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Old September 23, 2012, 10:23 PM   #1
.45 Aficianado
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AMT .45 Backup Problems

Just bought a new one from High Standard and already having trouble. Firing pin was broken when I tried to fire the first round at the range. I sent it back, they fixed it, and now having both failure to feed, and failure to eject problems. Out of a box of shells, only got six consecutive shots, otherwise there was a jam every two or three rounds, and I even had a few live rounds jammed in the ejection port! I took a look at your photo, and the hammer on my gun is also angled in relation to the slide, and it is rubbing against the frame on the left side when the slide comes back so that it is not evenly aligned with the center of the slide and firing pin. Seems like poor quality control. I don't know whether to try and fix these problems myself, or send it back again. Advice?
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Old September 23, 2012, 10:31 PM   #2
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AMT has been out of biz for decades, where are you sending it to? These guns were well known hit and miss QC and the bad ones normally are not worth fixing for lack of new parts and bad manufacturing. You must have bought a used one....
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Old September 23, 2012, 10:35 PM   #3
.45 Aficianado
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No, these are brand new guns manufactured by High Standard, in Texas. They must have bought the manufacturing rights. The serial number on my gun is under 100.
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Old September 23, 2012, 10:39 PM   #4
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Whoa. This sounds like an advertising opportunity for Davidson's Gallery of Guns. If their guarantee is as good as they say, it would be nice to get them into the middle of this.

Did you buy it directly from High Standard? Maybe they'll refund your money - better than bad online reviews, I'd think.
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Old September 23, 2012, 10:50 PM   #5
.45 Aficianado
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I'm not familiar with Davidson's. It is still under warranty.
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Old September 23, 2012, 11:06 PM   #6
.45 Aficianado
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I did buy it directly from High Standard. Maybe a refund is the way to go. CLD on this forum had slide/hammer issues with his gun, and used a Dremmel to fix it. I suspect this would void any warranty on a new gun.
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Old September 24, 2012, 01:19 AM   #7
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Davidson's has a TV show on the Sportsman Channel on which they introduce and demonstrate several models of guns that are new or fairly new to the market. This is quoted from their Website:

"If anything ever goes wrong with any gun you buy with the Davidson's GuaranteeDSM Lifetime Replacement Warranty, it will be replaced. If no replacement is available, it will be repaired at no charge to you. Simple, just return it to the GuaranteeDSM retailer where you purchased it, pay for the return shipping and upon receipt Davidson's will ship the returning retailer a brand new gun* for you. "

http://www.galleryofguns.com/about/terms.aspx

Davidson's has what appears to be a valuable warranty for your next purchase, but it is too late for them to help you with this one, because you didn't buy through them.

I don't know if using a Dremel to try to repair a gun voids the warranty, but it sure would void the warranty if I were a manufacturer. Of all things, I would not mess with it like that, at least until after you find out of Hi=Standard will give you a refund or replace the gun with a different one, depending on your preference.
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Old September 24, 2012, 09:31 PM   #8
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I am confused. How has davidson's entered the conversation? I did not see where the OP said anything about buying through gallery of guns
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Old September 24, 2012, 09:44 PM   #9
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Quote:
I am confused. How has davidson's entered the conversation? I did not see where the OP said anything about buying through gallery of guns
They were just brought up by another poster because of their warranty. A replacement is not generally given by the manufacturer unless something is REALLY wrong with the firearm... And complete refunds generally aren't given either.
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Old September 24, 2012, 10:08 PM   #10
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Yep - it was just a "next time you buy a gun, consider..." thought. No offense intended.
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Old September 25, 2012, 12:05 AM   #11
.45 Aficianado
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AMT Hammer Misalignment.JPG

AMT Hammer Rubbing Frame.JPG

Thanks for the advice. Attached are the images showing the hammer misalignment and where it has damaged the rear left frame as the slide retracts.
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Old September 25, 2012, 10:53 PM   #12
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I would keep sending it back. Sooner or latter you will get your money back or a working gun.

The backup can be royal pain. I tried like heck with mine and finally gave up making it work
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Old September 26, 2012, 07:15 PM   #13
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Good advice. I hate to give up on it already with its sexy attribute of being the smallest .45 pistol in production that I can put in a pocket holster or carry in deep cover. I suppose if something better comes along in a micro .45, all of this hassle will not be worth it, and it will be relegated to a curiosity piece.
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Old September 27, 2012, 12:16 AM   #14
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Has anyone had experience with a better effective piece in deep cover? Any other recommendations?
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Old September 27, 2012, 05:33 AM   #15
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No experience with it but, perhaps the Kahr PM45? I owned the PM9 and it was initially under a recall for mis-milled slide. Repaired under warranty. This is way back when they first came out. Worked like a gem after that. No failures whatsoever.

The new Semmerling .45 is out. However, it has to be re-cocked, if you will, after each shot. Also, they are upwards of $4400.00.
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Old September 27, 2012, 08:43 AM   #16
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Quote:
The backup can be royal pain. I tried like heck with mine and finally gave up making it work
I have an AMT .45 Backup. After polishing the feed ramp, some other parts to smooth out the action, and replacing the recoil spring with a Wolf spring, it is extremely reliable. After about 150 rounds, continuous shooting, I would experience an occasional failure to fire where a second strike ignited the round. It didn't take long for me to figure out that when the gun gets a little dirty that's when I would experience an occasional problem. So, I just spray it with some powder solvent and the problem goes away. The gun isn't a glock and isn't meant to be shot that much without a quick cleaning.

However, if i was experiencing something like the misalignment shown in the above photos, I'd send it back - while I might be able to get the gun running ok, it would be UGLY and not something I would ever want to tackle.

My view on the AMT 45 Backup is that it has the potential to be a great little .45 DAO. It is very easy to conceal, but it is heavy.
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Old September 27, 2012, 09:20 PM   #17
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Thanks for all the great advice. It is going back for the second and hopefully last time.
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Old September 28, 2012, 10:25 PM   #18
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The Semmerling .45 is probably not an option for me because of the re-cocking requirement.

I want something in a back-up .45, CCW, not my primary, that fires every time I pull the trigger. I'm still searching for a reliable, deep concealment micro .45. I don't care about how much other folks have had complaints with their hand hurting firing small .45s, unable to handle the recoil, weak grip, "hand cannon" problems. Those are behavioral issues overcome with training and experience, as long as the gun is reliable. On the other hand, my gun is erratic at best.

I don't like the cheap feel of polymer guns, so I will probably stick with cold steel - OK, maybe a little pot metal on the side. I also don't want something UGLY that someone has tried to fix.
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Old September 29, 2012, 12:26 AM   #19
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Maybe you can obtain a back-up Colt, or Sig, or Glock, or Beretta, or Hk, or Walther, until this AMT QC issues clears up?
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Old September 29, 2012, 03:50 PM   #20
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The AMT 45 Backup is your only option for what you want. Believe me, I researched this thoroughly, and the AMT is the only .45 available that is a true DAO semi-auto in such a small package. There simply is no other option. I have reviewed lists of small .45's and compared dimensions - the AMT 45 Backup is the smallest one.
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Old September 29, 2012, 09:30 PM   #21
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According to an on line source that compaired the original AMT BU and the current High Standard version when Galena industries (ne AMT)went bankrupt, there were still thousands of firearm parts available. High Standard has taken these parts and assembles them. Looking at the old vs new guns its pretty apparent thats whats happening. New owners report that the finish is of a lower standard then the old mirror polish of the old AMT and that the recoil guide rod is not "finished" to keep the spring in place so it rattles....
I admit to having one years ago and it was fairly accurite out to 15 yards or so but that 20 lb trigger pull and waiting days for the trigger travel to be over made me move over to a .40 Glock 27 when they came out. They weigh nearly as much as a full size gun on the belt and forget an ankle holster. Just don't see the reason but to each his (or her) own.

Were it me I would look REAL hard at a Kahr P45 before taking on the possible trouble of a "new" AMT..
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Old September 30, 2012, 09:00 PM   #22
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Warningshot: I have other .45s among those you suggested, but none offer any model as small as the AMT Backup. Bond derringers come in .45s, but I want more than two shots.

Skans: I agree. I've also done my online homework.

Sulaco2: I can't speak to your info regarding reassembled parts. My gun does have a recent serial number as above, and the gun was represented to be "new" from the manufacturer. I also would not call the new finish as "mirror". You've seen the pictures above, maybe "rust resistant"? I guess if one is looking for stainless - they'd have to go elsewhere. Working in a humid environment - this is probably the way to go if the gun is next to sweat and moisture. I too have found the recoil guide rod not "finished". In fact, you can still see the lathe grooves in it. It looks more of a bronze color than stainless (maybe oxidized?), and feels very rough to the touch. Regarding the .40 cal anything, they are underpowered when it comes to the man-stopper .45. The AMT .45 Backup feels great in my ankle holster, or pocket holster, and I would rather have my Kimber .45 Ultra Carry II on my belt. Glocks are polymer and oversized as is the Kahr p45 for my purpose (see attached comparison size URL).

http://www.mouseguns.com/PocketAutoComparison.pdf
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Old October 1, 2012, 11:51 AM   #23
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My AMT is an older one. The guide rod is not rough. It did not come mirror polished, but I did polish the slide flats myself to a mirror finish. The two biggest problems was the original recoil spring was weak and the feed ramp needed to be polished. It will reliably feed ball ammo and even hollow-point defensive loads. Keep it clean and it mine functions reliably.

I don't carry it as much, however. It's easier for me to carry my Ruger LC9....but the LC9 doesn't have the stopping power of a .45acp. Maybe Ruger can make an LC45???
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Old October 1, 2012, 12:10 PM   #24
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Even though it has a polymer frame, a Kahr PM45 would be leaps and bounds better in quality than a High Standard.
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Old October 1, 2012, 08:10 PM   #25
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Noted two things besides the polish that is changed the old markings on the slide are polished off according to the guy that did the compair between old and new and there is now a cover over the trigger action parts that used to be exposed. Apparently this makes take down more complex? Anyway if you like it have at it, IMHO there are better designes on the market now that are much easier to carry and shoot.
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