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AMT .380 Backup

n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
edited July 2002 in General Discussion
Are they any good?

"A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    What can you tell me about this gun for hot weather CC in a pants pocket? Looks to be very small, reasonably thin, along the lines of a guardian 380. Decent quality? Heavy? What's the going price used, clean? Much appreciated.
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  • LowriderLowrider Member Posts: 6,587
    edited November -1
    The .380 Backup is probably the best of the Backup series. The .380 was manufactured for several years, and had a great reputation, before AMT started building it in other calibers. I have a .45 Backup that has had feeding problems since the day it was new. A friend of mine also has a .45 Backup that shoots perfectly. I'm not sure if the quality control problems existed in the .380 or just the later, bigger calibers.

    The real drawback to owning ANY AMT pistol today is that the company is now out of business. AMT sold to Galena Industries several years ago and moved the factory from Arcata, Kalifornia to Sturgis, South Dakota. They were only in business a year or two after the move before they closed shop altogether. If you buy an AMT handgun today, you're on your own. No more new parts being manufactured and no factory service at all.

    Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    Just wondered, picked one up this morning for 100.00 new in box.

    Course Im a sucker for someone that needs money and usually will buy anything

    "A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"
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  • LowriderLowrider Member Posts: 6,587
    edited November -1
    If it shoots OK that's a hell of a good buy. There are still factory magazines available for them from several of the internet suppliers but for any major parts, barrel, slide, etc, you're probably out of luck.

    From what I've read, a lot of cops carried, or maybe still DO carry, the .380 for a second piece. That's a pretty good endorsement right there.

    Lord Lowrider the LoquaciousMember:Secret Select Society of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets She was only a fisherman's daughter,But when she saw my rod she reeled.
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  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You got a great gun for an unreal price.A Deputy Sheriff friend of mine carries one on duty as a back up gun.Hes carried that same gun I know 10yrs and it shoots great.


    Best!!

    Rugster
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The older single action AMT .380 backups had a magazine that was available with or without a finger extension that made a nice four-fingered grip. The drawback to ALL OF the older style magazines was that they were a little shorter front to back, and would only accept round-nose but not the longer hollowpoint bullets.

    I had a newer double action .380 backup for a while, and what I did was buy two of the older magazines with the finger extensions and change the floorplates. I then had myself a good gun with two mags that would hold hollowpoints while still giving me extentions for a four-finger grasp. That really locked the little gun into my hand when pulling that double action trigger. The trigger pull on the .380 was fine. Of course the single action was even lighter. These are classic good quality guns. The older single actions may not however have all the safeties necessary for carrying with the chamber loaded. The DA trigger pull on the short-lived .45 version was, however, infamous for being heavy (14 pounds plus on some guns).

    The only downside I can see to these guns is that the field stripping can't easily be done in the field -- because it starts with driving out a small pin in the frame. If you don't mind the "manual of arms" for stripping and cleaning, it's one of the best hideout .380s in terms of quality, strength, fit and finish. Just keep in mind that the older guns all had magazines designed for the shorter round-nose ammo. The way magazines can get switched around, I would never fail to check to be sure that mags offered with a used AMT were of one type or the other, regardless of the age of the gun itself. That's the only way you will know for sure what you can or cannot load in it. It's easy to tell, because I don't think you'll even be able to load the mag with hollowpoints on the old style, and if you can, when you rack the slide the gun won't operate smoothly. This is not really a drawback unless you were counting on using the newer expandable bullets to make it a better defense gun. But the one you bought is made of good metals and should last a long time with reasonable care. I agree you got a deal on it, but at the price it may be the older model with the round-nose-only mags.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

    Edited by - offeror on 07/14/2002 17:26:30
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  • E.WilliamsE.Williams Member Posts: 1,101 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thats the best buy I have seen in awhile.Even if the comany s gone.Buy all the spare pats from individuals you can find.If nothing else hardly ever shoot it and it shouldnt have many problems.And Im not sure evn a Kel-Tec can beat it for hot weather carry.Good Buy.

    Eric S. Williams
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Spare parts is the least of your worries. They made so many of these you're grandkids will inherit it and still find what they need at gun shows.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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  • bama55bama55 Member Posts: 6,389 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I have one of the later AMT DAO .380 Backups and I really like it.
    Easy to carry, the DAO trigger pull is a little stiff, but is manageable. $100 is a great deal.

    Don't send flowers when I die. Send money now, I can buy more ammo.
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  • Matt45Matt45 Member Posts: 3,185
    edited November -1
    I had a AMT DAO in .380 for a few years, and cannot agree more, for it's size and capacity, it's a great back-up piece- the problem I had with mine was that it failed to fire more often than it went "bang" and failed to properly extract almost as much. The biggest detractor to the pistol overall was that you had to punch out a "roll pin" in order to break down the pistol for cleaning.

    But other than that, if the dang thing woulda worked as advertised, yeah, it woulda been a hell of a great backup pistol!

    Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Matt --
    That may be the best review of a lemon I've ever read....

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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  • Matt45Matt45 Member Posts: 3,185
    edited November -1
    Offerer, I just try to call 'em as I see 'em.........

    Reserving my Right to Arm Bears!!!!
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hey, you won't find me arguing, I just thought it was a funny review. You're right though, I probably sold mine purely because I didn't like the idea of punching out the pin for strip 'n clean. That and the fact that I go for bigger caliber guns in general, and I figured I'd rather put my money in a Bulldog Pug -- a little bigger, but about as easy to slip in a front pocket as the AMT goes in the back pocket.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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