Tell me about the AMT .380 DAO

[commygun]

I value positive magazine retention far above a slightly quicker reload time. When was the last time you saw a civilian execute a tactical reload in the middle of a defensive encounter? When was the last time someone noticed a partially ejected mag on a carry gun, especially a pocket carry gun?

Exactly. We’re talking about a front-pocket .380 here. Ted or Edward, there’s probably not going to be much call for lightning reloads. And the heel-release becomes surprisingly instinctive. The hand adapts.

Yes the PM9 is a superior gun, but the DAO is way more pocketable. A half-inch here and there means a lot when you’re talking front pocket carry. I say that as a guy who pocket carries a Beretta Nano these days.

Jerry’s right about the 3-handed assembly. I always felt accomplished after getting it back together after cleaning.

 

[Riomouse911]

I recall one or two guys at my former agency buying the DA .380 Back Up versions as off duty/back up guns many years ago. (I had an all-stainless S&W 640 .38 as my backup.) A few others had the SA .380 Back Ups. At the time I never fired either one of them, and the stories of heavy trigger pulls and fussy feeding plaguing both models kept me from ever buying one.

Someone, somewhere convinced a co worker who went out and bought a .45 ACP version of the Back Up. IIRC it had about two magazines fired through it when I passed on buying it from him.

About a decade ago I did buy one of the SA .380 Back Up off GB as a nostalgia purchase. It took me back to my earlier days when the job was much more fun. Yes, I quickly found out those SA .380 Back Up guns are as unergonomic and tough to shoot as the old stories say.

If you do buy the AMT, buy it as a nostalgic range toy to have fun with. If you are considering buying it for serious use, IMHO there are better feeling, better shooting, more effective guns to choose from.

Stay safe.

 

[herrwalther]

I had the SAO version of the 380. And mine was considered a good functioning one. Trigger wasn't bad for a pocket gun. Did not feed HP ammo very reliably but does fine with plugged hollow tips like Critical Defense. And it liked to throw brass at my face. Once I got used to its little quirks, it wasn't a bad gun for its intended purpose: backup or range shooting gun. I eventually sold it when I got rid of all my 380 guns in favor of small 9mms.

 

[Geldarr]

I think the AMT DAO 380 is an interesting part of 20th century handgun history. It was a precursor to more successful guns that came later. The Seecamp 25 and 32, for example, were in more practical calibers for really small blowback pistols, and had a higher standard of manufacture. (From what I've read, anyway. I've never owned an AMT or a Seecamp.) But using the 1911 locking barrel and steel-reinforced plastic frames were the real game-changers that made this category of pistol more practical and more affordable.

But I don't think the AMT DAO 380 is really a very good choice for a carry piece any more. It's been left behind by the state of the art, and AMT's reputation for quality was often pretty iffy. Get it if you just plain like it, of course, and carry it if it checks out all right, but there are better guns on the market for that purpose now, IMO.

PS - The Grendel 380, which I think was made by the people who later became Kel-Tec, was a big step down the road to the modern kind of pocket 380. But even though I had one for a while, I cannot remember if it was blowback or locked breech. Anybody know?

PPS - I think the people who made the Grendel had to liquidate the Grendel company and reform as Kel-Tec because they gave lifetime warranties on the Grendel. That turned out bad, and the only way to get out from under was to dissolve the company. But that may just be a colorful story I was told.

Grendel P10 is indeed blowback, and has NO magazine release - it is a blind magazine loaded from the top. No inadvertent magazine releases. I got my hands on one a few years back, and it's reliable and accurate. And light. Not very pleasant to shoot, but not as bad as many folks make it out to be. Mine has a metal trigger (which may be a partial explanation), but many had plastic triggers.

They are known to break hammer springs with unsupported (i.e. no snap caps) dryfire. I've seen a way to mod AR hammer springs to work as replacements, however.

 

[br549arkie]

I had an AMT that was a horrible jam-o-matic. And they were jams that were impossible to clear in a hurry. I wouldn't buy another unless I could shoot it first.

I had the same experience with the one and only AMT I ever owned. After that one I wouldn't even really want a AMT if someone wanted to give me one.

 

[DesertFox]

Fired one that must have had a 20 pound trigger pull. Remember not physically being able to pull the trigger after 2 rounds fired... Was a 38 Super.

 

[lee n. field]

A LGS has a AMT 380 DAO for a very reasonable price. It seems to be in good condition and fully functional. I like the full stroke, full weight trigger pull and the positive heel mag release, features that make it kryptonite to today's Tactical Teds

Does anybody have direct experience with these guns?

This is the DAO variant, NOT the SAO, and is built on the small frame, which is different from the larger frame used with 9mm P, .38 Super, .40 and .45 examples.

Thanks!

How good a deal? Good enough to overcome the iffy parts and magazine availability of a gun that hasn't been made for decades?

The whole idea of a blowback .380 in that size gun does not fill me with longing either. Ouch.

There's a recent thread on LCP alternatives you might want to peruse.

 

[halfmoonclip]

My LGS has a used AMT .380; yes, the trigger is simply awful, and the gun is heavy. Perhaps, in its defense, really small guns have come a long way since then.
Moon

 

[lee n. field]

Small Arms Solutions Crime Series, Vol 13 - AMT BACK UP

This just up today.