the duck of death
New member
I need some info as to the reliability of the small Autauga MKII pistol. I have a chance to buy one for $199.99, and know nothing about the pistol. Forget the inquiry--I did a search.
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Autauga 32 feedback
- Thread starter the duck of death
- Start date
Kentucky Rifle
New member
The little Autauga is one pocket pistol I didn't buy...
And I've tried to buy all the pocket pistols I've ever seen. A lot of people have great luck with them however, the owner of my gun shop (and a pretty good smith) told me a bad story regarding Autaugas. He had a customer who was getting malfunctions. So, he took her Autauga apart. He was surprised to find the "innards" were as thin as razor blades. In other words--not much metal there.
I'd rather have my P-32, Guardian, or (of course) my Seecamp any day. JMO.
KR
And I've tried to buy all the pocket pistols I've ever seen. A lot of people have great luck with them however, the owner of my gun shop (and a pretty good smith) told me a bad story regarding Autaugas. He had a customer who was getting malfunctions. So, he took her Autauga apart. He was surprised to find the "innards" were as thin as razor blades. In other words--not much metal there.
I'd rather have my P-32, Guardian, or (of course) my Seecamp any day. JMO.
KR
Buyer beware. You will have problems getting them fixed as Autauga Arms is out of business. Rusty at Augauga Rifles may still be doing repairs, since he acquired all of the remaining parts for Autauga Arms.
I bought one for around $240. Malfunctioned out of the box. Had to send it to Rusty, cost me $35 to send it. He took about 6 weeks to fix it after repeated calls demanding to know where the heck my pistol was. He did fix the problems, it hasn't malfunctioned since. Apparently he knew exactly what the problem was and detailed it to me over the phone (a bad part that got into a LOT of the pistols).
Nice and small, acceptable accuracy at 3 yds (maximum useful range), kicks like the dickens, your hand will hurt after about 2 mags. Useful for those times when carrying a bigger gun is not practical.
Regards,
James
I bought one for around $240. Malfunctioned out of the box. Had to send it to Rusty, cost me $35 to send it. He took about 6 weeks to fix it after repeated calls demanding to know where the heck my pistol was. He did fix the problems, it hasn't malfunctioned since. Apparently he knew exactly what the problem was and detailed it to me over the phone (a bad part that got into a LOT of the pistols).
Nice and small, acceptable accuracy at 3 yds (maximum useful range), kicks like the dickens, your hand will hurt after about 2 mags. Useful for those times when carrying a bigger gun is not practical.
Regards,
James
I've had good luck with both of mine, never a malfunction. KY Rifle, I'm curious as to what parts are your gunsmith is talking about? I've taken both of mine apart, didn't notice anything particularly thin and I've taken a Seecamp apart that I used to own when it jammed repeatedly.
Kentucky Rifle
New member
Alamo...
He didn't go into it. However, I'll give him a call this week and find out more information. If he was mistaken, I'll be happy to add an Autauga to my collection of pocket pistols.
I too can get a NIB Autauga for about $200.00. The thing I liked about the Autauga was the grip. It felt good in my hand.
KR
He didn't go into it. However, I'll give him a call this week and find out more information. If he was mistaken, I'll be happy to add an Autauga to my collection of pocket pistols.
I too can get a NIB Autauga for about $200.00. The thing I liked about the Autauga was the grip. It felt good in my hand.
KR
I would be curious as to what he says as I've taken both of mine apart and didn't notice anything unusual.
The sum of my knowledge of these guns comes from personal experience with 2 of them and talking to about 10 other owners. The first 8-9 other owners had the same experience I did, they thought they were great guns and theirs had been 100% reliable. I like mine because the trigger pull is fair amount lighter than the Guardian and less importantly, it is 2 ounces lighter. The finish is very good too, I've carried mine in the Texas heat/humidity for 2.5 years now and no problems.
First I heard of a problem with any of them was from Extremist (what was it, about 6+ months ago?) and then about a month after hearing of his problem, I saw a guy on Glock Talk post the same thing. On some of them, the trigger bar slips sometimes and the trigger doesn't engage when it happens. (That is my understanding). It is apparently an easy fix (new trigger bar?) but the problem is Rusty is apparently slow in getting to them. I believe he owns or works for Autauga Rifle (http://www.autaugarifles.com) and fixing .32s probably is not a high priority with him but they do eventually get fixed.
I communicated with him by e-mail almost 2 months ago and he said he was finalizing a deal to sell the design and it would be back in production within a year or sooner. Obviously any new production would incorporate the fix on the trigger bar.
BTW, KY Rifle, I solved my Taurus Titanium 850 CIA / Glock 26 dilemma - I'm going to get both!! That's ususally the best way to handle things. We are having a good quarter in my business and the quarterly bonus should be bigger than usual so sometime in late June I plan on getting both of them.
The sum of my knowledge of these guns comes from personal experience with 2 of them and talking to about 10 other owners. The first 8-9 other owners had the same experience I did, they thought they were great guns and theirs had been 100% reliable. I like mine because the trigger pull is fair amount lighter than the Guardian and less importantly, it is 2 ounces lighter. The finish is very good too, I've carried mine in the Texas heat/humidity for 2.5 years now and no problems.
First I heard of a problem with any of them was from Extremist (what was it, about 6+ months ago?) and then about a month after hearing of his problem, I saw a guy on Glock Talk post the same thing. On some of them, the trigger bar slips sometimes and the trigger doesn't engage when it happens. (That is my understanding). It is apparently an easy fix (new trigger bar?) but the problem is Rusty is apparently slow in getting to them. I believe he owns or works for Autauga Rifle (http://www.autaugarifles.com) and fixing .32s probably is not a high priority with him but they do eventually get fixed.
I communicated with him by e-mail almost 2 months ago and he said he was finalizing a deal to sell the design and it would be back in production within a year or sooner. Obviously any new production would incorporate the fix on the trigger bar.
BTW, KY Rifle, I solved my Taurus Titanium 850 CIA / Glock 26 dilemma - I'm going to get both!! That's ususally the best way to handle things. We are having a good quarter in my business and the quarterly bonus should be bigger than usual so sometime in late June I plan on getting both of them.
Yes, it was about 6 months ago and it was the trigger bar. It was slipping half the time and wouldn't fire. The trigger bar is the thin sheet of metal that is probably the culprit on all of the Autauga's that have the problem. It is luck of the draw whether you get one that's been "fixed" or not.
And it's not such a bargain at $200 if you have to spend another $35 to ship it to Rusty to fix along with waiting for 6-8 weeks to get it back
James
And it's not such a bargain at $200 if you have to spend another $35 to ship it to Rusty to fix along with waiting for 6-8 weeks to get it back
James
Kentucky Rifle
New member
Alamo...
When you told me about the CIA/Glock dilemma, I thought.."I bet he ends up buying them both"! HA--I was right! I don't think you can go wrong with either. I'm still trying to make up my mind between the G26 and the Kahr MK9. My G27 has been such a great pistol, it's hard to imagine going with the MK9. However, I really DO like them a lot. Plus, almost everyone who has one has something good to say about MK9's. Same loaded weight, smaller pistol. Tempting.
I thought of another thing I like about the little Autauga. It's very thin. I wonder if I can just buy one and order the thicker trigger bar and put it in myself? If that's all it is, I don't see why not. What do you think? HEY!!!! You sneaky Alamo!! Now you've got me thinking I need another pocket pistol!
Tom, I'm beginning to think you ENJOY playing with my mind. I can't turn my back on you for a second!!
KR
When you told me about the CIA/Glock dilemma, I thought.."I bet he ends up buying them both"! HA--I was right! I don't think you can go wrong with either. I'm still trying to make up my mind between the G26 and the Kahr MK9. My G27 has been such a great pistol, it's hard to imagine going with the MK9. However, I really DO like them a lot. Plus, almost everyone who has one has something good to say about MK9's. Same loaded weight, smaller pistol. Tempting.
I thought of another thing I like about the little Autauga. It's very thin. I wonder if I can just buy one and order the thicker trigger bar and put it in myself? If that's all it is, I don't see why not. What do you think? HEY!!!! You sneaky Alamo!! Now you've got me thinking I need another pocket pistol!
Tom, I'm beginning to think you ENJOY playing with my mind. I can't turn my back on you for a second!!KR
I've had my share of problems with my $199 Autauga (SN in the low 3000's) — Frequent FTFs with Fiocchi JHPs, Silvertips and Gold Dots, not to mention plenty of soft strikes. Late last week, I noticed what appears to be a hairline crack in the left side of the slide, opposite the extractor. Rusty hasn't replied to my e-mails yet, so this could get ugly...