AMT Hardballer Questions

[milsurp mike]

I am in the Market for a 1911 handgun and I have a chance to buy a new in the box Stainless AMT hardballer Automag II with and extra stainless mag with it.It has the Beaver tail Safety and adjustable trigger and sights.It is not the long slide model.New never fired with original box and paper work.I want to use it for cast boolits only.I have kicked myself in the Butt for getting rid of my Sig 1911 and want to replace it but dont want to spend $1000.
What would a Fair price for this Pistol be?Are these good Pistols?It feels and looks and good as the $1000 Sig I used to own.The shop also has a Stainless Kimber and the AMT feels as good in my hand as the Kimber.Thx for your time.Mike

[dubber123]

Quality control on the AMT's varied quite alot. I have handled and shot a few, a friend had the longslide version in .45 ACP, and it shot very well and was reliable. Another friend had the Javelina, the 10mm version. It was sloppily assembled, and nowheres near as nice as the first one I handled. I would look it over very carefully. I wouldn't give over $600 for one personally, given some of the other less expensive 1911's available now.

[Shooter6br]

I had a AMT 45ACP i payed 275.00 I have seem them for 325.00 A good gun in most cases. quality varied i am told. i blew up the barrel on mine. Had a squib load and fired a round behind it. The barrel was burst, I saved all but the barrel ( Tough gun) I used the frame for my Mech Tech carbine. The AMT never jammed i replaced it with a Sig 250 C for carry

[Shooter6br]

Pic of AMT on Mech tech

[MtGun44]

I won a Hardballer many years ago in a shooting match. SS guns were a
rarity. Mine was an OK gun, but somewhat roughly made and fairly indifferently
fitted. Dead copy of a Colt Gold Cup in Stainless, but not as high quality
IMO. Personally, I would not buy one at all - there are far better 1911s
out there, but if you like it -- mine was not a bad gun, just not a fine piece
like a old Gold Cup - of course it never cost what the GC did, either.

Bill

[Tom-ADC]

Friend had one, we found out it was called the "Hardballer" for a reason that is all his would feed period.

[Combat Diver]

I wouldn't see paying over $500 for it. The Hardballer has a cast frame and production was variable at times as mentioned. Too many other new 1911s out there in that price range. I purchased mine new as a Longslide Hardballer in 86' or so. Only other Stainless Steel was the Vega and Randall at the time if I remember correctly. I thought the Automag II was a .22 WMR gun. The 1911s were all Hardballers. AMT magazines were not the best and I'll use Wilson, McCormick or USGI.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/1911_CTC_with_knife_right_side.jpeg

I never shot mine with the Longslide as a gunsmith friend of mine took that slide to a ODI Viking DA (Seecamp) frame. I got a Colt blued series 70s slide with Smith K frame adj rear sights for a few months then got the slide that still on it which is a Michigan Armament System Metalified slide that is also MagnaPorted (bbl, bushing and slide) with Millet adjustable rear sight. Gun has gone thru over 10k rounds mostly cast. I've got a fourth slide and that's a Colt .22LR conversion that I use. Just got a Double Star railed lower that I plan on putting the MAS slide on and then make a complete gun out of the AMT frame/Colt .22 slide.
http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/22_conversion.jpg

[milsurp mike]

Thx for the info Guy's.I had looked the Pistol over and it's fit and finish is very nice and is a very tight Pistol.I have seen a bunch of AMT's and this is the Nicest I have seen as far as fit and finish.I have read that they are round nose ammo guns which is what I cast for in 45.I have a HRA Garand he wants and he is willing to trade me the Pistol plus $500 cash.I have $700 in the Garand so I will have $200 cash in the AMT.If the AMT wasnt brand new in the box I might not trade but the Pistol is so clean and tight I cant pass it up.Like I said it is a tight and the fit is as good as the Kimber he has also and is a lot cheaper.Thx again for the info.Mike

[475BH]

I don't think you can find a Garand for that price these days.
I can get 1" groups w/ my Kimber fairly regularily, and that thing will eat any bullet you put in it.
Parts are easy to get for that kimber, just call them up.
Would a gunsmith have to fit replacement parts on the AMT?
JMO ofcourse.

[nicholst55]

I was considering buying a Hardballer once; then I looked at it, and saw the voids (air holes) in the frame. I wouldn't even consider one after that.

Were it me, I'd look at either one of the Rock Island guns, or a Springfield.

[9.3X62AL]

I'm on a similar quest (1911A1 hole in the safe), that got interrupted by other obligations and desires. On hold, ya could say. JMHO, and none of my bizness--but there is no way on earth I would swap a fine Garand for any AMT product, regardless how right-side-up the end cash got.

[longhorn]

My AMT Hardballer was the most frustrating and least functional handgun I've ever owned. I'd sooner trust my life to an RG 22. Don't do it.

[dubber123]

Well, the large number of "don't do it's" really points out how variable their quality could be. Many had serious functioning problems from the sounds of it, but my friends example absolutely loved the Speer 200 gr. "flying ashtray" HP's that many 1911's choke on. I cannot recall a single malfunction with that gun.

[milsurp mike]

Thx for the info guy's.I think i will stay away from it.To many others out there to try one that might be good.Thx again Mike

[casterofboolits]

AMT 1911's &^&%^$#. Bought the Commander version of the hardballer after reading some gunrag article touting it as the second coming. What piece of ****!

Afew years later when the memory faded I bought one of the long slides. Got a deal from a dealer that wanted to move it. It just looked cool. My pistol smith worked on that darn thing for months to get it to feed and function. We had a regular Wednesday night IPSC practice and he would work on it, bring it to practice, take it home with him, ad infinitum. Finally at one practice it almost worked. The slide would go to the rear and stop, just a touch would send it forward. After doing this for a mag full, I was putting another mag in when one of the guys handed me a 1/4" rubber band and said "Try this" with a s**t eating grin.

So I doubled the rubber band around the bottom of the rear sight and the trigger guard. Put in a fresh mag and ripped off seven rounds. My buddy just fell back against the wall with his chin hiting his chest. About a dozen guys were roaring with laughter.

I handed it back to the pistol smith and said "I think we're almost there".

Now, for the rest of the story.

At the next practice session, everone was waiting to see what would happen. I ripped off a mag full and everyone had big grins on thier faces and clapping, even me. Put another mag in and it went BAM, BAM, FOOMPTH! The slide was locked up tight and we used a wood dowl to knock it loose and disassemble it. The barrel had a four inch split down the side. The barrel was a two piece and the split started just in front of the chamber where the front end of the chamber met the barrel!

Put in an after market 7" barrel and traded it at a gun show for enough parts to build an 24" heavy barrel AR plus a 11.5 inch heavy barrel for my shorty.

Poor quality control on both pistols, to say the least! Pass it by!

[NickSS]

I bought on in the 80s and kept it for about two weeks during which time I tried to put a lot of ammo through it but it constantly jammed and malfunctioned with ammo that worked quite well is several other 1911s I had at the time. I took it to a dealer to sell it and he did not want it. After searching around I finally found a dealer who would buy it from me and I got only 35 cents on the dollor that I paid for it. Never again will I own a hardballer. I would not take one as a gift.

[Walt]

I'd keep the Garand and look for a better pistol somewhere else.