Arcadia Machine & Tool, commonly abbreviated to AMT, was a firearms manufacturer from
Irwindale, California
Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census. The ZIP Codes serving the area are 91010, which is shared with Duarte, 91702, w ...
. The company produced several weapons, primarily clones of existing firearms, but made from
stainless steel rather than the standard steel used for most firearms of the time.
AMT was described by the
US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), commonly referred to as the ATF, is a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prevent ...
(ATF) as one of the "Ring of Fire companies",
which were known for large-scale manufacture of
Saturday night special
Saturday night special is a colloquial term in the United States and Canada for inexpensive, compact, small-caliber handguns made of poor quality metal. Sometimes known as junk guns, some states define these guns by means of composition or mate ...
s. The company filed for bankruptcy after their products were affected by quality and reliability problems, and the assets and trademark were acquired by Irwindale Arms Incorporated (IAI). Later, in 1998, Galena Industries of
Sturgis, South Dakota
Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 7,020 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meade County and is named after Samuel D. Sturgis, a Union general during the Civil War.
Sturgis is notabl ...
, purchased the company and produced firearms in the style of AMT's until 2001 when Crusader Gun Company (later
High Standard Manufacturing Company
High Standard Firearms was an American manufacturer of firearms, based in Houston, Texas. The company was founded in New Haven, Connecticut in 1926 as a supplier to the numerous firearms companies in the Connecticut Valley. It was based in New ...
) of
Houston, Texas purchased it.
Products
Pistols
*
Auto Mag
*
AMT Baby AutoMag
*
AMT AutoMag II
The AMT AutoMag II is a semiautomatic handgun chambered in .22 WMR, that was manufactured by Arcadia Machine and Tool from 1987 until 1999, and is currently manufactured by High Standard.
Design
There were a number of engineering challenges to ...
*
AMT AutoMag III
*
AMT AutoMag IV
The AMT Automag IV is a large, single action semi-automatic handgun. It was created by Harry Sanford, who also invented the original Automag. This model fires the .45 Winchester Magnum round; however until 1993 it was chambered for a time in 10mm ...
*
AMT AutoMag V
The AMT Automag V is a large single action semi-automatic pistol made by Arcadia Machine and Tool (AMT). The weapon was created by Harry Sanford, inventor of the original .44 AutoMag pistol.
Production quantity was to be 3000 units, numbered ...
*
AMT AutoMag 440
*
AMT Backup
The AMT Backup is a small semi-automatic pistol. It was first manufactured by the Ordnance Manufacturing Corporation (OMC) of El Monte, CA. The first guns made in .380 ACP by OMC are known as the OMC Backup. OMC produced a short run of these pisto ...
*
AMT Hardballer
The AMT Hardballer is a series of pistols that are part of the 1911 platform (based on the .45 ACP M1911) made by Arcadia Machine & Tool (AMT) from 1977 to 2002. The Hardballer was the first entirely stainless steel 1911 pattern pistol. Other fe ...
*
AMT On Duty
*
AMT Lightning pistol
Rifles
*
AMT Lightning 25/22
The AMT Lightning 25/22 was a .22 LR-caliber semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Arcadia Machine & Tool (AMT).
As is alluded to in the nomenclature, the Lightning 25/22 is functionally a clone of the Ruger 10/22 with the substitution of a larger ...
*
AMT Magnum Hunter
See also
*
Raven Arms
Raven Arms was a firearms manufacturer established in 1970 by firearms designer George Jennings. The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibiting the importation of inexpensive handguns prompted Jennings to design the MP-25, a .25-caliber semi-automatic ...
*
Sundance Industries
Sundance Industries was a firearms manufacturer established in 1989 by Steven Jennings, the nephew of Raven Arms founder George Jennings. Sundance produced a series of inexpensive pocket handguns, which were sold primarily through pawn shops and m ...
*
Davis Industries
Davis Industries was a firearms manufacturer established in 1982 by Jim Davis. Davis produced a series of inexpensive handguns, which were sold primarily through pawn shops and marketed towards people with low income. The guns were constructed of ...
*
Phoenix Arms
Phoenix Arms is a firearms manufacturer established in 1992. A predecessor company owned by George Jennings, Raven Arms, ceased operations in 1991, after which Jennings retired and sold his designs to Phoenix. Phoenix was founded and owned by Je ...
*
Jimenez Arms
JA Industries is an American firearms manufacturer based in Henderson, Nevada.
The company's origins trace to 1978, with the formation of Jennings Firearms. This company eventually filed bankruptcy and subsequently reorganized as Bryco Arms. Bry ...
*
Lorcin Engineering Company
Lorcin Engineering Company was a firearms manufacturer established in 1989 by Jim Waldorf. Lorcin produced a series of very inexpensive handguns, which were sold primarily through pawn shops and marketed to people with low income. As such, their ...
References
External links
Automag PartsA website about all of the AMT pistols
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcadia Machine and Tool
Defunct firearms manufacturers
Firearm manufacturers of the United States
Irwindale, California
Manufacturing companies established in 1977
1977 establishments in California
Defunct manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles