The Desert Eagle is a pistol known mainly through pop culture, which was designed according to the operating principle of a gas pressure loader with a rotary head breech. The weapon was developed in 1982 by the American company Magnum Research , but over the years it has also been produced by various manufacturers (Israel Military Industries, Saco Defense).

The weapon impresses mainly by its size and massiveness, which is also the reason why it is often used in movies and computer games. The Desert Eagle has the following dimensions: length: 273 mm, height: 159 mm, width: 32 mm. The weapon weighs about 2 kg unloaded, depending on the version. The weapon is designed for large calibers and is offered in: 357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .50 AE.

Due to its size, it is only occasionally used for hunting and sporting purposes. However, it is well suited for hunting heavy and hard-to-shoot cloven-hoofed game. The large calibers result in comparatively low magazine capacities of 7-9 cartridges.

Desert Eagle models have different characteristics depending on whether they are Israeli or American made: Israeli models are considered more accurate than their American counterparts due to their polygon barrels, but they are more susceptible to rust and therefore require more maintenance. Fingerprints that are not wiped off clean can leave brown prints on Israeli Desert Eagles after a short time, because the aggressiveness of hand perspiration is sufficient to attack the coarse burnished surface structure of the models. Therefore, Desert Eagle models of both American and Israeli manufacture require a great deal of care. This applies not only to the surface but also to the interior of the weapon. When firing lead bullets, deposits form in the grip, making the weapon difficult to open. Therefore, frequent and thorough cleaning is also essential with regard to this.

Due to the heavy caliber, the Desert Eagle was designed on the principle of a gas pressure loader - a mechanism that is otherwise mainly used in semi-automatic military long guns. The gas pressure created by the shot is diverted through a channel, thus opening the bolt with a delay. The breech is locked by a twist-lock mechanism similar to that used in bolt-action rifles. This design is necessary because the gas pressure in the Desert Eagle is much higher than in pistols designed on the principle of a Browning breech or a ground breech.