2015
- 150 pistols per month
AUTO MAG LTD CO
4232 Meadow St.
Loris, SC 29569
(843) 560-9780
automag.com
About Auto Mag LTD
Auto Mag LTD Corp. is the South Carolina company formed in 2015 to revive the Auto Mag, the stainless steel semi-automatic pistol chambered in .44 AMP (Auto Mag Pistol) that became one of the most famous handguns in American popular culture. Firearms designer Harry Sanford created the cartridge and pistol in 1958 as a semi-automatic hunting handgun with power comparable to a .44 Magnum revolver. The original pistol used short-recoil operation with a multi-lugged rotating bolt, a 6.5-inch barrel and a seven-round magazine. It reached the market in small numbers about a decade after its design, but it was costly to make and underpriced, and production ended in 1982. Clint Eastwood’s use of an Auto Mag as Harry Callahan in the 1983 film Sudden Impact gave the gun a lasting cult following.
In 2015 a private investor bought the rights, plans and spare parts from the Sanford family and formed Auto Mag LTD. The company announced it would refurbish existing pistols and build new ones, and it showed the new Auto Mag .44 AMP at the 2018 SHOT Show, with a limited 8.5-inch Founders Edition of fewer than 100 units and retail prices starting around $3,499. Excel Arms was named to build the complete pistols.
Key Facts
- 1958: Harry Sanford designed the .44 AMP cartridge and Auto Mag pistol
- 1982: Original Auto Mag pistol retired from the market
- 1983: Auto Mag featured in the film Sudden Impact
- 2015: Auto Mag LTD Corp. formed after acquiring rights, plans and parts from the Sanford family
- 2018: New Auto Mag .44 AMP shown at SHOT Show, starting near $3,499
Sources
- SHOT Show 2018: Auto Mag .44 AMP Pistol – American Rifleman
- Firm to Revive Dirty Harry’s .44 Auto Mag Pistol – Military.com
- Auto Mag Pistol – Wikipedia
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