Weapon Name- .454 Casull Desert Eagle
Round Type- .454 Casull
Over-all length- 10.6 in (269.2 mm) (6in barrel)
Barrel length- 6 in (152.4 mm)
Weight- 1,897 g (4.2 lb)
Rate of Fire- Semiautomatic
Feed Mechanism- Detachable Box Magazine
Round Capacity- 8
Effective Range- 100 meters
Range- 200 meters
Accuracy- 4 MOA
Accessories- Picatinny Rails
Quick switch firing mechanism- N/A
Scope/Sights- Iron Sights
Muzzle Velocity- 580 m/s, 16 gram (240 grain)
Firing System- Gas-operated, rotating bolt
Miscellaneous/electronic information-
Basic Information
The Desert Eagle 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. When a round is fired, gases are ported out through a small hole in the barrel near the breech. These travel forward through a small tube under the barrel, to a cylinder near the front of the barrel. The separate bolt carrier/slide has a small piston on the front that fits into this cylinder; when the gases reach the cylinder they push the piston rearward. The bolt carrier rides rearward on two rails on either side of the barrel, operating the mechanism. Its rotating bolt strongly resembles that of the M16 series of rifles, while the fixed gas cylinder/moving piston resemble those of the Ruger Mini-14 carbine (the original patent used a captive piston similar to the M14 rifle).
The advantage of the gas operation is that it allows the use of far more powerful cartridges than traditional semi-automatic pistol designs. Thus it allows the Desert Eagle to compete in an area that had previously been dominated by magnum revolvers. Downsides of the gas-operated mechanism are the large size of the Desert Eagle, and the fact that it discourages the use of unjacketed lead bullets, as lead particles sheared off during firing could clog the gas release tap, preventing proper function.[5]
Switching a Desert Eagle to another chambering requires only that the correct barrel, bolt assembly, and magazine be installed. Thus, a conversion to fire the other cartridges can be quickly accomplished. The rim diameter of the .50 AE (Action Express) is the same as the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge, consequently only a barrel and magazine change is required to convert a .44 Desert Eagle to the larger, more powerful .50 AE round
