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Magnum
Research, Inc. patented the basic design of the Desert Eagle in 1980,
and the first working prototype of the pistol was completed in 1981. It
was about 80% functional, with a rotating bolt, full gas operation and
excellent shooting characteristics. The final refinements to the pistol
were made by Israel Military Industries (IMI), under contract to Magnum
Research, Inc. After research that included thousands of rounds of
test-firing, a fully functional .357 Magnum production model was
produced in an edition of just over 1,000 pistols. These pistols,
collector's items today, have traditional land-and-grove rifling, and
they will not accept extended barrels or caliber conversion kits.
Development
of the Desert Eagle was not yet complete, however, in 1985, the barrel
was changed to incorporate polygonal rifling, to help enhance the
pistol's accuracy. In 1986, a .44 Magnum version of the pistol was
perfected; it was the very first semi-automatic .44 Magnum pistol
successfully brought to market. Also in 1986, Magnum Research set aside
1,000 serial numbers for the Collector Edition Presentation Series,
consisting of 100 Gold Editions, 400 Silver Editions and 500 Bronze
Editions.
Further
enhancements to the Desert Eagle line continued. In 1987, the .41
Magnum Desert Eagle Pistol (not currently in production) was introduced
to fill a specific market niche. In 1989, the Mark VII model of the
Desert Eagle became standard. All Desert Eagle Pistols manufactured
since 1989 have Mark VII features: enlarged safety levers, an enlarged
slide release and an improved, two-stage trigger.
Most
recently, Magnum Research, Inc. successfully introduced the .50 Action
Express Desert Eagle Pistol to fill an unmet need in the
sporting/hunting market. Since Magnum Research introduced the caliber -
once considered impossible to build - several other manufacturers have
begun to produce .50 Magnum (a.k.a. .50 Action Express) firearms. They
are made by IMI and are quite possibly one of the most powerful
handguns in the world.
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