# AMT Backup .380 SAO breakdown



## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

Backstory: I got a good deal on this little gun about 4 or 5 years ago from a friend. It was part of the estate of their family member who was in law enforcement. It came with a Bianchi ankle holster, 930 rounds of .95 grain reloads, 25 hollowpoints, three 5 round magazines and a boresnake. I put it up in the closet and left it there until the other day. 

Now I’m breaking it down to go through it before I take it to the range. I’ve removed the bolt pin but the bolt will not come out. YouTube videos show the bolt being pushed out with a dowel but several good smacks on the end of a dowel with a light hammer has produced zero movement even after soaking in wd-40. I thought it best to post here before going into full beast chemical war mode. The bore is nice and clean but swabbing around inside the frame shows a lot of carbon, the action feels dry and is it just me or do these guns have a super heavy recoil spring? It’s like pulling a corn grinder out of a mudhole. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Is the pistol de-cocked? The paper clip routine?


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Yup.
The paper clip.


Funny: My AMT .45 Backup disassembles just like any ordinary pistol, without all those tiny-tool complications.
(But now my arthritis has made pressing through its very heavy trigger action impossible. Sigh!)


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

Yep, that is one of the videos I referenced, and I used a paper clip and decocked it and everything. I’m genuinely concerned about the amount of strength it takes to pull the slide back too, and I’m beginning to wonder if it will eject a spent shell or not. I’m not small nor am I weak but I have to pull the slide back overhand like opening a jar of pickles. It’s almost as if it’s double sprung or something. I’m holding off on using strong chemicals because I can’t get the grips off due to lack of the microscopic Allen wrench required.

Maybe I should oil it up as best I can and go shooting. What’s the worst that could happen?


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Might not help, but a cool animated diagram that the finest of firearms would be jealous.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

1. DO NOT de-cock it. Disassemble it _cocked_. If it's decocked, the hammer gets in the way.

2. It's OK to use a wooden or plastic punch, and a hammer, to remove the "bolt." Force is OK. Metal tools aren't.

3. AMT Backups seem to be very strongly sprung-even the locked-breech ones. In the case of the .380, it's a straight-blowback action using very small, lightweight recoiling parts. Therefore, the recoil spring has to be really, really strong to provide the needed resistance.

4. The strong recoil spring complicates quick reloads, because, since there's no slide-stop, you shoot to closed-slide empty every time, and therefore you always have to rack the slide to complete your reload. If you will be carrying this pistol, you will have to put in lots of quick-reloading practice first.


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

I can’t link the video due to post count. In Denner’s first linked video @4:15 “if the hammer was cocked the slide wouldn’t come off but because I uncocked it earlier...” The gun was decocked at 2:24 and the bolt pushed right out at 4:02 with the hammer down. I’m puzzled.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Dogalmighty said:


> I can't link the video due to post count. In Denner's first linked video @4:15 "if the hammer was cocked the slide wouldn't come off but because I uncocked it earlier..." The gun was decocked at 2:24 and the bolt pushed right out at 4:02 with the hammer down. I'm puzzled.


Im starting to believe something else is going on. The bolt is perhaps cemented by gunk by years of storage in a drawer perhaps? I'd try liquid wrench, or brake cleaner to see if you can't get the bolt to move?

In one video i saw the bolt was tight in the slide and took seemingly fair pressure via dowel to free it, and using a somewhat unconventional take down method by quarter and kitchen spatula.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

Dogalmighty said:


> ...In Denner's first linked video @4:15 "if the hammer was cocked the slide wouldn't come off but because I uncocked it earlier"...


Listen more carefully. He says the opposite of what you report him saying.
He says that "the slide wouldn't come off because I'd uncocked it."



denner12 said:


> ...The bolt is perhaps cemented by gunk by years of storage in a drawer perhaps? I'd try liquid wrench, or brake cleaner to see if you can't get the bolt to move?...


Good advice, this.
_But take the grip panels off first!_


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> Listen more carefully. He says the opposite of what you report him saying.
> He says that "the slide wouldn't come off because I'd uncocked it."
> 
> Good advice, this.
> _But take the grip panels off first!_


Ok.. I just spent 45 minutes typing out a really frigging funny response that was both humorous and informative but even though the forum continuously reported that it was auto-saving, the page unceremoniously refreshed and voila. 45 minutes of work gone and nothing apparently saved. I literally had this clip typed out in quotes word for word after listening to it about a hundred times and making my wife listen to it until she became irritated with me just to make sure I haven't lost both my mind and my hearing. Now I'm sleeping on the couch but it will be worth it. Let's see if the forum will allow me to post a link to a 17 second clip that will hopefully prove my sanity.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

You're right. I'm wrong.
He did say "uncocked."

Take the grip panels off, and use a "creeping" oil like Kroil to loosen the bolt. Solvent might work, too.
BTW: WD40 is not a good parts-loosener, because it eventually becomes glue.

But then, what do I know? I can't even listen to instructions carefully!


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> You're right. I'm wrong.
> He did say "uncocked."
> 
> Take the grip panels off, and use a "creeping" oil like Kroil to loosen the bolt. Solvent might work, too.
> ...


Oh man, thanks for that. I have a hard enough time with my credibility what with my part time comedy gig and all. I'm more like a volunteer really. Actually I'm just kind of a smartass. I appreciate it at any rate. Now I need to go about finding the proper tool to remove the grip panels. Of course they're not standard, or even Phillips. Because I've got standard and Phillips in every size from "this is too small to tighten my glasses" to "Hey! That's not a pry bar!" but after borrowing a toy microscope from my 5 year old granddaughter I have discovered that this is an Allen screw. Or torx, it's too small to see with fisher price technology.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

I bet that the gun is too old for the screws to be Torx.
They're probably just Allen-head.

(But, of course, you shouldn't believe anything I write. :yawinkle


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> I bet that the gun is too old for the screws to be Torx.
> They're probably just Allen-head.
> 
> (But, of course, you shouldn't believe anything I write. :yawinkle


I have to agree. I think it may be small enough to qualify as a "precision" size so I'll probably end up with a set of jewelers Allen wrenches. I can see the threads from the inside, so I know they are screws.

I'm sure you're chocked full of excellent and unexpected information, Steve. I appreciate your input and I'll get busy with the creeping kroil-ish penetration as soon as I can get the grips off.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

...It's just that, usually, I know what I don't know, and I know when to keep my (metaphorical) mouth shut.
When I don't do those things, it shocks me a little. Old age, I guess.

But, yeah, you're right: I do know a whole lot. But it's mostly about useless things.


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## Steve M1911A1 (Feb 6, 2008)

*Further (Maybe Useful) Information:*

The AMT .380 Backup user's manual I found says to retract the slide "about 1/2 inch" before trying to drive the bolt out of the slide.
That implies to me that to remove the bolt, one has to relieve the hammer's pressure on the bolt and its firing pin before driving it out.
It also implies to me that the thickness of a paper clip may not be enough to do that job.

I'm going back to suggesting that the hammer be cocked (and the safety pushed to "on") before trying to drive the bolt out of the slide.
You can release the hammer later, using your smallest finger to catch the hammer before it hits the frame, to allow you to remove the slide.

And I had another weird thought: You did remove the bolt's cross-pin (left to right), didn't you?
If you didn't, that bolt will never come out.

Helpful?
Let me know.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/FIREARMS/amt_backup.pdf

"It is not necessary to disassemble the .380 D.A.O. to clean and lubricate, This can be done by pulling the slide back all the way to the rear position, then run

a cleaning rod with a solvent coated patch through bore and chamber, then run a clean, dry patch through until clean. Oil slide rails and outside diameter

of barrel where it rides in front of the slide. If it becomes necessary to disassemble for cleaning."

Interesting, perhaps it may be best to let the bolt be and follow the directions above. I still believe you have a frozen/gunked up bolt.


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> *Further (Maybe Useful) Information:*
> 
> The AMT .380 Backup user's manual I found says to retract the slide "about 1/2 inch" before trying to drive the bolt out of the slide.
> That implies to me that to remove the bolt, one has to relieve the hammer's pressure on the bolt and its firing pin before driving it out.
> ...


Steve, I think it's weird that I've watched at least three guys push their bolt out on video just as slick as gutting a fish. Two of them used a paper clip, and one guy used a small Allen wrench in the gap so I tried that too. Every video shows the gun uncocked so I'm going with that.

I probably took the pin out but thanks for mentioning it just in case I had slipped into a coma.


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

denner12 said:


> http://pdf.textfiles.com/manuals/FIREARMS/amt_backup.pdf
> 
> "It is not necessary to disassemble the .380 D.A.O. to clean and lubricate, This can be done by pulling the slide back all the way to the rear position, then run
> 
> ...


But because it has a welded barrel you have to swab from muzzle to chamber. I also want to polish the feed ramp a little and mod & polish the rails. Maybe I'll take it out and run a few rounds through, and see what happens. If it ain't broke I won't have to fix it.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Yep, also, if unsuccessful with your task to free the bolt, you may want to think of dropping by your trusted gunsmith to get their opinion on the matter. I'd want to bet the issue would be resolved pretty much immediately.


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## Dogalmighty (Jul 2, 2018)

denner12 said:


> Yep, also, if unsuccessful with your task to free the bolt, you may want to think of dropping by your trusted gunsmith to get their opinion on the matter. I'd want to bet the issue would be resolved pretty much immediately.


I'm pretty sure the issue is that it hasn't been apart in 20 years and it's had mostly reloads fired through it. There's probably nothing actually wrong with it, and chances are it's going to function perfectly at the range anyway.


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## Bisley (Aug 24, 2008)

Steve M1911A1 said:


> ...It's just that, usually, I know what I don't know, and I know when to keep my (metaphorical) mouth shut.
> When I don't do those things, it shocks me a little. Old age, I guess.
> 
> But, yeah, you're right: I do know a whole lot. But it's mostly about useless things.


This cracked me up, Steve, and 'hit home,' at the same time. When the board game, "Trivial Pursuit," came out (in the '70's or '80's?), I was eventually banned from it in my family and small circle of friends, because I knew so many of the answers. One of my old uncles, whom I had hunted with and shot guns with throughout my whole life, was fascinated, and elated to find out that I wasn't 'slow,' after all.

He told me that when I was a kid, he just assumed I was quiet because I didn't understand any of the conversations. I told him it wasn't that - I just didn't have anything to add to what had already been said, and didn't realize that adults cared whether or not a kid agreed with them. We had our most interesting conversations, after that breakthrough.


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## HOPELESS (Sep 1, 2012)

Sorry to say this my was the worst gun
I ever own, I got lucky turn it on police turn in day got two tickets to the Rays


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## jcampbell105 (Jan 5, 2020)

Were you able to remove the bolt?


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