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Ian talked about the current iteration of the company and their guns.
Reader GrayDog sent a video of one running great to prove that it didn't deserve the nasty Malf I'd assigned the gun.
I'm still not sure if the original guns were unreliable, I just remember that
they had a reputation. I rewatched the Demolition Ranch vid and he's definitely shooting an original gun, you can see the cast cocking piece. Update: He says 1980 made gun in this follow up. That means the original magazines which, Ian pointed out, presented the round too low for the feed ramp and most of his stoppages look like they're nosing in. The trigger reset issue looks like a lube problem with the slide.
Ian running a 2023 made example on the clock:
It seems to be running well.
I might not have given it a high enough recoil number.
UPDATE:
Demolition Ranch's second video... Ugh. Screw the recoil spring guides back in and keep shooting.
I strongly suspect that AutoMag Ltd. sent the same gun to several YouTubers for promotional purposes. Unscrewing the guide rods is part of disassembly and I'm willing to bet the person who had it before him didn't get them cranked all the way down.
RTFM error combined with a "when you redesigned it why didn't you put a detent or something on those?"
Nice wrap-up Angus.
ReplyDeleteI watched the second video when it first appeared, and winced at the sight of the protruding recoil rods. I have heard that vintage guns have been destroyed by such carelessness. Checking for such a thing before shooting, and every 3 magazines or so, is part of the manual of arms for the Auto Mag. It is as simple as quickly brushing the front of the frame with your finger to feel for a slightly protruding rod. I agree with you that a previous user probably field stripped the gun for cleaning and then neglected to ensure that it was properly reassembled. But that doesn't excuse demo-man's ignorance and negligence. All you have to do is read the manual. The threads on the recoil rods and their counterparts in the cocking piece need to be clean and grease free. (I never had a problem with the recoil rods backing out on my guns, but I am meticulous about such details.)
The Auto Mag was intended to be a hunting handgun, where one would take deliberate shots out to 200 yards. Lee Jurras, George Nonte and Kent Lamont, among other handgun "greats", embraced the gun and proved it more than adequate for the task. It is not an everyday carry rapid-fire defensive hangun. It might-could be, in the right hands. But those would probably not be attached to a veterinarian on a ranch where things get carelessly misused and demolished.
BTW, anyone interested in learning more about this masterpiece, and it's bastard siblings named "Automag" (one word), one could get lost for days at the AMT Gun Forum - https://www.amtguns.info/forum1.html