The Desert Eagle is a single-action, gas-operated semi-automatic pistol jointly developed by the American company Magnum Research and Israel Military Industries between 1979 and 1982, with production beginning in 1983 and continuing today at Magnum Research's facility in Pillager, Minnesota, after earlier manufacture by Israel Military Industries and its privatized successor Israel Weapon Industries. Unusually for a handgun, the Desert Eagle uses a gas-operated, rotating-bolt mechanism more typical of rifles than pistols, is offered in a range of powerful calibers including .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .50 Action Express, the last of these described as the largest centerfire cartridge fired by any magazine-fed, self-loading pistol, and is built with 6 or 10 inch barrel options weighing close to four pounds unloaded. Its primary intended uses are hunting, target shooting and metallic silhouette competition rather than routine military or police issue, though its size and power have made it a recognizable and sometimes symbolically used sidearm among some military and law enforcement personnel and a frequent presence in popular film and video-game depictions of firearms.
Facts
Classification
Service Status Weapon Class Introduced Year Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category) FAQs
Why does the Desert Eagle use a rifle-style gas system, and what does it cost?
Gas operation allows far more powerful cartridges, at the cost of size and a risk of clogging with unjacketed lead bullets.
The gas-operated mechanism lets the pistol use far more powerful cartridges than traditional semi-automatic pistol designs can handle, which allowed it to compete in an area that magnum revolvers had previously dominated. The costs are the large size of the pistol and the fact that it discourages unjacketed lead bullets, because lead particles sheared off during firing can clog the gas release tap and stop the pistol from working properly.
Connections
Operated By
Source MilitaryFactory.com: IWI / Magnum Research Desert Eagle
Source MilitaryFactory.com: IWI / Magnum Research Desert Eagle
In the Other Atlases
Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Wikidata: Desert Eagle
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Wikidata: Desert Eagle
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Desert Eagle
WikipediaLead section
White of Magnum Research who filed a U.S. patent application for a mechanism for a gas-actuated pistol in January 1983. This established the basic layout of the Desert Eagle.
Infobox: cartridge
.50 Action Express .44 Magnum .440 Cor-Bon .429 DE .41 Magnum .357 Magnum .357/44 Bain & Davis (IMI prototype only)
Infobox: production_date
1983-present
Caliber attribute (desert-eagle)
Unusually for a handgun, the Desert Eagle uses a gas-operated, rotating-bolt mechanism more typical of rifles than pistols, is offered in a range of powerful calibers including .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum and .50 Action Express, the last of these described as the largest centerfire cartridge fired by any magazine-fed, self-loading pistol, and is built with 6 or 10 inch barrel options weighing close to four pounds unloaded.
View the Source Wikidata: Desert Eagle
Wikidata Q217278, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source MilitaryFactory.com: IWI / Magnum Research Desert Eagle
MilitaryFactory.comOperated By: Israeli Defense Forces, Operators
[ Israel; United States ]
Operated By: United States Armed Forces, Operators
[ Israel; United States ]
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