Tell me about your history with the Automag... |
Post Reply | Page <1 3456> |
Author | |
Luvz2Shoot
Callahan's Auto Mag Joined: 16 Apr 2011 Location: Washington Status: Offline Points: 618 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
Well said, Luc! Your English is just fine and being read loud and clear.
|
|
If you were happy and you knew it, would you clap your hands?
|
|
Luvz2Shoot
Callahan's Auto Mag Joined: 16 Apr 2011 Location: Washington Status: Offline Points: 618 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Travis, does this mean that you ran out and bought a sword, skull shoulder protector (with attaching chain) and a winged helmet??? And don't forget the feathered-skull junk protector too.... (no harm, just poking at you... )
|
|
If you were happy and you knew it, would you clap your hands?
|
|
Travis Morgan
International Auto Mag Joined: 13 Dec 2012 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 170 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
@Luvz2Shoot Lol - As a kid, & at the time it was cool, all the Barbarian & Dungeons & Dragons stuff.
Kinda left that behind in childhood & I wouldn't dare dress like that in public nowadays especially the way things are. I could see maybe the extreme few thinking that it was for attending a 'cosplay' event, but more then likely they would think that I am on my way to a 'Pride' parade . Lol . . . . My interest in the gun remains though (possibly a sword still as well?)
|
|
AndyC
Callahan's Auto Mag Joined: 04 Jul 2015 Location: Dallas, TX Status: Offline Points: 455 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Coffee, meet nostrils
|
|
WVWRZ500N
International Auto Mag Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Location: Lee's Summit Status: Offline Points: 142 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Beware.....Long
Post..... So I guess my Auto
Mag story began when I was about 10-12 years old, circa 1985. Following a
dentist appointment and waiting for my older brother to be seen I wondered to
the next door strip mall's gun shop. Standing alone in a display
case was a .44 with a bold price tag $1,000.00.
I was amazed by both the gun and the price tag and it made an indelible
mark on my young mind. Fast forward
several years I finally got to see Sudden Impact and it was over for me. A few years go by and the advent of the
internet begins a further growing infatuation with the AM as more and more
information and pictures is read and seen.
The very odd thing I think was in all that time I attended dozens of gun
& knife shows here in Missouri and Kansas and never came across one until 3
years ago. That being a TDE Model 160
.357 AMP in 8-inch non-ventilated barrel.
It was a tired looking gun with a scope mount of some kind. I again was taken back to my childhood even
though it wasn’t the .44. I got the
guy’s number and left it at that. The following
November my mother passed away rather suddenly.
Following all the estate division I was left with a modest sum in
hand. A few bills paid and vehicles
maintained and then low and behold I open Armslist one afternoon. What is listed, a TDE .44 AMP! Having spent some time on Armslist in the
past I was aware of potential scams as I’d found Auto Mag’s being listed for
cheap before. A little investigation and
I find it’s actually listed by a legitimate gun shop. I phoned them up. Turns out they had literally just listed it
on consignment and the owner was still standing at the counter! I requested several pictures and made a deal
later that day. That was March of 2019. Given my proclivity to research and find
items on the internet within a few weeks I had obtained a 3 piece RCBS
reloading die set along with ream die set.
Having boxes upon boxes of 30-06 brass I was on my way. Another few weeks and I acquired a few used
RCBS presses and all the remaining reloading components needed. I purchased a box of SBR ammo to test fire
the gun prior to getting the loading up and running. Upon inspection I found that the accelerator
block was broken. I notified the seller
and they replaced it straight away. With
the gun repaired I did a few test fires at my brother’s. Flashback…Somewhere
back in the early 2000s I had created an account on Ian’s site and started
following several people that were well versed with the gun and eventually
reached out to one – George Hebert. I
phoned George and we had a nice conversation about a someday dream future of
ownership. I kept George’s number in my
several difference cell phone address books for the next several years. So in March of 2019 when I received the new
to me AM I took a long shot that the number was still good. It was!
We again had a great visit and this time he was more than willing to
help out a new owner with much more information than I could take in. In addition to his general and extensive knowledge
of what to do as a new owner he recommended absorbing as much of Jurras and
Lomont as was available in the publications section on Ian’s site. You’ll note that
prior to owning an AM I had never reloaded anything. I’ve been an avid shooter and hunter most of
my life but never loaded anything other than a few shotgun shells as a
teenager. I have a very steep learning
curve and am excessively detailed especially with mechanical things. (My side business for the past 20-years being
modifying performance two-stroke engines for classic Grand Prix replica Yamaha’s.) All of which has been both a blessing and a
curse; a blessing to keep me on track for loading safe and reliable ammunition
but a curse in that I can get lost in the minute details of the pistol and the
preparation of loading. All in all
though it has made my experience with the pistol much more rewarding I believe. Wanting a classic
case but not wanting to spend too much money I set out to build my own. A few weeks later I had hand crafted a beautiful
red oak case. Sometime in the
summer of 2019, again perusing Armslist, I came across another discounted bargain. A phone call and email and here it came. Another TDE El Monte that had been taken
apart, basically the bolt had been removed and they couldn’t put it back
together. There inability was my gain, I
picked it up for cheap! And moreover, it
came with the case, the wrench pouch, wood grips, two mags, two boxes of Corbon
Hunter, a box of Norma and a lot of cleaning needed. Upon full inspection the pistol was pretty gritty
inside. Deeper I dug the worse it got,
very lite rust starting from years of sitting in the safe by my guess. I tore it clear down to the frame and bead
blasted the frame and polished all the remaining internals. After getting it fully cleaned and functional
again I’m pretty sure it hadn’t had more than 100 rounds through it. Bolt was crisp and bright, the lugs just like
they came off the mill. Blue tint still shimmering
from the bolt and barrel extension. I
was thoroughly satisfied with the results and quality of the gun. Range time didn’t disappoint either,
excellent function! My next endeavor was
a custom holster, something exotic, something unique. Some stingray skin was purchased and
delivered along with a pistol to my leather master friend. A few weeks later and bam an awesome holster
was made along with custom mag holder. Full
retention with a 3.5Lb gun! I’d say that aside
from the actual pistol itself, it has been rewarding to meet new people and
assist others with their guns also. One
of those individuals was a gentleman in California. Through a new relationship developed, a bit
of horse trading later, I was the proud new owner of a 10.5-inch Jurras .357
AMP barrel. Some more internet wizardry
and a NOS set of RCBS .357 AMP dies was acquired. Time to resize some brass! With every
intention of using the AM to hunt whitetail deer I set out to outfit the .357
barrel with a proper optic and mount.
Researching the previous options for base mounts I decided to make up my
own and mount it based on the old Jim Herringshaw ‘Maxi-Mount’ dowel design. I purchased a picatinny rail originally for a
Mini-14 that was a 2nd for cheap and set it up in the mill. A few hours later and a nearly custom made
rail now sat atop the Jurras barrel. A few
weeks later I located a NOS Leupold M8 4X
pistol scope. Knowing the recoil could
be an issue I opted for a set of precision Vortex rings. Mounted and ready to go I began loading a
spread of charges with 158gn Hornady XTP and Speer DeepCurl bullets. My local range only allows pistols on the
pistol range, sadly I couldn’t get into he 50 yard rifle bay. So, 70-feet was it. A good starting point for having never shot a
pistol, let alone a scoped pistol for accuracy off a rest. In case you’ve
ever wondered what these guns were capable of let me show you. Here is an Alcoa 19.5” forged aluminum wheel. I decided to ‘ring the bell’ at around
80-feet with the .357 one afternoon. Unbeknownst
to me it was boring holes in it like butter!
Those are 158gn FP-XTP holes and dents on the back wall! Deer season has
came and went without any success this year.
But got lots of plans for the future with this cannon! Here’s a few extra
pictures for your hopeful enjoyment. A little nighttime
flame throwing. (22.5gns of W296 behind
a 240gn bullet) Our 6’7” tall
pastor shooting the .357 AMP. (He had a
huge smile on his face when he handed it back!) Gone hunting
setup. Two’s better
than one….. An last but
certainly not least. My son designed this
custom made shirt for Christmas and he and my daughter-in-law had it made. I hope you
enjoyed the long post as much as I have writing it up for you. There’s more to come in the future, (shoulder
stock anyone?), and we’ll see what else. Regards, Bill Wilson Lee’s Summit,
MO 816-377-3185 |
|
Luc V.
Admin Group Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 1338 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
Thanks for the nice story Bill !
Interesting to read, you sure put alot of work into it to get what you want.
|
|
WVWRZ500N
International Auto Mag Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Location: Lee's Summit Status: Offline Points: 142 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Luc, I waiting a long time and certainly never wanted a safe queen. Still considering a new one but got other things to spend the money for now. Regards, Bill Wilson Lee's Summit, MO 816-377-3185
|
|
edkel1
Callahan's Auto Mag Joined: 02 Apr 2019 Location: So/Cal Status: Offline Points: 350 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
Bill
Have to say it was a pleasure meeting you beit by phone, it's hard to find honest people but I did with Bill along with some others on this site Steve , Jerry, George, Jon, William, Jeff, Bruce and sorry to those I may have left out Bill I have to ask you a favor, can you get me two of those shirts in XXL...........Please Remember were on here because of a hunk of stainless and how much we enjoy it. Ed
|
|
" Right turn Clyde "
|
|
Paper Puncher
180 Auto Mag Joined: 29 Apr 2020 Location: St. Louis, MO Status: Offline Points: 31 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
Ed-
I second your thoughts on Bill. I reached out to him and we spoke at length. I hope to get over to that side of the state to meet him in person. John
|
|
AndyC
Callahan's Auto Mag Joined: 04 Jul 2015 Location: Dallas, TX Status: Offline Points: 455 |
Post Options
Thanks(1)
|
Awesome story, Bill - thanks! :)
|
|
Post Reply | Page <1 3456> |
Tweet |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |