AUTO MAG

Less than 9,000 Auto Mags were produced by all manufacturers. All pistols originally had all stainless steel mags., and a short recoil rotary bolt system made entirely of stainless steel. Most pistols were sold in .44 AMP cal., although .357 AMP was also a popular factory option.
A unique handgun, the Auto Mag was never a commercial success due to high manufacturing costs and initial functioning problems (mostly attributed to hand loading all the ammo - once factory ammo became available, reliability improved significantly). Initial reaction to Dirty Harry's use of this firearm in the movie "Sudden Impact" (1983), as well as Burt Reynolds in "Malone" (1987) made prices escalate considerably, but most values appear to have stabilized since 1989. Be aware of fakes - especially of the XP variety (re-serialized, re-stamped, location of markings, etc.). Also, the ease of barrel swapping should be considered when deciding on a potential purchase. Auto Mags were never Mag-Na-Ported from the factory (only The Custom 100 Series). Non-original Mag-Na-Porting actually detracts from the values listed below, since it is a non-factory alteration.
Serial number ranges for the various models are as follows: Pasadena mfg. - A0000 through A03700. TDE North Hollywood - mostly A02500 through A05015, although some were marked with very low serial numbers. TDE El Monte mfg. - A05016 through A08300. (Note: these numbers should only be used as a guideline - as the company name changed, serial numbers overlapped.)
Although High Standard claimed to be the national sales distributor in 1974 and 1975 and had flyers indicating this, Lee E. Jurras and Associates, Inc. was actually the exclusive world wide distributor. Despite this, High Standard records show sales of 1045 Auto Mags.
High Standard catalog numbers are: 9346 for .44 AMP, and 9347 for .357 AMP. High Standard sold 134 Auto Mags with an "H" prefix. Serial numbers between H1 and H198, with one at H1566 and three between H17,219-H17,222. 108 of these were .44 AMP and 26 were .357 AMP. High Standard also sold 911 Auto Mags between serial numbers A05278-A07637. 777 of these were .44 AMP and 108 were .357 AMP. The "H" prefix guns remain a collectors' item and command a 25% premium over values listed below. It is estimated that an additional 300 barrels were marked High Standard.
DE/OMC marked pistols - B00001 through B00370 are known as the "B" series or solid bolt models (only 370 manufactured). This "B" series also commands collector premiums.
AMT manufactured the last two lots of Auto Mags; the first was the "C" series and was basically the same as the "B" except that only 50 guns were fabricated. The "B" Series was manufactured in 1979. Serial numbered C00001-C00050 "C" Series was manufactured in 1979, and the "Last" Series was manufactured in 1982. The last Auto Mags made by AMT were appropriately serial numbered LAST 1 through LAST 50. These guns had the reputation of being the poorest quality, and do carry collector premiums. One interesting variation is the North Hollywood "two-line" model. Also, the first .357 cal. pistols manufactured did not have the words AUTO MAG appearing on the gun. These are also collectors' items.
In addition to the above calibers, a very few non-factory .22, .25 and .30 LMP (Lomont Magnum Pistols) cal. prototypes were fabricated by Kent Lomont. These specimens will usually demand a premium over the values listed below. Also, some barrels and pistols were made in Covina, CA.