Author Topic: AMT Backup (Read 2017 times)

Dana C · « **on:** May 23, 2005, 11:26:32 AM »

I had and sold a AMT backup with the grip safety in 380 Auto a few years ago. I regreted it ever since! I found another one and bought it.
I don't know how anyone else feels about them or if anyone knows anything about them but I thrilled to get one back!
By the way, it is a stainless, hammerless, single action auto with both a thumb saftey next to the trigger and a grip safety. It has a 5 shot clip and a 2.5 inch barrel. While it is simple it is quite effective, small, and of very high quality. In fact, used, they are more dollars than they were new.

KN · « **Reply #1 on:** May 23, 2005, 11:53:42 AM »

I had one years ago. I hated it. Size was great but the only thing that would feed in it was Winchester silvertips. Couldn't afford to practice with it so it was history. Handled a friends 45 Backup a while back. That thing had a 22lb trigger on it. Totally ridiculous. KN

jhm · « **Reply #2 on:** May 23, 2005, 12:16:08 PM »

Dana: I carried one abt. 25 yrs. ago and loved it I ground the finger spur off to make it smaller and so it would fit into the rear pocket of my jeans better, hope you enjoy it as much as I did, also sold mine several yrs. ago to a friend who owns a jewery store and he still carries it.

JIM

Mikey · « **Reply #3 on:** May 24, 2005, 02:31:34 AM »

Dana: make certain that pistol does not 'de-cock' when you pull the trigger while the safety is on. I had one, got it for my wife, and one day at the range she forgot to take the safety off and pulls the trigger, only to hear it go 'click' and no bang. Upon examination we found the dang thing had to be re-cocked as the hammer had dropped but the safety had blocked the discharge. I got rid of that pistol the very next day.

If you chamber a round you need that safety on when you carry it, but if you forget to take the safety off in the stress of the moment, your moment may last a lot longer than you think. HTH. Mikey.

rockbilly · « **Reply #4 on:** May 24, 2005, 06:04:59 PM »

I packed an AMT Backup in .40 for many years. It is a quality gun and will take anything I feed it. It is a little on the heavy side, has a 5 rounds mag, 6 rounds with one in the chamber. It is great for close in, with no sights its not intended for anything beyond about 15 yards. I don't mind the stiff trigger since it has no safety.

Several months ago at a gun show I ran across an AMT Backup in .45 that had factory sights. There were only a few of these made, and they were passed out to major distributors at a trade show in Las Vega several years ago. The gun was given to the owner of CDNN, and he had sold it to the dealer at the show. It had a price tag of $275. A little high for an AMT, but today I wish I had spent the money :roll:

Dana C · « **Reply #5 on:** May 25, 2005, 04:25:26 AM »

I always had good performance from the first one I had. When AMT added the second saftey, the grip saftey, the decocking issue went away as I understand it.
If I have a problem with it, I will sell it, (again).

RollTide · « **Reply #6 on:** May 26, 2005, 05:55:43 PM »

I carry an AMT backup in 40 S&W almost everyday. It feeds everything I put in it after a polish job on the ramp and making sure the mag lips were adjusted properly. I think a 99% of problems that people had with these pistols were simply mag problems. My new factory mags usually have to be adjusted, but once they are, they are flawless. I also got a 357 sig, a 45acp, and a 9mm barrel and slide. With one gun I can fire 4 of the best defense calibers ever. What a gun!!!. The trigger is heavy, but I like that in a pocket pistol with no safety. If you have short fingers or weak hands the AMT might not be for you, but it is the main thing I carry because of the size and the powerful rounds which it handles with ease. The polymer guns of various makes are much lighter and many are high quality, but I like an all steel gun in general and especially an extremely small gun in a very powerful round. For about the price of a Kahr MK40, I got a gun the same size AND the extra barrels a and slides so that I can fire 4 different major calibers.

Roll Tide

S.S. · « **Reply #7 on:** June 03, 2005, 05:56:45 AM »

I bought one of the first ones I ever saw,
and still have it ! (380 version)
They are wonderful little weapons once you take
it apart and polish everything nicely!
That little pistol has saved my butt from harm
on 2 different occasions.

Mainspring · « **Reply #8 on:** June 12, 2005, 04:54:51 PM »

I carried one (.380 single action w/grip safety) for a number of years on duty as a back-up. It gave me a lot of confidence keeping a hand on it in my pocket several times. I had two mags for it that were readily identifiable from one another. One would feed Hydra-shoks without complaint, but one would only feed ball. I still carried the spare mag loaded with ball though. Five rounds of .380 ball beats a pointy stick every time.

I've recently sold it to a friend to get something a little lighter...specifically a Kel-Tec P3AT .380.

RVER · « **Reply #9 on:** July 10, 2005, 12:48:42 PM »

I too had an AMT .380 SA with grip safety, it was great. Stupidly, I also sold it years ago.

About two years ago I replaced it with a North American Arms Guardian .380. :grin:

The NAA is similar in size, similar in weight, DA only, and VERY accurate.

I have no idea what the facination is with these small pistols, but I love them.

rockbilly · « **Reply #10 on:** July 10, 2005, 06:03:11 PM »

:shock: Rolltide, Where did you find the .357 Sig barrel for the AMT Backup? Is it an after-market? I talked to the factory before they went out of business and was informed they did not make a barrel in .357 Sig. I would really like to have the .357 barrel since that's the barrel of choice in my Sig. It would be nice to have both guns on the same diet.

RollTide · « **Reply #11 on:** July 15, 2005, 04:47:56 PM »

I believe I got the 357 sig barrel from Numrich, but I am not sure. I picked up barrels and slides on ebay and gun parts suppliers and i cannot remember what came from where. One of the online gunparts palces had some barrels and slides and I think it was Numrich Gun Parts.

Good luck

The Pistoleer · « **Reply #12 on:** September 04, 2005, 03:47:38 PM »

I have a 22 LR single action with the grip safety and shot the heck out of it. I lost the ejector so if I need to unload a live round I need to poke it out. I also have a 45 Backup that is DAO. I had the gunsmith install a shotgun bead in the front of the groove. The trigger pull is about 12 pounds but I can keep all shots in a palm size group at 30 ft. (actually I just measured the group and it is about 2.5 inches :-)

This gun will fit in my watch pocket and shoots everything I have tried in it. I have 2 magazines but also figured out that if I took a 1911 magazine and cut a notch in it for the magazine latch to clip into that I can use them. I have only did it with a old 7 round magazine had but I am sure that it would work with the 8 or 10 round magazines on the market. They can still be used in a 1911. :lol:

Pete

RollTide · « **Reply #13 on:** September 06, 2005, 06:30:03 PM »

Thanks Pete, I never knew that 1911 mags would work in the AMT. I will have to modify a few myself.

I was in a gun shop a few weeks ago looking for some 45 AMT mags, the only one I found was in a used gun for $125. I thought I got a great deal when I bought my first one for $175. Needless to say, it followed me home. Now I have a New York reload. :grin: :grin: :grin:

Roll Tide

RollTide · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2006, 11:10:29 PM »

For all the AMT Backup fans out there, (both of us) I have good news. the AMT backup is now being made by High Standard in 380, 45ACP, and 40 S&W and egunparts still has 357SIG barrels in stock. The world's smallest 45ACP autoloader (same size as the Kahr MK40) is back in business.

Aint life grand !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roll Tide

http://www.highstandard.com/prices.html#m1911

The Pistoleer · « **Reply #15 on:** March 07, 2006, 01:25:42 PM »

Roll Tide, that's good news! Did you ever try to modify a 1911 magazine for your AMT?

For some reason mine isn't feeding 185 JHPs anymore.

Maybe it just needs a good cleaning.

Pete

RollTide · « **Reply #16 on:** March 07, 2006, 05:48:53 PM »

I never did try it yet, but I was just pricing some mecgar mags for that very purpose. Let me know what you find out. I have found that the mag lip adjustment is critical in my AMT. I experiment with one in a cetain caliber until it is 100%, then I mark it and use it for the pattern to adjust any other mag I get in that caliber. It might be some thing simple like that with your mag.

Roll Tide

SUSQUASH · « **Reply #17 on:** March 09, 2006, 03:42:52 PM »

I purchased a .380 AMT Back Up llshortly after they first came out. I carried it as a duty back up and off duty weapon for years. I made a pocket holster and carried in a back pocket of my jeans for years. It was still hard on jean pockets after a while. I retired it in favor of my old S&W .38 Spl Model 49 after I retired a couple of years ago. It is an excellent concealed carry gun when you don't want to have to wear a shirt of jacket over a concealed carry gun and it is about as small a caliber as I would want to carry.