Is the AutoMag Curse Over? The New Auto Mag 180-D
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 มิ.ย. 2024
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Historically speaking, the AutoMag 180 pistol has been a reaper of investors. Between 1971 and 1982, no fewer than six different companies went bankrupt trying to make a profit building Auto Mags. However, we may have finally reached the end of that streak...
In 2015, all the existing tools, parts, and IP related to the Auto Mag was sold to a new company (Auto Mag Ltd). Similar to the previous companies lured in by the glamour of this massive handgun, these new owners saw the list of existing parts (including several hundred frames) and figured they could assemble and sell a few hundred guns and make a nice return. Also similar to previous companies, they completed the deal and then discovered that those existing parts had major problems. Fundamentally, the Model 180 was simply not a mature design.
Where the new company has taken a new path is that they have spent the past 7 years reengineering the whole gun to fix its shortcomings. They have made a couple dozen design changes, although without changing anything fundamental in the appearance or operating principles of the gun. They have done things like lighten the firing pin, strengthen the locking lugs, tweak the magazine geometry, and so on - the changes that should have been make back in 1971 before the first example was ever shipped.
I came into this review with pretty low expectations - so many people have tried and failed to make a proper Automag that I really didn't think Auto Mag Ltd would be able to pull it off. And yet to my happy surprise, it seems that they actually have. The gun ran flawlessly for me (match footage coming tomorrow) and was actually a lot of fun to shoot.
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My uncle Jimmy worked as a contracting machinst for Automag Pasadena/El Monte and AMT. Part of the problem was they never paid properly a lot of workers and so their was a huge turnover of workers and sometimes sub contractors barely got paid. Machinist usually bring their own tools and many had their tools grow 4 legs and disappeared ( stolen by other workers BTW as my uncle usually found his expensive machinist tools at pawn shops in the LA area). There was several times my uncle said his paychecks bounced so much that he asked for cash only. Other workers were not pushy about it and just left and most likely because of their immigration status. Also, there wasn't any paperwork on what was done to various parts. It was all based on assumptions that maybe the heat treating was done, maybe the anodizing was done, maybe the correct metal was used for casting, maybe the tolerances were correct on final maching in the CNC machine. It was all based on assumption from the engineering staff. IOWs, there wasn't a smooth like production for parts. My uncle left in the 80s when he finally had enough of the bounced checks and poor work environment. He worked for barsto on the side when it was at 29 Palms and also Weatherby for a brief time. He knew Dickie Stembridge who gave him project guns to fix and machine new parts for various rental guns. In the end, he accumulated the most parts and accessories from his machining days from Automag , AMT, High Standard, etc, because his checks kept bouncing and they would give him parts to make up the difference.
He would fix and assemble some parts that were in specification and sell them at the Great Western Gun show in Pomona and also to B and B guns in north Hollywood( the gun shop being infamous for loaning ARs to LAPD during the North Hollywood Bank heist fiasco). In the end, it was a fly by wire, edge of the seat operation made up of promises never kept and checks that kept bouncing.
They could have saved so much time and money if they would have just kept better paperwork on everything. Reinventing the wheel every time does start to add up when you can't find the TDP and other stuff and it keeps getting tossed around like a cheap rag. I have one AMT hard baller long slide from my uncle when he passed away and it works correctly with no issues. I fired that pistol back in the early 90s like a crazed monkey at Angeles Shooting range while he was watching and loading magazines full of 45acp and it worked perfectly.
Gun manufacturing was really a circus act back in the 70s and 80s in Southern California.. Different times..different era. Thanks for doing this video, I will likely buy one in honor of my uncle Jimmy. RIP.
Damn you got a hard baller for free?
That chaotic process around gun manufacturing sounds just like what I've experienced in STV company here in CZ. So glad I've quit.
@@greasysteak6785 yep..in all its 17-4-PH greatness and glory.
Yikes, what a helluva story on your dad’s part! And as someone who grew up in NoHo (NHHS Class of 1993), I definitely remember B&B Sales.
Thanks Obama!
"This is the . 44 Magnum AutoMag, and it holds a 300 grain cartridge, and if properly used it can remove the fingerprints.”- Inspector Callahan.
Including the fingerprints of any company that tries to make it
Except for the fingerprints left clearly marked all over the Chrome.
Harry Callaghan was a true warrior for Social Justice.
"Dirty Harry" also came to mind, with this artifact. Somebody had a thing for Dirty Harry, but didn't like revolvers. Personally, I think this weapon should be forgotten.
@@fresatx He's a St Michael archetype for sure. He didn't do it for Social Justice( Equity, Freedom, Equality)
He did it for Justice( Natural Order, Law, the True, Good and the Beautiful)
Just like the Punisher is Frank Castiglione. Both are Saint Michael archetypes.
One Irish and the other Italian. Very Catholic.
I'm sitting here giggling at the thought of Ian at the back up gun match with this hand cannon.
Then further giggling at the possible thoughts and the expressions of every other competitor when he brings this monster out.
If an Automag is your backup gun, your primary has to be a .500 Magnum.
@@Bacteriophagebs One of those double barreled bolt-action rifles!
Or a Howitzer....
"Ian is at it again?"
"yeah, he's at it again"
A Word of Caution!!!This gun tends to eliminate"Gigglers"!!!!--(Death Wish)-th-cam.com/video/Bt33ElBL5nI/w-d-xo.html
Anyone willing to take an absolute albatross of a firearm like the AutoMag, take 7 YEARS to basically re-engineer it into a working gun, I think, deserves a measure of success, and while it may not be my cup of tea personally, I certainly wish them well.
Adding to my wish list!
One thing that occurs to me is that in the 21st century, we have a lot of tech that either did not exist, or was immature, 40 years ago. Like CNC routers and CAD/CAM software.
It seems like the improvements necessary to make this gun work (improved tolerances, tweaked shapes, machined parts rather than cast) would have benefited a lot from that tech.
Not to take away from the 7 years of effort -- just saying that impossible tasks have now become "difficult but possible."
It makes one wonder what other "forgotten weapon" designs that have been dropped due to engineering problems might be resuscitated with improved manufacturing techniques? Perhaps some legendary "bad guns" were not bad, just too far ahead of their time to be built properly?
Excuse me, English is not my first language - does "albatross" here mean something huge and impractical?
@@DGARedRaven yes. It's a reference to a poem called "The Rime of The Ancient Mariner" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
The poem tells the story of a doomed sailor who is followed by an albatross (a large sea bird) and finally out of frustration, shoots it.
It is used as a metaphor to refer to an unwanted or inconvenient thing.
Later in the poem, the doomed sailor hangs the albatross around his neck, which is why sometimes you will see the phrase "albatross around your neck" as well.
It too refers to something impractical and heavy that you can't seem to get rid of.
I took delivery of my new automag this past December, just before Christmas. I have wanted one ever since I first saw one of the original guns in a gun store, when I was about 15 years old. As I remember, the price at that time was marked as $350.00, which may sound reasonable, but back in the early 70s, that was a lot of cash. The gun is big, but very comfortable in the hand. Recoil is not harsh, as the ergonomics of the pistol are exceptional. Factory ammo is scarce, but SBR ammunition is producing quality cartridges. For handloaders ,starline is producing brass, and RCBS and Hornady are both producing dies. I have found that my pistol functions flawlessly with several different loadings, and is just a dream to shoot. On my last outing, I fired a total of 125 rounds, with no malfunctions. The price may be high, but in my opinion, it was worth every penny, to finally own what for me is one of my bucket list toys. I would not hesitate to use the pistol for hunting deer, hogs, or most any north american game.
Agreed, Pete. I love mine - and ammo is no problem as I make my own.
I must ask, why do Americans hunt with pistols? You've got a much higher risk of injuring the animal with a bad shot, you've got less force to kill with, and so on.
But would you go against a armed assailant?
@@charlessalmond7076 It is not what I would consider a carry piece, but if it what you have at the moment, you will not be under gunned.
@@levergatRapha Yes you can cut down and ream out o6, or 308 brass. RCBS even made forming dies to do just that. But it is a lot of work to go through, when Star Line offers high quality brass already.
I had one of the originals and bought it out of sheer luck. There was a small gun shop in my old neighborhood. I stopped in one day and he had just bought one from someone who was having trouble with it. It was near mint condition, beautiful. I bought it on the spot and was offered a thousand over the buying price the same day. Nope. After working out the right hand load, it ran perfect. The only problem I ever had with it was the magazine floor plate weld failed one day. I took the magazine to Briley in Houston, and they fixed it. It looked and worked perfectly. I ran into Harry Sanford one day at the SHOT Show. We ended up having a long and very enjoyable conversation about the gun and things that go bang in general. I really liked Harry, very nice guy. He certainly made a big entry in firearms history. I eventually sold it for over four times what I paid for it.
The real purpose of the accelerator is to start extracting the case from the chamber when the barrel is still moving, so that, when the barrel stops, the case doesn't suddenly pass, in respect to it, from "0" to maximum speed, since the too abrupt extraction can damage the case and even cause case head separation.
It also reduces felt recoil, since part of the energy of the recoiling barrel is transfered to the frame before the end of it's travel.
the last part of your comnent is not clear ...!!!
@@antoninolatorre8355 The shooter feels the recoil first when the recoiling barrel impacts the frame and stops (so transfering it's energy to the frame, and the hand of the shooter) and then when the recoiling bolt impacts the frame and stops (same as above). The more sudden is the transfer of the energy (a hit instead of a push), the more the felt recoil.
The accelerator makes so that part of the energy of the recoiling barrel (that so slows down before impacting the frame) is transfered to the bolt and part to the frame, so it reduces the felt recoil, because the transfer of the energy is less sudden.
I understood what you were saying
well explained. "Sudden Impact " springs to mind.
Lever delayed blowback. It's a Famas.
-That's your Backup Gun?
-Yes.
-What's your main gun then?
-A howitzer.
What impresses me with the Desert Eagle, is that while Auto Mag and Wildey did the smart thing and went rimless, Desert Eagle actually got the rimmed magnums to work.
(Not that I have a dog in the fight; if I want a handheld thumper I stick to my Ruger Bisley.)
Big bore revolvers are a lot easier to engineer than big bore autoloaders. Even black powder .45lc is not a wimpy cartridge yet Colt could make a reliable and rugged handgun to shoot it in 1873.
Then the Desert Eagle did the brutal thing, and made the .44 Mag. rimless, not by trimming the rim, but by making the rest of the case larger than the rim (the .50 Action Express).
@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine I've never shot a Desert Eagle, but I've shot a Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull and I can't imagine .50 AE feels much nicer. I actually shot the Raging Bull when i was 15. My grandpa had a friend that let him borrow it and we took it to the range. At one point he made the mistake of trying to hold it in such a way that his supporting hand was on the cyliner. Took the skin right off his palm. Yikes. At least that's not an issue with Autoloaders
@@neutronalchemist3241
They also got 429DE now too!
50AE necked down to .429.
Don't know why they needed a new round in that configuration though.
440 Corbon was the same exact thing!
Probably more of a marketing gimmick.
I would still pick either 44Mag or 50AE in a Desert Eagle though.
If I wanted a semi-auto 357Mag, I would get a Coonan.
@ lucky he didn't actually lose a finger or maim his hand.
The energy coming out of the cylinder gap on magnum revolvers is no joke!
That 454 Casull you shot was more likely more powerful than a 50AE.
Even if they were dead equal, the Desert Eagle would be easier to shoot recoil wise.
That semi-auto system soaks up a decent amount of recoil.
Although the Raging Bull is factory ported, so I can't say for sure.
I remember hearing a story that Clint Eastwood in Sudden Impact actually hated how the unreliable the original gun is.
Your comparison makes me feel like the 180-D seems to be a labour of love. I guess we can all appreciate even just that.
I heard he actually threw it off a pier because it was such a POS, and they had to hire divers to retrieve it for the rest of the film 🤣🤣
New marketing slogan
"Automag 180-D: It Actually Works Now!!!!"
Always loved the Automag just looks so cool :)
Great that they have got it working right as it was a really cool idea let down by lack of funds and development hopefully things now are different. I would guess also with all the advancements in CNC and CAD stuff has made it easier to produce correctly as well.
I shot the new AutoMag at SHOT Show this year. I was excited to shoot an Automag since reading about it in Mack Bolan books as a kid. The coolnest factor was off the hook! As a shooter, it's a huge gun with a lot of recoil but not painful recoil. I only fired a magazine and I would love to run more rounds through one on a range day.
I’m a bit jealous. Used to collect the Bolan and the spin-off series books, even had a Gold Eagle subscription at one point. Really happy for you, i’d jump at the chance to fire one as well!
Mack Bolan is the reason I have always wanted an automag
That is typical for .44 mag. Not unmanageable recoil, but a huge amount of muzzle flip due to the 300 grain pill.
@@rodie1994 I still have a couple big boxes of mack bolan, Phenix force and able team.
Is that series good? I once saw the whole set at a used book store for super cheap but I passed.
Ian takes on his long time Nemesis using the legendary Automag.
If your local despots have decreed that rifles are illegal, simply purchase a portable pocket howitzer!
Except they also regulate pistol weight
@@internetbodhi1009 Hey, handguns are a "commonly used weapon" according to the supreme dorks. Just say it's a handgun, and hope they don't notice the veteran having a flashback and calling for a fire mission danger close when you whip it out.
You may wish to remove "pocket" from that description... Unless your pants are a whole lot bigger than most. But "portable handheld howitzer" probably sells just as well :P
@@andersjjensen Pocket means small. As in "Pocket Battleship".
@@kylevolbrecht9255
How old are you ? Because your comment looks like it came from a teenager
There's something very positive in this story. Ian showed his integrity again by saying "Nuh-uh, I'm not gonna shill stuff that doesn't exist" and the manufacturer said "Sure" and sent him a serial production gun with confidence that it's going to work as advertised. Also there's something very American here- many slackers have failed, but finally someone went in, took the risk, did honest, hard work, finally got it right and might actually benefit from it. It feels good.
You're right. They _is_ something very American
This is where the Germans excel, they are good at engineering and getting it right, no matter what they produce.
Credit to these guys in improving the Automag I sincerely hopes it succeeds
@@Gerrygambone Yep! And a life lesson about what well thought, well placed and honest work can do for us all.
@Malice Bullshit
I think they should give him that one. Looked like he enjoyed shooting it, and a great advertisement!
they really nailed the aesthetics with this one. the old automag 180 looked cool, but the 180d really kicks it up a notch with that finish and the grips
Would love to replace the wood guards with some ivory engraved grips or leather ones
Has a Wolverine Whitney and Buck Rogers look to it.
@@robertpatter5509 Indeed, I like to refer to it as looking like a "Magnum Space Luger" lol but I can see the similarity in aesthetics to the original Whitney Wolverine now that ive read your comment. Thats another gun that needs brought back and done right, would love to buy a new one that looks just like an original.
@@robertpatter5509 Whitney and a Savage .45 had a love-child that got enough nutrition growing up.
Ian showcasing a new production gun.
Ian: " Is this the end of the Automag curse?"
Narrator:" It may have been the end of the Automag curse, but unfortunately it will fall to the Forgotten Weapons curse."
If Ian thinks its neat, its probably not market viable.
It's to expensive
@@bocefusmurica4340
$3795 for brushed satin.
+$275 for high polish.
Not cheap.👍
@@BillMcGirr But is it viable for concealed carry?
@@Hysteria98
I guess it depends on where one plans to conceal it.🤷♂️🤣🤣🤣👍
@@BillMcGirr See that kind of money, I'm getting a Lugerman Luger.
Which avoided the Ian curse because that guy was already established for several years before Ian found him.
Every time I see one of these taken apart and see how it functions mechanically I can’t help but be reminded of early auto pistols from the 1900s when there were still a bunch of different ideas floating around and the basic form and functions of semi auto handguns were still undecided.
I totaly see what you mean.
It reminds me of the MARS automatic.
@@dd11111 I was just about to say the same but I see you beat me to it. I think it and this both share the alarming trait of looking abit like it is exploding when fired.... Still cool though and I want one
I think I spot a C&Rsenal watcher. Othias sure did cover a lot of "interesting" designs from back then.
@@donjones4719 don't forget Mae
When you're dealing with those power levels, the basic Browning tilting barrel just isn't strong enough.
"So, you want an AutoMag that runs real smooth eh? do ya think you'll get lucky punk!? well do ya?" or
"Will it fire 6 shots or jam on the first?"
Hopefully they do have it sorted, always been an exciting looking pistol, though I've always preferred the AMT AutoMag III Longslide, just a flat slab of a thing.
The bark of that .30 carbine boom stick is glorious...
@@scottcrawford3745 Big fireball out the front too!
Too bad 10mm magnum didn't catch on
@@robertpatter5509 The Full-power 10mm was just fine; they underestimated the build quality required on those early Bren Tens, and the original Colt Delta... A little better metallurgy and tighter tolerances and they would have kept it a winner.
Would like to have seen .45 Win Mag become more successful, and L.A.R. Grizzly had a good thing going...
.451 Detonics magnum was pretty spicy, too.
@@robertpatter5509 .357 Maximum is all but forgotten, too.
Ordered mine last July. Should hopefully be ready by the end of this month. Mine's something like number 177. Can't wait. I've wanted one my whole life.
How much$?
I of course ordered mine with the 8" barrel. polished finish, and the Hogue G10 grips. I do hope the new Auto Mag is successful enough for them to introduce guns/uppers in .45 WinMag.
@@dangerousfreedom4965 With tax and everything I'm in it right around $4400, which is kinda fitting given the round it shoots. It's the most I've paid for a single gun, not factoring in things like magazines, optics, or other accessories. The Mk14 Mod 0 I built is a close second.
@@dangerousfreedom4965 But it has always been one of my Grail Guns, so $4400 is totally worth it for me.
@@dangerousfreedom4965 At least when I ordered mine last year they started at something like $3850 for one with a 6" barrel and bushed finish. The longer barrel and high polish finish were both additional costs. The prices may have gone up in the past 12 months.
After seeing the original design used in several old movies I wanted one. After reading some reviews of the actual original design by a few people that desire went away. I hope this new company has really laid to rest all the issues of the original design. I’ll wait a bit to see how well this improved design works in the hands of new owners. I hope for all involved the new design performs and sells well.
I like hearing a story about a company taking over a failing gun manufacturer, figuring out what's wrong and then fixing it. It's kind of the reverse of what happens to the rest of the firearms industry these days.
A company takes over a functional gun manufacturer and goes against everything that works and runs it into the ground?
My Dad had a very nice Pasadena model when I was a young man. It was an amazing pistol. His was very reliable as long as the ammo was loaded to factory spec, and it was loaded with a total of 6 rounds or less in the mag. The gun needed a relatively hot load of a 240 gr bullet at around 1400 fps +. The gun was very accurate. It was nearly as accurate as my S&W mod 29. The recoil was very heavy due to the high bore axis and the method of short recoil vs a gas operated gun such as the Desert Eagle. The gun operating system is basically made like a small rifle. If I loaded my S&W mod 29 8 3/8'' barrel with the same velocity and bullet weight as the AutoMag the AutoMag perceived recoil to me (I was a young adult of around 21) was about 30-40% higher with the AutoMag. Even though the guns were very expensive, the manufacturers costs were actually as high or higher than the retail price. The thought was that if they sell some of them at or below cost, the demand will increase and then they could sell them for a profit. This never panned out. Also, the quality of the parts was never consistent, so the end product was inconsistent. I seem to recall the price was around $800.00 in 1978 which in today's money would be around $3600.00. Dad got his as a gift from my Uncle (who had owned it for a while) back in mid 80's so I don't know what the cost of that pistol was when new. He sold it in 2000 for $1500.00 and thought he'd made a good deal. That pistol today would be worth a whole lot more
Excellent video, Ian - it's nice to see someone explain the functioning of this pistol so clearly. As for this new version of the AutoMag, I have one of the first 77 models (called the Founders Edition) and I'm delighted with it - so much more reliable than the original models (one of which I also own) and the staff at Automag in South Carolina are very responsive.
When do we get the 2 gun match where Ian goes all 'Mack Bolan' and only uses a Beretta 93R and an Automag as his combo?
even better a l98a1 and a .50 automag
Lol, p90 and automag
Pistol vastly more powerful than rifle.
@@brucebaxter6923 I think an American 180 and the auto mag would be even funnier.
@@mhammer3186
I’m still laughing
For some reason, I've always liked how automag looks even when I've never held one in my hands. Especially these new ones look so nice.
Automags look cooler than desert eagles in my opinion
Hear, hear !!!
Much more elegant.
No argument here.
They both have their own aesthetic appeal IMO. I like both equally but for different reasons
Like a beautiful over-under.
The AutoMag, so legendary it sits in the same lofty realms as the zip22, but for different reasons.
Opening line: Automag investors flinch.
😁
I still think the SOLE Reason the mystique hung around as long as it did was Don Pendleton's "Executioner" Series.
The cool feature of the Automag, if some bad guy sneaks up behind you on your right side while you are shooting, the empty brass case ejecting from the pistol will knock them out cold, if not outright kill them.
It really is a very cool pistol. It looks like they have done a great job on the fit and finish. I hope they are able to stick around!
It's a useless toy, clearly made to compensate for something missing.
@@vladcrow4225 sure boss
@@vladcrow4225 yeah because looking at it, or desiring to purchase it due to its engineering or the joy of shooting it is indicative of some sort of lack.
@@vladcrow4225 I love toys! And I agree it’s made to compensate for something, a lack of large caliber autos!
What's the target market? Like the first generation of Suzuki 'Busas I know a number of people who walked onto a dealer's showroom floor, laid down cash, rode off into the sunset only to soon realize that the bike demanded more skill and talent than then the riders possessed. Auto Mag 180-Ds are not going to sell 20 K units per year anytime in the foreseeable future.
Gun's so shiny, you can use it as a flashbang
My biggest allure to the Automag is the shape and action. Its like any .22 target pistol you might start out with as a first time shooter, followed by the shock value of its size.
Like I can imagine a lineup of fellows at the plinking range. One shows up with a Browning Buckmark, one shows up with a Ruger MkIV, and then _that one guy_ shows up with an automag.
The first I became aware of the .44 Automag pistol was in the comic book "The Warlord" from DC Comics (art & stories by Mike Grell) in the mid-1970's.
The main character, USAF Col. Travis Morgan crashes his SR-71 while flying over the North Pole and ends up in a dangerous and barbaric inner-Earth.
His emergency pack carried a .44 Automag that he had chosen as his sidearm for after emergency bailouts.
There's something about how the guts of that thing looking like a rifle that makes me incredibly giddy. Would love to have one of those if only for the novelty of it.
Never mind the issues or practicality of these guns but they still look gorgeous in my eyes.
yes, it's a bit like a Luger 08 on steroids.
@@danyael777 I'd say more like a Lahti L-35 but I can see what you mean.
One of the most elegant magnum pistols ever made. Definitely more so than the Wildey or Desert Eagle.
@@widgren87 ye i'm german. it's pure bias😋
@@danyael777 Well I am a Swede and we used both Lugers, few though they were, and Lahtis as well as some others across the years :-) Seems to have settled on the Glock for our military and the Sig P226/9 family for the Police...
now all we need is a 12-16inch barreled, stocked version as a primary carbine for a two gun match. but it has to keep that smooth curved space age like silhouette for the stock as well. which will be challenging to pull off.
Ooh, maybe like a nice wood stock would look good. Very fallout-y
THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO. MY BROTHER AND I BOUGHT MATCHING AUTO MAGS IN THE 70S ON THE WAY TO ALASKA AS WE HAD HEARD GOOD THINGS. VERY VERY SURPRISED AT THE RELIABILITY. AS I RECALL NEITHER OF US COULD RUN A FULL MAGAZINE WITHOUT A JAM. HE IS MORE PATIENT THAN I AM AND TRIED DIFFERENT LOADS, DIFFERENT BULLETS, DIFFERENT SEATING DEPTH, ETC ETC. HE EVEN FLATTENED PRIMERS WITH ONE LOADING, TRYING TO GET HIS TO FUNCTION. AT BEST HE REDUCED IT TO A TWO JAM MAGAZINE(SEVEN ROUNDS) AND CALLED IT READY. I SOLD MINE AND DRAGGED OUT MY MOD 29 FROM THE SAFE. DIDN'T CATCH THAT MANY FISH AND NEVER EVEN SAW A BEAR SO IT ALL WORKED OUT. AFTER YOUR REVIEW I MIGHT TRY ANOTHER AUTO MAG, BUT DOUBT IT AS THE THING IS JUST TOO BIG AND HEAVY. A LOT OF MONEY FOR A MAYBE!
Torsion spring seems a nicer solution than a forward assist. Tidy detail improvements. Great video, thanks Ian.
My uncle has had a 30 carbine auto mag for 30 years and it’s worked great the whole time, got lucky I guess
I want one of those.
@@kylewhite8434 They make some really cool fireballs.
@@kylewhite8434 honestly one of my favorite guns to shoot, spits fire every shot no matter how light it is outside
@@neonwhitea.1548 I dont know if its true, but i have heard the .30 carbine is generally more reliable.
ok so since i may or may not have an m1 carbine, i may also have a lot of .30 carbine ammo and I've always wanted another piece that shoots it. Does anyone know where i could get one of these mythical pistols or if there are any other, more modern, pistols chambered in .30 carbine? If someone knows and could tell me, that'd be fantastic because I've never before seen or heard of this "pistol" (which must be huge to be shooting .30 carbine) or any other gun besides the m1 that shoots this ammo.
I'm glad to know the manufacturing issues have apparently been ironed out. It's such a cool design. Now the question is can I really spend almost four grand on a completely impractical pistol?
Yes, as soon as possible. You only live twice.
As an owner of one of these - yes :)
I think it's more reasonable than spending the same amount on a 1911.
How much is a S&W .460?
Well sure you can! If you have a random 4 grand laying around that you don't need for anything else!
I had no idea they were manufacturing these in Loris SC. Crazy to think Ian just reviewed a gun that was built 20 min away from my house.
Looks like a beautifully made gun. Unfortunately, I don't see anyone buying one of these when they can spend 1/3 the amount on a 44 desert eagle, which is even more iconic and in a caliber they'll actually be able to find. Not as nice but in the gun industry people do have a tendency of going with the cheapest possible option.
I would LOVE to see a video on an AT-4 training "launchers." Those ones that fire those special 9mm tracer rounds. I wonder if any are even on the civilian market. They'd probably be fully California legal tbh, lol. Use one as a truck gun in LA.
The M287 9mm tracer trainers were kind of hokey and "difficult" to work with, but they did work. And it would be a cool gun to own, for sure. A video would be great if he ever lays hands on one.
It nice to see the Automag finally come to fruition, will we get to see some more time on the range with it Ian?
Matt from Demolition ranch has one,he had an issue with it that looked like nothing more than one of the hex detention bolts loosened up and fell out and the spring came out, quite Minor compared to all the years of problems the gun had,most likely was not tightened properly at the factory
Still for a $3000-$4000 gun that should not happen to anyone or any gun for that matter , new . For it to be sold to a fairly well-known YT site , made it even worse. I saw that vid a month or so ago (whenever it came out). Didn't help with the rep those automags already had, going way back.
When I was a kid, I helped my father turn 7.62x51 blank cases into 44 AMP cases. There was a barrel of brass, and I'd cut the cases off with a hacksaw then file it with a trim die, size, and chamfer. Then they'd be run through a case tumbler and boxed up. Lots of work, but they sold well for a few years. Especially after the Dirty Harry movie. I'm 90% sure I still have the case forming dues in storage from my dad's estate.
Well, if you can make 300 blackout from .223 you should be able to do just about anything with the right tooling.
Great to see they may have finally gotten the automag to work as well as it always should have. And ya gotta love Ian's approach, "of course I'm taking an 8.5" barreled .44 AMP to a back-up gun match." 😅
My kinda guy!
For a back up gun match? But of course, if your primary gun is a 57mm recoiless rifle.
Not that I really know what I am talking about but I've always felt the Automag was a gun that failed in part because it tried to more affordable than it should have been. One of those things that was probably best marketed, at an eye-watering price, to people who really wanted an epically awesome toy and had the means to pay an eye-watering price for it.
My thoughts too. Such a gun like the Automag could never be sold in large enough quantities to make economies of scale work its magic.
@@Full_Otto_Bismarck If I owned the rights I'd be thinking along the lines of built-to-order at a five figure price. But then, as I say, I don't really know what I'm talking about.
These videos showing the evolutions of designs are always interesting!
I absolutely love quirky guns and guns with unique actions. This design is really cool. 10/10 would get. I've been in love with the luger, the 12-16 shotgun, the desert eagle, the re-loading action made for break barrel shotguns, and a million other things that are out there in the wild and featured on this channel. I've been a subscriber of yours for well it's gotta be a decade or more and your content is as reliable and dependable as this refitted automag. Keep up the good work, Ian.
As I recall, the original Model 180 used cut down .30-06 and .308 brass for the .44 Auto cartridge that it used.
.44 AMP is dimensioned such that shortened .308 cases can be used to make it.
@@ForgottenWeapons And do not use .30'06. The extractor groove could be a problem.
@@ForgottenWeapons I've made a couple thousand rounds of it. Lake City 308 brass, cut down and reamed out to spec. A real pain in the butt to do. You can bet I policed up every single case, every time.
From my recollection that is supposedly how an owner would form the brass to use in reloading ammo for this pistol. This means that once you buy the gun you have to plan on reloading the ammo to go with it and work up a suitable load for your new pistol.
@@greghavens7679 I've done that too; thank goodness for Starline brass these days.
Some 15 years ago I owned an AMT manufactured Automag 5 in .50AE... What should i say, it certainly was very unreliable with a full mag, once it did throw the rear sight at my face (still have the scar on my forehead), the threads and the screws that hold the grips on the frame didn't hold up to the task and at long last, the safety lever / piece holding the firing pin in the slide broke in two pieces, then i finally got rid of it.
But it was great on the range, good fun and always had a fanclub around me after emptying the first mag.
This new 180-D just looks so much better, fit & finish-wise compared to my rough cast looking and poorly finished Automag 5.
Usually it's the refrigerator door that they hide behind in movies and that didn't even stop a .22 Long Rifle. Another one that Hollywood has been selling us since they have been making movies is the wood table. Our hero flips a saloon or kitchen table on it's side, takes cover behind it, and it soak up bullets like a Kevlar vest. Another one of my favorites is the couch. Which seems to be in every hotel room they go into in moves. How many times have you seem a couch in the middle of a room in a hotel? That's beside the point. Our hero always dives behind the couch where bullets come through but never seem to hit him.
Thanks for the update. Back on the list!
After hearing this gun went through multiple companies and bankrupted 7 I have to wonder what they saw in this gun. The desart eagle seems to do the job with half the fuss.
8 times a charm I guess. LOL Though I remember some math dude saying something about "stupidity".
@@chrisperrien7055 I guess. I am glad to see all that timeoney finally did buff out the kinks but for it to essentially cost more then a gun that out perform it still seems odd.
I think most of your buyers for this will be an older or mid aged crowd.
People where nostalgia is going to play a big role in their decision.
Yearning for the days of Dirty Harry and Death Wish.
(Although I believe Death Wish used a Wildey. But it's very close in design to the Automag)
I had no idea these would cost over $3000. Hopefully if there’s a lot of demand and they have some sale volume that price could come down
Ammo isn’t cheap either and that’s if you can find it
People buy ar's for that kind of money every day. I'd rather pull one of these baby's out at the range while 8 others have there ar.
a friend of my dads had one back in the 70's at a local IPSC match.. and it malfunctioned so many times.. he showed clear and chucked it... I was 12, so asked my dad if I could get it... he said no... lol... so glad they FINALLY got it right (hopefully)
18:45 A .44 Auto Mag is a perfectly acceptable backup gun if your main gun is a Barret .50 ;)
It's hardly surprising that the Auto Mag was so problematic; it was, after all, designed by Sanford and Son.
this is like one of the few gun channels that isnt shilling garbage sponsors or e-bikes on their channel. Will Ian hold out and remain legit? I think so.
It's "like" ?
What the actual hell were you trying to say?
Paul Harrell does not sell anything either.
Also, he hasn't started auctioning off NFTs. As far as I know. Can you make pistols blockchain-enabled?
@@AshleyPomeroy thankfully when you say “electronic gun” people have a hissy fit and the person trying to produce said industry killing weapons is promptly taken behind the toolshed
So many youtubers have sold their soul to Raid Shadow Legends. But atleast theres a culture of warning it's a sponsor. Joe Rogan used to have whole conversations about how good an item/product is without mentioning hes being paid by them.
It's nice to see improvements to the engineering of the gun that make it usable. Thanks!
I really hope those guys can successfully release this pistol since they seem like really cool guys and this gun is just so damn sick.
Automags are so cool, I wish they didn’t suck
They were so unreliable, Clint kept tossing his into the water in the 3rd Callahan movie
Having owned a 1911 ACP I believed I was prepared to shoot an automag, I was very wrong. 😳
But 45 doesn’t recoil that much
@@ja0298 Exactly!! 220gr to 300 big difference.
@@aaronlopez492 850 to 1200 is the bigger difference. I have 250 grain 44 specials that are doing 850 fps. I also have 44 special Keith’s using the same bullet that are doing 1100. My Keith loads recoil harder.
As I was watching Ian review it, I was wondering how hard they had to work on him to get him to do the review. I'm glad he shared that with us, and that he kept his convictions to wait.
I hope this effort to produce the pistol works. Thanks for the great review, and good luck in the shoot!
It's already on forgotten weapons again
Aesthetically speaking, the auto mag is one of my favorite weapons to ever exist. It looks like a scaled up .22 pistol lol
Nice explanation of all the improvements!!
Accurate and quick follow up shots with that looks really difficult.
I ordered one a couple of months ago and hope to have it by Christmas. I’d been debating for some time about it, then came across some ammo for it and I did what any gun nut would do…I had thee ammo so now I had to buy a gun to go with it. It makes sense on some level, somewhere. 😁
"Insanity is, doing the exact, same fucking thing, over and over again, expecting shit to change."
Hopefully the design changes and a price increase will finally make this pistol profitable. It's a good sign that the new Automag Ltd. isn't just buying the old tooling and kicking it with the same parts, materials, and specs. After all, this is damned close to being a boutique pistol, sales will be limited as long as they're being made, and a boutique pistol that hasn't properly functioned until its current iteration is going to make distribution and marketing an uphill battle.
That said, that's a very big pistol, and I'm very turned on right now.
Fascinating video. Would love to hear more about how they pinned down the problems and solved them. An interview with the engineers would be a great watch.
This was the most informative video out there for this weapon. Two other channels used the AMP and both had major problems with the NEW Auto Mag. Their reactions are funny.
Someone has to contact the Battle Gnome to make a holster for it. The Desert Eagle one on the polenar shop is crazy.
I wonder if it'd mess with reliability to magna port the barrel.
The fact that they have an IWB holster for the Desert Eagle is hilarious
I hear Vickers makes a 2 point sling. j/k
Give it a detachable stock, Mauser style.
it better be robust, or you'll catch that bolt in the face. Doh! 💀
I've wanted one of these since I was a young kid. My dad and I used to make the long drive from Texas to vacation in Colorado a couple times a year. He'd drive while I'd read old pulp novels out loud to him to pass the time, pre-Audiobooks. We'd watch the landscape slowly change into the Rockies, while following the adventures of John Carter from Mars, Doc Savage, and Mack Bolan. This gun was in one of those Mack Bolan books, and I was hooked on the idea that such a thing existed.
Later in life, when I could actually own whatever guns I wanted, I shot one and found out about all the problems these guns brought with them, and had given up the thought of owning one. This news makes the kid in me happy.
👍 Beautiful, Thank you Ian for taking it apart and comparing them. Take Care!
I would be very concerned about out-of-battery discharges as there appears to be nothing preventing it from being fired if the bolt hasn't rotated into the locked position.
Legend has it that all the money dumped into the Automag pistol could have solved world's hunger
Hehehe
Another splendid, most enjoyable, informative, cogent presentation... The usual...
Ordered mine a year ago. Still waiting but I'm okay with that. These guys are nothing but awesome. Every time I call them I talk with them about this gun and they are the real deal. Seriously some of the most passionate people I have ever met about building a gun right!
I think one big question is, how does the Auto Mag (as a family, not just this latest model) compare to the Desert Eagle?
It always seemed like the Auto Mag had all the same opportunities as the Desert Eagle, being a giant, unwieldly mess of a gun but appearing prominently in some very popular action movies - yet the Desert Eagle remains iconic and widespread, while the Auto Mag suffers and is only really known in gun circles.
What happened? Why did the Desert Eagle become the superstar, while the Auto Mag became a C-lister at best?
.50
The looks of the DE.
@@JG54206The Automag is the better looking gun. The Eagle was made properly from the start.
Uh, because the Deagle works?
@@ziggarillo looks are subjective. If you're an art deco guy you'll like the automag. If you like Warhammer 40k, you'll like the Desert Eagle.
Making a gun out of stainless steel and casting some of it, huh? Better call Bill Ruger.
Been watching the Wildey back up gun match every year now so looking forward to see this one😁
I have original Automags 44/357, I love both of them... The old guns really needed the Ammunition tuned to the gun, Once you had a working load. Stick with it... I would love a 25 Automag barrel.... One can only dream.....
My fave pistol ever... though I'm scared to fire one
I've wanted an Auto Mag since they first came out. Because I'm a dumbass. 50 years later, watching this, I realize that now I'm an old dumbass.
Buy a boat instead, just don't put it in the water.
I love this channel. This video alone makes me more than happy to be a patreon, thank you Ian.
Nice review lan, strip down was very informative.
Ah yes, the only gun choice for a man of refinement and culture: a true hand cannon. Glorious.
Glad to see they are making decent Automags now. Always thought it was a cool idea of a gun.
Ian: automag video
Me: 👁👅👁
Have always had a yen for one, but knew that they had issues. Very satisfying to see someone bring the engineering up to the level that this new version has. It's a beautiful firearm that now (apparently) runs as nicely as it looks. Good job Sandlappers!
I think the magazine changes are a neat example of just how precise modern firearms often have to be to function as reliably as we’ve come to expect. A difference of quite literally a fraction of an inch was made deliberately in order to improve reliability.
If I lived in the USA and not the UK (where hand guns are banned unless you comply with some ridiculous bits added to it) I would buy an AutoMag.
I don't care about the price and I don't care about reliability because its an AutoMag!!!
Either fight to change your laws or dont comply
@@lucky43113the UK doesn't have the same constitution as the USA regarding the rights to gun ownership.
It is extremely hard to own a firearm (you have to have a doctors medical report, a lengthy police interview, written permission to shoot on land that has been vetted by the police, a gun safe that meets a criteria and home security) because most people in the UK are against gun ownership.
When you do receive your license you can only buy what is specified and what the police have agreed too.
For example when I applied for a rifle for rabbit control i was granted a 22lr and 17hmr, you couldn't apply for a center fire as this is deemed too powerful.
Then when you come to buy bullets your licence has the amount you can legally hold ( for example my licence stated 500 bullets in 22lr and 500 in 17hmr) the date brought, the gun dealers number and your licence must be produced.
Oh and finally your gun licence lasts for only 5 years then you have to apply to renew it.
If the police judge you haven't used the gun enough (because they can see how many bullets you have brought) they will not renew your license because its deemed its not necessary for you to own a firearm.
Oh the joys of gun ownership in the UK!
Right when I was talking about how bad the Automag is, this comes out.
Go check out Demoliton Ranch. He got one about a month ago and it wasn't pretty.
@@chrisperrien7055 - because he didn't know how to run it; he let the recoil rods loosen and still shot it, contrary to what the manual explicitly says not to do.
@@AndyCinDallas IDK, Have also seen mention that one of" hex screws/bolts?" came loose and fell out causing the issue. Either way , a "new" gun should come from the factory tight and adjusted , and not fail immediately. Yea, many new guns have a breaking in period and can act "funny" during that time, and have to watch them. Which he did not, that would apply to any new gun.
SO IDK, I am sure you have a point, on those rods. I don't know much about them myself, outside of shooting 3 rounds back in 1980's , and that day the gun, we were shooting had feed/jam issues when others were using it. I don't think we fired more than 20-30 rounds , before it was put aside for others.
@@chrisperrien7055 - I took this screenshot directly from his video, where it's obvious that the recoil-rods are unscrewing. So, 1) someone had shot this piece already before that segment was recorded and 2) he didn't read the manual enough to know that those should always be checked. This pistol isn't forgiving of the ignorant: i.imgur.com/p007dWh.png
@@chrisperrien7055 He bought one of the older models. He says as much in the video.
Looking forward to seeing you running it. 👍👍😊
It's nice that Gun Jesus has the kind of reach where he can "pump" a company who does speciality items like this. I have no desire to own a hand cannon myself, but others may very well fancy just this (it does look nice tho!). On the other hand, if some new company would try their luck with a fresh take on the H&K P7 format (hopefully in .30 Super Carry) I would really really like to hear everything about it, including Ian's assessment of quality and reliability!