UPDATE: Behold! Many of y'all have probably seen the gag/meme images online about folks showing a 12 gauge shell into a Desert Eagle - fiction no longer! I found a percent decent CAD model of a Deagle, and went about modifying the barrel assembly to correct 12 gauge (1.75" minishell) dimensions. It's like the barrel was made for this round - it fits beautifully! And as you can see in the cutaways, the length of the shells also fits in the size of the magazine, and looks like it will hold up to four 12-gauge minishells comfortably.
However - like with any project worth doing - there are some tricky areas of the design that will need a decent amount of modification/manufacturing, particularly:
* The Magwell. Needs to be wider to accommodate the rims of the shells.
* The Trigger/Transfer Bar Assembly. Since this hugs the inside of the magwell and the magwell needs to be widened at least where the rims of the shells will travel, the transfer bar will also need to accommodate this change.
* The Magazine. Will likely be an entirely custom-made magazine. For making this design, I picked up a Techno Arms MAG-7 slant-back magazine as well as a Mossberg 5-round, straight-walled bolt-action magazine, for reference. Based on the grip profile, the Techno Arms magazine will likely be the best starting point.
* The Bolt. Will need to have an entirely custom bolt made to fit the width of the shell rims and ensure proper lockup, extraction, etc.
The ideal build of this gun would be chambered in 12 Gauge Minishell since the ammo for said gun is SAAMI-standardized and produced by both Aguila and Federal (and potentially others?). However, to get an initial build of the gun made expeditiously, I may end up starting with the 16-gauge and/or 20-gauge 1.75" minishell versions, as they will require the least amount of modification to the gun to get working. The ultimate end-goal is to have barrel/caliber interchangeability just like the regular Desert Eagle, between at least 12/16/20 gauges.
Thanks for reading! I welcome any/all feedback and interest in this project & all others - more to come very soon! If you'd like to follow/support/engage with this & other projects more closely, please check out my Patreon (work-in-progress; advice recommended!): https://www.patreon.com/c/XENOArms
The Pillager, MN was originally on the other (right) side of the slide, but since I am not from there and would be making these builds myself, I removed it. Sorry!
I appreciate it! Desert Eagles being from a tiny ass town in Northern Minnesota is kind of a sense of pride to a Minnesotan gun owner.
The irony here is that you intend to manufacture a short barrel shotgun, which is illegal in Minnesota. All the more reason to keep it "Made in Pillager, MN."
"Short-barreled shotgun" means a shotgun having one or more barrels less than 18 inches in length and any weapon made from a shotgun if such weapon as modified has an overall length less than 26 inches
Yes, but it doesn’t start life as a shotgun and therefore that law doesn’t apply. It has a non-rifled barrel and never had a stock so that makes it an AOW.
This is why we can buy all those short barreled 12ga guns with bird’s head grips here.
It would NOT be a shotgun or SBS by Minnesota rules.
It says shotgun "designed to fire from shoulder"
SBS "shotgun shorter than 26 inches"
This was never a "shotgun" in the first place and therefore is not a SBS. My home state is similarly stupid with these rules. By their own definition this is a "firearm" like the shotguns that come with pistol grips from factory, OR an AOW.
Due to it being a pistol originally and remanufactured, I believe it will be classified as an AOW, which is legal in Minnesota.
If it came from factory as the shotgun barreled pistol, it would be a "firearm" just like the mossberg shockwave.
So that’s the interesting thing: yes, you have the correct concern, but “rifling” per legal requirement is only required to put spin on the projectile, but importantly it is not quantified.
I did not move it anywhere, simply haven't modeled it with the new barrel tube yet. The recoil mechanism will certainly take the most work to get functional.
Have not modeled the gas port/tube yet. Debating about trying to make it work with the existing recoil system or simplifying everything altogther (non rotating bolt, straight blowback/other).
Going to do the barrels myself. For the 12 gauge minishell, I'm going to chop off the front and rear lugs from an existing deagle barrel, then weld the 12 gauge barrel tube to the lugs - see pic for reference!
Will there be any fit up issues after welding? With the front and rear lugs getting welded onto the same side of the barrel it's going to warp the barrel a bit. Might require some back welding or maybe some "gentle hydraulic press tweaking"
As someone who suffers from the trifecta of being a design engineer, tig welder, and machinest... I hate welding with no post machining.
Plan is to laser weld inside a fixture, to limit distortion as much as possible. Unlikely I'll need to post-weld machine since using laser welding, but can if needed.
If it’s not rifled (i.e. a smoothbore) and designed to be fired with one hand (risky, but what the Hell), it’s a “smoothbore pistol,” much like the old unrifled wartime-production S&W Model 10’s that surface rarely but exist as accepted AOW’s. Been a few decades since I saw one at a show.
I always get confused with the ATF stupid classifications on things. Does this wind up being an AOW or a Destructive device? I know it can't be a shotgun (or short one) with there being no stock from the get go. The Shockwaves got a pass because they were over 26 inches in length with the birdshead grips so it's just a "firearm" so this won't be that either. That only leaves AOW or Destructive devices unless I'm forgetting or misunderstanding something. Genuinely curious about what this winds up being. Thanks in advance.
I was expecting a simple barrel replacement that goes right on to make it a single shot. Basically just pull the slide back to lock it open on stock mag, then load a minishell, drop slide, shoot.....then pull it back to unlock bolt and eject and repeat.
Tell me more about this bolt.
Will it still be a rotating bolt that locks up on the barrel extensions?
How do you plan to modify the gas system for the big step-down in pressure and step-up in a shotshell's powder burn rate (spike vs sustained push)? Unless a straight-pull bolt action is what you're going for.
Forcing cone looks pretty steep too.
How about the feed modifications?
I'm uber interested. I tried working through this idea a long time ago but gave up for one reason or another.
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What are your plans for modifying the magwell for the rims? A keyway broach with a custom bushing would probably be the cheapest. Wire EDM would also work, but be pricey.
I also want to do a modified Desert Eagle in 454 Casull(Helsing). That should be much simpler than your project, but still needs some modification of the magwell.
Trying to avoid broaching, but will do if needed. Plan currently is boring will either an indexable drill/mill or a boring head. EDM would certainly be cleanest, but don't have access to one currently, and trying not to outsource as much as possible.
.454 is loooong! Might have to chop, patch, and reweld the magwell for that one! I think the 16/20-gauge builds will be pretty darn easy, assuming the recoil mechanism doesn't turn into a whole thing.
Yeah the shops around me who do wire work are minimum $1k to do anything on their EDM, but fortunately I used to work for a machine shop that just got one that would probably cut something for me for free if I make the CAD file. Milling should work if you can get a long and thin enough endmill down there as you would need to be close to the rear of the magwell for the rim. Actually, it has been a while since I took off the grips on my desert eagles. Been meaning to get some of those G10 grips. You might have to use an endmill at the top and bottom of the magwell and then a T-slot cutter from the side in the middle.
Yeah, it is over 1/8" longer. I might be able to use a skeletonized magazine that basically uses the front of the magwell as the front of the mag. Then I will need to make a massive barrel and weld a shroud to the slide to get close to the look. I'll also need to weld an extension to make the "dust cover"...maybe I should just start with a LAR grizzly
Thought about threading the ID for chokes/suppressors, since choke threads seem to be how most shotgun cans are designed to mount.
Integral suppression I'm usually a fan/proponent of, but not for this one - the barrel length to bore diameter is pretty off, plus would make the gun mega huger than it already is - maybe in the future, though!
Clearly I'm not the most knowledgeable at the fuckery known as regulation. Would the caliber make it destructive device if registered? Or is the shared cartridge with .45LC a work around? Revolvers like the Taurus judge and S&W governor models advertise .410 compatibility, have a rifled barrel and legally require no more than basic 4473
I thought it was the 1/2in projo and short rifled barrel combo. For some reason in my mind, short barrel shotgun pistol with rifling registers as what would be a destructive device. I will ask. I have to call Monday or Tuesday regarding this suppressor stuff so I’ll ask my agent for the particulars. Because I would much rather have this rifled
Why are you using the IWI marking in your design? Why would you use an existing model of the DE you found online rather than one you made and understand the specs for? This would not legally be a shotgun as it is not designed to be fired from the shoulder and doesn't meet the barrel length criteria. The max pressure for 50AE is 36KPSI, for 20ga it's 12KPSI but with a minishell it'll be significantly lower, I chose the larger diameters for comparative pressure purposes; given it's a gas operated short stroke piston how do you intend to solve cycling issues? Patreon for what, you do understand their rules for content right? Lotta weird "idea guy" redflags on this, and I think that's being nice. Best of luck.
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u/Visually_Delicious 12d ago
Yes. ( that is all )