AMT Automag III

The AMT Automag III is a semiautomatic pistol designed by Harry Sanford, creator of the first Automag. The pistol was originally manufactured by Arcadia Machine & Tool and later Irwindale Arms, Incorporated. Unlike Sanford’s first design chambered in .44 Automag with ballistics similar to the .44 Remington Magnum, the Automag III is chambered in .30 Carbine (the same cartridge developed for the WWII-era M1 Carbine) instead of a magnum cartridge.

The Automag III is large, constructed of stainless steel, and well made. Sadly the company’s been out of business for sometime. I had one come in my shop recently. Understandably, the owner wanted a couple of spare magazines. To say they are quite scarce is an understatement. I found a few for $50.00 each and they can go for up to $100.00 each! The supplier was not sure if these were factory or aftermarket mags. Once ordered, the magazines arrived quickly and I tried them as is.

They fit rather tightly in the magazine well but locked in place solidly. There was some failure of the mags to feed well. Thankfully I had one factory magazine which worked flawlessly to compare the others with. First I addressed the mag well fit. The high spots were evident by the scratches left on the sides of the magazine body. These were dressed down lightly with a diamond file and re-trial fitting. Each mag was then further fitted by laying the mag on a fine diamond stone with light oil.

Once they fit well the mag body’s were polished lightly inside and out with Flitz metal polish. In comparing the factory followers to the aftermarket versions I found them to be very close to the originals. One notable difference was the top corners of the factory 30 Carbine. follower were beveled at the top corners. The replacements were not and would hang up in feeding. The followers area sort of vinyl-type material. Cutting these bevels revealed them to be a bit "mushy" underneath the file when reshaping them.

They also leave a burr in just a couple strokes of the file. I found it best to make two or three strokes with the file and then scrape off the burr with a razor knife before continuing. As these are rare and difficult to obtain, I took my time reshaping them. The front corner’s beveled areas measure about 3/8" and the rear is about 1/8" as shown in the accompanying pictures. After reshaping, the bevels were made smooth with a bit of 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and WD-40.

Finally, the springs were checked for kinks, nicks, and bends in the spring wire. None were found but if there were any I’d have removed them and polished them smooth. The replacement mags have been tested extensively since the repairs and both have been flawless. Now my client has spare mags he can depend on. AG