Amt ,Hardballer good or bad??

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I don’t know much about AMT
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They are most famous as the manufacturer of the .44 Automag. They also made the first stainless Ruger 10/22 clone

The were best known for manufacturing their whole line of guns in stainless steel...like the Automag II and III (.22mag and .30 Carbine) and Backups in .380 and .45
 
AMT changed hands quite a number of times before finally being bought by High Standard. During that time quality was apparently all over the map. I have an Automag III and love it but some people report nothing but problems. YMMV
 
I worked on one for a friend of mine years ago. Interesting concept with stainless steel construction but very poor and inconsistent production values. Internal parts appeared to be dropped in, as in no hand fitting or polishing. Replacing them with Colt parts helped with reliability and overall function. Still the gun was more misses than hits. I would pass on the Hardballer and go instead with a RIA for that kind of money.
 
My brother-in-law bought one I guess 25 years ago. But he seldom shoots it saying it just never works right. I always took that to mean it was very picky with regard to ammunition it would chamber reliably.

I own an AMT Backup in 380 ACP and it works fine but my overall assessment is it's just a crude little gun with a very heavy trigger. I did carry it as a BUG but as soon as my son asked about it was his.
 
I have the AMT IAI Javalina longslide 10mm.
It works fine and is a nice shooter. I have no
knowledge about the other AMT products.
To decide if it's worth your $500, take it out
and shoot it. Then make your decision.
 
Good or bad? Yes. It could be either. Plan $$ to have some work done to make it functional if you get a bad one. Mine discharged (safely downrange) with the thumb safety engaged. After AMT sent out all new internals it worked great for ball, and some later gunsmithing got it to feed HPs as well.

If you know that going in you may be able to bargain a little. I wish I had kept mine.
 
I have the Hardballer "Long slide" in .45.

Bad? No.

Good? At least.

Really good? I don't think I'd go there.

To be honest, were it a mere standard length and lacking the cinematic novelty of the "Thief" long slide, I'd have passed on it given the overall impression of the NIB gun.

Now though, I'm sad to report that I've been bitten by some kind of questionable judgement bug as I can't walk past a stainless AMT at a show or in a shop that I don't for a moment contemplate picking it up.

I have the AMT BackUp in .45 at one end and the Hardballer Long Slide at the other and keep trying to fill in the rest of the .22 mags, .30 Carbines and other odd balls they sold.

Even liking them in my qualified way I'd give you a big wave-off at this price not knowing this particular pistol and what your other options might be.
 
I seem to recall that my friends Hardballer also had another issue: that in terms of ammo selection it lived strictly up to its name. With this gun when everything was working together in harmony with the universe and the stars were properly aligned, it would feed hardball ammo, and only hardball ammo. Anything other than 230 gr. FMJ was an invitation to a failure to feed. Polishing the feed ramp, different magazines, and various bullet configurations didn't make the slightest difference; if it wasn't hardball ammo it wasn't going to work.
 
AMT's

I had the opportunity to work on several of the little .380 back up's and 45 hardballer's back in the 80's....and everybody who posted here are on the mark......quality and function were hit and miss. There are plenty of 1911's available today that are superior due to the production processes we have now vs. late 70's and 80's.....tolerances and fit are much better.....if it was my $500. I would look at investing that in a modern 1911. That way you know what you have.
 
When I had my FFL back int the late ‘70s, I sold several of them. They were good guns and a good value at the time, since they were stainless and had adjustable sights and other nice features.

They sometimes had problems. On one of the guns, the sear broke into three pieces. On another, the front of the recoil spring plug popped out, launching the spring downrange. I remember a barrel link breaking, too. After replacing the parts with Colt parts, there were no further problems.

I had no trouble getting the guns to feed lead SWC ammo. A standard “throating job” did the trick. They were plenty accurate enough for the pre-IPSC shooting we were doing.

That being said, I wouldn’t pay $500 for one. Maybe $350, tops.
 
I owned a Longslide Hardballer in .45ACP, and it was a good shooter, and fed anything reliably with a little work on the ramp (not much work at all- mostly just cleaning up a rough spot at the top and polish).

OTOH, a friend had one that broke things I didn't think you could break. I felt bad as he bought it on my recommendation, and I think we replaced everything but the frame, slide, trigger and hammer before it would make it to the range twice without breaking! Oddly, it functioned fine, when parts weren't flying off it.

So, it's kind of a roll of the dice.

IF I had reason to believe it was reasonably reliable, I might go US$500.00. I might go US$400.00 if I was looking for a project- there's a special fondness for a pistol you raised from a pup.
 
Had one, it was OK. Barell split and AMT replaced the barell no charge.

It was on OK 1911 but I would not spend $500 for one today, better to get a Rock Island or some other inexpensive 1911.

I have two RIA's and they are much better than the AMT was.
 
I had a longslide for a few months, never had any complaints about it, fed everything I put through it. It was one of the early Irwindale manufactured ones though, their quality seemed to be hit and miss throughout the years. I ended up selling it for about double what I was into it after the "cool" factor wore off.
 
AMT are hit or miss like 9mm said. But more miss. I was lucky when I picked up an AMT for a song (less than $300) that fires just fine, only a little picky about what hollow points it likes. If you have a chance to shoot the Harballer such as renting it or buttering up the owner to try it before buying it, do it. You will kick yourself forever if you drop $500 on a weapon that shoots terrible and you sell it for much less.

If you plan on buying the Hardballer as a novelty (it was used in the first Terminator) make sure you get the giant red laser to go on top for the added effect.
 
Longslides were the best of the AMT 1911s. Hardballers came in a distant second, and Govt. models were about 5th out of the three.:rolleyes: These days, I'd stay away from AMT, unless a Longslide presented itself to me for cheap. Doubt I'd be able to resist.
 
Saw a lot of them go back for problems back in the early 90's. I'd have to get a REALLY good deal to buy one.
 
I had a Government Model and presently have a Hardballer, both in .45ACP. Never had any real problems with either and shot/shoot them quite a bit. However, neither cost anywhere near $500.00. I agree with several of the above posts, I wouldn't pay $500.00 for one. There are better alternatives out there. Keep shootin' and check 6
 
My friend had one when they were brand new, it shot okay but according to Bob the reason it was called the Hardballer is that was all it would feed. But if I had a chance to get one I'd buy it.
 
Ah AMT hardballer my first 1911. Loved it and it loved me. Never a problem. Traded it cause it wasn't a Colt, which then gave me lots of issues. I would have kept it if I could do it over. Ask $450 and throw in a couple of mags too.
 
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