Arcadia Machine & Tool
1977 – 1998
- from Irwindale, California
- 1978 AMT Backup 380
- 1982 to 1995 produced the AutoMag line of pistols
- 1989 acquired by IAI (Irwindale Arms Incorporated)
- 1998 purchased by Galena Industries of Sturgis, South Dakota
– assembled guns from existing parts
– phased out the use of the “AMT” brand - 2001 – 2018 purchased by High Standard Manufacturing Company in Houston, Texas
- 2005 – 2018 reintroduced & produced:
– AutoMag II, AutoMag III, AutoMag IV, and Backup - May of 2018 High Standard Manufacturing went out business
AMT Information site
About AMT (Arcadia Machine & Tool)
Arcadia Machine & Tool, better known as AMT, was a California handgun maker founded in 1977 and based in Irwindale, in the Los Angeles area. AMT built its name by making familiar designs in stainless steel at a time when most handguns were still made of blued carbon steel. Its AMT Hardballer, introduced in 1977, is recognized as the first all-stainless-steel pistol on the 1911 pattern, and longslide and compact versions followed in 1980. The Hardballer Longslide later became widely recognized after appearing in the 1984 film The Terminator.
AMT also earned a place in rimfire history with the AutoMag II, made from 1987, the first semi-automatic handgun chambered for .22 WMR, a cartridge that is difficult to run in a self-loader. After financial trouble, the company’s assets and trademark passed to Irwindale Arms Incorporated, then in 1998 to Galena Industries of Sturgis, South Dakota, and in 2001 to the Houston company that became High Standard Manufacturing, which built AutoMag and Backup models until it closed in 2018. For collectors, AMT pistols remain a notable chapter in the move to stainless steel handguns, and no company currently produces new AMT-branded guns.
Key Facts
- 1977: Arcadia Machine & Tool is founded in California, and the stainless AMT Hardballer is introduced.
- 1980: The 7-inch Hardballer Longslide and the compact Skipper are introduced.
- 1987: The AutoMag II, the first semi-automatic pistol in .22 WMR, enters production.
- 1998: Galena Industries of Sturgis, South Dakota, acquires the AMT business.
- 2001: The business passes to the Houston company later known as High Standard Manufacturing.
- 2018: High Standard closes, ending production of the AutoMag II and related models.
Sources
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