Hello guys.
As some of you know, I have been working on a .50AE semi-auto scratch build. A little background on it, I originally wanted to do it as a .44 Magnum but I wanted it to hold at least 10 rounds which lead me to the double column idea demanding a rimless cartridge, hence, the .50AE. Well, a little something came up. I had actually already started on the .44 Magnum when I dropped it and picked up the .50AE, but had planned to eventually finish it, as the same basic design but fit for Desert Eagle magazines.
A few days ago, I brought the parts out to get a good comparison and started doing some 3D planning which led to a shocking revelation.
First off, we are looking at a gun that is very similar overall length and height as a typical 1911 but a little bulkier then the Ruger P-89. I would guess it's going to be somewhere in the ballpark of a 1911A1 long slide in terms of weight.
Secondly, the mainspring is mounted somewhere other then in the handle, so the handle is very close to the 1911A1's handle in terms of size and the grip is very similar to that on the Walther P-99. It also has a unique recoil buffing system that takes ALL of the punch out of the kick leaving you with just a tug.
Now that the .50AE is beginning to show it's true size, I have to say that while still smaller then the Desert Eagle, it is certainly not the most practical gun in the world but because of the .44 Magnum uses a single column magazine and requires less bulk, it seams as though it is extremely practical in comparison, as practical as any .45, and on top of that, I have to admit that the handle on the .44 Magnum, if it turns out like my models (almost always does) then the handling will be much nicer then the .50AE, which as I predicted, is turning out very similar to a Para Ordnance P-14 with a Hogue 1 piece grip and curved mainspring housing.
This leads me to another complication. I am in the middle of patenting a mechanism that I invented and is part of this handguns design. The mechanism is being patented and marketed by it's self, but the person who is funding the patent and marketing the invention for me advised me to patent this gun and would attempt to market it for me (that means, get a manufacturer to produce it for a fee. I really don't care much for doing that with this gun as I am building it for personal use and just want to make it, play with it and that be the end of it, but the idea HAS been something I have given attention to in the past and now I am under pressure to make a decision, though admittedly I won't have to make it for a couple months at least.
There are some complications to think about which is the purpose of this post.
First, the gun has the same type of lug system as the Beretta M-9, same take-down system as the CZ-52 and bares some very obvious visual similarities to the Desert Eagle, although it has nothing mechanically in common except the .44 using the same magazines (even the baseplate is different. Although I designed, and can prove that I designed the grip system a year before the HK P-30 came out, the grip system on the HK P-30 is a watered down version of the grip system on this gun which has a removable component based trigger guard and front gripping and a better design to the rear components.
Basically, there are all kinds of issues when it comes to patenting and avoiding patent infringement. I was informed that I CAN patent the process of making the gun, and then assuming royalties would be paid to MRI, Beretta and HK, I have to wonder if this gun would be at all economic for the average Joe afterwards.
The only thing I really see the .50AE making any kind of market on is the fact that it uses a Double Column magazine that holds 3 more rounds then the Desert Eagle and by common standards, is a prettier gun then the Desert Eagle giving it a market to the "My gun's bigger then your's" crowd.
However, I can really see the .44 Magnum reaching allot of peoples tastes due to it's combination of power, anticipated reliability and practicality. I think allot of people are going to be head over heals about a semi-auto .44 Magnum that's as small, reliable and easy to handle and shoot as any other gun, but at what price would they be willing to pay VS how much the gun will cost retail? In this year's economy, depending on how the royalties get worked out, I would best guess this gun (the .44 Magnum) going retail for around $999 to $1199 and not including the sights system that I designed for it (another $200-$250) It's about 30% more complex then most common handguns but this is only due to the grips, recoil reduction system and a couple fresh inventions that I am not at liberty to talk about, which the gun can be made with or without and do not pose a major difference in the cost of the guns development by themselves.
Your thoughts on the matter?
As some of you know, I have been working on a .50AE semi-auto scratch build. A little background on it, I originally wanted to do it as a .44 Magnum but I wanted it to hold at least 10 rounds which lead me to the double column idea demanding a rimless cartridge, hence, the .50AE. Well, a little something came up. I had actually already started on the .44 Magnum when I dropped it and picked up the .50AE, but had planned to eventually finish it, as the same basic design but fit for Desert Eagle magazines.
A few days ago, I brought the parts out to get a good comparison and started doing some 3D planning which led to a shocking revelation.
First off, we are looking at a gun that is very similar overall length and height as a typical 1911 but a little bulkier then the Ruger P-89. I would guess it's going to be somewhere in the ballpark of a 1911A1 long slide in terms of weight.
Secondly, the mainspring is mounted somewhere other then in the handle, so the handle is very close to the 1911A1's handle in terms of size and the grip is very similar to that on the Walther P-99. It also has a unique recoil buffing system that takes ALL of the punch out of the kick leaving you with just a tug.
Now that the .50AE is beginning to show it's true size, I have to say that while still smaller then the Desert Eagle, it is certainly not the most practical gun in the world but because of the .44 Magnum uses a single column magazine and requires less bulk, it seams as though it is extremely practical in comparison, as practical as any .45, and on top of that, I have to admit that the handle on the .44 Magnum, if it turns out like my models (almost always does) then the handling will be much nicer then the .50AE, which as I predicted, is turning out very similar to a Para Ordnance P-14 with a Hogue 1 piece grip and curved mainspring housing.
This leads me to another complication. I am in the middle of patenting a mechanism that I invented and is part of this handguns design. The mechanism is being patented and marketed by it's self, but the person who is funding the patent and marketing the invention for me advised me to patent this gun and would attempt to market it for me (that means, get a manufacturer to produce it for a fee. I really don't care much for doing that with this gun as I am building it for personal use and just want to make it, play with it and that be the end of it, but the idea HAS been something I have given attention to in the past and now I am under pressure to make a decision, though admittedly I won't have to make it for a couple months at least.
There are some complications to think about which is the purpose of this post.
First, the gun has the same type of lug system as the Beretta M-9, same take-down system as the CZ-52 and bares some very obvious visual similarities to the Desert Eagle, although it has nothing mechanically in common except the .44 using the same magazines (even the baseplate is different. Although I designed, and can prove that I designed the grip system a year before the HK P-30 came out, the grip system on the HK P-30 is a watered down version of the grip system on this gun which has a removable component based trigger guard and front gripping and a better design to the rear components.
Basically, there are all kinds of issues when it comes to patenting and avoiding patent infringement. I was informed that I CAN patent the process of making the gun, and then assuming royalties would be paid to MRI, Beretta and HK, I have to wonder if this gun would be at all economic for the average Joe afterwards.
The only thing I really see the .50AE making any kind of market on is the fact that it uses a Double Column magazine that holds 3 more rounds then the Desert Eagle and by common standards, is a prettier gun then the Desert Eagle giving it a market to the "My gun's bigger then your's" crowd.
However, I can really see the .44 Magnum reaching allot of peoples tastes due to it's combination of power, anticipated reliability and practicality. I think allot of people are going to be head over heals about a semi-auto .44 Magnum that's as small, reliable and easy to handle and shoot as any other gun, but at what price would they be willing to pay VS how much the gun will cost retail? In this year's economy, depending on how the royalties get worked out, I would best guess this gun (the .44 Magnum) going retail for around $999 to $1199 and not including the sights system that I designed for it (another $200-$250) It's about 30% more complex then most common handguns but this is only due to the grips, recoil reduction system and a couple fresh inventions that I am not at liberty to talk about, which the gun can be made with or without and do not pose a major difference in the cost of the guns development by themselves.
Your thoughts on the matter?
