The New Auto Mag Company

[cargaritaville]

You're right! What are the differences between them?

[MRC]

You're right! What are the differences between them?

They are completely different firearms.  The Wildey is gas operated and the AMP's are recoil operated.

Wildey did chamber the 44 AMP cartridge though.

[cargaritaville]

I like the looks of the Auto Mag better...an elegant and refined design.

[MRC]

I like the looks of the Auto Mag better...an elegant and refined design.

I would have to agree.  There is not much to like about the Wildey's looks in my opinion.

The main problem with the Wildey is that the grips are just too large for about 95% of the population.  It was initially designed to hold a double stack magazine of 9mm Winchester magnums for which it never got chambered for.

The New Auto Mags look somewhat different.  The barrel and rib are machined from a single blank.  On the Old AMP above the rib is welded on.  I like the looks of the Old AMP's better.

[MRC]

Somewhere in Arizona.

Click on thumbnail

[cargaritaville]

Can it double as a flamethrower too?

[MikeInTexas]

Have you considered a Excel Arms Accelerator pistol to complement it?  That gets you shooting lower cost ammo in a package that is very similar.  (The two companies may be connected somehow)

http://www.excelarms.com/handguns/acceleratorpistol.html

[MRC]

The New Auto Mags are being built at Excel Arms.  Larry Grossman worked for Harry Sanford who designed and built the Auto Mags until Harry died.  He then went to work for Excel.  The two Companies were not connected until Auto Mag decided to move the assembly to Excel because Larry would not go to South Carolina.

Ammo is available at $50 a box and it is good stuff.

The AMP's have always been a hand load situation and I have shot and loaded AMP's for over 20 years.  I have shot less than 1 box of factory Corbon in all that time.

One thing to remember, this is a gun that you don't go out and fire 100's of rounds through.  Generally with a AMP or a Wildey, I shoot 20 or 30 rounsds and that's enough.

Larry is the Guru on anything Auto Mag.  Here he is at the SHOT Show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlh1v9o4BQI

[MikeInTexas]

Ok, got that story from this video as well.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnzmXVDfocw

It's what prompted me to post about the other pistol.

.

[MRC]

Grossman has hid from anything Auto Mag since Harry Sanford died in '97.  He would talk to very few people about the pistol or even help anyone.  There just were not many parts around and very few Gunsmiths to work on them and his expertise was needed.

I was surprised that they even got him to go to the SHOT Show to tell you the truth.  While there he has done numerous video's and interviews and really looks like he is enjoying himself.  He seems to be really enthused again about the Auto Mag.

[kevinqjhps]

GunsAmerica has a article today on the original Auto Mag. They said of 9000 built they lost $1000 on every one sold. 

[MRC]

GunsAmerica has a article today on the original Auto Mag. They said of 9000 built they lost $1000 on every one sold. 

The $1000 loss per gun was for the first 2 or 3000 that were made in Pasadena.      It was at that point that they declared bankruptcy.  The guns sold for $275 retail a $217 wholesale.  By the time thy got all the numbers added up they arrived at the -$1000 figure.  Lots of mistakes, big development costs, and lots of unuseable parts.

They went on as TDE and still never could make money.  Harry Sanford wanted to keep the price low and numbers high.

[PhilZ]

GunsAmerica has a article today on the original Auto Mag. They said of 9000 built they lost $1000 on every one sold. 

The $1000 loss per gun was for the first 2 or 3000 that were made in Pasadena.      It was at that point that they declared bankruptcy.  The guns sold for $275 retail a $217 wholesale.  By the time thy got all the numbers added up they arrived at the -$1000 figure.  Lots of mistakes, big development costs, and lots of unuseable parts.

They went on as TDE and still never could make money.  Harry Sanford wanted to keep the price low and numbers high.

Not such a great businessman.  He lost a little bit per gun, but wanted to make it up with volume. 

[MRC]

Harry Sanford seemed to make money on bankruptcy's. 

I just copied and pasted this from Wkipedia to show all the companies Harry went by:

  Between 1971 and 2002 the Auto Mag would wear eleven different names:

  AM, Pasadena, California (Made in Pasadena, Calif.)

  TDE, North Hollywood, California (Made in El Monte, Calif.) There was never a North Hollywood factory.

  TDE, El Monte, California (Made in El Monte, Calif.)

  TDE, El Monte, California, High Standard (Made in El Monte, Calif.)

  TDE, El Monte, California, Lee Jurras (Made in El Monte, Calif.) Most custom work by Lee Jurras

  TDE, El Monte, California, Kent Lomont (Made in El Monte, Calif.) Custom work by Kent Lomont

  TDE / OMC, El Monte, California (Made in El Monte, Calif.)

  AMT, Covina, California (Receivers made in Covina, Calif. and guns assembled in Irwindale, Calif.)

  AMC, Covina, California (Receivers made in Covina, Calif. and guns assembled in Irwindale, Calif.)

  AM, Irwindale, California (Made in Irwindale, Calif.)

  AM, Sturgis, South Dakota (Some made in Hesperia, Calif. and some were made in Sturgis, S.D.)

He lived a good life and was said never to be without plenty of money for personal items.

[kevinqjhps]

Harry Sanford seemed to make money on bankruptcy's. 

I just copied and pasted this from Wkipedia to show all the companies Harry went by:

  Between 1971 and 2002 the Auto Mag would wear eleven different names:

  AM, Pasadena, California (Made in Pasadena, Calif.)

  TDE, North Hollywood, California (Made in El Monte, Calif.) There was never a North Hollywood factory.

  TDE, El Monte, California (Made in El Monte, Calif.)

  TDE, El Monte, California, High Standard (Made in El Monte, Calif.)

  TDE, El Monte, California, Lee Jurras (Made in El Monte, Calif.) Most custom work by Lee Jurras

  TDE, El Monte, California, Kent Lomont (Made in El Monte, Calif.) Custom work by Kent Lomont

  TDE / OMC, El Monte, California (Made in El Monte, Calif.)

  AMT, Covina, California (Receivers made in Covina, Calif. and guns assembled in Irwindale, Calif.)

  AMC, Covina, California (Receivers made in Covina, Calif. and guns assembled in Irwindale, Calif.)

  AM, Irwindale, California (Made in Irwindale, Calif.)

  AM, Sturgis, South Dakota (Some made in Hesperia, Calif. and some were made in Sturgis, S.D.)

He lived a good life and was said never to be without plenty of money for personal items.

Is that Lee Jarras the same one that is/was connected  to S&W?