BIG Autoloaders......

[CCCLVII]

I have been thinking about getting a Coonan for about a year now but things keep coming up... I enjoy reading the posts on this forum about it.

[WC145]

This my Automag V .50AE -


.50AE next to .45ACP -

[Viper1357]

Not a large diameter round, but a decent sized cartridge and (Big) pistol, the 5.56 out of a Kel Tec PLR 16 is nothing to sneeze at. Noticeable recoil and nasty muzzle blast is the norm. Something to add anyway..



"

[.50]

Questions for the experts:

Did the Auto Mag ever come in a production version as .41 JMP (Jurras Mag Pistol) alongside the .44 AMP and .357 AMP? If so, was it a model or an available barrel only? (I think it was experimental only. Confirm?)

Will a 9mm WinMag (AMT AutoMag III or LAR Grizzly) take .30 Mauser ammo?

What, if any, autoloaders were ever chambered for .30 WildeyMag?
(Weren't all WlldeyMag calibers necked-down versions of the .475? .45, 11mm, .41, .357, and .30 WildeyMag; all in Wildey guns only? Anyone ever seen a .30 Wildey?)

[44 AMP]

I don't think I'm an expert, but I do know a few things.

As far as I know, there were some .41JMP barrels produced, but I have no idea how many. I don't know if there were any complete pistols packaged and sold.

Will a 9mm WinMag (AMT AutoMag III or LAR Grizzly) take .30 Mauser ammo?

no. Not even remotely the same round.

Don't know if Wildey ever sold any .30s. Wasn't a catalogue item I ever saw.

[.50]

I don't think I'm an expert, but I do know a few things.

Staff with 44 AMP for a screen name = expert, IMHO.

As far as I know, there were some .41JMP barrels produced, but I have no idea how many. I don't know if there were any complete pistols packaged and sold.

So there's a chance...

no. Not even remotely the same round.

Yeah, an acquaintance insisted I could run the .30 Mausers through my AutoMag III 9mm WinMag. I thought he was nuts. I think he was confused because they supposedly chambered the III for .30 Mauser briefly.

Don't know if Wildey ever sold any .30s. Wasn't a catalogue item I ever saw.

It keeps popping up in my research to track down one of each Wildey for my collection. I'll keep searching. Many thanx.

[Japle]

Did the Auto Mag ever come in a production version as .41 JMP (Jurras Mag Pistol) alongside the .44 AMP and .357 AMP? If so, was it a model or an available barrel only?

I did a lot of work on AutoMags in the '70s and I never heard of complete guns in .41 being produced. Lee Jurras might have sold some as custom orders. The barrels were available through Lee and Kent Lamont.

According to my notes (yes, I'm that anal) I had two .41s come through the shop. Both were, as we used to say, JamOMags. The customers sent 200 rounds of ammo, because I didn't have any and wasn't about to handload the stuff.

[.50]

I did a lot of work on AutoMags in the '70s and I never heard of complete guns in .41 being produced. Lee Jurras might have sold some as custom orders. The barrels were available through Lee and Kent Lamont.

According to my notes (yes, I'm that anal) I had two .41s come through the shop. Both were, as we used to say, JamOMags. The customers sent 200 rounds of ammo, because I didn't have any and wasn't about to handload the stuff.

Thanks for that info. It's a scavenger hunt for a $xxxx barrel that was one of a few. I can live with that, and hope to find one now that I know a few existed.

(Am I the only one who'd like to see these guns back in limited production with modern improvements to finish the incomplete development?)

[DFrame]

I fired a friends dessert eagle (.50 AE) a few times. Substantial recoil but not punishing. Always wanted an automag but never could afford one. Nowadays I don't think I'd want to go to all the trouble of manufacturing automag ammunition. Getting crotchety in my later years I guess.

[Japle]

DFrame, With Starline brass, it’s no harder to load AMP than any other magnum pistol cartridge, except that you have to lube the cases before sizing.

I tumble them, lube (Hornady One-Shot), size, tumble again with a capful of mineral spirits added to the medium, pick the damn medium out of the flash holes and then load as usual on my Dillon.

I’d love to have an 8½ or 10 inch .357AMP barrel, but they currently run $1,500 +. I never saw much reason for the .41 or the .30AMP, but that’s just me.
Frankly, I don’t have any good reason for buying most of the guns I own. I just like ‘em!

[.50]

Found this:

44 AutoMag This pistol has very small grip for a magnum autoloader and in fact is smaller in circumference than a Glock 17 9mm. It is very well made and caliber conversions require only a barrel swap to go between the 44AMP, 41 JMP, 357 AMP, 30 LMP, etc. This gun has the best design to facilitate caliber swaps since the sights remain on the barrels, hence there is no need to resight the gun after going to a different barrel. Sights are very nice, as is the trigger and overall handling characteristics of the pistol. This is the easiest of the magnum autos to hit long range targets off-hand. Though the DE is more accurate off the bench, the AutoMag is more accurate when the operator must hand hold the piece. This is mostly due to the superb trigger and better grip ergonomics than the DE. Drawbacks to the AutoMag are that it is not easily scoped and since the barrel moves back and forth during cycling it tends to break scopes in the heavier calibers. Obviously, ammunition is a problem if you do not reload, but if you are a reloader, 44 AMP brass is now available from Starline. Also, all of the necked down calibers use a thick neck, so there is no need to inside neck ream when forming the cases, even down to the 30 LMP. Reliability of the AutoMag is good, but not perfect. Mine tends to have an ejection failure approximately 1 in 150 rounds or so. I have shot a couple of hogs with this gun, one at 55 yards with a 6.5" 41 JMP barrel and one at 85 yards with a 8.5" 41 AMP barrel, both iron sighted off-hand. This is a very nice gun and if you are an experimenter, hand loader, and basic gun nut, this is the magnum pistol for you. If you want to buy off the shelf ammo and shoot your gun all day every day, this is not a good choice since the gun does require more maintenance than others.

And in light of this and the previous post, evidently barrels were available in .357 AMP, .41 JMP, and .30 LMP.

[.50]

DFrame, With Starline brass, it’s no harder to load AMP than any other magnum pistol cartridge, except that you have to lube the cases before sizing.

I tumble them, lube (Hornady One-Shot), size, tumble again with a capful of mineral spirits added to the medium, pick the damn medium out of the flash holes and then load as usual on my Dillon.

I’d love to have an 8½ or 10 inch .357AMP barrel, but they currently run $1,500 +. I never saw much reason for the .41 or the .30AMP, but that’s just me.
Frankly, I don’t have any good reason for buying most of the guns I own. I just like ‘em!

Great info, Japle. Thanks.

[Japle]

Posted by .50:
Drawbacks to the AutoMag are that it is not easily scoped and since the barrel moves back and forth during cycling it tends to break scopes in the heavier calibers.

Man, that’s the truth! I tried mounting the lightest scope I could find – the long extinct 1.7X Hudson Handgunner – on the barrel extension of a .357 AMP. The folks at Hudson told me they were interested in the experiment. They wanted to see how well their scope would stand up to heavy G forces and would replace any scopes I wrecked.

When the AM is fired, the barrel extension moves back about ½” and stops against the frame, generating a gazillion Gs. I found that the Handgunner would rotate in its rings a few degrees with every shot. After 6 rounds, the screws sheared off and the scope and mount came off, bounced off my head and landed in the weeds. I remounted with bigger screws. This time, the scope tube broke in front of the front ring, dumping the forward end of the scope on the bench. End of experiment.

I had a machinist friend of mine fabricate a mount out of T6 aluminum that replaced the left grip and held the scope directly over the centerline of the bore. That worked great. I could remove the scope and when I put it back on, it didn’t lose zero. I used that setup for years without a single problem.

[Japle]

I just came up with this;

While Lee Jurras was a distributor of Auto Mags he produced many beautiful custom guns. There were:

235 Custom Model 100′s .44AMP, .41JMP & .357AMP
11 Custom Model 200′s Internationals .357AMP
1 Custom Model 200 International Bicentennial .357AMP
9 Custom Model 300′s Alaskans .44AMP
5 Custom Model 400′s Backpackers .44AMP & .357AMP
5 Custom Model 500′s Grizzly’s .44AMP
2 Custom Model 600′s Condors .44AMP
1 with no model number Cougar .30AMP
3 with no model number Metallic Silhouettes .41JMP & .357AMP

While Lee held the exclusive distribution rights, he used “LEJ” as the prefix in his serial numbers. After Lee gave up his exclusive distribution rights, he used standard “A” prefix serial numbered frames on his custom guns.

Lee also advertised non custom model 100 Auto Mags for sale. These were “A” prefix guns with a lion’s head on the receiver. They also did not come with Lee’s custom zebra wood grips or the “Gun-Ho” case. These guns were usually drop shipped from the factory and are considered to be worth less than a Jurras distributed custom model 100 gun.

Kent Lomont was another Auto Mag distributor who made and sold a line of custom barrels. The barrels that Kent sold had his very distinctive animal markings.

The Groundhog .22LMP
The Fox .25LMP
The Cougar .30LMP
The Antelope .357AMP
The Grizzly .41JMP
The Bison .44AMP
.45ACP Magnum

Source: http://www.amtguns.net/?page_id=55

[.50]

Gold mine!! You are THE man. I'd seen hints of all this info scattered, but couldn't compile it concisely.

If I thought I could make it happen on at least a break-even business model, I'd attempt to buy/license my way to remanufacturing a whole production lineup.

For now, scavenger hunt time.

[Hook686]

I like the Desert Eagle XIX, but then I have big hands. I have the .44 magnum, and the .357 magnum kit. I find it easier to carry in the outback hunting than a rifle. Both calibers are really tamed by the weight of the DE recoil wise. For what ever reason, my .357 magnum magazines hold ten rounds. Shooting 11 rounds of .357 magnum I find to be a real kick, and a good way to go through a lot of ammunition in short order. I do use it for a nightstand gun and feel quite secure.

[FloridaVeteran]

A couple of good replies here, IMO, regarding courtesy at indoor ranges. The one I frequent has staff who know enough to place the big-bangers at the right end of the lanes, so that their (our) noise and cartridge ejection least bothers the other shooters. To me this is good practice, good business, etc. As the shooter, it makes it a little easier for me to retrieve my casings, which shooters of big bores like me are more likely to want to do. Win-win for everybody.

When I go to an indoor range, if I an shooting semi-auto I request the farthest right lanes possible and if I am shooting single-action I request the farthest-left, since I want to recover 100% of my brass and don't want to be showered by ejected cases from the semi-auto to the left of me. Unless they're brass ACP, in which case I'll be happy to catch and/or keep them.

[WC145]

I forgot to post my PLR-16 and Universal Enforcer -