The actual cartridge has a base, with a
rebated rim. The rim diameter of the .50 AE is the same as the
.44 Remington Magnum cartridge. A Mark XIX
Desert Eagle in .50 AE can be converted to .44 with nothing more than a barrel and magazine change. The introduction of the .50 AE in the United States was met with a rocky start. Federal firearms statutes state that non-sporting firearms may not be over 0.500 inches in bore diameter (measured land to land) to meet Title I regulations. The original .50 AE bore diameter was .500 in, with conventional rifling, but the switch to
polygonal rifling on production Desert Eagles allowed the gauge plug to drop through, rendering the gun a
destructive device under
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) regulations. Actual bullet diameter was reduced to the current rather than the original thus the noticeably tapered case. Recoil of the .50 AE in the Desert Eagle pistol is substantial, although only marginally more severe than the .44 Magnum, as the automatic mechanism and weight of the gun smooth the recoil somewhat. Other firearms chambered for the .50 AE include the
AMT AutoMag V, the
LAR Grizzly Win Mag, the
Magnum Research BFR, the
Freedoms Arms Model 555, and the
Bond Arms Cyclops. ==Performance==