AMT .45 Backup Problems

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..
 
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
 
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???
 
Even though it has a polymer frame, a Kahr PM45 would be leaps and bounds better in quality than a High Standard.
 
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.
 
All of the above comments are valid and appreciated. I don't think anyone ever buys the AMT .45 Backup because of its high quality. Its usually been for the firepower in the smallest .45 pistol in production and hopefully a reliable shooter. It is more than convenient to carry all the same interchangeable caliber cartridges for your full size, compact, and micro weapons. The Kahr PM45 has a longer grip and magazine that sticks out when trying to conceal in a pair of blue jeans pocket or pant leg - not so with the AMT. All of the "firearm safety" warnings that used to be etched into the old slides are gone with the new production. The cover over the trigger mechanism on the right side of the gun prevents debris from entering the previously exposed parts, which is probably a good thing. The trade off is that now the two grip screws on the right need to be loosened to take off the grip and cover to gain access to the slide takedown pin which is flush, and needs to be pushed out from right to left.
 
Well you have obviously done your research, and come up with the best solution to fit your needs. I was in the market for a slim .45, and I went with the CW45 over a Glock 36 (not interested in pocket carry though). I had thought about an AMT as well, but I couldn't find any locally to compare. With the .45, sacrifices have to be made when handguns are being made smaller and smaller. The spotty QC steered me away from them, as did the shuffling of companies producing them.

If I were you, I'd send it back in and get it looked at. If it still has problems, I would consider whether you feel it is suitable for self defense. I would hate to make a modification, only to have them hold it over your head as a reason that it failed.
 
"Firepower" doesn't mean much when the gun doesn't work, the primary attribute of AMTs.

Seriously, very seriously, do yourself a big favor and throw the gun away when you get it back. Don't even waste one round.

Go out and buy a Colt New Agent or Glock 36. Don't look back.
 
If you look around here many claim the latter backup with the firing pin safety always had more problems than the one that does not.

That being said I found a NIB backup without the FP safety and messed with it for awhile and failed to get it anywhere close to self defense reliable.

I changed the recoil spring and smoothed out all the elements that were rough from the factory and still no-go.

Turning towards the mags I had 5 mags to play with and I noticed that the follower on the AMT mag is really floppy at the front end, I tried modifying the mags going so far as to try the follower from an ed brown mag that offers more support / stabilization and stronger mag springs. Ultimately this lead to a 4 round mag that was almost reliable. But not quite. I considered brazing a catch to the back of a wilson officers mag and seeing if that helped but I gave up.

I'd rather stuff a J frame in my pocket among other things than the AMT all things considered. I'm not mad, I went in with eyes open and learned a whole ton in the process.

Ed Brown does not build less than a commander sized 1911, he says it will not be reliable. Others do but many of the reports here of 1911's with issues come from the officer sized 1911's. Likewise many of the micro 9mm / 380 guns have issues that need to be ironed out. I am not saying AMT is bad, but I will say that any small for the caliber auto needs more attention to detail and I do not see that in the AMT.
 
The other option of course is a Kahr PM45 don't have the stats on hand but I think its smaller (although the grip length would seem to be very close with the same 5 round size mag) and lighter then the BU and the ammo is the same. I don't know if these pistols have the same problems as the mico .45s but mine seems to do very well if you can ride the recoil.
 
"Firepower" doesn't mean much when the gun doesn't work, the primary attribute of AMTs.

Seriously, very seriously, do yourself a big favor and throw the gun away when you get it back. Don't even waste one round.
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As long as the AMT 45 Backup doesn't have something seriously wrong with it (like the one pictured a couple pages back), they can be made to work and work reliably. When you get it to work reliably, it's a good piece. I don't know anything about the new ones coming out - mine is an older one, probably made in the '90's.

The design is simple. They are easy to work on. My AMT came with a factory magazine and an aftermarket magazine. The aftermarket magazine was crap, completely out of spec and simply didn't work. I tried several other aftermarket magazines with my AMT at a gun show and they were all pure crap - some wouldn't even lock up in in the magwell empty! Stick with factory AMT magazines.

Also, if you buy a used AMT make sure that no one has attempted to lighten the trigger. I've heard of people doing this because the trigger pull is quite heavy. It's heavy for a reason - the hammer spring must be stiff to create enough force to ignite the primer. This sounds like common sense, but you'd be surprised what people do.
 
Why "work on" a new gun at all? Unless that's your hobby,of course.

There are plenty that work right out of the box and keep working. I mentioned 2 that are sub-commander in size that work great: the Colt New Agent and the Glock 36. No work required.
 
Why "work on" a new gun at all? Unless that's your hobby,of course.

There are plenty that work right out of the box and keep working. I
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Because none are as small and compact as the 45 AMT Backup. Believe me, if Ruger, Colt or S&W made a smaller, lighter .45acp with the same capacity, I'd agree with you. But, no one does.
 
That is exactly why I hope High Standard can deliver a reliable AMT .45 Backup under warranty.

Regarding an earlier comment, of course I will fire it to see if they fixed it, and it is now reliable. Why not? Until one of the Big Names takes on the design, manufacture, and quality control of a .45 semiauto in this size; they are the only game in town.
 
Had an original. Required a lot of polishing, new recoil spring, and a modified Wilson mag follower to get it to work properly. Sold it to a LEO for more than I had in it. Too heavy for a BUG IMHO.
 
I sold guns when the AMT Back Up was in its hayday. They never worked reliably ! I tried to stear my customers away form purchasing them. However, most of my customers demanded them because they were the smallest .45 acp on the market. It seems that the current procuction is no better. One TFL poster purchased one and was having a good gunsmith work it over; sadly, he never reposted the results.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery Sergeaant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
Ahoy 45 Aficiando,

The following is what I wrote about the AMT BACKUP 45 in February of this year:

"After researching and hearing all the bad news about the AMT 45 BACK UP, I took a chance on a like-new condition one, on sale for $250.

Before shooting a single cartridge I disassembled (taking pics along the way to refresh my memory for re-assembly) the pistol completely. I found the internals in machined rough condition. Polished and buffed every single part...everything...very carefully. The hammer assembly is the worst, a real swine, but must be disassembled and thoroughly fluffed and buffed. This was time consuming, but when finished, the action becomes as smooth as a hot knife passing thru soft butter, with a silky, consistent, firm trigger pull. Very slick.

The owner must, in effect, re-manufacture the pistol, then keep it clean and well lubed. 100% flawless function.

Amazing how accurate these little AMT 45 BACK UPs are, 3/4" groups doable at CCW distances, and how well they handle the recoil of the 45 ACP cartridge. Mostly use for ankle carry, on occasion pocket or IWB (requires wide strong belt).

Only problem are the grip screws, they must be tightened after every range session, as they come loose. Lost one."

PS: I prefer to carry it on the ankle...its a tad too small for IWB, OWB or shoulder holster. Sometimes I carry it in a jacket pocket. Have considered picking up an XDS 45, but its larger, and the AMT is such a good shooter its kinda grown on me.
 
All great comments, and taken to heart. I'm waiting for my gun to come back from High Standard under new owner warranty. I will let you know if they delivered. It's now up to their own quality control to produce a reliable weapon for selling a firearm designed to protect the life of the owner. I suspect that will be an indication of whether or not they will join or rise above the list of bankrupt companies that have produced this smallest .45 semi-automatic pistol.

Seaman, you and I were cut from the same cloth. I also gazed for years at the ocean as an LEO back in the '70s with my Colt Govt. model at the ready, which I still have; and which I might add, also needed work for failure to eject. I believe it is possible, as you and others have so eloquently stated, to make the AMT .45 Backup a reliable, running pistol. It's obvious the quality control at AMT that was absent at the factory was taken care of in your garage. Being able to stuff a RELIABLE .45 semi-auto in a pocket is priceless. You must be a gunsmith, I can't imagine knocking out pins and completely taking down the hammer/firing pin assembly taking photos along the way without a manual for reassembly
 
Waiting on a AMT

45acp is my #1 choice for SD work, but waiting?

I'd rather pack around a used but operational 9X18 Makarov that was won in a Poker Game with some cheating Soviet truck drivers, as to use my inside the waist holster merely as a place holder for an 'we-got-yer-gun' UPS reciept.
 
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