AMT Backup 45?

As I am old enough to have an experience of the WORST kind with an AMT Lightning 25/22, I am qualified to say that an AMT Backup could have been worked on at the factory by the same misguided people who worked on those Lightnings, and it is just another evil and possessed machine just by association!

I'm going to calm down now as long as you promise never to mention anything that is Arcadia Machine & Tool, abbreviated as "AMT"!

Never thought about putting a light tube in the front. Darned good idea. Looks like it fits nicely. What did you use to secure it?

moxie said:

Not all handguns need breaking in.

Have you actually fired a Backup that has had an action job? How was it?

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Well yes I have fired one with an "action job". Mine. But all the smith did was stone the surfaces, nothing radical.

A 2-page thread shouldn't be needed to conclude: the AMT .45 is junk. Avoid it.

agtman said:

A 2-page thread shouldn't be needed to conclude: the AMT .45 is junk. Avoid it.

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Well obviously it is because you still haven't figured out they aren't.

I suspect that those who poo poo it most have either never shot one, of fired very few rounds. You'll not that the firearm has its proponents. Now either we are all intellectually challenged or we simply have different experiences based of more usage.

jeepnik, judging by the remarks of the people who have actually owned AMT DAO 45s, you are extremely lucky. And, as others have pointed, this was one of the first efforts at a pocket-sized DA 45. Given that 20 years have passed, it would be remarkable if there were not better guns of the same type now.

Practically every AMT/Irwindale (IAI?) gun I have ever heard about is like this: interesting design hamstrung by highly variable quality control. The people who got a good one love them; most were not so lucky.

Mine was a good reliable belly gun.

The main drawback is the slide is kept in battery during the initial recoil by the hammer, which necessitates a very heavy trigger spring.

I did not find the recoil objectionable but I practiced with and carried ball in mine.

JB

Even though the majority report is that Ravens, Jennings and RGs are junk, some swear by them. It seems AMTs are the same. To each his own!

I searched high and low for one as soon as they came out and bought the first one I found. Fired 50 rounds through it the first range time. My dominant hand hurt for the rest of the week. Never had a problem with it but it is heavy. Muzzle blast was surprising for a .45. As others have done, mine basically got put away in favor of more recent designs but it remains the smallest .45 I own. I regularly go with a Kahr CM45 now.

SouthpawShootr said:

I searched high and low for one as soon as they came out and bought the first one I found. Fired 50 rounds through it the first range time. My dominant hand hurt for the rest of the week. Never had a problem with it but it is heavy. Muzzle blast was surprising for a .45. As others have done, mine basically got put away in favor of more recent designs but it remains the smallest .45 I own. I regularly go with a Kahr CM45 now.

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Do you believe the pain was related to being left handed, or the snappy recoil? As a southpaw I'm mildly curious.

I had 4 AMT guns, all were pretty bad, but the Backup 45 was the worst. Amazingly stiff trigger. I had really strong fingers back then and had a lot of trouble keeping it from moving all over the place while I pulled the trigger. And then the muzzle blast and recoil! My hand ached for days after I shot it. It was never reliable enough to carry as a BUG, let alone a primary weapon. A couple of gunsmiths worked on it without much improvement in function, but they did get the trigger effort down to a sane level. I would just pass, unless you just want a toy to mess around with.

Do you believe the pain was related to being left handed, or the snappy recoil? As a southpaw I'm mildly curious.

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I don't know why being left-handed would have much to do with it, unless the grip panels were somehow designed to favor a right-hander. (The ones I've seen looked the same on both sides.)

It's shooting a reasonably powerful round from a moderately small weapon, and while the gun IS heavy, it's not heavy enough to have much effect on recoil, and the design wasn't really focused on shooter comfort. Followup shots? Possible, but it'll be hard to predict where they end up.

I fired one once (two shots were enough), and that convinced me there were better options -- one of them being a pointed stick. It's a beast -- and if you like keeping dangerous pets, it's the gun for you.

I'd argue that you'd be better served with a 9x18 Makarov or CZ-82, or something like the Kahr CM9 or Ruger SR9c: then, you'd be inclined to practice (so that you CAN become proficient). More importantly, you won't have to carry your strong hand and arm in a sling after a day at the range.

Folks, I must be the exception that proves the rule. I'm happy with mine. I shoot it well, and I don't seem to have the issues some have during and after shooting.

I did learn one thing from this discussion. The idea of using an insert in the front of the gutter sight is one I will be using.

AMT never had a good reputation when they were being made. I think the company changed hands several times, but the damage was done. I had a friend that carried their .380 backup. I asked him if he had ever shot it and he had not. We went out behind his store and no it would not fire one round.

So based on one idiot that never broke in a firearm they were betting their life on an entire brand is suspect?

I wouldn't be surprised to find some here who've done that with the fanboy favorite Glocks.

moxie said:

Even though the majority report is that Ravens, Jennings and RGs are junk, some swear by them. It seems AMTs are the same. To each his own!

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AMT might have a worse rap depending on who you ask. I bought my AMT 380 from a gun store for pretty cheap. The guy even warned me against buying it based on what he had heard. I ran over 500 rounds through mine the first day between myself and a few friends. Other than really hating HP ammo, it ran fine.

I don't know why being left-handed would have much to do with it, unless the grip panels were somehow designed to favor a right-hander. (The ones I've seen looked the same on both sides.)

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The grip panels are nearly identical. The only real way to clean AMT guns is to take the whole thing apart, or close to it. There isn't much way of field stripping them. The grip panels slant in opposite directions and it is easy to almost put them on backwards if you are distracted.

The AMT Backup 45 is a great gun, the smallest 45 autoloader still in production.

Have a pair of them, bought the first as a novelty (the price was right) and then picked up another as a parts gun. Getting a good one is hit or miss, a good gunsmith may be needed, or the owner may have the skills to completely tear down (the hammer group is difficult), fluff and buff every part, and lube properly while re-assembling. The result is a much smoother butter like action, somewhat similar to a Rohrbaugh R9, except you feel the recoil more with the R9, with the 45 easier to shoot accurately.

Want to retire mine but for some unknown reason, no-one makes a 45 as small, including Kahr and Springfield Armory.

Wear a shirt (tucked in) and tie, a fedora, and pleated slacks that have a small inside change pocket within the front pant pocket, this is where the AMT 45 goes and draws surprisingly quick, a strong wide belt is mandatory. Also carry a 40 cal SW99 compact in an ankle holster as a backup.

Double taps and mag dump pictured below.

Boberg claimed to make the smallest. I sent them an email showing the dimensions as supplied by AMT and Boberg proving it wasn't. They didn't respond. Haven't seen any ads lately, so I don't know if they pulled that claim.

Two pages of "opinions"

with a couple of actual experiences thrown in.

Any BackUp can be pooh and almost any of those can be readily tuned to a good, reliable and surprisingly accurate proper back-up pistol.

I've carried - and yes, shot - mine going on 20 years now and after proper polishing, ammo selection and getting over my nancy-boy fear of its storied recoil/ergos, I've found it to be a damn fine last option.

It runs no matter how foul. I know this because I make a point of shooting it "as found" after months and sometimes longer of carry and stowage.

The accuracy continues to astound me even considering barrel length and sights or lack there of in each case.

It's quite slim though heavy and presents problems in sourcing holsters.

Mag changes, should it come to that, are an issue given the dimensions and heel style mag catch.

I however, like mine - a lot. Served me well (still does) and a "Fed" before me.

What is worthy of note above is that outside of novelty - there are a great many better options as a "back-up" gun available today.

Rounding out an oddball "collection" is another issue entirely. Somehow, bracketing some very sweet "1911s" with my Back Up .45 at one end and my AMT Hardballer Longslide in stainless at the other just seems "right"... ya know?

Maybe you don't, but there it is.

As to direct OP issues - carry with a round chambered? Always have, always will...

Todd.

ApacheCoTodd said:

I've carried - and yes, shot - mine going on 20 years now and after proper polishing, ammo selection and getting over my nancy-boy fear of its storied recoil/ergos, I've found it to be a damn fine last option.

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I semi-regret selling my AMT. I agree that much of the bad press they get is repeated without any real experience. I didn't have much use for my AMT and budget was tight so it ended up getting sold. Before I did, I wrote down all the ammo it fed great and didn't feed in two columns on a slip of paper and put it in the soft case I sold with it. I made sure to tell the clerk that whoever came by to get that gun gets that paper. Hopefully it saves the next guy some trouble in trying to find what ammo it likes and doesn't.

TruthTellers said:

I don't see why people desire a .45 for a backup gun or a primary CCW. A .45 is oversized and overkill for that role. The 9mm single stacks and hollow point design enhancements that have come out the past 10+ years have put the .45 out of business as a sensible CC gun as the 9's hold more rounds.

I would skip it, go for something in 9mm. Unless you are dedicated to reloading .45 or shoot best with .45, don't choose .45 ACP for a single stack carry pistol and don't get AMT. Such better pistols with much better engineering are available.

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Thanks for that, I had a good laugh!

Kevin

I had the AMT (DAO) back-up in .380acp. other than a heavy trigger pull, and heavy overall weight it shot and carried quite well. the biggest gripe I had was not having 5 hands to disassemble and re-assemble it.

I considered the .45acp version when it came out, tried a fellow cop's gun and decided that the 54 pound trigger pull and 44 magnum like felt recoil wasn't to my liking.