New AMT Backup DAO .38 Super

[WC145]

I picked this up a couple of weeks ago from a guy who's Dad collected all kinds of guns. Brand spankin' new, in the box with all of the paperwork and a spare mag, $350. I was able to find 5 50rd boxes of .38 Super silvertips gathering dust on a back shelf at a local gun shop for $25 a box and ordered a bunch of ball online. So far I've put 50rds of ball and 20rds of silvertips through it with no problems. The recoil is pretty stout but it shoots to point of aim at 5-7yds, there are no sights, just a channel in the top of the slide. The DAO trigger is smooth and about 10-12lbs, nothing like what I've read about, it's similar to my Beretta 8000D except a little heavier. I'm pretty impressed with it and it will probably end up living in my truck console.
If any of you are interested in these older AMT's, they're better than the talk on the interweb would lead you to believe. At least that's my experience with this one.

 

[hemiram]

I would have kept mine (.380) if it was only 10-12 pounds, it was twice that, AFTER the insides were cleaned up! The gunsmith who worked on it after AMT did nothing and sent it back said he was afraid to do anything more or it wouldn't shoot at all. The insides were rough, to put it nicely, and besides that, were full of all kinds of filings and shavings left there by the factory. I kept flushing it out, and more gunk seemed to appear. The trigger was so stiff, at first I thought it was broken and binding up, but I pulled it as hard as I could, and it fired. It was 100 % reliable, but my trigger finger killed me after just one mag, and it was so stiff, I couldn't shoot it well at all. Looks like you got a good one.

 

[TheVirginian]

Isn't this the classic "cop ankle gun" of yesteryear? It looks like the thing was the inspiration for the Seecamp and Kel-Tec designs. I know those have much better actions though. The AMT was routinely dismissed as scrap metal by lots of folks but was also begrudgingly worn by those than felt a need for a tiny but potent back-up weapon. Did I dream this or does that sound about right?
-Bill

 

[WC145]

I know the reason behind the design/manufacture of the gun was as a BUG for law enforcement but this later version is much different from the original .380's. The first ones were single action and kind of iffy, I had one for a while back around 1984. They followed that with the DAO .380 and I think that one is where the horrid trigger reputation came from (like hemiram's gun). The "large frame" Backup, like mine was improved and refined but I think that the damage was done to the reputation by then, plus the company was in a constant state of ownership flux. In fact, High Standard shows still has them on their website but no one ever answers the phone and I can't find where they've been building or selling them.

This gun shoots and handles much better than I expected it would based on the info I could find about them. It's really quite small, and only weighs 23ozs, smaller and slimmer than a Glock 36 or a baby Glock and about the same weight.

The action actually reminds me of an ODI Viking .45 I had years ago. It had a Seecamp double action kit and felt much the same.

 

[Eric F]

Cool review thanks, I was looking for another 38 super to back up my 1911 but didnt really want another caliber. Any idea what the Muzzle velocity is out of your ammo?

 

[ZO6Vettever]

My neighbor and shooting buddy has an AMT 380 Backup just like yours. He bought it new about 15 years ago for a backup, he's retired NYPD. He never fired it until a few months ago. Emptied the mag filled with NYPD issue +P then put 50 more FMJ down the pipe, it was flawless. When we got home and cleaned the guns he found the backstop had about an inch and a quater crack all the way through. Probably the +P ammo. Be careful and check it after shooting it. He's probably lucky it didn't come apart in his hand.