The Desert Eagle pistol has not gained fame in the army or in special forces, but it is rightfully one of the most famous pistols in the world. It can be safely called a legendary example of small arms, which has gained fame among the masses. The popularization of the pistol was largely facilitated by computer games, as well as various films in which it was often used because of its impressive size and frightening appearance.
The Desert Eagle pistol (translated as "Desert Eagle") is a large caliber.50 self-loading pistol (12.7 mm, for a minute, this is the caliber of heavy machine guns). It was created in 1983 and is the fruit of joint efforts of the American company Magnum Research and the Israeli company Israel Military Industries, which has also been engaged in its production for a long time. The pistol was originally positioned as a hunting weapon, as well as a weapon for self-defense against various wild animals and encroachments from criminal elements.
A huge, angular pistol weighing up to two kilograms is recognizable all over the world and it is not for nothing that it enjoys a reputation as a superweapon among pistols. This is largely due to the very powerful unitary cartridge -.50 Action Express (12, 7x32, 6 mm). This ammunition is considered one of the most "lethal" pistol ammunition on the planet. The cartridge is distinguished by the presence of a 20-gram blunt-headed bullet with a truly huge stopping effect. Of course, hunting a bear or other large forest dwellers with such a pistol is a rather dubious idea, but even when meeting a large predator, you will have a chance to survive if you have a Desert Eagle pistol at hand.
The original patent application for the new pistol was filed by Bernard S. White of the American company Magnum Research in January 1983. Later, this patent served as the basis for the development of the Desert Eagle pistol, the first working copy of which was released in the United States in the same year. After that, the pistol underwent final refinement at the Israeli company Israel Military Industries and in December 1985 received a second patent, which finally approved the characteristics and appearance of the weapon, which was put into mass production. The pistol is in stable demand in the market despite the rather high price, depending on the model and caliber, it starts at about $ 1,600, for example, the model "Desert Eagle,.357 Magnum, Black" will cost a US resident today $ 1,572.
Initially, mass production of the new pistol was deployed in Israel at the production facilities of Israel Military Industries, in 1995-2000 it was transferred to the Saco Defense plant in Maine, USA, but then returned to Israel in connection with the acquisition of the Saco plant by General Dynamics. Since 2009, the pistol has again been produced in the United States by Magnum Research. Today the pistol is available in three main calibers:.357 (magazine capacity of 9 rounds),.44 (magazine capacity of 8 rounds) and.50 (magazine capacity of 7 rounds).
The initial goal of the representatives of the Magnum Research company was to create a new, truly unique sports and hunting self-loading pistol for one of the most powerful at that time revolving cartridges.357 Magnum (9x33 mm). The new pistol was supposed to compete with revolvers of the same caliber in sports shooting at long-range silhouettes and hunting. It should be noted that hunting with "one-handed weapons" - large revolvers, which can be hung with various tactical accessories and optics, is quite popular in the USA. In this regard, a new hunting pistol chambered for a powerful cartridge would be guaranteed to find its customers, and so in the end it happened.
From a technical point of view, the Desert Eagle pistol was designed according to a scheme that is typical not for self-loading pistols, but for automatic rifles. In its automation, the designers used the principle of removing powder gases for reloading. The gas outlet tube is located under the barrel of the pistol, and the powder gases are discharged directly to the bolt carrier. Locking is performed by turning the bolt head. The bolt itself and locking with lugs (larvae) resembles the mechanism that was implemented in the famous American M16 automatic rifle. The use of such a system by the designers of the pistol was dictated, among other things, by the power of the cartridges used, which exceed those that are usually used in self-loading pistols. The use of the most powerful.50 Action Express cartridge (12, 7 × 32, 6 mm) made the Desert Eagle pistol competitive in those areas in which revolvers were the only dominant. The.50 Action Express cartridge was developed in 1988 specifically for this pistol model. The energy of its expansive 19 gram bullet is 2200 joules.
The pistol bolt has four lugs that engage with the breech. The pistol uses a trigger-type trigger mechanism, the fuse is mechanical, double-sided, it blocks the bolt of the weapon. The Desert Eagle sights are open, non-adjustable. The pistol is equipped with single-row magazines, designed for 7-9 rounds, depending on the caliber of the weapon.
When fired, the powder gases are discharged through a hole located in the immediate vicinity of the chamber, after which they are directed along the barrel bore to the front of the barrel to the short-stroke piston. The piston then pushes back the massive breechblock of the pistol, after which the spent cartridge case is extracted. The piston and gas outlet of the Desert Eagle pistol, located in the barrel, define the signature, recognizable massive silhouette of the weapon. The characteristic muzzle, which has a triangular shape, also gives the weapon a brutality of rather large dimensions. The large length of the pistol is dictated by the relatively long stroke of the bolt carrier.
Since the start of serial production, several models of the Desert Eagle pistol have been created. The Mark I and Mark VII models have already been discontinued. The features of the Mark I model were a number of pistol design differences (the location of the grip cheek, fire switch). The Mark VII model was distinguished by the presence of a Weaver rail on the barrel, which made it possible to install various additional accessories on the weapon: tactical flashlights, laser designators, optical sights. Also, this model received an adjustable trigger. Pistols of these models could use.357 Magnum and.44 Magnum cartridges. The most modern pistol modifications are produced exclusively on the basis of the Mark XIX model. It was based on the Mark VII pistol and is available today in three calibers.357 Magnum,.44 Magnum, and.50 Action Express, also differing in barrel lengths - 6 or 10 inches. At the same time, re-equipping a pistol for the use of cartridges of a different caliber can be done quite simply: replace the barrel, magazine and bolt. These actions can also be performed in the field.
The length of the Desert Eagle pistol, even with the shortest 6-inch (152 mm) barrel, is 27 centimeters. Such dimensions make the weapon extremely impractical in a city firefight, as well as inconvenient to carry in everyday life and an unprofitable option as a means of self-defense. In addition, the large size of the cartridges used with the pistol has led to the fact that its handle, in which the single-row magazine is placed, is very inconvenient to grip. It is difficult for people with a small hand to even hold this weapon, let alone fire from it.
Due to its large size, strong recoil, high weight, as well as a small magazine capacity, this pistol was never considered by the special services or the military as a suitable weapon. It is worth noting that the manufacturer has never positioned the Desert Eagle as an army or police weapon, always highlighting its hunting purpose. Moreover, the Desert Eagle pistol has never been tested in difficult operating conditions, the weapon is considered very sensitive to care. All this did not prevent this pistol from earning the image of an ultimatum weapon, sometimes it is even called a "hand cannon", in many respects this image is actively cultivated by computer games and the film industry. In any case, this is exactly the case when the caliber matters and the pistol is rightfully considered one of the most powerful representatives of small arms. The Desert Eagle was originally created for hunting big game and protecting the shooter from dangerous large animals, the.50 Action Express cartridge has a very strong stopping effect, and the manufacturer claims that the weapon is able to protect the owner even from a hippo.
Due to its heavy weight, which can reach two kilograms, it is very difficult to hold the pistol correctly. The high power of the cartridge leads to a very strong recoil when firing, as well as a very loud sound of the shot. In fact, in enclosed spaces, shooting this pistol with.50 Action Express ammunition can injure the shooter's hearing aid, even if he is using special headphones. Therefore,.50AE cartridges are simply banned in many closed shooting ranges. When firing from a pistol, a large tongue of flame appears, which bursts out of the barrel, which is not equipped with a flame arrester. From this flash it is very easy to detect the position of the shooter, and at dusk the flash from his own shot temporarily blinds the shooter.
The recoil when firing from such a "hand cannon" when using.50 caliber cartridges is great even when holding the weapon with both hands, although it is lower than that of other types of small arms of a similar caliber. The recoil is lower due to the lower initial velocity and mass of the bullet, as well as due to the implemented automatic mechanism, which stretches the transmission of the recoil impulse to the shooter in time. When fired, for right-handers, the pistol goes to the left, for left-handers - to the right, which is typical for any firearm. But due to the very powerful.50AE cartridge, this effect is most pronounced in the Desert Eagle pistol. Experts note that with insufficient grip or insufficiently strong shooter muscles, recoil when fired can lead to a blow to the face with a pistol.
We can unequivocally say that as a service weapon, the Desert Eagle loses to almost any pistol. It is inconvenient to wear, and secretly and completely impossible. Strong recoil when fired makes the shooter think more about how not to drop the pistol from his hands than about hitting the enemy hiding behind cover. Even the special power can also be attributed to the minuses in service use, such a pistol is simply not needed for shooting "only" at people. Despite all its obvious shortcomings, the pistol is in strong demand in the market, as evidenced by the huge number of modifications that are available to buyers on the official websites.
Perhaps, one of the main purposes of the pistol, in addition to direct sports shooting and hunting, has become a film career, in which the weapon has achieved really great success. A special section was even created on the Magnum Research website, which can be called the official "portfolio": it contains all the feature films in which the Desert Eagle pistol has been shot.
