Desert Eagle .50

Desert Eagle .50


Probably the most bad-ass hand gun on the planet.  Originally designed by Bernard C. White of Magnum research, the first patent for this gun was filed in January 1983.  The Desert Eagle .50 was first designed as a revolver but later altered to be a semi-automatic.  The second patent was filed by IMI (Israel Military Industries) in December 1985 and this was the gun that would be produced.

The Desert Eagle is unique because it utilizes a gas-operated mechanism that is normally found in rifles.  Semi-automatic handguns generally use recoil or blow back designs.  In the Desert Eagle the barrel does not move.  When a round is fired gases are ported out through a small hole in the barrel near the breech.  The gas travels through forward through a small tube under the barrel to a cylinder near the front of the barrel.  The separate bolt slide has a small piston in the front that fits into the cylinder.  When the gas reaches the cylinder it pushes the piston rearward.  The rotating bolt resembles the M16 rifle and the fixed gas cylinder resembles the M14 rifle.

Gas operation allows for the use of much more powerful cartridges.  The standard barrel length in the Desert Eagle is 6" although some are also 10".  The most recent version of the Eagle is the XIX which is fed by a detachable magazine.  It is made for three calibre's, a .357 Magnum, a .44 Magnum and a .50 AE (action express).