I have interviewed soldiers regarding their opinion about the MK.23 gun and .50 Desert Eagle gun: "The .50 Desert Eagle gun (DE) is generally considered too unwieldy for combat but not hunting. The Mk23 is considering an offensive combat pistol. Personally I would go with the Mk. 23. It's not too big, but not too small. The Desert Eagle gun is so... I don't know what word I'm looking for... over rated, you know like everyone thinks it's amazing. Who makes it? And I thought they were illegal without a class 3. I'll take the mark 23 any day, also heavy, but anything is better than a Desert Eagle gun. They also make them in a .45, called an AE."

"I wouldn't see the problem with .50 Desert Eagle gun in combat. I mean, the Israelis have been using them in urbanized combat, why not us? Just pulling out a Desert Eagle is clearly going to make the other guy wish that he had one too. Me personally, I tend to only like the .45 round in the M1911. Israeli forces do not use them, they only make them. IDF uses what is colorfully called the "baby eagle", the Jericho in 9mm and the Glock in 9mm. Not yet adopted, is the "Barak" in 9mm. If your military is not going to use it why make a .50 cal pistol do their snipers use it or something?"

"Don't get me wrong, but I thought that the Israelis were using the damn weapon! But I did know that they were making them. Israeli Military Industries. I believe that is what the name of the company is that manufactures Desert Eagles. The Desert Eagle comes bored in several different sizes including the .50AE NOT DE I don't even know if there is such a thing as a .50DE size of bullet. Have you ever seen one in real life? It's huge! That's one of the reasons that SOCOM wants to replace it!"

"Trials were run with it, but the conclusion was that a magnum pistol of that size is just not good for combat. It's largely used as a sporting pistol today. That true, the size of the Desert Eagle would be a pain, but that firepower would be nice as hell in the middle of a firefight! You're right, I figured it was about 5 inches long, but it is really about 10 inches. Have you ever fired a high powered handgun? They are fine, if you need to take one shot. If you need a very quick second shot, you're screwed. Too much recoil."

"So, given that, they would suck in a firefight. That's why the FBI dropped the 10mm, and the 50 Desert Eagle is much more powerful and HUGE. For combat, a pistol of adequate stopping power that the firer can quickly fire a second shot or quickly transition to a second target is ideal. Not some hand cannon. Next you'll be touting the S&W 460 or 500 Magnums. You know, what you see in video games doesn't translate to the real world. Also, the MK 23 holds 12 rounds and the Desert Eagle .50 holds 7. I'd take the MK 23 if I had a choice."