[spearcrow]

Hey everyone! I was out at the gun shop yesterday with my brother. I was trying to find a Smith without a lock on it (not having any luck either), when my brother motioned for me to come over to the other side of the aisle. He held up this little stainless AMT. I told him it was a cute little gun, but .380 ammo was almost impossible to find. He said, it's not a 380 it's a 45acp. So, I thought I would take a closer look. I don't even recall the model of it, but it was a 45acp, and it was really small. It was an all steel gun, single stack mag...looked like it would only hold maybe 5 rounds, and it had a groove on top like a fixed sighted revolver, no front sight. I haven't ever really looked at an AMT before, but this looked like a really neat, possibly good ccw gun. Anyone seen one of these around lately? Asking price was $325.00, NIB.

 

[xtimberman]

One of my buddies had a couple of the stainless steel AMT models - a .380 Backup and a 1911. The steel on both of them began to gall in spots along the slide rails and other hard bearing surfaces. Eventually, the rougher areas got bad enough to affect reliability and he traded 'em off.

I read where they corrected that problem with a change in the stainless alloy, but I have steered clear of AMTs ever since for fear of getting one with the problem.

xtm

 

[Leighton]

In one of my older Gun Digest books there is an article about the AMT .45. A very good article, trigger pull was to heavy as was the gun for its size, sights what sights, accuracy well if your inside the barn the bullet will hit something. This was before the days of PC gun writers. At its best it is a contact weapon. Like XTM I've run across the AMT's in my time in full size and compact, an they are for the whole a hit or miss option. There are better guns out there to spend money on. If it was me I'd pass! Keep looking for that no-lock S&W you'll be better served.

 

[spearcrow]

I appreciate the opinions fellas. I thought it had potential as a ccw gun, but that would be the extent of it's usefulness...I doubt I could do very good without sights outside of 15 or 20 feet, but the fact that is a steel gun kinda hurts it's carry appeal. It was really small, but it was a heavy little booger. Guess I'll let someone else take this one home...didn't need it anyway.

 

[Leighton]

Weight to size ratio there are alot better guns out there for CCW.

 

[Sebago Son]

This is the AMT ".45 Back Up".

Mine is an Irwindale gun from the earliest production. I bought it new in the early 90's when they first came out. They were "the Nutz" at the time and everybody wanted one. We sold a dozen out of our shop in the first month they were available at around $500 ea.

Later, once supply caught up with demand, the "Back Up" was offered in other chamberings, some pretty bazaar. As I recall .38 Super, 9x21, .30 Mauser were listed. I handled and shot one in .40 S&W which was interesting, but not so much so that i bought it at the time....

Mine was always kinda balky with .45 230 grn. ball ammo so I sent it back to the factory for a fluff and buff. When it was returned the slide had been drilled and a firing pin retaining pin had been retrofitted. It seems that early guns would fire if dropped on their muzzle. Not surprising considering the mass of this little gun.

After a couple of hundred rounds of ball my gun smoothed out and fed just about everything. It really likes CorBon 185's which is what I used to carry in it.

Folks will poo-hoo the "gutter" sight with no front blade, but the heavy DA-only pull is more of a detriment to accuracy in my opinion. Once you get used to that, keeping all six in the black of a B27 Target out to 15 yards isn't that tough. Just for yuks once I ran the FBI Qual Course with it and didn't do too badly at the shorter ranges, but the heel mounted mag release slowed down my reloads at the 10 yard line.

However the reason I stopped carrying it was two fold..... First the little bugger is heavy when loaded and at the time good holsters were limited to Alesi IWB and Desantis OWB. I bought the Alesi and never liked it much. Second is the exposed trigger linkage on the starboard side of the gun. There is a triangular opening between the slide and frame 3/4" long and 3/8" high. Through this opening can be seen the trigger linkage, recoil spring and trigger pivot. I was always paranoid that this hole would get filled with crud (like leather shavings from that supertight Alesi holster) and the gun wouldn't fire when I needed it most. Take down is a real bear....

Today, I think we have better choices in Powerful Pocket Pistols such as the far more refined Kahr Arms and others that make the AMT .45 Backup less attractive. Others must agree as I understand that they have been out of print for some time.

Mine now lives in a lock box in the tirewell of my SUV for a last ditch "Back Up".

Drew

 

[m657]

re: "the heavy DA-only pull is more of a detriment"

2nd that comment.

About 20 years ago (or whenever they were first on the market) I yearned for the 380 Back Up. Got one, it worked well and was quite pleasant AND accurate out to about 20' or so I could use it quite adequately. Got talked out of it by a buddy with something I wanted more.

Probably would take another if the VERY right deal came along, but there are far better models available today.

Got the 45 Back Up. Monster heavy small gun with a 300# Schwartzenegger safety trigger. So heavy I literally could NOT fire an entire magazine without resting due to finger fatigue!!!

Never came to appreciate ANY of the qualities about the 45. Traded it to a gun shop that was closed down by the feds shortly thereafter. Would NEVER care to have another of this model.

 

[MOONDAWG]

The only negative things about the .45 AMT Back Up's in my neck of the woods were their weight to size ratio and their horrendously heavy (18-20 lb.) DA trigger pulls.

If either of these two things didn't bother you, they were great little back ups... klgasilBRVO

 

[parson45]

I had one of the 380s back when. We took it apart to try an action job on it, and it was held together with washers. Looked like the frame had been over-milled then washers were used to attempt a fix. That one went to the next gun show.