AMT Government 1911

MacEntyre

MacEntyre

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Found this today. Appears to be a 1985 model. Grip screws are buggered, and it was filthy as a dirt road, but it cost less than a Tisas! In 1977 AMT was the first all stainless 1911, and over 25 years the company changed hands 8 or 9 times. This old 1911 doesn't have any evidence that Bubba got near it, and it shoots very well.

I changed the Superior wrap around grips, and disassembled it for cleaning. I did not detail strip it. However, the thumb safety fell out after I removed the slide and it landed amongst the other parts on the bench! I put it back in, and it functions just fine.

I have read that some folks believe AMT inner parts were made with soft stainless steel, so they replace them with new. Other than the safety, why fix what ain't broke in 40 years?

Anyone else have a vintage AMT 1911?

I bet @John Travis knows somethin' about 'em!


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This one is the Government Model, not the Hardballer. It was made for police departments. The year that I think this one was made was the year that they changed the name from Government Combat Model to just Government Model.

Any 1911 with the word Combat in the model name sounds too much like a Colt Combat Commander.

I bet @BatteryOaksBilly knows something about these as well!
 
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I found this AMT Hardballer at a gun show in Myrtle Beach. I started to buy it but showed it to @BatteryOaksBilly . If he didn't buy it, I was going to buy it. It was too cheap to pass up. Well, Billy bought it and shot it quite a bit. Later on, I ended up with it and still have it. I have shot it a lot (trying to get rid of some ammo) and it hasn't missed a beat. I did change the grips to these that a friend gave me.

AMTTX.jpg
 
I had a Gov model as well. It was a great “starter” 1911. I recall there were perceived quality difference between the Arcadia and Covina manufactured units - but I forget which was perceived to be better. Mine went bang when it was supposed to. I learned detail disassembly and all about JMB’s design messing around with it.

You won’t hear me talk bad about it. :)
 
MacEntyre said:
I bet @John Travis knows somethin' about 'em!
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Yep.

Cast slide and frame...likely made by Essex.

I haven't had occasion to open one up, but it's a good bet that the internals are likewise unless they've been swapped out.
MacEntyre said:
the thumb safety fell out after I removed the slide
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Amongst highly trained and keenly observant law enforcement types, that there's whatcha call...a clue.

If it works, shoot it. Just keep an eye peeled for cracks forming in the slide...top left side in the port adjacent to the breechface and bottom right side adjacent to the first lug wall.

Oh, and run the test for stopping on the link.
 
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I have forgotten... what's the potential problem with Shooting Star magazine followers? It came with two Shooting Star mags.

Besides having no dimple, is the problem only with alloy framed guns, after the last round, with worn out springs allowing the sharp pointed follower to tip forward and mebbe damage the frame?
 
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BTW... funny thing happened yesterday. I found four 10mm 1911 mags amongst me stuff. I have a S&W 1026 and a S&W 610, but I do not have a 10mm 1911. Should I sell 'em, or buy a 10mm 1911? So I went looking for a 10mm 1911 to see if there were any bargains to be had. Didn't find any 10mm 1911s, no bargains, no nuthin'. Found this bargain AMT 45acp 1911 instead. So, now I will be selling four 10mm 1911 mags. ;)
 
MacEntyre said:
Could this be the problem?
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There may be a problem there, but that's not what keeps the safety in the frame. You can completely remove it, and the safety still has to be placed at the midpoint between ON and OFF to fall out.


MacEntyre said:
I have forgotten... what's the potential problem with Shooting Star magazine followers?
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Nose diving the top rounds into the ramp. Failure to lock the slide on empty. Bolt Over Base misfeeds on the last round. Slide locking with the last round loose in the port. Live rounds among the fired brass. Last round feeding ahead of the slide, forcing the extractor to snap over the rim.
 
MacEntyre said:
BTW... funny thing happened yesterday. I found four 10mm 1911 mags amongst me stuff. I have a S&W 1026 and a S&W 610, but I do not have a 10mm 1911. Should I sell 'em, or buy a 10mm 1911? So I went looking for a 10mm 1911 to see if there were any bargains to be had. Didn't find any 10mm 1911s, no bargains, no nuthin'. Found this bargain AMT 45acp 1911 instead. So, now I will be selling four 10mm 1911 mags. ;)
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That's not the way to do it. Keep looking and buy a 10mm 1911. Maybe a Colt Delta Elite?
 
John Travis said:
Oh, and run the test for stopping on the lilink.
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While testing the AMT, I checked me other 1911s. Found a LW Commander and a Combat Commander with takedown pins that just barely stop swinging when I push the muzzle against the edge of the bench. I recall your instructions said any grab is bad, right?
 
MacEntyre said:
While testing the AMT, I checked me other 1911s. Found a LW Commander and a Combat Commander with takedown pins that just barely stop swinging when I push the muzzle against the edge of the bench.
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While it's not ideal, a bind that light isn't likely to cause any problems. Yours is probably a matter of the barrel hitting the frame bed at the same time it hits the vertical impact surface rather than actively being stopped by the link. Not good, but not as bad a stopping on the link.

If you have a Sharpie marker, paint the bottom of the barrel where it meets the frame bed, assemble the gun, and shove straight back hard on the muzzle a few times and check to see if any ink has been removed. If it has, it's easily correctable.
 
John Travis said:
There may be a problem there, but that's not what keeps the safety in the frame. You can completely remove it, and the safety still has to be placed at the midpoint between ON and OFF to fall out.
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This safety only comes out when placed at the midpoint. Trouble is, when the slide release is removed, the spring inside the plunger tube shifts all the way left, leaving nothing to keep the thumb safety from shifting to the midpoint.
 
Geezer said:
That's not the way to do it. Keep looking and buy a 10mm 1911. Maybe a Colt Delta Elite?
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If'n I buy a 10mm 1911, it will be a Colt Delta Elite or a Tisas, whichever one fits the mags I have! 🤣

Why did I sell that first year of production Delta Elite? :(
 
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Hardballer and Long Slide here.
Long slide made a decent pin gun to play with.
The bad news was about gawling, not feeding anything but "ball ammo".
Never had any of those issues, from either, only issue was H&G 68's loads, not enuff, to work the slide back, spring change fixed that. Was a 1911 nut long ago, Crown City Arms, Vegas, AMT, Essex Arms, etc. Sarco had plenty of parts back then along with other places. EGW is my goto place now.

-Snoopz
 
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