AutoMag (pistol)
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The .44 Automag pistol was originally created in the late 1960s by the Pasadena Corporation in an attempt to bring .44 Magnum ballistics to an automatic pistol design. It was the first semi-automatic magnum production gun and was the first all-stainless production gun. The Auto Mag concept also gave birth to two new cartridges: the .44 Auto Mag (.44 AMP) and .357 Auto Mag (.357 AMP)(as well as the lesser known .41 JMP). The .44 AMP cartridge was a rimless, straight wall case was formed by reducing the length of the .308 Winchester case (or any other member of the .30-06 family) to 1.30 inches. The .44 AutoMag was designed to shoot .429 inch, 240 grain bullets at about the same velocity as the .44 Magnum.
The genesis of the Auto Mag, however, was not without its problems. In 1971, Auto Mag developer Harry Sanford opened a factory-Auto-Mag Corp.-in Pasadena, California. Guns were made in both .44 AMP and .357 AMP, and changing calibers required only the additional barrel and cartridges. The same frame, magazine and bolt could be used on both. Unfortunately, after producing about 3,300 pistols, AMC went bankrupt.
Lee Jurras, of Super Vel ammunition fame, commissioned a limited 1,000-piece run of Auto-Mags to be given the LJ-prefix on their serial numbers. They were to be custom-made to his specifications and were chambered for his wildcat .41-44 Jurras Mag Pistol (JMP) round. Jurras' own personal model, serial number LJ-0005, is shown in a promotional photo with a skeleton-framed shoulder stock and a 2x scope.
Trust Deed Estates (TDE) then took over and set up in North Hollywood, California, later moving to El Monte, California. During this time, High Standard had a number of Auto Mags made with its name on the guns. Later, Ordnance Manufacturing Corp. (OMC) joined TDE and produced a few more guns. Finally, Arcadia Machine and Tool became the final resting place for the Auto Mag.
From 1971 to 1982, about 9,500 Auto Mags were made by different manufacturers and in different variations, including TDE/OMC and AMT. TDE made a limited run of "A" series pistols in the early 70's that consisted of only 132 units. These "A" series are extremly hard to come by today, as most have been bought up by avid firearms collectors.
The Auto Mag was showcased in Sudden Impact, the fourth Dirty Harry movie, starring Clint Eastwood. This movie was famous for the line "Go ahead, make my day".
However, our first introduction of the .44 Automag was in Don Pendelton's "The Executioner" series of novels in 1969. The main character, Mack Bolan used the .44 Automag which he referred to as "Big Thunder".
The .44 Auto-Mag Pistol (AMP) cartridge was introduced in 1971. Its rimless, straight wall case was formed by trimming the .308 Winchester case (or any other member of the .30-06 family) to 1.30 inches. No U.S. manufacturer has offered a factory loading for this cartridge, but ammo was once available from a Mexican firm of Cartuchos Deportivos Mexico, while Norma (Sweden) produced loaded ammo and empty cases. Today, .44 AMP brass is available from Starline Brass and loaded ammo is available from Cor-Bon.
The .357-44 AMP round was introduced in 1972. It was similar to the .44 AMP, except it was necked down to take the smaller bullet. It actually fed more reliably than the straight-walled .44 AMP, but it was less popular.
The gas operated Auto Mag featured a rotary bolt with locking lugs located at the front similar to the M-16/AR-15 rifle. The Automag it was a massive and heavy firearm designed to give handgun hunters .44 Magnum power from an autoloader. The cartridge was an excellent move in the right direction in the 70's, but the gun was short lived due to a variety of reasons the least of which was not the expense. A production engineer once stated that the company lost about $100.00 on each unit.
Like its ballistic twin the .44 Magnum, the .44 Auto Mag is powerful enough to be used on game such as deer and black bear at woods ranges. The .44 Automag has been used to take every major game animal in North America and many African game animals. Whether or not one should go to the trouble of doing so today is questionable. Forming the case requires a set of custom dies from RCBS, an inside neck reamer, and plenty of spare time. If not for the availability of dependable autoloaders in .44 Magnum and .45 Winchester Magnum, the .44 Auto Mag concept would probably still be a good idea.
As a collectable, the Automag is an excellent investment. In the early to mid '70's a used Automag would sell for $650.00. The same Automag now sells for $2,500 to $3,000. However, TDE's "A" series Automags have been sold for well over seven thousand dollars, even with visible wear and tear. Parts and accessories also command premium prices.
[edit] Statistics
Auto-Mag Pistol
- Manufacturers:
- Auto-Mag Company (AMC); Pasadena, CA (1970-1973).
- TDE Corporation; North Hollywood, CA (1973).
- TDE Corporation; El Monte, CA (1974).
- High Standard; ? (1974?).
- Chambering: .44 AMP (Auto Magnum Pistol) [10.74x33mm] (1970), .357-44 AMP [9x33mm] (1972), .41-44 JMP (Jurras Mag Pistol) [?mm] (?).
- Barrel Length: 6.5 inches.
- Overall Length: 11.5 inches.
- Weight: 57 oz. / 3.5 lbs. (1.59 kg.) [.44 AMP]. 54 oz. / 3.37 lbs. (1.53 kg.) [.357 AMP].
- Magazine: 8-round single-column box magazine.
- Sights: Adjustable target sights.
- Finish: Stainless-steel.
- Furniture: Two-piece black polyurethane (AMP models) or holly or ebony wood (JMP model) grips.
- Features: Ribbed barrel.
- Production: 1970-?
- Price: $275 each ($425 for a paired .44 AMP and .357 AMP barrel kit)
[edit] AMP Wildcat Cartridges
These were rounds test-bedded by the developers, but never adopted due to the limited demand for the .44 AMP round.
- .30-44 AMP [7.62x33mm] This was an experimental catridge based on the .30 M1 Carbine bullet.
- .36-44 AMP [9.14x33mm] This was an experimental catridge based on the 9mm Parabellum bullet.
- .46 AMP This was a theoretical short-cased round designed for a proposed narrow-frame model for shooters with small hands.
