AMT Hardballer
Encyclopedia
The AMT Hardballer is a clone of the .45 ACP
Colt M1911
, although some components of the action are not interchangeable with other M1911s. It was made by Arcadia Machine & Tool, commonly known as AMT, from 1977. The Hardballer was the first entirely stainless steel
1911 pattern pistol. Other features included adjustable rear sights and a lengthened grip safety.
The Hardballer series of pistols all share a brushed
stainless steel finish, wrap-around rubber
grips, loaded chamber indicator and a wide target style trigger with adjustable trigger stop. The later Galena-made pistols have an elongated "beavertail" grip safety and a beveled magazine well.
Galling
of the stainless steel was a common issue, as lubrication technology at the time of original manufacture of the Hardballers was not suitable enough to prevent it. Galling occurred due to the alloy used, as well as the fact that the same hardness of alloy was used for the frame and the slide. Usually, different alloys and hardening are used to prevent galling. Modern stainless guns are much less susceptible to galling.
Galling is a condition whereby excessive friction between high spots results in localized welding with subsequent splitting and a further roughening of rubbing surfaces of one or both of two mating parts. Early stainless steel alloys suffered from this due to the breakdown of lubricants. Galling can be prevented by electrolytic nickel plating of the surface. Typically either electrolytic nickel plating the frame rails or slide rails will take care of the problem in virtually all cases.
from the Hitman (series)
video game series. The movie The Terminator
featured a Hardballer Longslide on the movie poster and featured the weapon prominently in the film. Additionally, the Hardballer was featured prominently in the film My Name Is Bruce
, though Bruce Campbell
refers to it as a ".31 Longbow."It also made an appearance in the video game "Resident Evil 4
" as the Killer7.
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
Colt M1911
M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
, although some components of the action are not interchangeable with other M1911s. It was made by Arcadia Machine & Tool, commonly known as AMT, from 1977. The Hardballer was the first entirely stainless steel
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
1911 pattern pistol. Other features included adjustable rear sights and a lengthened grip safety.
Overview
The Hardballer derives its name from round-nose hardball ammunition (solid lead bullet with driving bands or non-jacketed lead bullets).The Hardballer series of pistols all share a brushed
Brushed metal
Brushed metal is metal that has been abraded , usually with a fine grit sandpaper. The brushing gives the metal a distinctive look, as it retains some but not all of its metallic lustre and is given a pattern of very fine lines. It can be compared to metal with several small scratches all running...
stainless steel finish, wrap-around rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
grips, loaded chamber indicator and a wide target style trigger with adjustable trigger stop. The later Galena-made pistols have an elongated "beavertail" grip safety and a beveled magazine well.
Galling
Galling
Galling usually refers to the adhesive wear and transfer of material between metallic surfaces in relative converging contact during sheet metal forming and other industrial operations....
of the stainless steel was a common issue, as lubrication technology at the time of original manufacture of the Hardballers was not suitable enough to prevent it. Galling occurred due to the alloy used, as well as the fact that the same hardness of alloy was used for the frame and the slide. Usually, different alloys and hardening are used to prevent galling. Modern stainless guns are much less susceptible to galling.
Galling is a condition whereby excessive friction between high spots results in localized welding with subsequent splitting and a further roughening of rubbing surfaces of one or both of two mating parts. Early stainless steel alloys suffered from this due to the breakdown of lubricants. Galling can be prevented by electrolytic nickel plating of the surface. Typically either electrolytic nickel plating the frame rails or slide rails will take care of the problem in virtually all cases.
Variants
- AMT Combat Government: The Hardballer was developed as a sports pistol but in 1978 AMT marketed the Combat Government, a Hardballer with fixed sights for police departments. Since 1985, this model has been called the Government with the term "Combat" omitted.
- AMT Hardballer Longslide: A version with an extended 7 in (178 mm) barrel, introduced in 1980. It has the same qualities as the Hardballer but with slide and barrel lengthened by 2 in (51 mm).
- AMT Skipper: A compact version of the Hardballer introduced in 1980. It features a 4 in (102 mm) barrel. In 1984, the Skipper disappeared from AMT's range.
- AMT Commando: Originally offered by AMT then improved and reintroduced in 2000 (this date in question) under the Galena Industries brand. The original AMT Commando was a 5 in (127 mm) barreled version and did not have a loaded chamber indicator nor beavertail grip safety. The improved Commando is a compact model of the 5 in (127 mm) Government with a 4 in (102 mm) barrel but retaining the frame of the Government model. It is chambered in .40 S&W.40 S&WThe .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
and has an 8-round magazine capacity. - AMT Accelerator: Basically a Galena-made Longslide chambered for the powerful .400 Corbon.400 CorbonThe .400 Corbon is an automatic pistol cartridge developed by Cor-Bon in 1997. It was created to mimic the ballistics of the powerful 10 mm Auto cartridge by means of a .45 ACP case, necked down to .40 caliber with a 25 degree shoulder....
cartridge featuring a 7 in (178 mm) barrel and an elongated beavertail. - AMT Javelina: An AMT Longslide chambered in the 10mm Auto caliber with an 8-round capacity magazine.
Popular culture
Most notably, AMT Hardballers with suppressors are signature weapons of Agent 47Agent 47
Agent 47 is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the Hitman video-game series. Created by IO Interactive, the character was developed around David Bateson, who also provided the in-game voice...
from the Hitman (series)
Hitman (series)
Hitman is a stealth game series developed by the Danish company IO Interactive. The series is available on PC as well as several video game consoles, including the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The game series has since expanded into a novel, Hitman: Enemy Within written by...
video game series. The movie The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
featured a Hardballer Longslide on the movie poster and featured the weapon prominently in the film. Additionally, the Hardballer was featured prominently in the film My Name Is Bruce
My Name is Bruce
My Name Is Bruce is a 2007 American comedy horror film, directed, co-produced by and starring B movie cult actor Bruce Campbell. The film was written by Mark Verheiden...
, though Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
refers to it as a ".31 Longbow."It also made an appearance in the video game "Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
" as the Killer7.