| Auto Mag | |
|---|---|
.44 AutoMag with standard 6.5 in (170 mm) vent rib barrel and custom Duane Short grips. |
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designer | first – Max Gera |
| Designed | 1969 to 1971 |
| Manufacturer | Auto Mag Corporation |
| Unit cost | first – $217.50 |
| Produced | 1971 to 1982 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 57 oz (3 lb 9 oz) (1.62 kg) |
| Length | 11.5 inches |
| Barrel length | 6.5 inches |
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| Cartridge | .44 AMP |
| Action | short recoil |
| Feed system | 8-round single-column box magazine |
| Sights | Adjustable target sights |
The .44 Auto Mag pistol is a large caliber semi-automatic pistol. It was designed between 1966 and 1971 by the Auto Mag Corporation to bring .44 magnum power to a semi-automatic pistol.[1]
The pistols were costly to produce and ammunition was never readily available, leading to the demise of the Auto Mag Corporation by 1982. The pistol's reputation and looks have made it popular in cinema and novels and several versions are listed as "Curios and Relics" by the BATFE.
Contents |
The short recoil operated Auto Mag pistol featured a rotary bolt with locking lugs located at the front similar to the M-16/AR-15 rifle. The Auto Mag is a heavy pistol designed to give handgun hunters .44 magnum power in a semi-automatic pistol. The .44 Auto Mag was designed to shoot .429 inch, 240 grain bullets at about the same velocity as the .44 magnum revolver.
In 1970, Auto Mag Corporation president Harry Sanford opened a factory in Pasadena, California. The first gun was shipped on August 8, 1971 and the factory declared bankruptcy on May 3, 1972 after making fewer than 3000 guns. Production guns were made in .44 AMP (Auto Mag Pistol). Experimental pistols were made in .45ACP, .30AMP and .357AMP. Except for the .45ACP guns, changing calibers required only the additional barrel and cartridges. The same frame, magazine, and bolt could be used on both.
Auto Mag Corporation was short-lived for several reasons. The design team that took the Auto Mag pistol from a fully functional and working Chrome-Moly steel prototype designed by Max Gera,[2] to a more complicated and less reliable stainless steel pistol disagreed with Harry Sanford about how the company should proceed. The design team was convinced the Auto Mag pistol was not ready for production and could not be produced at a profit. The design team believed that even with the correct finished design, the wholesale price of the gun had to be greatly increased or the company would go bankrupt. The design team was unable to convince Sanford, and they all resigned. The pistol was then rushed into production by a group that were not concerned with the gun making a profit but only that it got into production immediately. This led to expensive manufacturing processes, and later Pasadena guns were not fitted well as there was a constant push to get product out the door.
Severe underpricing of the Auto Mag pistol to indicate huge market demand to potential investors made success impossible. A final analysis showed that the Auto Mag Corporation lost more than $1,000 on each pistol (as was predicted by Max Gera when he sold his stock in the company over one year earlier); each pistol sold wholesale for around $170. The pistols originally sold retail for $217.50 (about $1200 in today's dollars). Used Auto Mag pistols now sell for around $2,000.
Auto Mag Pistol
Between 1971 and 2002 the Auto Mag would wear eleven different names:
Lee Jurras of Super Vel Ammunition commissioned a limited run of Auto Mags to be given the LEJ-prefix on their serial numbers. They were to be custom-made to his specifications and were chambered in .44AMP, .357AMP and for his wildcat .41JMP (Jurras Mag Pistol). Some of Jurras's custom guns had shoulder stocks, high polish jobs, gold plating, engraving, etc.[1]
The Auto Mag design gave birth to three new cartridges: the .44 Auto Mag (.44 AMP), .357 Auto Mag (.357 AMP) and the lesser-known .41 JMP.[1] There were barrels made to shoot other cartridges:
AMT (Arcadia Machine and Tool) manufactured several firearms under the AutoMag name, not the Auto Mag name, including the AMT AutoMag II in .22 WMR, AMT AutoMag III in .30 Carbine, AMT AutoMag IV in .45 Winchester Magnum and AMT AutoMag V in .50 Action Express.
The .44 Auto Mag Pistol (AMP) cartridge was introduced in 1971.[1] Its rimless, straight wall case was originally formed by trimming the .308 Winchester or .30-06 case to 1.30 inches (33 mm).[1] Loaded ammunition was once available from the Mexican firm of Cartuchos Deportivos Mexico and from Norma (a Swedish firm), which produced empty cases.[1]
The .357AMP round went into production in 1972 with the North Hollywood guns.[1] It is similar to the .44 AMP, but is necked down to accept the smaller diameter bullet. The same is true for the .41JMP, .30, .25 and .22LMP.[1]
Presently, loaded ammunition is available from Cor-Bon, and new .44 AMP brass is available from Starline Brass. The dedicated handloader can form AMP cases from .30-06 or .308 Winchester brass, using a series of forming dies and an inside neck reamer.[1]