I bought my Hardballer used, in 1988, from a gun show. It's the Long Slide version. So I've had it and shot it, cleaned it and maintained it for more than 20 years.
So all the folks on the 'net who are plumb positive that my pistol is pure junk are
at best,
laughable.
No argument with the
fact that a lot of AMT products had real problems. No argument with the fact that many, maybe even MOST people think there are complete turds. The reputation is warranted and has been justly earned.
But if you think you know all of them and you think you know that all of them are trash, you don't know your butt from a hole in the ground no matter how loudly you scream it in a discussion forum.
Many folks back in the day had issues and sent them back to the factory and got very good pistols back. It was absolutely erratic. But some of the attitudes of former owners (and folks who merely read posts and regurgitate someone else's opinion) must have had teenage daughters knocked up by Harry Sanford.
On mine, the barrel bushing was loose and had too much play. I replaced it with a Kart National Match bushing. Later, I replaced the OEM recoil spring with an 18# Wilson spring. (that was 15 years after I bought it!) I had to adjust the extractor a year ago. That all of it... in
22 years of shooting.
I don't feed it Gold Dot or Cor-Bon. It eats 200 grain H&G68 LSWC and it eats 200 grain plated SWC and plated flat nose. I haven't fed it hardball since 1992.
The AMT reputation is well earned and I don't begrudge anyone for being skeptical about these pistols. But the bottom line is that if you think you know it all, you don't -- and you don't know mine. This pistol runs and it's the most accurate center fire semi-auto handgun that I own.
