Raptor vs. Reptile: Hunting Gators with a Desert Eagle
Quick Answer
Originally published: January 3, 2024
The Magnum Research Desert Eagle is a large, gas-operated semi-automatic pistol famous for chambering the .50 Action Express — the most powerful cartridge in any magazine-fed self-loading handgun. The Mark XIX in .50 AE holds 7 rounds, uses a 6-inch barrel, measures 10.75 inches long, and weighs about 4.5 pounds, giving it its unmistakable size and presence.
Desert Eagle .50 AE: quick facts
What caliber is the Desert Eagle?
It is offered in several, but it is best known for .50 Action Express — the largest cartridge of any magazine-fed semi-auto pistol. It is also made in .44 Magnum and .357 Magnum.
How much does the Desert Eagle weigh?
About 4.5 pounds (72 ounces) with an empty magazine in .50 AE — the heft helps manage its heavy recoil.
How many rounds does the .50 AE Desert Eagle hold?
Seven rounds of .50 AE.
Why is the Desert Eagle gas-operated?
Unlike most pistols, it uses a rifle-style gas system to handle magnum-level pressures, which is how it cycles such powerful cartridges semi-automatically.
It survived the K-T extinction. Can it survive you?
There are few animals more perfect than the alligator. This reptilian predator has been virtually unchanged since the Mesozoic. When the meteor struck Earth 66 million years ago, a full 80 percent of life on the planet went extinct … but not the gator. It was millions of years before an apex predator capable of challenging it evolved, and that predator created some evolutions of its own. Chief among these is the Magnum Research Desert Eagle chambered in .429, and in this video, Jim Kinsey with AdVANture Hunter joins The Sharkman in a battle of Nature’s perfection versus Man’s. What gun would you trust to hunt the ancient king of the swamp?
A real gun safe took it: 58% of you who voted, with 25% using a locked cabinet or box.
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