AMT .380 backup.. - Page 2

RC20 · June 4, 2018, 11:55 AM

Great gun if you can put it in someone's ear.

DaleA · June 4, 2018, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Great gun if you can put it in someone's ear.

Perhaps, but from what I read from others in this thread the clicking noise as you pull the trigger might really irritate the guy.

(And yeah, I know this is a 2010 thread but nobody else seems bothered by it, maybe only MT TTL has noticed the date.)

Ricklin · June 4, 2018, 05:10 PM

AFAIK AMT has been dead and gone for a few years now. There are a fair amount of used guns out there.
I just can't see anyone today buying this pistol given the better alternatives now.

HisSoldier · June 6, 2018, 12:59 PM

When I was younger I used to get rid of a gun I didn't trust, but hanging around gunsmith forums I've learned how to make the unreliable gun reliable.

Someone may say it's not right having to do that but for me if I like a gun otherwise I'll tweak the reliability.

Most of the semi autos suffer from the same kinds of problems, balancing springs against springs and forces, extractors poorly shaped, tight chambers and even short chambers.
For the unhandy it's not reasonable to jump right in unless you're willing to scrap the gun, but hang around the smithing columns and, especially, look for drawings of how extractors should be formed, how ejectors should be formed too, and how to tell when some former bubba has ruined the gun beyond repair. There are many detailed explanations which form a good understanding in your mind over time, so that, at first at least, something you would have missed sticks out like a sore thumb and you can fix it!

What a feeling of empowerment that gives.

It's true that many pistols are assembled by people whose last job was market clerk or housewife, the original design was proven functional and then they leave the fitting of production guns to people who have never even held a gun before!

I'm a machinist, so mechanical doings are second nature for me, but still I had to learn from others what to look for in handguns.

There are many books cheaply available that outline basic common problems with automatics too. Once you think you see what is causing the problem take it to a friendly gunsmith and ask if you might be right, or take a photo and show it here, because often a needle file and five minutes light effort, or a magazine change even, is all it needs.

ammo.crafter · June 6, 2018, 02:47 PM

I have never had a FTF or FTE; perhaps I did get a good one. The fact remains it has never failed me and is a great backup gun.
I like the stainless steel weight as this is a small pistol the SS helps with recoil.

JERRYS. · June 6, 2018, 02:54 PM

in the mid to late 80s and early 90s the AMT guns popped up a lot in the L.E. circles I was in. I tried the original S/A AMT 380 and liked it, considering I had relatively nothing to compare it to other than my Walther ppk. I soon bought the DAO version and other than its 45 pound trigger pull it was acceptable for what I had intended it to be (I could not get a Seecamp32 at the time). I also tried the AMT 45 and it had a much lighter trigger pull downwards near 35 pounds. the recoil was not ridiculously harsh but more than I cared to endure. I eventually settle on a S&W 3913NL and a S&W model 37 with a bobbed hammer for my needs at that time.

Charlie98 · June 6, 2018, 10:53 PM

I carried a AMT DAO .380 for a few years... not much to like about it except that it beats being unarmed. I didn't have problems with ball ammo, I don't recall if I had HP ammo in it or not. The deal breaker was the slide... it cracked in half right under the ejection port. A trip back to AMT and it had a new slide, a trip to the next gun show and I had a new Colt .380 instead.

**Mike Irwin** · June 7, 2018, 08:40 AM

Do you have the single action AMT, or the double action?

Word of warning...

Early production single action AMT Back Ups had a very uncertain manual safety.

In some cases the safety would disengage, and the pistol would fire, when the safety was moved through less than 10% of its arc.

That fact featured prominently in a law suit in California in the early 1990s where Mac Scott (former officer and later gunsmith) served as an expert witness.

I actually sold him my Mother's AMT Backup because it was one of the early ones and the safety was off with very little upward push.

Once the trial was over he encased it in Lucite with a sign... "In case of emergency, get a real gun!"

JERRYS. · June 7, 2018, 09:20 AM

mine had a "thumb" safety AND a grip safety that had to be engaged/disengaged for the gun to fire.

**Mike Irwin** · June 7, 2018, 10:42 AM

Yours is the single action, the same kind my Mom had.

Hopefully the manual safety on yours works better than those on the original design.

Auto5 · June 8, 2018, 06:27 AM

I had one of the double action models back in the '80s. I don't recall any particular problems with it, but my current LCP is lighter, easier to conceal and 100% reliable.

MillCreek · June 8, 2018, 02:05 PM

I bought a couple of the .380 and 9 mm DAO models back in the 80's and 90's, and I still have them today. Properly greased, they work just fine for me. There are much lighter-weight options available today, but back in the day, they were cutting edge in terms of a small DAO pistol in stainless.

lonniemike · June 8, 2018, 03:45 PM

Thanks Mike. I'll have to check the safety my retired really old nonAMT, its labled as an OMC, the original company. As the safety is always in the red position, I never worried about the thumb safety. Gee Jerrys 45 and 35, mine started at about 20 pounds. But she slicked up real good to a 7 pound pull.
I'm thinking of retiring my light 380 for a light 9 soon. BestAll

June 4, 2018, 11:55 AM	#26
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	Great gun if you can put it in someone's ear. __________________ Science and Facts are True whether you believe it or not

June 4, 2018, 05:10 PM	#28
Ricklin Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2008 Location: SW Washington state Posts: 2,011	Dead and gone AFAIK AMT has been dead and gone for a few years now. There are a fair amount of used guns out there. I just can't see anyone today buying this pistol given the better alternatives now. __________________ ricklin Freedom is not free

June 6, 2018, 12:59 PM	#29
HisSoldier Senior Member Join Date: August 9, 2007 Location: Oregoncoast Posts: 1,793	When I was younger I used to get rid of a gun I didn't trust, but hanging around gunsmith forums I've learned how to make the unreliable gun reliable. Someone may say it's not right having to do that but for me if I like a gun otherwise I'll tweak the reliability. Most of the semi autos suffer from the same kinds of problems, balancing springs against springs and forces, extractors poorly shaped, tight chambers and even short chambers. For the unhandy it's not reasonable to jump right in unless you're willing to scrap the gun, but hang around the smithing columns and, especially, look for drawings of how extractors should be formed, how ejectors should be formed too, and how to tell when some former bubba has ruined the gun beyond repair. There are many detailed explanations which form a good understanding in your mind over time, so that, at first at least, something you would have missed sticks out like a sore thumb and you can fix it! What a feeling of empowerment that gives. It's true that many pistols are assembled by people whose last job was market clerk or housewife, the original design was proven functional and then they leave the fitting of production guns to people who have never even held a gun before! I'm a machinist, so mechanical doings are second nature for me, but still I had to learn from others what to look for in handguns. There are many books cheaply available that outline basic common problems with automatics too. Once you think you see what is causing the problem take it to a friendly gunsmith and ask if you might be right, or take a photo and show it here, because often a needle file and five minutes light effort, or a magazine change even, is all it needs. __________________ CNC produced 416 stainless triggers to replace the plastic triggers on Colt Mustangs, Mustang Plus II's, MK IV Government .380's and Sig P238's and P938's. Plus Colt Mustang hardened 416 guide rods, and Llama .32 and .380 recoil spring buttons, checkered nicely and blued.

June 6, 2018, 02:47 PM	#30
ammo.crafter Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2006 Location: The Keystone State Posts: 1,970	AMT backup I have never had a FTF or FTE; perhaps I did get a good one. The fact remains it has never failed me and is a great backup gun. I like the stainless steel weight as this is a small pistol the SS helps with recoil. __________________ "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading". --Thomas Jefferson

June 6, 2018, 10:53 PM	#32
Charlie98 Senior Member Join Date: September 6, 2006 Location: Great state of Texas Posts: 1,077	I carried a AMT DAO .380 for a few years... not much to like about it except that it beats being unarmed. I didn't have problems with ball ammo, I don't recall if I had HP ammo in it or not. The deal breaker was the slide... it cracked in half right under the ejection port. A trip back to AMT and it had a new slide, a trip to the next gun show and I had a new Colt .380 instead. __________________ _______________ "I have this pistol pointed at your heart!" "That is my least vulnerable spot."

June 6, 2018, 02:54 PM	#31
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,968	in the mid to late 80s and early 90s the AMT guns popped up a lot in the L.E. circles I was in. I tried the original S/A AMT 380 and liked it, considering I had relatively nothing to compare it to other than my Walther ppk. I soon bought the DAO version and other than its 45 pound trigger pull it was acceptable for what I had intended it to be (I could not get a Seecamp32 at the time). I also tried the AMT 45 and it had a much lighter trigger pull downwards near 35 pounds. the recoil was not ridiculously harsh but more than I cared to endure. I eventually settle on a S&W 3913NL and a S&W model 37 with a bobbed hammer for my needs at that time.

June 7, 2018, 08:40 AM	#33
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,381	Do you have the single action AMT, or the double action? Word of warning... Early production single action AMT Back Ups had a very uncertain manual safety. In some cases the safety would disengage, and the pistol would fire, when the safety was moved through less than 10% of its arc. That fact featured prominently in a law suit in California in the early 1990s where Mac Scott (former officer and later gunsmith) served as an expert witness. I actually sold him my Mother's AMT Backup because it was one of the early ones and the safety was off with very little upward push. Once the trial was over he encased it in Lucite with a sign... "In case of emergency, get a real gun!" __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

June 7, 2018, 09:20 AM	#34
JERRYS. Senior Member Join Date: September 23, 2013 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,968	mine had a "thumb" safety AND a grip safety that had to be engaged/disengaged for the gun to fire.

June 7, 2018, 10:42 AM	#35
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,381	Yours is the single action, the same kind my Mom had. Hopefully the manual safety on yours works better than those on the original design. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

June 8, 2018, 06:27 AM	#36
Auto5 Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2013 Location: Chicago suburbs Posts: 662	I had one of the double action models back in the '80s. I don't recall any particular problems with it, but my current LCP is lighter, easier to conceal and 100% reliable. __________________ At the young age of five, a bear told me that I was the only person who could prevent forest fires. Why I was chosen, I'll never know.

June 8, 2018, 02:05 PM	#37
MillCreek Senior Member Join Date: December 30, 2004 Location: Snohomish County, Washington USA Posts: 326	I bought a couple of the .380 and 9 mm DAO models back in the 80's and 90's, and I still have them today. Properly greased, they work just fine for me. There are much lighter-weight options available today, but back in the day, they were cutting edge in terms of a small DAO pistol in stainless. __________________ Regards, MillCreek Snohomish County, Washington USA

June 8, 2018, 03:45 PM	#38
lonniemike Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2005 Posts: 138	Thanks Mike. I'll have to check the safety my retired really old nonAMT, its labled as an OMC, the original company. As the safety is always in the red position, I never worried about the thumb safety. Gee Jerrys 45 and 35, mine started at about 20 pounds. But she slicked up real good to a 7 pound pull. I'm thinking of retiring my light 380 for a light 9 soon. BestAll