Upon it’s original patent the Desert Eagle, or Deagle for short,
took elements from three different types of firearms and merged them together
to create an iconic gun that has become synonymous with blockbuster action movies,
and even some blended genre comedies because of its overtly large nature.
It’s part pistol, part revolver and part rifle- and all heavy caliber-killing machine.
Before the Desert Eagle, if your average Joe wanted to shoot heavy caliber bullets,
like a .44 or .357 Magnum, they would be forced to use a revolver.
The revolver had a more simplistic and mechanically stronger design
and it was able to handle the pressures of the heavier caliber bullets. When the Desert Eagle
popped up on the gun range it changed the landscape for the semi-automatic pistol.
A lot of credit has to be given to the founders of Magnum Research Jim Skildum and John Risdall,
who had the foresight to see the potential and lack of practicality that the Deagle offers.
It was Magnum Research’s Bernard White and Riga Arms Institute’s Arnolds Streinbergs who filed
a US patent application for the mechanism that created the gas-actuated semi-automatic pistol,
first introduced in 1983. This is largely considered the baseline for the creation
of the Desert Eagle, although a second patent was filed in 1985 by Israeli gun-maker Israel
Military Industries. The second design is the form that went into larger production. For the next
three decades these two companies would share the majority of production responsibility for the gun.
The Desert Eagle uses a gas-operated mechanism that is typically found in rifles because the
blowback system that is more commonly found in pistols wouldn’t be as safe or practical. Whoever
decides to employ the use of this hand cannon would find that this gas system diverts some
of the hot gunpowder gases from the barrel and ports them through a small hole near the breech.
These travel forward through a small tube under the barrel in order to drive a piston that cycles
the action. The pistol is fired by a single action hammer, and luckily for all of its users,
has an ambidextrous safety switch. Safety is paramount with a weapon of this caliber
and with this particular rotating drum mechanism that sits over firing pin
it dramatically reduces the chances of this gun accidentally discharging.
With the safety off, watch out! Because when the gases reach the cylinder, the piston pushes the
slide rearward, the bolt carrier rides rearward on two rails on either side of the barrel,
operating this larger than life mechanism. Its rotating bolt technology resembles that of an
M16 series rifle, while the fixed gas cylinder and moving piston resemble that of an M14 rifle.
The advantage of the gas operation is that it allows for more powerful cartridges than
traditional semi-automatic pistols and thus allows the Desert Eagle to dominate in an
arena previously owned by large caliber revolvers. The unsolicited downside of
the gun is that it discourages the use of unjacketed lead bullets, because the lead
particles could shear off and clog the gas release tap and prevent proper function.
The Desert Eagle is fed with a detachable magazine and capacities vary from 9 rounds in .357 Magnum,
8 rounds in .44 Magnum, and 7 rounds of the infamous .50 caliber Action Express
or .50 caliber AE. No matter which round is being used, it’s a uniquely large build
with a weight coming in at over 4 pounds. This gun is great to have on you during a
rifle malfunction out on a large game hunt, although many argue the use of its practical
utility. The recoil has been said by some gun enthusiasts to resemble that of a Glock 9mm.
Others argue that a novice shooter could easily be thrown off balance the first few
times they shoot the weapon until they learn to brace themselves for the punch the gun packs.
Switching the Desert Eagle to another type of chambering requires that the correct bolt,
barrel and magazine are installed and this makes conversion to firing
different rounds quick and easy. The rim diameter of the .50 AE is the exact same
as the .44 Remington Magnum round so only a barrel and magazine change is required
to allow a more powerful .50 AE round to be shot from a .44 Desert Eagle.
The oldest variant, the Mark I- which is no longer made- was offered in steel, stainless steel,
and aluminum alloy frames and differs primarily in the size and shape of the slide catch and
safety levers. The Mark VII includes an adjustable trigger and allowed for retrofitting to the Mark
I pistols. Together the models were both available in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum,
the only difference being that the Mark VII was chambered for .41 Magnum as well.
Only later would the Mark VII model be offered with a .50 Action Express capability.
Barrel lengths for these two models came in 6, 10 and 14 inches for the .357 and .44 Magnum
models respectively, but only 6 or 10 inches would work for the less popular .41 Magnum.
Nobody really knows what happened to models Mark II through VI and even more curiously
models Mark VIII through Mark XVIII. Most theorize that they have been lost forever
in the archives of Magnum Research and Israel Military Industries. Regardless,
the Mark XIX is the model that we have become familiar with in popular culture today. This
most recent model offers true interchangeability between .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .429 DE and .50
AE. These models come in a variety of different finishes, from titanium gold to polished chrome,
and even the more “Gotti” style “Tiger Stripe” pattern. The grip is formed for a two-handed
style of shooting and in order to reduce the recoil further a proprietary muzzle brake was
added to both the .50 AE and .44 Magnum versions. The .357 and .44 Magnum XIX versions have exterior
barrel fluting whereas the .50 AE version has a smooth finish. The current models also now have
a newly installed Picatinny rail along the top of the barrel, as opposed to the dovetail style
rail on the older models. The Mark XIX barrels are also machined with scope mounting bases,
making it easy to add an aftermarket scope for a more Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies look.
Speaking of the “governator” we might as well add that California, of course,
has to have its own “special” version approved for dealer sales. Its model differs from the standard
XIX model because it has a firing-pin block incorporated in its design for added safety.
The handgun’s manufacturing history has changed hands multiple times between American and Israeli
gun makers. Israeli Military Industries or IMI first manufactured the Desert Eagle for the
American firm Magnum Research upon its creation in the mid 1980s. In 1995 manufacturing came to
the US by way of Saco Defense in Maine. Then in 1998 production went back to Israel and
then back again to American gun maker Magnum Research out of Minnesota in 2009. In 2010,
Magnum Research was purchased by Kahr arms but still produces Desert Eagles stateside to this
day. So have no fear when purchasing a new DE because they are now exclusively American made.
Several spin-offs of this gun have been made over the years like the Jericho,
also known as the “Baby Eagle”. IMI makes the Jericho 941 and Magnum Research markets
the gun as the “Baby Eagle,” although it bears no functional equivalence,
its barrel swapping ability does mirror that of the Desert Eagle. Magnum Research has also
introduced a pistol called the “Micro Desert Eagle”. It has almost no resemblance to the
Desert Eagle and doesn’t share its ammunition or barrel swapping abilities, but it shares
the gas-assisted blowback system. It’s safe to say that comparisons to the Desert Eagle will
continue, as long as Magnum Research has any stake in the matter. Rumor has it that the company even
solicited the gun to prop houses in order to gain some of the commercial success that it has had.
The argument can be made that the Desert Eagle has become just as famous for pistols,
or infamous depending on which gun enthusiast camp you belong, as the AK-47 has for assault rifles.
It has had numerous appearances in film, TV shows, video games and even anime. The first use of the
gun in film is credited to Year of the Dragon in 1985. In that same year it appeared in Commando
and Police Academy 2 and instantly became a cult classic. Some of the bigger film titles the pistol
has notably appeared in are the RoboCop, Crank and Matrix movie series, Belly, Snatch, Austin Powers
in Goldmember, Boondock Saints and countless other movie titles. Some of us remember the gun's claim
to fame on TV by its use in Miami Vice, The Sopranos, True Detective and The Shield. If
you’re looking to get behind one of these puppies but don’t want to fork over the dough to buy one
you can virtually shoot look-alikes, and oddly enough often stainless steel versions in the
Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto, Rainbow Six: Vegas, and the Dead Island series.
The Desert Eagle has never been adopted by any military or police force because,
to put in bluntly, its practicality is limited- to say the least. The $1.50 to $2.50
cost per bullet is a steep price tag for ammunition, especially if you have to outfit
hundreds or even thousands of personnel. On YouTube you can see countless videos of
the Desert Eagle’s power. The gun can be seen ripping through various objects- the obligatory
watermelon, rocks, a refrigerator, and even a bowling ball. When looking at the specifications
and evolution of the Desert Eagle we feel it can safely be said that although this weapon echoes in
the halls of gun historians everywhere for its sheer power, it is largely considered a flop.
Now go watch Evolution of the M-16 or click this other link instead!