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Old January 12, 2008, 10:22 AM   #1
oldgranpa
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High Standard AMT pistols

Has anyone seen or tried the new AMT pistols from High Standard (Houston)?

web site.....

http://www.highstandard.com/

og
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Old January 13, 2008, 12:06 PM   #2
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What is this the third or fourth owner of the AMT line of pistols?
I will admit I have always wanted the 45 Automag or the 30 Carbine. I did have one of their 380 Back-Ups made in Irwindale, CA and that thing was a jamb o matic. Looks like they have added a few more calibers and guns to their line up I just hope they got the reliability factor right. I always wanted to like that little gun but just couldn't get it to feed a full mag without a failure. It will be interesting to see if these are the same old AMT's or is changes have been made.
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Old January 13, 2008, 03:23 PM   #3
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I could conceivably give the Automags a second look with High Standard at the helm. The one and only AMT I owned was a joke reliably, so it didn't last long, even though it had a slew of cool features and was decently accurate.

Always thought the .22 and .45 Automags a possibility if they could get their act together.
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Old January 13, 2008, 04:41 PM   #4
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I agree that the Automags (at least the Automag III) can be one of the most discouraging guns around. I have had regular feeding problems as well, prior to buying one I would seriously research so you know what you are getting into and decide if it is worth it for you to deal with the problems.

My Automag III will never occupy the go to position when compared to some of my other firearms. But it is one of the most fun to shoot. I have found it very finicky when it comes to ammo choice. I also had to play with different lubricants and ended up using Mobil 1 grease on the slide. It now feeds better but not great or with out flaw. I believe that hand loading may end up being the solution. Most owners agree that Winchester and Remington UMC give the best results.

I really hope that High Standard come through with there apparent hype about the III and they do not change the design as parts for the older ones are becoming more scarce. It would be nice to have a reliable source of parts.
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Old January 13, 2008, 04:58 PM   #5
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Quote:
I really hope that High Standard come through with there apparent hype about the III and they do not change the design as parts for the older ones are becoming more scarce. It would be nice to have a reliable source of parts.
I understand your concern regarding a source for parts, but let's hope they have addressed the reliability issues first, if this means an entire new gun design, so be it, just give us a product that goes band when we pull the trigger!!
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Old January 13, 2008, 06:28 PM   #6
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I agree that it would be nice if High Standard could improve on reliability. In my research to get mine running well, it seemed that most of the problems with the gun seem to be limited to getting the proper ammo and breaking the gun in, which most seemed to be in agreement was about 150-250 rounds.

If one looks at the design it is not that complicated. IMHO I think brake in is what the gun needs as those who have sorted through the teething problems say they work fine. When I got mine it did not want to cycle more that 2-3 rounds with out a problem. I tried different brands of ammunition with no change in results. I now have about 20-30 rounds through the gun and it shoots better and more reliably each time I take it out, it is now cycling the rounds that were problematic in the early stages of brake in. The slide has also begun to wear the frame smooth on the rail surfaces. My guess is that 2 sandblasted surfaces give quite a friction surface to overcome with those long rails. Most of my problems seemed to be ejection related, shells being caught by the slide in the ejection port.

As I said before if you know what you are entering into pushing through the problems is not so difficult.
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Old January 13, 2008, 08:11 PM   #7
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hmmm... I have 4 of them ( a AM 2,3,4, & 5 ) & never had any issues with any of them... with my 30 Carbine AM 3 & 50 AE AM 5 getting the most rounds through them, numbering in 1000's of round each...

... I'm also curious as to how things turn out... while mine have worked well, I believe the troubles listed by others, as my AMT 380 Back Up was one of the worst pistols I've owned...
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Old January 13, 2008, 09:22 PM   #8
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I have been to the new High Standard office/warehouse in Houston (they outsource manufacturing). Not very impressive. Dingy little hole in a wall in an industrial/office park.
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Old January 13, 2008, 10:20 PM   #9
oldgranpa
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on the AMT Backup 380, those of you that had one,

1. Do you know what type stainless steel is used?

2. Do really have to remove the bolt by punching out the pin to disassemble the pistol for cleaning?

I'm wondering if the design from HS is the same.

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Old January 15, 2008, 11:55 AM   #10
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Quote:
on the AMT Backup 380, those of you that had one,

1. Do you know what type stainless steel is used?

2. Do really have to remove the bolt by punching out the pin to disassemble the pistol for cleaning?

I'm wondering if the design from HS is the same.
I have no idea what stainless steel is used.

I have never removed the pin to disassemble for cleaning.

I have never had this gun jam, FTF, Stovepipe or :barf: in general. ALTHOUGH, I have heard of people with issues. I am either very lucky (I doubt that) or I just got a good one when I bought mine. It's funny, but I carried mine as either a pocket (primary) gun for years or as a backup gun with confidence until I heard of others with reliability/dependability issues. When I say carried with confidence, let me clarify by saying a .380 is by far not my favorite caliber to carry. This gun fits in my pocket nicely and without announcing itself.
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Old January 15, 2008, 05:42 PM   #11
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A very good site for AMT information is here: http://glossover.co.uk/amt/downloads.asp

And yes, to take down the .380 Backups, you had to remove the bolt pin with a punch, pull back the slide a bit until the firing pin and spring fell free, then then using a rod inserted up through the magazine well, tapped on the bolt until it fell free. After you do it a couple of times, it goes quickly, and was easier for me than trying to detail strip and reassemble my Ruger Mark II pistols.

As posted elsewhere, I have several DAO Backups, all bought new in the 1980's, and they have all worked very well for me.
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Old January 15, 2008, 06:00 PM   #12
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MILL... thanks for the link... very interesting website...
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Old January 16, 2008, 08:42 AM   #13
oldgranpa
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thank you all, for the replies. I've ordered one from HS via my dealer. Supposedly they only had one in stock at present. So when I get it I'll try to give a range report here on what I find out. We shall see. Like everyone, I buy a new gun now and then just for fun. This one is never going to be a market winner. I've tried over 50 different handguns over the years, traded or sold most and kept only a few. It's only money!
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