Semi auto Magnum pistols

I was following the AutoMag progression in the form of it's newest company projects over the last year. Have not lately been tracking their progress or lack of same. Seems they could not get it off the ground those times I was in that loop. And the new ones were NOT cheap that's for sure. Some guys were pre-ordering if I recall. That's more faith than I'd have. I fear it's suffering the same fate as Indian Motorcycles over the years who have gone through at least 3 maybe 4 company manifestations. Better luck with Wildley I think. At least they were making real magnum semiautos, at least last time I checked.

hkcavalier said:

I've wanted to see a showdown between the BRNO and a STI 2011 doublestack in 9x25 Dillon with a 6" tube. Even though it won't fly quite as well being shorter and fatter, I believe the 90-95gr loads get to 2k fps and more. And the gun will be half the price

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The Dillon round is pretty close. Yeah half the price, but then again you don’t get the BRNO pistol, you get an STI.

Big, big difference

Here are some of the AMT/IAI variety. The Automag IV is .45 Winchester Magnum. The Javelina in 10mm is not a true magnum, but the 7" barrel gives it some extra oomph. The Automag II is .22 WMR and so barely qualifies as a magnum. Click on the pictures for a larger view.



And here are more examples of the earlier mentioned LAR Grizzly in .45 Win Mag and Coonan Model B in .357. And a Mateba semi-auto revolver in .357, for those who appreciate oddities.

I have this Automag II and it is a lot of fun to shoot. They do seem to be ammunition sensitive, mine is 100% reliable with most brands of 40 grain bullets but doesn't like the 30 and 35 grain loads. The manufacturer's choice of powder also seems to be a factor.
I would surely buy one of the new Automags if they ever do really start delivering guns and if they would be available in California which they probably won't.

bc1023 said:

The Dillon round is pretty close. Yeah half the price, but then again you don’t get the BRNO pistol, you get an STI.

Big, big difference

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Of course. It's a bit like a car mag comparing a Corvette and a European exotic. The Corvette can hang in a lot of categories for half or a third of the price, but is simply not a 911 Turbo, AMG M-B, or Ferrari.

Love that N. Hollywood Automag!

I’d sell a bunch of guns for one.

Top gun looks like the one Charles Bronson used in the first Death Wish movie. Think it was called a "Wildey" or perhaps renamed Automag?

Classic12, you continue to amaze me.

Classic12,
As always you have some very nice hardware to share with the crowd

My only two AutoMags were a 44AMP and a 357AMP. Both of which got sold during a family cash crisis.

I have had several Desert Eagles, all of them have been outstandingly accurate and all of mine have been reliable. The important thing is FULL Power loads. I only fed mine full charges of H110 under the heavier projectiles.

The two that I still own are chambered in 50AE and 41 Magnum. The 50 I have always loaded with the IMI 300 JHP projectile. I probably have a couple of thousand of those still on hand. The 41 Magnum was never sensitive to projectile weight. 170s, 200s, 250s it did not matter as long a it was a FULL Power load.

And as I am sure you and ever other DE owner knows . . . . No cast bullets in the DE

I am also fond of the LAR Grizzly pistols. I have several of the caliber conversions for mine. Probably the most used is the 5 1/2" 357 Magnum.

Grizzly had their own wildcat the 357/45 Grizzly Winchester Magnum. It was a 45 Win Mag necked down for a 357 projectile. It is a screamer. I have a barrel for each of my Grizzlies

I was very fortunate to have met the Grizzly designer, the late Perry Arnett, back when I was shooting more. Turns out he lived about 30 minutes south of me. He got me interested in the Grizzly 10 1/2" Long Slide.

As I understand it 200 Long Slides were manufactured with 20 of them being in the hard chrome finish.

As a lover of Big Bore Magnum Auto Loaders, it is hard not to love Wildey Moore's pistol. It just has such great lines, or is it just a Charles Bronson thing?

I bought my first Wildey in 45 Winchester Magnum since I already loaded it for the Grizzly.

However, I eventually broke down and purchased a second one in 475 Wildey Magnum.

bc1023 said:

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Love the orifice rear sight on this pistol. First one I've seen that's not on a long gun. Do you find that it helps with vision depth-of-field?
Once again, thanks for sharing.



Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

bigwheelzip said:

Love the orifice rear sight on this pistol. First one I've seen that's not on a long gun. Do you find that it helps with vision depth-of-field?
Once again, thanks for sharing.

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Decades ago, there was a company that offered ghost ring rear sights for 1911s

They were nowhere near as well protected as this one is

I can not recall their name, but the sights disappeared from the market after not too long

I got one in a trade about 15 years ago.

They worked just fine. Even fit most of my holsters without an issue

However I eventually just put tritium sights on the pistol

Here’s my small collection of Magnum autos. The Coonan is an A model. Mine is SN 13XX. From what I’ve read, they started SN at 1000. The Wildey is a little rare as it is chambered in 45 Wildey Magnum, which is a 475 Wildey necked down to 45. I had always wanted 44 automag but the prices of them always seemed to outpace my budget. I also have a 45 Winchester Mag upper assembly for it so I can shoot that also with the same frame.
The third one is a Automag III which isn’t technically a Magnum but from the barrel blast you wouldn’t know it.

bigwheelzip said:

Love the orifice rear sight on this pistol. First one I've seen that's not on a long gun. Do you find that it helps with vision depth-of-field?
Once again, thanks for sharing.



Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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I actually had trouble with it and switched to the two dot notch rear sight that the BRNO also comes with. I probably could have gotten used to it, but at $1.50 a round, I didn’t spend much time practicing.

Chino74 said:

I fear it's suffering the same fate as Indian Motorcycles over the years who have gone through at least 3 maybe 4 company manifestations. . .

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Yeah, but that 3rd time's been the charm. The tail that's wagged the dog.
Polaris shut down their arguably successful Victory brand, JUST to focus on Indian demand.

VictorLouis said:

OP, that's a really neat post and some cool guns. .

Has the Auto-Mag 'redeux' come to fruition yet? Last I heard, the company attempting it was sending out press samples.

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Chino74 said:

I was following the AutoMag progression in the form of it's newest company projects over the last year. Have not lately been tracking their progress or lack of same. Seems they could not get it off the ground those times I was in that loop. And the new ones were NOT cheap that's for sure. Some guys were pre-ordering if I recall. That's more faith than I'd have. I fear it's suffering the same fate as Indian Motorcycles over the years who have gone through at least 3 maybe 4 company manifestations. Better luck with Wildley I think. At least they were making real magnum semiautos, at least last time I checked.

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I think they’re still working on it, I receive their newsletter, you can see the progress report on their website

Home

Ivan the Butcher said:

Just before Christmas 1991, I bought the first Desert Eagle in 50 AE, 3 extra mags and 700 rounds of ammo. I fired it and played with it. I fired a total of 150-160 round of Factory Sampson 300 grain ammo over the years and 100-200 rounds of Factory Speer/CCI 325 grain, and about 1000 rounds of reloads.

I bought the gun thinking it would never be popular and go out of production. Wishful thinking! after 25 years the used value finally got high enough I got the gun's purchase price back. But I still had 5 sealed factory 100 packs of Sampson 300 grain SP. I put the word out I had it for sale. One day a guy called and wanted to buy it all, He offered me $40/20 since I paid $18/20 I took it. I still have dies, bullets, & brass. I'll just keep them. After all, they aren't eating anything!

Range Report (way after the fact): Never had a misfire, extraction or ejection failure! The 300 grain Sampson ammo shot 2 or so inches at 25 yards, the Speer 325 grain was better by a 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The 350 Sampson SP was hard to find in the US but shot around 1 1/4" The 350 grain was very rare and shot 1" for the only box I ever shot.

Hawk Bullets made as 365 grain bullet for reloading, it only came in Soft point and also shot 1" in my H-110 reloads.

Ivan

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Thanks for that report, interesting

dave1918a2 said:

OP,
What! No Wildey?

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Nope, saw a few, including this one currently for sale at $ 2700 but always been a bit too expensive for my taste

JayFramer said:

Once again, your collection continues to be impressed. IMHO you are the TOP collector on this board. Nothing else comes close! It is an honor to look at these fine pistols, sir!!

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You’re too kind, and I’m sure there are collectors with bigger / nicer collections than mine, maybe they’re just more discreet. But thanks, appreciate it.

6string said:

So, what are people actually using these things for? Punching holes in paper at short distance at the indoor range?
(Maybe just for fun? )

The old "Club d'Automag" quickly gave way to IHMSA back in the 1970s. So, that was a great idea that didn't work out as planned.
Kent Lomont was the "Elmer Keith" of the Automag. But, did it make any difference?

BC1023 is the only guy with one, his FK BRNO, (very nicely crafted arm, by the way!) that even mentions it's performance at 150-200 yd.

Just wondering....

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As far as I am concerned it’s a collector’s item and a nice shooter, even if mostly used at 25 m and occasionally at 50 m. There is only one range with one 100 m lane here allowing handguns and it’s crowded and expensive.

And honestly, past 100 m you’re better off with a rifle imo.

I guess it’s an eternal debate, do you need a Porsche 911 to drive at 65 MPH, probably not, a cheap Chevy or Korean import will do the job. Do you need a Rolex to give you the time instead of a Casio ? It’s a matter of personal interests, means and taste.

Oh I may add that there’s a chance that I get my money back when I retire from shooting.

Tom K said:

Here are some of the AMT/IAI variety. The Automag IV is .45 Winchester Magnum. The Javelina in 10mm is not a true magnum, but the 7" barrel gives it some extra oomph. The Automag II is .22 WMR and so barely qualifies as a magnum. Click on the pictures for a larger view.

And here are more examples of the earlier mentioned LAR Grizzly in .45 Win Mag and Coonan Model B in .357. And a Mateba semi-auto revolver in .357, for those who appreciate oddities.

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting, I like the Javelina, is it reliable and accurate ?

The Mateba, eh, not for me. Although I’d be curious to try one, but I always see them in the classified, never at the range.