My Big Gun

Conny · 02-06-2010, 11:35 AM

This is a North Hollywood .44 Automag. I have owned this and another El Monte for about 10 years. Never shot either. Like a Luger, break a part while shooting, which happens more than most think, the value is gone. In the photo are some very hard to find original items.

Original box and foam
All paperwork that came with it.
3 clips
Original Sandia and Norma ammo
Rare parts kit
Full oil bottle
Both wrenches
Bianchi clip pouch
Complete set of dies
Rare George Lawrence shoulder holster w/clip pouch attached (not shown)

Hope you like.

Ron Wood · 02-06-2010, 12:35 PM

Nice stuff! I have always liked those "Dirty Harry" guns.

alvin · 02-06-2010, 06:05 PM

Shooting these does bring in some risks. If it's not broken, then it's not broken. If it's broken, then out of luck, and too late.

Link: He tried a $1,000,000 gun

Conny · 02-06-2010, 07:21 PM

Rick W.---I'm also on the new AutomagPistol.com board as well. I was on the last one but took a sabbatical.

One of the guys on that board is developing a better bolt. Don't know how long that will take before ready to sell.

I'm looking for a North Hollywood long barrel and the .357 6 1/2barrel as well as a North Hollywood long barrel. Kinda want to complete the set.

I stopped reloading. Just got tired of making catridges out of308. Wildey produced 44 Automag for a while and I was lucky to buy 250rds before out of business......again. I love Starline brass. Got 1000 brass still sealed in the box. Talked to Clint from Stars & Stripes Ammo about pricing for loading the 1000 rds for me.

Been talking with Walter Sanford about buying all the tooling for the pistol. He's sending me an inventory list of everything Monday. Price includes ownership of the Automag name brand as well. Grossman still works for him since the begining. Not saying I'm going to start making Automags but, with all the problems known now, a superior pistol could be built. I do think the price of a new manufactured Automag would most likely make production prohibitive. All depends on the financial analysis.

Now that I'm older and having health issues, I'm going to start shooting my Automags and will, on occasion, carry one concealed with the shoulder holster.

sheepherder · 02-06-2010, 09:11 PM

I owned one of the later AutoMags, with both 44 and 357 AutoMag barrels. The 44 was Magna-Ported. The guys at the local gun club loved to watch me shoot it (and the 454 Casull). I bought it back in the late 1980's with two boxes of original ammo (made in Mexico, IIRC)...

I still have some handloaded ammo for it...Lemme take a quick look...50 rds of 44 Automag, most made from 308 Win cases...20grs of 2400 w/240gr FMJ-FT...It wasn't bad to shoot, but chambering a round was a cast iron bitch...those springs were heavy...

The 308 commercial brass was a thinner gauge than the 7.62 military; made forming the 357 cases easier...I still have the 357 AutoMag RCBS die set; I rechambered a S&W N-frame 357 Mag to 357/44 using 44 mag brass run through the 357 AutoMag dies...

Ah! I still have the receipt...I bought the AutoMag through a Shotgun News ad; I paid...$1895 for it on 8/11/1989...A High Standard 44 AutoMag with a spare TDE 357 AutoMag barrel...and both RCBS die sets, spare grips, and original plastic case...

I don't know what it sold for, back in 1994...I gave all my pistols/rifles etc to a local dealer/FFL holder to sell...had to pay off doctors/hospitals...

sheepherder · 02-07-2010, 09:04 AM

Back then, I experimented a lot with powders...Hercules 2400 seemed to burn cleanest in stainless pistols (AutoMag; Casull; Coonan; Ruger 44); and with 20grs to a shell, it shot pretty well...

I've been trying to order Win 231 through my local dealers for a couple months now; they've been unable to get it...(I use 231 for my 9mm and 7.65/7.63 loads)...

Might try Accurate Arms #7 or Hodgdon HS6 for my 9mm/7.6x loads if the Winchester powder is unavailable...

With the regs pertaining to hazardous material, it almost costs as much to have 1# powder shipped as it does to buy it...

Back when I had my AutoMag, there was a newsletter you could subscribe to that had a lot of articles about the AutoMag; reloading was a popular topic. I don't recall who started it, but he was a well known collector and is probably still around...(I included all my copies of the newsletter with the pistol when it was sold)...Little tidbits on what surfaces to polish; best lube for maintenance (I used LSA); articles about the electron-beam welding used to attach the barrel ribs...

Very interesting pistol. Rotary bolt and all.

alvin · 02-07-2010, 10:37 AM

Is it a heavy? Looks very big....

sheepherder · 02-07-2010, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick W.

Sounds like a home brew 357 Bains and Davis on the smith.........good job, a bit quicker than the original chambering huh?

Lots!

I was never too impressed with the excuse given for the 357/44 B&D sloping shoulder...We never had any extraction problems with this wildcat...

Quote:

I hear that HP38 is fairly close to W231...

I'm trying to get some AA #7 now...

Quote:

Jurris's Newsletter was around for a while, but not any more.

Yeah, that was it! Excellent reading...

Quote:

I am more fond of the 357 amp than the 44amp cartridge, because of the funny sound it makes on the range.

Yep! This S&W makes the same flat hollow sound...

Back when I first bought my 8 3/8" bbl'd S&W, Clymer would grind you a reamer to your specs...Just load up two dummy rounds, complete their order sheet w/dimensions, and they'd make it up for you...I did two in this configuration; one blued 6" bbl N-frame 357, and my nickled 8 3/8" bbl'd N-frame...

Just a few months back, I finally found another nickle N-frame 357 cylinder & crane...So I have a "kit gun" in both 357 calibers...

Pic below - 357/44 mag; 357 AMP; 44 AMP

Ice · 02-07-2010, 05:13 PM

I had a chance to buy a 44 Automag for $1900.00 about 5 years ago. Had to pass because I was almost broke at the time. They were and still are finely made and highly desirable pistols. Maybe one day.

Charlie

Conny · 02-07-2010, 07:06 PM

Alvin, fully loaded it gets close to 4 pounds. You really need good sized hands or a modified grip with smaller hands.

I enjoy the photo of one Automag shooting a 2 foot flame.

BogeyB · 02-07-2010, 10:14 PM

I fell in love with the Automag when I first saw it on the cover of Guns & Ammo. I was 17 at the time; and now 40 years later, I still don't have one! There is no problem in life that can't be solved by the proper amount of money or high explosive!!

Mike

02-06-2010, 11:35 AM	#1
Conny User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Culpeper, Va. Posts: 279 Thanks: 0 Thanked 26 Times in 13 Posts	My Big Gun This is a North Hollywood .44 Automag. I have owned this and another El Monte for about 10 years. Never shot either. Like a Luger, break a part while shooting, which happens more than most think, the value is gone. In the photo are some very hard to find original items. Original box and foam All paperwork that came with it. 3 clips Original Sandia and Norma ammo Rare parts kit Full oil bottle Both wrenches Bianchi clip pouch Complete set of dies Rare George Lawrence shoulder holster w/clip pouch attached (not shown) Hope you like. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Rangers Lead the Way, Duane Leiker

02-06-2010, 12:35 PM	#2
Ron Wood Moderator 2010 LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Santa Teresa New Mexico just outside of the West Texas town of El Paso Posts: 7,035 Thanks: 1,106 Thanked 5,242 Times in 1,719 Posts	Nice stuff! I have always liked those "Dirty Harry" guns. __________________ If it's made after 1918...it's a reproduction

02-06-2010, 07:21 PM	#4
Conny User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Culpeper, Va. Posts: 279 Thanks: 0 Thanked 26 Times in 13 Posts	Rick W.---I'm also on the new AutomagPistol.com board as well. I was on the last one but took a sabbatical. One of the guys on that board is developing a better bolt. Don't know how long that will take before ready to sell. I'm looking for a North Hollywood long barrel and the .357 6 1/2barrel as well as a North Hollywood long barrel. Kinda want to complete the set. I stopped reloading. Just got tired of making catridges out of308. Wildey produced 44 Automag for a while and I was lucky to buy 250rds before out of business......again. I love Starline brass. Got 1000 brass still sealed in the box. Talked to Clint from Stars & Stripes Ammo about pricing for loading the 1000 rds for me. Been talking with Walter Sanford about buying all the tooling for the pistol. He's sending me an inventory list of everything Monday. Price includes ownership of the Automag name brand as well. Grossman still works for him since the begining. Not saying I'm going to start making Automags but, with all the problems known now, a superior pistol could be built. I do think the price of a new manufactured Automag would most likely make production prohibitive. All depends on the financial analysis. Now that I'm older and having health issues, I'm going to start shooting my Automags and will, on occasion, carry one concealed with the shoulder holster. __________________ Rangers Lead the Way, Duane Leiker

02-06-2010, 09:11 PM	#5
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,195 Thanks: 1,415 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	I owned one of the later AutoMags, with both 44 and 357 AutoMag barrels. The 44 was Magna-Ported. The guys at the local gun club loved to watch me shoot it (and the 454 Casull). I bought it back in the late 1980's with two boxes of original ammo (made in Mexico, IIRC)... I still have some handloaded ammo for it...Lemme take a quick look...50 rds of 44 Automag, most made from 308 Win cases...20grs of 2400 w/240gr FMJ-FT...It wasn't bad to shoot, but chambering a round was a cast iron bitch...those springs were heavy... The 308 commercial brass was a thinner gauge than the 7.62 military; made forming the 357 cases easier...I still have the 357 AutoMag RCBS die set; I rechambered a S&W N-frame 357 Mag to 357/44 using 44 mag brass run through the 357 AutoMag dies... Ah! I still have the receipt...I bought the AutoMag through a Shotgun News ad; I paid...$1895 for it on 8/11/1989...A High Standard 44 AutoMag with a spare TDE 357 AutoMag barrel...and both RCBS die sets, spare grips, and original plastic case... I don't know what it sold for, back in 1994...I gave all my pistols/rifles etc to a local dealer/FFL holder to sell...had to pay off doctors/hospitals... Attached Thumbnails Attached Images

02-07-2010, 07:06 PM	#10
Conny User Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Culpeper, Va. Posts: 279 Thanks: 0 Thanked 26 Times in 13 Posts	Alvin, fully loaded it gets close to 4 pounds. You really need good sized hands or a modified grip with smaller hands. I enjoy the photo of one Automag shooting a 2 foot flame. __________________ Rangers Lead the Way, Duane Leiker

02-06-2010, 06:05 PM	#3
alvin User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: US Posts: 3,843 Thanks: 132 Thanked 729 Times in 438 Posts	Shooting these does bring in some risks. If it's not broken, then it's not broken. If it's broken, then out of luck, and too late. Link: He tried a $1,000,000 gun

02-07-2010, 09:04 AM	#6
sheepherder Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: ...on the 'ol Erie Canal... Posts: 8,195 Thanks: 1,415 Thanked 4,462 Times in 2,336 Posts	Back then, I experimented a lot with powders...Hercules 2400 seemed to burn cleanest in stainless pistols (AutoMag; Casull; Coonan; Ruger 44); and with 20grs to a shell, it shot pretty well... I've been trying to order Win 231 through my local dealers for a couple months now; they've been unable to get it...(I use 231 for my 9mm and 7.65/7.63 loads)... Might try Accurate Arms #7 or Hodgdon HS6 for my 9mm/7.6x loads if the Winchester powder is unavailable... With the regs pertaining to hazardous material, it almost costs as much to have 1# powder shipped as it does to buy it... Back when I had my AutoMag, there was a newsletter you could subscribe to that had a lot of articles about the AutoMag; reloading was a popular topic. I don't recall who started it, but he was a well known collector and is probably still around...(I included all my copies of the newsletter with the pistol when it was sold)...Little tidbits on what surfaces to polish; best lube for maintenance (I used LSA); articles about the electron-beam welding used to attach the barrel ribs... Very interesting pistol. Rotary bolt and all.

02-07-2010, 10:37 AM	#7
alvin User Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: US Posts: 3,843 Thanks: 132 Thanked 729 Times in 438 Posts	Is it a heavy? Looks very big....

02-07-2010, 05:13 PM	#9
Ice User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 552 Thanks: 13 Thanked 69 Times in 57 Posts	I had a chance to buy a 44 Automag for $1900.00 about 5 years ago. Had to pass because I was almost broke at the time. They were and still are finely made and highly desirable pistols. Maybe one day. Charlie

02-07-2010, 10:14 PM	#11
BogeyB Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Mc Donough, GA. Posts: 422 Thanks: 0 Thanked 227 Times in 99 Posts	I fell in love with the Automag when I first saw it on the cover of Guns & Ammo. I was 17 at the time; and now 40 years later, I still don't have one! There is no problem in life that can't be solved by the proper amount of money or high explosive!! Mike __________________ MAGA Always!! NRA Benifactor, GCA