The Beginnings of Them Mighty MRI/Imi Desert Eagle .50
Posted by AJ Koenes on Apr 6th 2019
The Beginnings of Them Mighty MRI/IMI Desert Eagle .50: How and Why This Gun Was Developed.
It was a year of 1979 when in Minneapolis, USA, Magnum Research Inc. was founded.
There were 3 people in the beginning. Three very determined persons, and their objective was very clear: to develop an entirely new semi-automatic handgun around the very popular .357 magnum revolver cartridge. The working name of the project is "Magnum Eagle." The "fathers" of the gun are J. Lindig, J. Skildam, and H. Z. Skildam, founder of the company, and B. White—technological details and development. Originally gun was designed for target, silhouette shooting, and hunting.
Early Development and Prototypes (1981–1983)
The first working prototype was ready by 1981. However, problems with cycling/feeding led MRI to look for outside help. Such help was soon found—IMI (Israeli Military Industry).
So in 1983, the first Desert Eagle was produced & sold, chambered for .357 Magnum. Later, the much more powerful .44 Magnum DE was produced. By 1987, the .41 Mag round appeared; unfortunately, this promising round was later abandoned.
Expanding Calibers and Innovations (1987–1998)
In 1991, the Desert Eagle was introduced in the very mighty .50 Action Express caliber, designed by Evan Wilding, rebated case and a .44 magnum, which made it very easy to interchange barrels between .44 and .50 AE calibers.
Finally, the latest but hopefully not the last .440 Cor-Bon (Cor-Bon round, necked down .50 AE, for more info about this round, read in .50 AE vs. .440 Cor-Bon) was produced in 1998. (Article from Gators Page)
Rise to Pop Culture Fame
Since then, the Desert Eagle has gained an iconic rise in video game culture. Featured in many first-person shooters (FPS), the Desert Eagle became known as “The Ultimate Handgun.” Well-suited for video games, players can experience the simulation of shooting a pistol chambered for a half-inch round without the nearly uncontrollable recoil and sometimes painful effects on the wrist.
As stated in the following video, “Who cares about practicality, when you have a golden gun that shoots giant bullets?” YouTube Video on the Desert Eagle in Video Games. Along with its iconic game history, it has also been featured in hundreds of movies. Rather than going into each of these in detail, here is the IMFDB for the Desert Eagle.
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About the Author
AJ Koenes is a firearm enthusiast and gear reviewer for Cedar Mill Fine Firearms. He focuses on providing readers with insights to select effective tools for firearm safety and performance.
Cedar Mill Fine Firearms offers products such as rifle & pistol cases, gun case locks, and AR-15 accessories.