Desert Eagle

The Desert Eagle is a large caliber gas-operated semi-automatic pistol manufactured in Israel by IMI (Israel Military Industries) for Magnum Research, Inc.

Magnum Research, based in the USA, developed and patented the original Desert Eagle design and this design was further refined by IMI. Manufacturing was moved to Saco Defense in the state of Maine from 1995 to 2000, but shifted back to Israel when Saco was acquired by General Dynamics.

The Desert Eagle is unusual in that it uses a gas-operated mechanism normally found in rifles, as opposed to the short recoil or blow-back designs most commonly seen in semi-automatic pistols. In fact, the rotating bolt and locking mechanism bear a strong resemblance to that of the M16 series of rifles. The advantage of the gas-operation is that it allows the use of far more powerful cartridges than traditional semi-automatic pistol designs, and it allows the Desert Eagle to compete in an area that had previously been dominated by magnum revolvers.

Due to, and in no small measure contributing to, its notoriety as a powerful firearm, the Desert Eagle has made frequent appearances in the action-adventure genres of books, movies, songs, TV shows, and video games.

Rumors that the Desert Eagle is used by counter-terror or special forces groups are false; these units (including Marine Force Recon, LAPD SWAT, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, aka Delta Force) use .45 caliber pistols instead; typically the M1911.