AMT .380 9MM KURZ Back Up misfiring

[raetza]

Thanks for the add to the forum! I wanted to ask some experts their opinion on what I could/should do with a little AMT Back Up DAO that I have to correct a very bad misfire problem. The gun is my wife's...she had it when I met her...and truthfully I don't think it's ever been fired very much. It had been sort of ignored for several years and we decided to take it out one day when we were going shooting. To my surprise, it would only fire about every 3rd round...it's not denting the primers deep enough. I assumed that since it had been laying around for a number of years...and had never been disassembled...that the firing pin was sticky. I disassembled the gun and completely cleaned the slide, bolt and firing pin. When finished, the pin seemed to slide easily in and out of the bolt. However, the problem persists. Cleaning made no difference...it still isn't denting the primers adequately. It's as if the firing pin spring is too stiff...but it's the spring that came with the gun originally. My wife says that the gun used to fire properly. What to do?

[Arkhog]

Some ammo makers use primers that are harder than others. You didn't mention if you tried various ammo brands. Just a thought.

[raetza]

Yes, I've tried multiple brands. I've also set up to load .380 but haven't run any yet. It's the only gun I have in this caliber and thought I'd like to get it functional before I bothered.

[captainamerica1984]

http://thefiringline.com/forums/sear...archid=7462284

http://thefiringline.com/forums/sear...archid=7462284


There are some other places to look here.
I did not have time to check.

[skizzums]

i had a light strike problem with a dao i used to have, just had to call the factory and get a new spring sent out
it did help to just pull the trigger faster and harder though, dont get shy right before the trigger breaks

and with any DAO, stay away from russian ammo like tula/brassmax or wolf, the primers are just way too hard

[1911rocks]

Some Gunsmiths will shy away from AMT/OMCs, especially prior to High Standard. The 380 DAO had a reputation as being.....needy. If you brought this into my shop I'd start with a complete disassembly and inspection. I've worked on a few of these. I would suspect Chamber dimensions as well as Firing Pin Tunnel condition, Firing Pin Spring, and Hammer spring. I'm not sure if HS kept the .380 line, I thought they just supported the 9mm, 40sw, and 45acp models. The parts are readily available from Numrich.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufact...tm?results=All

[JERRYS.]

you will need 5 hands , a soft face hammer, and a punch to take the damn thing apart. check the firing pin protrusion to see if its poking our far enough. if so its the springs and might need a cleaning.

edit... depends if its the original version or the dao version.

[raetza]

At this point I'm suspecting the hammer spring. Before I wrote this, I had already completely disassembled and cleaned the gun. I also verified that the firing pin moves easily and freely in the bolt...and extends adequately. The last ammo I used to test the gun following testing was Winchester factory loads. I just feel like the hammer must not be striking hard enough.

[raetza]

Unfortunately Numrich is listing that as a SOLD OUT part. Other parts suppliers that I could try?

[silvermane_1]

well raetza you could try contacting High Standard, they might help you out since they make the Back-Up line now, just a friendly suggestion.

[Seven High]

A gunsmith should be able to fabricate a new hammer spring for you.