Amt 1911

[tgr1911]

Anyone know anything abut AMT 1911s??

[stumbler]

What kind of info are you looking for?

[tgr1911]

Mainly quality

[stumbler]

R U buying 1? Do U have 1? What are U looking to do with it? It could be THE firearm for you or not. IMO, If I were looking to buy one, there are other makes I would consider first.

[stans]

Some AMT's were nice, others were a total waste of stainless steel. They had enough problems that AMT went under, was revived as Irwindale Arms Inc. (IAI), same problems, went under, revived for a third time as Galena Industries, same problems with quality control, now they are gone. Does that tell you anything?

[Hawkmoon]

R U buying 1? Do U have 1? What are U looking to do with it? It could be THE firearm for you or not. IMO, If I were looking to buy one, there are other makes I would consider first.
Stumbler, I'll admit up front to being an olde pharte. And as such, I'd appreciate it if you'd write in English on the forum. Some old brains are not TXT MSG enabled.

[stumbler]

I'm sorry. I was wondering if you were buying one or if you had one. If you are looking at buying one, I would consider other brands of the 1911 first. Arcadia Mill and Tool (AMT) had some quality issues.

[tgr1911]

I was looking at a commander but I now have a RIA commander comminng.
I already have a full size 45 RIA and a RIA 38 super.

Thanks for all the info. :cool:

[Gammon]

AMTs were a lot of trouble. The only ones I know of that were reliable had been completely rebuilt with Colt or after market parts. We're talking about replacing everything but the slide and frame.

[jcmios]

AMT had a lot of quality control issues, and the stainless steel they used was prone to galling if you tightened the slide to frame too tight. They really helped put Rig Grease on the map.
It is pretty much hit or miss, don't buy sight unseen.

Jim

[prairie_boy]

I've got one of the Longslide Hardballers and I've had nothing but feeding problems with it since I bought it. I've had the feedramp and chamber polished, tried several different magazine types, all with no significant improvement. Just about every type of feeding problem imaginable. Any ammunition type, even with 230 gr Ball ammo.

After reading the September American Rifleman review of the CobraMags by Tripp Research, I decided to order a couple as a last resort. Sounds like a fabulous product. I think they tried them in 8 different 1911 pistols with feeding problems...solved them all! If these mags don't fix the problems, I'm putting the gun on consignment (I wouldn't dare sell such a piece of garbage myself).

I would never buy an AMT/IAI pistol, and will probably never buy another 1911 of any type. I like a gun that I can take out of the box and shoot. Not something that I have to completely rebuild after spending good money on it in the first place.

[cottontoptexan]

I fully understand you wanting a reliable firearm out of the box. I went through the same scenario myself back in 1993 after buying a Colt for over 600.00 Would not feed , misfed , jammed you name it. It was a high end pistol for the time , stainless and it looked nice.
I tried everything and anything. All sorts of ammo and lubricants, different clips etc. Finally took it to a good gunsmith and he set the extractor which he said was really tight (from the factory). To tell you the truth i cannot say when or if it has ever jammed since. I shoot 230 round nose hardball in my 45's most of the time.
There are some really good guns out there. I love the 45 and what you can do with it as far as the parts , sights, and any mods you might want. Referring to the 1911 type of pistol here.
I ask you not to judge the 1911 on the basis of the AMT. They were known by many to be problem childs i guess with the quality control and quality of internal parts. My latst 1911 is a Springfield Armory Champion. It has the 4 inch barrel cone shaped, with no bushing. It feeds reliable and has never jammed. I plan on doing some mods to it later as far as the Mil Spec sights are not that good for these old eyes but i think for the money it is a solid value gun and all the aftermarket parts will fit into it.
Mine costs 388.00 plus tax and out the door. I would also consider a nice used Colt, Kimber or possibly a Sig P220 . My own experiences with my first 1911 paralell yours and i too formed a judement and then realized that it only took the small extractor problem to irritate me. Now i laugh about it. Hope you can find a good reliable pistol. Sometimes it is good to go to an indoor shooting range and rent some of the different types also. Good Luck

[EVBaker]

I have an AMT Hardballer. I thought it was really nice until I bought a new Springfield Armory "GI Issue". After shooting 14 round through the Springfield, I have decided to tear down the AMT and use the frame and slide to build a decent gun from it. I am thinking of using all wilson combat parts.

[jcmios]

I have an AMT Hardballer. I thought it was really nice until I bought a new Springfield Armory "GI Issue". After shooting 14 round through the Springfield, I have decided to tear down the AMT and use the frame and slide to build a decent gun from it. I am thinking of using all wilson combat parts.

I would suggest a ramped barrel for your AMT frame, it will take on big headache out of the way. Many AMT feed ramps are way out of specs so instead of fighting with it go around it with a superior design.

[dogngun]

I never owned an AMT 1911 type, but I have owned 2 of their other products. Neither one was reliable , especially not as a carry gun. My understanding is that AMT's last incarnation was pretty bad - they sold the blueprints on the internet.

I owned 2 of the single action Back-Up's and had some experience with the DA Back-up in .45 ACP. They were solidly made, but would FTF regularly.



Mark :)