Hardballer Revisited... Again :)

[StrikeEagle]

Please do forgive me for continuing to thrash a horse that may well have passed away long ago... but I just don't get it.

I love 1911 type pistols; they are my favorite fighting handguns. I've owned and shot them for about 35 years now. Here is what I currently own and shoot:

Colt Series 70
Colt Series 80 Stainless
Colt Commander
Colt Combat Commander (2 of these)
Colt Double Eagle Officer's Model
Essex 1911a1 Type (2 of these... built myself from pieceparts. FUN!!)
... and lastly...
AMT Hardballer.

I'd like to discuss the Hardballer. sigh
I always liked it... works fine. Accuracy is as good as any. Has some little extras, too. The kind of modest stuff I might put on a gun myself:

Long Trigger, adjustable for overtravel
Extended Safety
Beveled Mag Well
Hex Screws (nice touch!)
Adjustable Sights
Grip Safety Tang a lil bigger for a lil less bite

Decent. The magazine is kinda flukey, but that's no real problem. I've taken it down and examined the parts next to Colt stuff. The Hardballer parts are well finished.Very presentable stuff, IMO.

But I've noticed that EVERY gunboard I visit holds the AMT Hardballer in bad odor. That more than anything makes me queasy about an otherwise acceptable piece.

Why am I seeing this gun so differently from folks I respect deeply? The S/N is A008XX. Is mine a very early example when they were well made or what?

It's forged... all forged parts. Heck, and it's a 1911. Very easy to fix most any problem, right? Can we please discuss this pistol a bit... without using the word 'sucks'?

Tuner, can you please give me your view of the AMT Hardballer, too?

Many thanks to all of you!

Respectfully,
StrikeEagle

 

[slopemeno]

AMT's problems were things likein holes in the wrong location, mag catch located too low in the frame (though this is easier to remedy these days),questionable hardness in critical parts,etc. If you want the look hardchrome a Colt.