AMT Backup .380

BRIGUY

BRIGUY

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What is the boards opinion on these ? single action , with grip saftey . Have a chance to buy one, wondering how reliable they are for poccket carry .
Also may have a chance to buy the keltec .380 but a little bit more pricey , which route would you go?
 
with the almost complete evaporation of .380 ammo from the market, and the less than stellar ballistics of .380, I'd be looking for something in 9 myself, but YMMV.
 
They are fine if you don't try to take them apart. Once apart, apparently it resists all power of the universe one can impart in trying to get it back together. [grin]

If you want a .380 backup piece, it is fine. It is not a primary piece. I have only shot it a few times. Mag changes are next to impossible. But again, as a backup piece that is less of an issue. If you are going to use it in defense, you may as well save the last bullet for yourself anyway. [wink]
 
I owned one of the first ones.

The 15# (no kidding) trigger pull (this was WAY before the AG's damages) and 1.75" bbl makes this a belly gun at best and not a good one at that.

MUCH better off looking elsewhere or buying a S&W 442/642 .38 revolver instead.
 
I had one of the original single actiion ones for years. functioned great with silvertips, no problems at all, but the way the grip safety is configured had me bleeding every time I shot it. the web between my thumb and forefinger would get pinched.

And Terra's right...forget about taking it apart.
 
Stay away.

I owned a Back-Up DAO and I paid way too much for it.

Bear in mind that "Way too much" is anything over 50 cents or so. These guns are only slightly above junk class (jennings, raven, lorcin, etc) - and some would say that that is being too generous.

-Mike
 
I own an original AMT-produced DAO .45 Backup and love it. Size of the PPK and 5+1 .45 acp. Conceal it anywhere on you. I found it to be well-built.

I shoot 185 gr. JHP in it and it is verrrrry reliable with controlable recoil. In benchrest shooting, it shoots better than I do.

I'm thinking about getting another (backup for a backup), but the Hipoint remake is really steep in price.

Hope this helps.
 
I think the newer DAO ones are quite different. At least my experience with one is.
Given the choice of a SA one and Keltec, I'd go Keltec.
 
Hated the amt backup .380.
Seemed to bite my hands a lot, fit and finish seemed rough, I felt it was rather poorly made IMO, 'course you get what you pay for.

ace57
 
I have an early one that has always functioned well.
It does tend to send the fired brass into the next county.
The AMT Backup is probably not a good choice for those who feel the need to strip a gun to clean it.
On the other hand, you can CCW it if all you wear is a fig leaf.[shocked]

Jack
 
I carried the SA AMT Backup .380 for years. My only knock on it was it's weight. I felt it was a bit heavy for what I wanted it for. The only reason I sold it was because I found a Keltec P3AT.

If given the choice, I would go with and do have the P3AT because of the weight issue. the P3AT is very light.

I took my AMT Backup .380 apart tons of times. You just needed to know how to do it and it wasn't that big of a deal. Kind of like a Ruger MKII. The first time sucks but once you figure it out it's not bad.

The P3AT wasn't THAT much more then what I paid for my AMT. It was just harder to find. I didn't pay much of a hard to find in MA mark up on mine though.

Another option which raises the price tag alot is a Kahr PM9. Size isn't that much bigger and it is a 9mm. I've been lusting after one of those for years. I just refuse to pay the markup. Supposedly the MA ones are do out soon.
 
I had one of the early SA models and didn't like it. Function was OK, but I didn't fire it a lot. I bought it to carry in a pocket sans holster. I soon found that the safety would rub off leaving me with a potential pocket disaster. The gun is small and the slide is not that easy to operate under pressure so I was unwilling to carry it with an empty chamber. I sold it and went back to my model 60.
 
graftyman said:
...
Another option which raises the price tag alot is a Kahr PM9. Size isn't that much bigger and it is a 9mm. I've been lusting after one of those for years. I just refuse to pay the markup. Supposedly the MA ones are do out soon.
Click to expand...
You are correct sir.

http://www.kahr.com/KA-3.html#pm9193

Kahr PM9193

NEW MODEL | 9 mm | Shipping Fall 2009!!

Kahr Arms is selling the PM9 model in Massachusetts. This pistol is on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts EOPS Approved Firearms Roster and now incorporates all MA compliant features. The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General has reviewed the pistol and, as presented to them, “has no reason to believe that this Office would have any specific concern that sales of this firearm would violate the Attorney General’s regulations.”
Click to expand...
Such a bitch getting guns approved for sale here. Even when they are made here.
 
I'd get a 9mm instead but to answer your question, I haven't heard anything good about the Back up but have fired the Keltek P3At and found it to be reliable and much more accurate than I expected. I was able to hit 6" steel plates at 35 yards but I had to hold about 2 feet low left. If it was mine I'd just adjust the sights.
 
As Jack made the comment about throwing brass, I remember if you held the pistol low, rather than at full arm extension, the brass came up and hit you right in the face!
 
MrSparkle said:
You are correct sir.

http://www.kahr.com/KA-3.html#pm9193


Such a bitch getting guns approved for sale here. Even when they are made here.
Click to expand...

I just looked at a pic of this thing... while I applaud Kahr's efforts, the LCI and the writing on the top of the slide is.... [puke]

On the upstroke if doing all that makes them able to not ruin the trigger, then it's a "win" I guess.

-Mike
 
The latest "American Rifleman" carried a test of a tiny 9mm called a Rorbach. This gun is sweet but costs over $1000!
 

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