looking for opinions on AMT Backup .380
- Thread starter EricM
- Start date
I have had two of the AMT 380 Backups. Neither one worked at all. A total POS. They are cute. I wanted one so bad that I was talked into trying the second one. It was worse than the first! Don't do it. (If you could try it first, and it actually worked, I might consider it.) 99% chance it won't run a box of shells without screwing up. It is also kind of a pain to take apart. Thumbs down. 
------------------
Get your 1911s and AR15s while you still can!
------------------
Get your 1911s and AR15s while you still can!
Same experience with a DAO .380. It jammed constantly and occasionally required two trigger pulls to get it to fire. I finally unloaded it at a gunshow for $125. They were being sold for $175 used, so I didn't feel too screwed.
I just brought home today my new NAA Guardian. Only had time to put one box through it, but it worked the way a gun is supposed to - every time. So far so good.
I just brought home today my new NAA Guardian. Only had time to put one box through it, but it worked the way a gun is supposed to - every time. So far so good.
suckersrus
New member
The one I had fed reliability and it sure was small. Not very accurate and pounded my hand. Glock 33 is my current date.
David Scott
New member
Seecamp is now building a .380 version of the LWS. Same size as the famous .32. If you can stand being on the waiting list for a while, this ought to be a goodie.
glockorama
New member
Well, I seem to be the lone desenter here. I have had a AMTDAO for several years and it has been an excellent gun. It is very reliable with ball and several types of HP's, I carry Triton quikshock +p's in it now and it feeds them perfectly. Granted, it is a close range gun, but that is exactly what it was designed to be. It fits in my front pocket like a glove. I like mine very much, maybe I got the cherry in a bunch of lemons, I don't know. A friend of mine had a single action backup and it was a POS jamamatic. The DAO version had the feed ramp greatly widened from the SA and is generaly considered much more reliable. Just my .02.
I can't speak for the DAO version. I have a very early SA with the clear plastic grips, I understand the thought in that was you could see how many rounds you had left? Anyway, the SA has fed reliable and accuracy is okay. It is a hand pounder but, it's not one I shoot very much. I paid $180 for it used but in excellent condition. Mrs. carries it in her purse most of the time.
EricM,
I think you did the right thing in passing on the AMT. Right after college I managed a gun store for a couple of years, and those things were trouble. I always wished they'd work, since they were so small and handy, but they were so uniformly unreliable that we wouldn't carry them or even special-order them.
You know about the Kel-Tec, but have you considered the Heritage Manufacturing Stealth? You get a full 4" bbl in a package the same size and price (around $300) as the K-T. And they make it in a .40. I loved mine (sold it when I got the Glock 33).
cheers and good luck,
erich
I think you did the right thing in passing on the AMT. Right after college I managed a gun store for a couple of years, and those things were trouble. I always wished they'd work, since they were so small and handy, but they were so uniformly unreliable that we wouldn't carry them or even special-order them.
You know about the Kel-Tec, but have you considered the Heritage Manufacturing Stealth? You get a full 4" bbl in a package the same size and price (around $300) as the K-T. And they make it in a .40. I loved mine (sold it when I got the Glock 33).
cheers and good luck,
erich
EricH, I'm looking for a semiauto that I can carry in my pocket. I was going to get a Tomcat, but was scared off by some of the comments on TFL. Lots of good comments on the Kel-Tec, but also comments on 'refining' it, too. The G26 is almost small enough, but not quite, and the price is very high. I have not looked at the Stealth, Bersa or any Makarovs that may be that small.
EM
EM
EricM, if you're still out there, I bought one about 1985 to replace a Llama .380 that had been stolen. It functioned okay for about the first 500 or so rounds with hardball but was finicky about hollowpoints- would not feed all types. I hadn't fired it in about 2 years and started taking it to the range again. My wife was firing it and it made an odd sounding report, almost a dull thud rather than a bang 
, and jammed with kind of a "reverse stovepipe". Never worked right again after that- literally jammed every other shot. Another few years went by and I tried to contact AMT. Could not reach the new AMT company by email (kept bouncing back to me) or phone (would ring, but no answer). Finally took the piece to a gun shop here in Houston, who charged me about $40.00. The gun stayed fixed for one box of Winchester hardball plus one box of Remington Golden Sabers. I don't fault the gunsmith, it was certainly the gun. I ended up trading it in for something else, which I'll post about sometime.
IMHO, I would not pay more than $150.00 for a used one, and that only after firing at least 100 rounds through it.
, and jammed with kind of a "reverse stovepipe". Never worked right again after that- literally jammed every other shot. Another few years went by and I tried to contact AMT. Could not reach the new AMT company by email (kept bouncing back to me) or phone (would ring, but no answer). Finally took the piece to a gun shop here in Houston, who charged me about $40.00. The gun stayed fixed for one box of Winchester hardball plus one box of Remington Golden Sabers. I don't fault the gunsmith, it was certainly the gun. I ended up trading it in for something else, which I'll post about sometime.IMHO, I would not pay more than $150.00 for a used one, and that only after firing at least 100 rounds through it.
EricM,
Yeah, the Glocks and HMI and Kel-Tecs are too big - just MHO - for pocket carry, at least in the pants I wear. I've been curious about the Beretta and KelTec .32s as well, but I keep hearing how they need to be fixed. Seems to me that a gun should WORK when you buy it. Personally, I've started looking a whole lot more seriously about the S&W Ti 342. Bersas are kinda heavy for pocket carry, and Maks are too big in my book. If budget is a concern, you may consider one of those KBI SMC 380s - they're 4.1" high, as long as a PPK, good rep for accuracy and reliability, and 18.5 oz weight won't be too much for pocket. I think Makarov.com has some write-ups under "other pistols", and GunWeb magazine online did a nice article.
good luck!
erich
------------------
Yeah, the Glocks and HMI and Kel-Tecs are too big - just MHO - for pocket carry, at least in the pants I wear. I've been curious about the Beretta and KelTec .32s as well, but I keep hearing how they need to be fixed. Seems to me that a gun should WORK when you buy it. Personally, I've started looking a whole lot more seriously about the S&W Ti 342. Bersas are kinda heavy for pocket carry, and Maks are too big in my book. If budget is a concern, you may consider one of those KBI SMC 380s - they're 4.1" high, as long as a PPK, good rep for accuracy and reliability, and 18.5 oz weight won't be too much for pocket. I think Makarov.com has some write-ups under "other pistols", and GunWeb magazine online did a nice article.
good luck!
erich
------------------
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Erich:
EricM,
Yeah, the Glocks and HMI and Kel-Tecs are too big - just MHO - for pocket carry, at least in the pants I wear. I've been curious about the Beretta and KelTec .32s as well, but I keep hearing how they need to be fixed. Seems to me that a gun should WORK when you buy it. Personally, I've started looking a whole lot more seriously about the S&W Ti 342. Bersas are kinda heavy for pocket carry, and Maks are too big in my book. If budget is a concern, you may consider one of those KBI SMC 380s - they're 4.1" high, as long as a PPK, good rep for accuracy and reliability, and 18.5 oz weight won't be too much for pocket. I think Makarov.com has some write-ups under "other pistols", and GunWeb magazine online did a nice article.
[/quote]
I agree that the gun should work out of the box. If it needs some work, do it in the factory and charge a few extra dollars! So far, I haven't found one that fits the bill. Budget is a concern, but not a terrible concern. I've had enough of paying $600 for a gun
. I'm looking to pay around $350 or less for a reliable, small, semi-auto. I may go the Kel-Tec route and simply drop it off at a smith to 'fix' it
EricM,
Yeah, the Glocks and HMI and Kel-Tecs are too big - just MHO - for pocket carry, at least in the pants I wear. I've been curious about the Beretta and KelTec .32s as well, but I keep hearing how they need to be fixed. Seems to me that a gun should WORK when you buy it. Personally, I've started looking a whole lot more seriously about the S&W Ti 342. Bersas are kinda heavy for pocket carry, and Maks are too big in my book. If budget is a concern, you may consider one of those KBI SMC 380s - they're 4.1" high, as long as a PPK, good rep for accuracy and reliability, and 18.5 oz weight won't be too much for pocket. I think Makarov.com has some write-ups under "other pistols", and GunWeb magazine online did a nice article.
[/quote]
I agree that the gun should work out of the box. If it needs some work, do it in the factory and charge a few extra dollars! So far, I haven't found one that fits the bill. Budget is a concern, but not a terrible concern. I've had enough of paying $600 for a gun
. I'm looking to pay around $350 or less for a reliable, small, semi-auto. I may go the Kel-Tec route and simply drop it off at a smith to 'fix' it Rocky Road
Retired Screen Name
EricM--
You didn't say f you were concerned with the older, SA, varsion or the DAO. I have no experience with the latter. With the SA, it is spotty. One was only moderately reliable,evn with hard ball. It was not mine and so I didn't tinker with it.
The other belonged to my girl friend at the time. She had it when we met,so I had no input on her choice. I did furnish handloads and an extra magazine, and she did some very good work with it, out to about 15 yards. It WAS compact and actually quite reliable with, I think, Federal HP ammo, as well as my cast bullet and FMJ hand loads. I have to admire Holly's talent with the little pistola, though, because it had a mediocre trigger pull and KICKED! It rapped me smartly on first knuckle of trigger finger and in the web of hand. Worse than any other .380 I've used except the 1934 Beretta. Also, it was awfully heavy for the power.
I think you've made a wise decision to pass on that particular gun. You say you know about the Kel Tec P-11. That's what I gave Holly one birthday. She loved it, expecially after I put the belt clip on it. Lighter, far more powerful, and no much thicker. She went out and sold the AMT soon thereafter.
In your search for a true pocket pistol, you might look into the Kahr 9mm, now that they are making it with a polymer frame. I don't know if they make it in .40 S&W. The steel framed originals were way too heavy, but polymer feels much better. I have not fired the poly gun, though.
Good luck in your search.
RR
------------------
---The Second Amendment ensures the rest of the Bill of Rights---
You didn't say f you were concerned with the older, SA, varsion or the DAO. I have no experience with the latter. With the SA, it is spotty. One was only moderately reliable,evn with hard ball. It was not mine and so I didn't tinker with it.
The other belonged to my girl friend at the time. She had it when we met,so I had no input on her choice. I did furnish handloads and an extra magazine, and she did some very good work with it, out to about 15 yards. It WAS compact and actually quite reliable with, I think, Federal HP ammo, as well as my cast bullet and FMJ hand loads. I have to admire Holly's talent with the little pistola, though, because it had a mediocre trigger pull and KICKED! It rapped me smartly on first knuckle of trigger finger and in the web of hand. Worse than any other .380 I've used except the 1934 Beretta. Also, it was awfully heavy for the power.
I think you've made a wise decision to pass on that particular gun. You say you know about the Kel Tec P-11. That's what I gave Holly one birthday. She loved it, expecially after I put the belt clip on it. Lighter, far more powerful, and no much thicker. She went out and sold the AMT soon thereafter.
In your search for a true pocket pistol, you might look into the Kahr 9mm, now that they are making it with a polymer frame. I don't know if they make it in .40 S&W. The steel framed originals were way too heavy, but polymer feels much better. I have not fired the poly gun, though.
Good luck in your search.
RR
------------------
---The Second Amendment ensures the rest of the Bill of Rights---
NONONONONONONONONO
Mine malfunctioned so much that I took a sledge hammer to it!
Honest thrut fellows.
Do yourself a favor and run from those POS handguns.
Same experience with a friend's .22Magnun Automag. Sans sledge hammer but I was tempted.
[This message has been edited by Ariel 1 (edited June 15, 2000).]
Mine malfunctioned so much that I took a sledge hammer to it!
Honest thrut fellows.
Do yourself a favor and run from those POS handguns.
Same experience with a friend's .22Magnun Automag. Sans sledge hammer but I was tempted.
[This message has been edited by Ariel 1 (edited June 15, 2000).]
FWIW many of the comments you`ll hear about the Keltecs are dated. The new production guns are made MUCH nicer than earlier ones. A relative of mine recently bought one and I was gonna do the "fluff and buff" on it. After fieldstriping it and shooting it I found it was darn close to as good out of the box as my earlier one after the full F&B. Marcus
Glenn E. Meyer
New member
Fired a friend AMT and didn't like.
Three friends have Kel-tec 9mm and like them.
I hate the trigger.
For my pocket gun, I have an SW 642.
Frankly, the ti 342 is neat but not
worth the extra money.
Three friends have Kel-tec 9mm and like them.
I hate the trigger.
For my pocket gun, I have an SW 642.
Frankly, the ti 342 is neat but not
worth the extra money.
Keith Rogan
New member
I have an old single action AMT that I bought used for $100. Mine runs just fine on Hydra-Shoks or ball. I've heard enough complaints about AMT to know I just got lucky.
------------------
Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan
------------------
Keith
The Bears and Bear Maulings Page: members.xoom.com/keithrogan