Desert Eagle
The Desert Eagle is a semi-automatic, gas-operated pistol that is manufactured in Israel by IMI (Israeli Military Industries) for Magnum Research, Inc. Magnum Research, based in the USA, developed and patented the original Desert Eagle design, but the refining was done by IMI.
There are three different versions of the Desert Eagle: the Mark I, Mark VII, and Mark XIX. The Mark I is no longer produced, but was available in .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum. The Mark VII is currently available in .44 Magnum, with .357 Magnum and .41 Magnum chamberings no longer being produced. The most recent, the Mark XIX, is available in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .50 Action Express.
Switching a Desert Eagle to another chambering requires only that the correct barrel be installed. Thus, owners only need to buy a different barrel to shoot the other cartridges. The most popular barrel length is 6", although 10" barrels (which are rarely seen) are also available.
It is fed with a detachable box magazine, just as with any other semi-auto pistol. Because it fires such large cartridges, magazine capacity is limited to a meager nine rounds in .357 Magnum, 8 rounds in .44 Magnum, and 7 rounds in .50 Action Express. Compare this to the full-sized service type pistol, the SIG-Sauer P226 (which is smaller and lighter), when chambered in 9mm Luger it can have normal magazine capacities of up to sixteen rounds.
The Desert Eagle is often erroneously portrayed as a normal sidearm; the recoil and moving the actions (e.g. cocking it,) can take many times the force of many rifles, making it incapable of being used as such. It was actually designed because soldiers had a tendency to saw-off old .357" rifles, because the stopping power was often needed when taking on vehicles and other material. The pistols have power similar to those of same caliber rifles, (naturally the shorter barrel reduces their power).
Because of its distinctive appearance and reputation, the Desert Eagle is often used as a personal sidearm by antagonists in movies.
