I'm not dragging this up to be a flamewar or whatever, just because I'm interested in the subject and lost track of my thread...
Regarding the popularity of the 1911 and the .45, they have cult status here due to connections with cowboys and WWII. Since Americans are seen as the act to follow when it comes to guns, this duo always enjoys international fame. They're not bad, but in practical terms they aren't spectacular. The tests that were used to specify the .45acp cartridge didn't even point to a caliber of its nature, the 7.65 Mauser did in fact kill the cattle faster than anything except the big hammer. Those in charge of the project simply wanted a .45, likely because of great history and folklore from the earlier century. At any rate it was a step up from the .38's they were using.
I can understand a joke, I'm just really bored with every gun manufacturer making yet another .45acp 1911 clone and very little new ground being explored in firearms design.
As far as what I'd use it for, well, kind of like what I'd use an NAA mini for. Think of it as an adult slingshot, it's something small and light with small, light ammo you could carry around with you to shoot at stuff when you're in the woods, be it cans or small game or what have you. Fun gun. There is a self defense role, as well. A 3" .22mag autoloader could be very light and compact making it a good front pocket or deep cover piece. It could have higher capacity while still being very compact. It wouldn't be my primary carry in most situations, but it could make a lot of sense in the office. Like a Beretta Bobcat with more bite.
As far as reliability in a blowback design goes, my wife's P22 in .22lr is perfectly reliable, but prefers high velocity ammunition. .380's are reliable blowbacks, too, even with +P. I'm sure it could be worked out, and if not, well, why not just make it recoil operated? Roller locking, something. There's a lot of actions to choose from out there. In regards to rimfire ammo itself being reliable, that's a whole nother subject. I get duds in bargain bulk pack ammo but out of many thousands of rounds fired I've never had a Stinger, Quickshock or Velocitor not go off when the hammer fell. I'm guessing this is similar to .45/1911 as far as why it keeps coming up, because at one time it was likely indisputably true and now there's just a lot of inertia. This is similar to all the guys and the gunstore counter who tell ladies to buy 5 shot .38 snubbies when a subcompact 9mm would be a better weapon.
I can't address the charging boar issue because there isn't any room to. This is like if I asked if you would rather face a charging boar with a .44mag on foot or with a .30-06 from up in a treestand. We may as well draw the conclusion that self defense should be done from a treestand with a bolt action rifle. Likewise I'd rather have a 12gauge than a .357 or .45. None of those weapons are going to be as light, compact and cheap and none of them are going to ever be a front pocket carry weapon. They're just totally different weapons by design.
The bottom line for me is fungun that can forage or defend if need be and satisfies the "always have a gun" requirement. More powerful than .22lr without a substantial increase in bulk or weight.
Mine was $300 NIB when I bought it in 1990. Never would have expected AMTs to garner collector interest. I see AMT Javelina's (10mm longslide) going for $800 pretty regularly. That's crazy.
