It’s a little confusing to me. The purpose of an “official” forum like this one is to maintain communication with your customers. Yet, as we have seen, AM has always been lax on forum updates, waiting list updates, or any information at all in recent times.
I have used forums for many years. One thing you learn early on, if you expect it to be useful, it has to be current. How long would it actually take to do a weekly update? Ten minutes?
”Hi guys. We built 17 guns this week, shipped 14. Waiting on barrels again. We hired another finishing guy, His name is Fred”
@packhawk My attorney has verified last week that Rob is no longer with AutoMag at all. He is now attempting communication with Patrick but as of now Patrick is basically shut out and barred from the premises so not sure talking to him would reveal much. I have no idea how long all this legal stuff will take, but I don’t think anything at all will happen until it is over. No gun production, no refunds, no communications nothing. Afterwards (whenever that is), who knows? But it’s a bad situation.
Calling is always an option, I realize. However, they need to keep EVERYONE updated via their official forum. Instead of answering the same phone call and explaining the situation hundreds of times. One post is all it would take.
I’ve been calling, several times last week. Nothing, no one answers. Maybe others are having a different and better experience. I hope so.
@pantera-mike Wow, this is funny, I have been handing my Auto Mag for several days working on grips and stuff trying to get that perfect fit for my hand, and now my 1911 feels absolutely tiny! I used to think it was the perfect size, now the 180 feels right.
I went to visit last night to go trick-or-treating with the grandkids, and while there I got to fondle my son’s new Auto Mag for the first time. It was really interesting.
It is a spectacularly beautiful piece of industrial engineering, not only just beautiful to behold but admirable for the apparent precision in its construction.
I warned him about the absolute need to equip the grip screws with rubber O-rings, both to keep them tight and also to help absorb the shock and keep them from breaking under recoil. All of them were quite loose so it’s likely one or more might have worked their way loose under recoil.
The bolt locked back satisfyingly but failed to release with the bolt release/safety lever. Since the grip screws were already loose I pulled the grip and examined the situation. Normally the tang at the bottom of the safety lever presses down on the extension of the bolt hold-open to release the bolt. These two parts seem very far apart from one another, making it unlikely that they could ever engage properly, if the safety was even able to move downward, which it isn’t. There is some internal blockage preventing it from pivoting down. It does function as a safety although, like the original guns, one can’t simply flick it on like a 1911. Instead, the hammer needs to be pulled back slightly for the safety to engage.
I also noticed that the fit between the frame and barrel is much more loose than on my early guns. Of course one doesn’t want it to be super tight because this leads to jams. But looking at the front of the barrel lug where it engages the mating recesses in the frame, it’s apparent the profiles of the two pieces don’t exactly match the way they do on my guns. I didn’t have one with me to compare but just shaking the gun revealed a rattle between the two halves.
This might turn out to be a feature and not a bug. The reports of others of outstanding accuracy from their new guns would suggest the fit isn’t a problem, and likely contributes to greater reliability.
We discussed the current state of the company, and the notion that if things don’t go well, his will prove to have been the very last gun delivered. Some people are already talking about never firing their new guns in a hope of preserving their value for a future owner. I asked him about it and was pleased to hear that his philosophy is the same as mine. If being the last one made creates some nominal additional value, that value will remain whether he shoots it or not. He didn’t wait five and a half years just to be able to present a finer gun to some stranger in the future. We have always felt there’s nothing quite so sad as seeing a fantastic old car with almost no miles on it. Although it’s somewhat remarkable to look at, it’s also more than a little pathetic to think that some guy bought this awesome Ferrari in the 1960s and then parked it and just looked at it until he shriveled up and died.
So with that said, there will be a range report before long. As I ‘forgot’ to bring any ammo with me and he doesn’t have any, we will have to get together again sometime soon so he can shoot it for the first time, using my ammo. 👍
The new guns are designed so the safety will not release the bolt.
It was felt that that feature has caused to some "out of battery" firings
It does function as a safety although, like the original guns, one can’t simply flick it on like a 1911. Instead, the hammer needs to be pulled back slightly for the safety to engage.
I can mention that I had the same issue and spoke with Rob, who told me it's by design and not to pull back the hammer, but to work the thumb-safety up and down until it's worn-in.
My wife’s .500 mag Smith and Wesson Pro Series and my High Polish 8.5inch Auto Mag. Yes, hers is bigger but mine costs more! LOL
Little activity on here lately, anyone heard anything? Seems bleak
@bassmaster517 I was wondering if the forum was functioning lately. I called Auto Mag yesterday, call went straight to voice mail, no return call.
@bassmaster517 I was wondering if the forum was functioning lately. I called Auto Mag yesterday, call went straight to voice mail, no return call.
You guys aren’t paying attention. It’s been clearly established on this thread, several pages back, that the hostile takeover/management gang have shut the company down and furloughed all the workers. The place is (temporarily) closed pending legal proceedings to decide the future of the company. You can phone and email all you want but nothing is going on there at the moment.
Patrick called me yesterday to tell me that the hearing that was scheduled for this week was postponed by the aforementioned gang. At first I assumed it was a stalling tactic, but he told me one person had a wife with a medical issue and another one had an equally legitimate excuse. Patrick said he wants this situation decided immediately. Fortunately, they only asked to postpone the hearing for a week so it will be held Thursday the 16th. The parties will appear before a judge to determine who will be allowed to control the company. Patrick still says he wants to build and sell guns. The motivations of the other side have never been made clear, and they have never once made themselves known to us in any meaningful way.
While it’s possible they also want to build guns, my opinion (and mine alone, I hasten to add) is that they might just be after the machinery etc that Patrick bought to produce the guns, and might just want to strip the building bare, toss all the gun parts into the dumpster and leave an empty husk of what once was the company. If they prevail in the hearing I hope I’m wrong. But I assume that there are plenty of parts inside which would have enabled them to build and deliver many more guns, had they chosen to do so, but instead they have deliberately chosen to leave everyone hanging. That does not bode well if they are given full control.
We can only watch and wait….
@pantera-mike I’ve been following it closely just wasn’t even sure the forum was still working. Hopefully they don’t adjourn again. Thanks!
@pantera-mike Not paying attention? I have about a 1/2 inch stack of South Carolina, Horry County Court Documents printed out that would show otherwise. I just figured I would call Auto Mag and see if on the off chance someone would pick up, I'm kinda funny that way.
@pantera-mike I appreciate your updates and apparent connection with Patrick. I am kinda curious about the longevity of this forum though if the Loris operation is shut. Based on your connection with Patrick, would you mind volunteering to be the point man to keep us updated should the plug be pulled on this forum? I know this was suggested some time back but I don't think it ever materialized. Anyway, if so, here's my email: MrBIIF@msn.com.
Thanks!
George
@pantera-mike I appreciate your updates and apparent connection with Patrick. I am kinda curious about the longevity of this forum though if the Loris operation is shut. Based on your connection with Patrick, would you mind volunteering to be the point man to keep us updated should the plug be pulled on this forum? I know this was suggested some time back but I don't think it ever materialized. Anyway, if so, here's my email: MrBIIF@msn.com.
Thanks!
George
I’m frankly amazed this forum is still running. I would urge everyone to scoot over to the AMT guns forum and get involved there also to avoid getting lost. They have a lengthy thread in the new guns.
