by B. Gil Horman – Tuesday, September 30, 2014
The Magnum Research, Inc. Desert Eagle Pistol is an unusual semi-auto that enjoys a nearly universal level of recognition thanks to its regular appearance in movies, television shows and video games. In production for over three decades now, this massive pistol’s long and colorful history generates plenty of questions in on-line discussions. To find the answers to nine of the top questions folks have about this beefy big-bore semi-auto, we went straight to the expert with the inside story: master gunsmith, designer and director of manufacturing for Magnum Research, Jim Tertin. Here’s a countdown of what we learned:
9. Wasn’t the Desert Eagle originally developed in Israel?
The pistols were first manufactured by IMI (Israeli Military Industry, Ltd.), an Israeli defense contractor. However, IMI was a subcontractor of Magnum Research. They had no ownership of the design. IMI went through some internal restructuring and all of the commercial enterprises the company was involved in were sold to IWI (Israel Weapon Industries, Ltd.). In 2006, Magnum Research started to engineer production of the Desert Eagle in Pillager, Minn. By 2008, the first U.S.-made Desert Eagles were delivered starting at serial number DE0001000. Today, the pistols are manufactured using all American components.
The pistols were first manufactured by IMI (Israeli Military Industry, Ltd.), an Israeli defense contractor. However, IMI was a subcontractor of Magnum Research. They had no ownership of the design. IMI went through some internal restructuring and all of the commercial enterprises the company was involved in were sold to IWI (Israel Weapon Industries, Ltd.). In 2006, Magnum Research started to engineer production of the Desert Eagle in Pillager, Minn. By 2008, the first U.S.-made Desert Eagles were delivered starting at serial number DE0001000. Today, the pistols are manufactured using all American components.
Now you can date your Browning firearm. The serial number found on your gun has the answer. This area will help you read that serial number.
To find your serial number, you will need to refer to your owner's manual. We have most owner's manuals online.
While every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided on serial numbers and dates of manufacture are accurate, records on early production models such as the Auto-5 and Superposed shotguns were not included due to the complexity of numbers, models and grades offered. Also, there have been unique limited edition models that did not follow our regular serial number configurations and they are not included in this listing.
The very first Desert Eagle chambered for the.50AE had the serial number 6349. Please note that in my 'teaser' a while back on this thread I was very careful not to claim that 6349 was a.50AE Desert Eagle manufactured by Magnum Research. Although it was, kinda. The first.50AE was a prototype, as you might well expect. The serial number is only 4 digits (not sure if that is significant) My question is - Is this a MK VII or MK XIX? How the heck do you tell? There are no markings that give it away. The reason I ask is because I am ordering a new spring kit from Magnum Research, and I dont know what I need. Edit: I've consulted the manual with little. In 2006, Magnum Research started to engineer production of the Desert Eagle in Pillager, Minn. By 2008, the first U.S.-made Desert Eagles were delivered starting at serial number DE0001000.
To find out about your gun's serial number simply click on your firearm.
Desert Eagle Serial Number Decoder
Magnum Research Serial Number Lookup Model
Historical Letters Available
Click here to learn more about how you can add a piece of history to your Browning firearm.
Click here to learn more about how you can add a piece of history to your Browning firearm.