The basic layout is like that of most other modern semiauto pistols (with the magazine release on the side of the grip, slide release on the left side of the frame, and a thumb-activated slide safety). Given the fact that the IMI is best known for the Uzi series of submachine guns and the Galil rifles, it isn’t surprising that the Desert Eagle departs radically from many other semiauto pistol designs, though the exterior belays this. The first Desert Eagles were manufactured in Israel and started appearing on gun dealers’ shelves in the US around 1985.
Although an American idea, the “Desert Eagle” was developed in Israel by the IMI (Israel Military Industries) in the early 1980s.
