Home /
IMPERIAL HANDGUN .40" UP TO .449" /
44 AUTO MAG
Click to zoom
IMPERIAL HANDGUN .40" UP TO .449"
44 AUTO MAG
44 · 3 headstamps · 4 scans
| Calibre | 44 |
| In the cabinet | IMPERIAL HANDGUN .40" UP TO .449" · 7 images |
Reading the headstamp
12 o'clockMaker's name or factory code
6 o'clockCalibre or year of manufacture
CentrePrimer — Berdan or Boxer, and any seal colour
Research notes
Harry Sanford who was the president of the Auto Mag Corporation started the design of the 44 Auto Mag, or 44 AMP in 1958. It was based on the 308 Win case cut to 1.298in and loaded with a .429 cal bullet to a muzzle velocity of just over 1,400 fps and was originally conceived as a hunting round. Sanford and his partner Max Gera continued to refine the design and the first Auto Mag pistols were produced in 1969. In 1970 the company leased property in Pasadena Ca, and the first pistols were shipped on the 8th of August 1971. The guns were extremely well made, but they were sold way under market value and the company declared bankruptcy on the 3rd of May 1972. (Erlmeier, Brandt Ref. 400)
Provenance
2018Catalogued in the collection
2023Record last revised · 2023-05-11
Same drawer
