".
.

TheZman13 said:
But for the most part i just shoot store bought ammo. Cheap stuff for plinking and the good stuff for self defense and hunting.

As far as plinking with cheap stuff store bought ammo, in these cartridges, I don't know where'd you get that. My cheap reloads for the 500 S&W run $35-39 per 100, double that price when using premium bullets. That's still way cheaper than factory prices. Handloading is the only way to go if you're going to shoot these big bores any amount.

.

Wise_A · Jun 27, 2016

If I may...I believe that the OP may be working on the basis of directly equating the caliber with perceived recoil and such. Or more precisely, the caliber used in the name, which is usually not even close to the actual caliber (such as how .38s are really .357", and .44s are .430"...aren't guns fun?).

Which is something one might do, starting out. It's not a knock in any way.

BLUEDOT37 said:
As far as plinking with cheap stuff store bought ammo, in these cartridges, I don't know where'd you get that. My cheap reloads for the 500 S&W run $35-39 per 100, double that price when using premium bullets. That's still way cheaper than factory prices. Handloading is the only way to go if you're going to shoot these big bores any amount.

Agreed. Once you're past 240-grain bullets for the .44 Rem Mag, you're really out of the realm of shooting anything remotely cheaply. Even that comes out to about $17/100. 200-gr .45 ACP is around $15, .38s are around $11.50, and 9mm is $11 even.

The only way to reduce costs from there is to start casting, which comes with a whole different set of costs, related to procuring and processing the lead and alloying metals.

Laketime · Jun 27, 2016

sw282 said:
Desert Eagles are messy. Throwing big fat round pieces all over the place..Dangerous too with that brass laying around..Big tripping hazard..Not nearly as accurate either..Messy and inaccurate compared to a Smith kinda turns a DE into "turkey"

Accuracy wise the big Smith trails the Desert eagle in every test.Each Desert Eagle is sighted in at 100 yards.All of mine could give both my Ed Brown ,and my kimber gold matches a run for the money at 15 yards.

TheZman13 · Jun 27, 2016

BLUEDOT37 said:
I'm not sure why you think there's any comparison between the 50AE & the 500 S&W?

The 50AE has a SAAMI max of 35K psi while the 500 S&W is 60K psi. Even at the more commonly loaded pressure of 50K psi, for the 500, it's still no comparison.

Hornady factory loads: (store bought)

-50AE, 300gr XTP, 1475mv, 1449me, 6" bbl

-500S&W, 300gr FTX, 1950mv, 2533me, 8.5" bbl

The 500 S&W case holds >25% than the 50AE.

The 4" 500 S&W is really a 3" bbl. with a 1" comp (not rifled)

The 6" 50AE Desert Eagle barrel length includes the ~1.75" chamber so the rifled bbl. is closer to 4.25".
.

As far as plinking with cheap stuff store bought ammo, in these cartridges, I don't know where'd you get that. My cheap reloads for the 500 S&W run $35-39 per 100, double that price when using premium bullets. That's still way cheaper than factory prices. Handloading is the only way to go if you're going to shoot these big bores any amount.

.

Thank you for your response. But i wasnt really comparing the 2 rounds. I was wondering about 2 specific guns. The 4" 500 S&W vs the Desert Eagle which has a longer barrel since both guns are similar in size and are most likely to be carried on the hip over a 8 or 10" hunting barrel. I really think velocity with store bought lighter anmo would be close but im not just conparing power im also compairing accuracy, recoil and the coolness and fun factor of the 2 weapons. And also even if you just compaired power and just the rounds lets face it they are both. 50 cals. Unless your shooting Elephants i doubt there would be much difference in damage in whatever else you shoot!!! Looks like the water melons and jugs pretty much evaporate when hit with either. Lol.. And im guessing whitetail dear size game wouldn't know much difference either. Both would have a big ole .50 cal hole.. Also from watching reviews and video online looks like the recoil is a lot more manageable on the Auto DE. Which matters as well.

indie_rocker · Jun 27, 2016

Sounds like you've made up your mind regardless of what people on here are telling you.

I recall when the .500 S&W first came out. A buddy and I were in a local gun shop to rent and shoot and he was all goo-eyed over the Desert Eagle. The guy behind the counter pulled out one of the rounds and set it on the counter. "It's a big boy, eh?" Then he pulls out a .500 S&W round. Our jaws dropped...

DonD · Jun 27, 2016

Laketime said:
Accuracy wise the big Smith trails the Desert eagle in every test.Each Desert Eagle is sighted in at 100 yards.All of mine could give both my Ed Brown ,and my kimber gold matches a run for the money at 15 yards.

I think that is a load of BS and who cares about 15 yds??? Nobody. A S&W with a scope can hold 2 MOA at 100 yds, I seriously doubt a 50DE can come anywhere near that.

And please show us what testing you're referring to. Don

Laketime · Jun 27, 2016

TheZman13 said:
Thank you for your response. But i wasnt really comparing the 2 rounds. I was wondering about 2 specific guns. The 4" 500 S&W vs the Desert Eagle which has a longer barrel since both guns are similar in size and are most likely to be carried on the hip over a 8 or 10" hunting barrel. I really think velocity with store bought lighter anmo would be close but im not just conparing power im also compairing accuracy, recoil and the coolness and fun factor of the 2 weapons. And also even if you just compaired power and just the rounds lets face it they are both. 50 cals. Unless your shooting Elephants i doubt there would be much difference in damage in whatever else you shoot!!! Looks like the water melons and jugs pretty much evaporate when hit with either. Lol.. And im guessing whitetail dear size game wouldn't know much difference either. Both would have a big ole .50 cal hole.. Also from watching reviews and video online looks like the recoil is a lot more manageable on the Auto DE. Which matters as well.

For hunting or protection against dangerous game,the 50AE out of the Desert Eagle has dropped everything on all continents.The locking rotary bolt helps the rounds reach their full potential.Example...if the .357 is too mild a cartridge for some..try it out of a Desert Eagle.Feels like a much stronger cartridge.The four inch smith will be much easier to carry around then an Eagle.The only real way to carry the Eagle with any comfort is with a JBP shoulder holster from Holstrama.If you do opt of an Eagle,try and find one that was made in Israel at either IMI or IWI over a USA made one.

Laketime · Jun 27, 2016

DonD said:
I think that is a load of BS and who cares about 15 yds??? Nobody. A S&W with a scope can hold 2 MOA at 100 yds, I seriously doubt a 50DE can come anywhere near that.

And please show us what testing you're referring to. Don

Do some research on the gun ,or better yet find a club range that rents one and see for yourself.Many videos out there with 200 yd shots with the Eagle.Next time do a little research before being rude.

This is the .44 magnum

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1xj_3RvP2E[/ame]

TheZman13 · Jun 27, 2016

DonD said:
I think that is a load of BS and who cares about 15 yds??? Nobody. A S&W with a scope can hold 2 MOA at 100 yds, I seriously doubt a 50DE can come anywhere near that.

And please show us what testing you're referring to. Don

The Desert Eagle has a rail fir installation of a scope. Im guessing it will be pretty accurate out to 100 with less recoil then the 500..

TheZman13 · Jun 27, 2016

Laketime said:
For hunting or protection against dangerous game,the 50AE out of the Desert Eagle has dropped everything on all continents.The locking rotary bolt helps the rounds reach their full potential.Example...if the .357 is too mild a cartridge for some..try it out of a Desert Eagle.Feels like a much stronger cartridge.The four inch smith will be much easier to carry around then an Eagle.The only real way to carry the Eagle with any comfort is with a JBP shoulder holster from Holstrama.If you do opt of an Eagle,try and find one that was made in Israel at either IMI or IWI over a USA made one.

Thanks for the info ..thats good too know. I would have went with the USA one. Are the Israeli DE made better?

TheZman13 · Jun 27, 2016

indie_rocker said:
Sounds like you've made up your mind regardless of what people on here are telling you.

I recall when the .500 S&W first came out. A buddy and I were in a local gun shop to rent and shoot and he was all goo-eyed over the Desert Eagle. The guy behind the counter pulled out one of the rounds and set it on the counter. "It's a big boy, eh?" Then he pulls out a .500 S&W round. Our jaws dropped...

Actually i havent decided yet. I like them both for 2 different reasons. Im actually leaning slightly toward the 4" 500 because i can hunt with it in my state if i want were the 50 DE i can't. But with that being said thats not super important since i have a Ruger 454 for that. But it still would be nice to be able to if i like.

4" S&W 500mag vs Desert Eagle 50AE Auto?

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