actually, the mk23 socom is just about as big as a deagle with the standard barrel, if you set them side by side. don't confuse the socom with the usp tactical, which is not much bigger than a standard uspf.
the socom from what i hear is practically a match gun out of the box, even better if you toss on a nice can
the socom also costs about 2x as much as a standard deagle.
of course with a larger barrel, the deagle is bigger, but to an extent, i think it gets too big to be practical for defensive use, but makes a nice range or hunting gun.