I've have been involved with firearms most of my life, both as a civilian and in the Marine Corps, and while I've seen my share of malfunctions (usually due to human error, i.e., not cleaning weapon properly, reassembling a weapon incorrectly/leaving a vital part out of the reassembling of a weapon, etc.), the ONLY weapon I've seen self-destruct, on two different occasions, was a Desert Eagle (while working at a gun shop/range). Firing pin, firing pin retainer, firing pin spring fell OUT of the weapon while it was being fired. Besides this apparent lack of reliability, it IS an impressive-LOOKING handgun, but is very impractical due to its size. Although they, INCREDIBLY, sell for almost $1000, I wouldn't have one if you offered to GIVE me one.
Another point of interest regarding Desert Eagles...
A gun shop I regularly go to here north of Atlanta, has been broken into several times. One time, a short while ago, security video shows some black guys breaking in, and then breaking the showcase glass to get certain firearms. I believe they stole 2 or 3 Desert Eagles, among other guns that time around. Thank God that they are running around with two large (unconcealable), inherently unreliable weapons on the "skreet"!
Another point of interest regarding STUPID, IGNORANT criminals...
This same gun shop was recently broken into at 2 am one morning. The video shows, again, two black guys stealing various firearms, including several "evil" "assault weapons". Later that day, the SAME two idiots come in the SAME store inquiring about magazines for these weapons, AND they talk to the gun shop personnel and ask to see an AR-15 like the ones they stole. Besides looking familiar to the gun shop personnel (one of the criminals was actually wearing the SAME clothes he had on during the burglary!), since they had already reviewed the security video, the idiots asked, not WHAT the AR-15 COSTS, but instead, they asked what it was WORTH! A more than subtle hint to the gun shop guys that these are the two that ripped them off. Needless to say, these stupid criminals were identified and arrested by local police.
Sounds like this gun shop doesn't have very good security. Shouldn't the handguns have been locked up in a safe?