Desert Eagle

The Desert Eagle is a semi-automatic pistol notable for chambering the largest centerfire cartridge of any magazine-fed, self-loading pistol. It is also (according to most sources) the most powerful magazine-fed semi-automatic commercial handgun, by virtue of the muzzle energy it can generate. Magnum Research Inc. (MRI) designed and developed the Desert Eagle. The design was refined and the pistols were manufactured by Israel Military Industries (IMI) until 1995, when MRI shifted the manufacturing contract to Saco Defense in Saco, Maine. In 1998, MRI moved manufacturing back to IMI, which later commercialized its small arms branch under the name Israel Weapon Industries. Since 2009, the Desert Eagle Pistol has been produced in the United States at MRI's Pillager, Minnesota facility.[3] Kahr Arms acquired Magnum Research in 2010.[4]

For other uses, see Desert Eagle (disambiguation).
Desert Eagle
Desert Eagle Mark XIX, with new-style Picatinny rail, in .44 Magnum
TypeSemi-automatic pistol
Place of originUnited States
Service history
Used bySee Users
Production history
DesignerMagnum Research and Israel Military Industries
Designed1979–1982
ManufacturerMagnum Research
  • (2009–current)

Magnum Research

    and Israel Weapon Industries

    • (2005–2009)

    Israel Military Industries

    • (1998–2005)
    • (1982–1995)

    Saco Defense

    • (1995–1998)
    Produced1982–present
    VariantsMark I (Introduced in 1983)
    Mark VII (Introduced in 1990)
    Mark XIX (Introduced in 1995)
    Specifications
    MassMark VII
    • 3.9 lb (1,769.0 g) (.357 Magnum)
    • 4.2 lb (1,905.1 g) (.44 Magnum)

    Mark XIX

    • 4.4 lb (1,995.8 g)
    LengthMark VII
    • 10.6 in (269.2 mm) (6in barrel)

    Mark XIX

    • 10.75 in (273.1 mm) (6in barrel)
    • 14.75 in (374.6 mm) (10in barrel)
    Barrel length6 in (152.4 mm), 10 in (254.0 mm)

    L5

    • 5 in (127.0 mm)
    Cartridge
    ActionGas-operated, rotating bolt
    Muzzle velocity1542 ft/s(.50AE)
    Maximum firing range220 yd
    Feed systemDetachable stick magazine; capacities:
    • 9 rounds (.357)
    • 8 rounds (.41 and .44)
    • 7 rounds (.429 DE, .440 Cor-Bon and .50 AE)
    SightsIron sights and optional optics

    Magnum Research has marketed various versions of the short recoil Jericho 941 pistol under the Baby Eagle and Desert Eagle Pistol names; these weapons are not directly related to the Desert Eagle but do share a similar visual design.[5]

    Design details
    Drawings from patent 4,619,184 showing the Desert Eagle's gas-operated mechanism
    Mark XIX Desert Eagle pistol with a box of Speer 325-grain .50 AE ammunition
    Interchangeable barrels for a Desert Eagle Mark I.

    The design for the Desert Eagle was initiated by Bernard C. White of Magnum Research and Arnolds Streinbergs of Riga Arms Institute, who filed a US patent application for a mechanism for a gas-actuated pistol in January 1983.[6] This established the basic layout of the Desert Eagle. A second patent application was filed in December 1985, after the basic design had been refined by IMI Systems (Israel Military Industries) for production, and this is the form that went into production.[7]

    The pistol is fired by a single action hammer, and has a manual safety switch on the slide. The ambidextrous safety switch rotates a drum mechanism which sits over the firing pin, causing the firing pin to lock in, which prevents it from moving forward and reduces the possibility of the gun discharging accidentally. With the safety off, pulling the trigger releases the hammer to fall downward, hitting the firing pin and causing the chambered round to discharge.

    The Desert Eagle uses a gas-operated mechanism normally found in rifles, as opposed to the short recoil or blow-back designs most commonly seen in semi-automatic pistols. When a round is fired, gases are ported out through a small hole in the barrel in front of the chamber. These travel forward, through a small tube under the barrel, to a cylinder underneath the front of the barrel. The slide, which acts as the bolt carrier, has a small piston on the front that fits into this cylinder. When the gases reach the cylinder, the piston pushes the slide rearward, with a large pin inside the camming surface in the rear of the bolt causing the bolt to rotate and unlock. A mechanism on the left side of the bolt prevents the bolt from rotating freely as the slide moves, forcing it to remain aligned correctly with the barrel while the breech is open. The spring loaded ejector is continually being depressed by the case, until the case is free of the chamber and the tension from the ejector is released, causing the case to eject, breaking free of the extractor in the process. The slide reaches its rearmost position, then moves forward again under tension of the recoil springs. The bottom lug of the bolt pushes a new round into the chamber, then the bolt locks up and the gun can be fired again.

    The rotating bolt has four radial locking lugs, with the extractor on the right hand side fitting where the fifth lug would be, and strongly resembles the 7-lug bolt of the M16 series of rifles, while the fixed gas cylinder/moving piston resemble those of the Ruger Mini-14 carbine (the original patent used a captive piston similar to the M14 rifle).[3][5]

    The advantage of the gas operation is that it allows the use of far more powerful cartridges than traditional semi-automatic pistol designs. Thus it allows the Desert Eagle to compete in an area that had previously been dominated by magnum revolvers. Downsides of the gas-operated mechanism are the large size of the Desert Eagle, and the fact that it discourages the use of unjacketed lead bullets, as lead particles sheared off during firing could clog the gas release tap, preventing proper function.[5]

    Switching a Desert Eagle to another chambering requires only that the correct barrel, bolt assembly, and magazine be installed. Thus, a conversion to fire the other cartridges can be quickly accomplished. The rim diameter of the .50 AE (Action Express) is the same as the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge, consequently only a barrel and magazine change is required to convert a .44 Desert Eagle to the larger, more powerful .50 AE round.[3][5] The most popular barrel length is 6 in (152 mm), although a 10 in (254 mm) barrel is available. The Mark XIX barrels are machined with integral scope mounting bases, simplifying the process of adding a pistol scope.

    The Desert Eagle is fed with a detachable magazine. Magazine capacity is 9 rounds in .357 Magnum, 8 rounds in .44 Magnum, and 7 rounds in .50 Action Express. The Desert Eagle's barrel features polygonal rifling. The pistol is primarily used for hunting, target shooting, and silhouette shooting.[3][5]

    Variants

    Mark I and VII

    The Mark I, which is no longer produced, was offered with a steel, stainless steel or aluminum alloy frame and differs primarily in the size and shape of the safety levers and slide catch.[5] The Mark VII includes an adjustable trigger (retrofittable to Mark I pistols). The Mark I and VII are both available in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum; the Mark VII has been chambered for .41 Magnum. The barrels had a ​3⁄8" dovetail, to which an accessory mount could be attached. Later Mark VII models were offered in .50 Action Express with a ​7⁄8" Weaver-pattern rail on the barrel; the .50 Mark VII would later become the Mark XIX. Barrel lengths were 6, 10, and 14 inches[5] for .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum, but only 6 or 10 inches for .41 Magnum.

    Mark XIX

    The most recent model, the Mark XIX, is available in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, 429 DE (introduced 2018) and .50 Action Express (or .50 AE). This model comes in a variety of different finishes, such as brushed chrome or titanium gold. Magnum Research offered this model in .440 Cor-Bon caliber, a .50 AE derived case. There were fewer than 500 original .440 Cor-Bon Desert Eagles imported into U.S. in December 2000. These are marked by the number 440 on the left lower side of the barrel, in numerals twice the size of other calibers, and without the preceding period. A number of .44 Magnum barrels were re-chambered to produce .440 Corbon barrels, but these can be identified by the off-centered ".440" (with period) produced by adding the final 0 to the original barrel mark.

    Mark XIX barrels are available in 6-inch (150 mm) and 10-inch (250 mm) lengths only.[5] .357 Magnum barrels have exterior barrel flutes on the left, right and top sides of the barrel. .44 Magnum barrels have flutes on the left and right side only, not on the top. The .50 AE barrels have no flutes.

    The DE44CA (Desert Eagle .44 Magnum California) is the only XIX that is approved for dealer sales to the public in the State of California.[8] It differs from standard XIXs in that it has a firing-pin block incorporated in its design.

    Current-model Mark XIX Desert Eagles now have a new-style Picatinny rail along the top of the barrel, as opposed to the dove-tail style rail on previous models. Magnum Research also now offers a proprietary muzzle brake for the .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .50 AE versions to help reduce recoil.

    Customized versions

    Magnum Research and aftermarket suppliers provide custom coatings and finishes on the Desert Eagle.

    Users

    The Desert Eagle has been featured in more than 500 films, television shows and video games, making it well known in popular culture.[11]

    The commercial success of the pistol is due in part to its use in motion pictures, according to Magnum Research chairman and CEO John Risdall.[12] According to a 1994 newspaper article, the company actively solicited prop houses to use the gun.[12] By 1999 it had been used in over 40 films, including Eraser, Red Heat, RoboCop, Last Action Hero, Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Assassins, The Last Boy Scout, Double Impact, Snatch, The Matrix and Austin Powers.[12]

    It is also featured in a number of various video games and series, including Duke Nukem, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, Resident Evil, Far Cry, Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, Killing Floor, Metal Gear Solid 4, Counter-Strike, Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, Garena Free Fire and Hitman.[13]

    References
    1. Monica Arnold (October 31, 2018). "Magnum Research Introduces New 429 DE Pistol Cartridge". Retrieved November 2, 2018.
    2. Yekutiel, Darom (1991). The Art of the Handgun: An Illustrated Guide to Self Defense and Combat Shooting (In Hebrew). Jerusalem, Israel: Keter Publishing House. p. 245. ISBN 965-07-0076-5.
    3. Taffin, John (2005). "The Desert Eagle of Magnum Research". Guns Magazine. 30 (8).
    4. "Gun Review: Magnum Research IWI Desert Eagle Mark XIX .50AE". 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-28.
    5. Hartink, A.E. (2002). The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc. pp. 165–167. ISBN 978-0-7858-1519-8.
    6. US Patent 4,563,937, Gas Actuated Pistol, the first patent filed (though not the first assigned).
    7. United States Patent 4,619,184
    8. "Roster of Handguns Certified For Sale - Firearms Division". California Dept of Justice. 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2009.
    9. "//- Strona powicona Wojskowej Formacji Specjalnej GROM -//". Archived from the original on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2015-03-07.
    10. "Wayback Machine". Archived from the original on 2006-07-03. Retrieved 2012-12-09.
    11. Rees, Clair (1998). "Multiple Threat Magnum". American Handgunner. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
    12. Hornaday, Ann (Jan 17, 1999) "Guns on film: a loaded issue ", Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
    13. "Desert Eagle Games". Giant Bomb. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
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