October 30 - November 2, 2018 Firearms, Militaria, & Sporting
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/31/2018
In 1971 Harry Sanford, working out of a little shop in Pasadena, California, began production of the now famous .44 Auto Mag semi-automatic pistol. It is designed to hold seven rounds of the special .44 AMP ammunition. Design features included exposed hammer, adjustable trigger, satin stainless steel finish and sharply checkered stocks of black plastic; weighing 56 oz empty with 11-1/2" overall length. It was a brand new pistol for a brand new cartridge and the most powerful semi-automatic made at that time. It was a big, massive handgun that combined devastating punch with long range accuracy and up to eight shots as fast as you can pull the trigger. This pistol set the handgun world on fire. during the course of its manufacture, its high price tag and lack of readily available factory ammo early on, the company changed hands several times; but it is the early Pasadena Models that captures the fancy of both shooters and collectors alike. Because it was a small company, the owner allowed individual employees Model 180 as a bonus. This particular pistol was built by an employee whose initials were "KEF" and bears serial No. 10, making it both a hand fitted model and one of the earliest known serial numbers. This gun was eventually acquired by a hunting guide directly from the employee as a gift for a successful hunt. CONDITION: This pistol is basically indiscernible from any other production model with its distinctive space gun vent rib and target adjustable rear sight. There are a few minor rubs but is still 98% or better, showing little to no use. Near new inside and a silky smooth action. Comes in the original black plastic carry case with two Allen screwdrivers, along with one extra magazine, large bag of internal parts including three firing pins and enough small parts to nearly complete the guts of another gun, an extra pair of grips, and an Auto Mag Pasadena oil bottle. Latch on plastic case is broken. Also included is a magazine article on this gun from November 1971, some loading data, and set of reloading dies, a couple hundred prime shells and a holster. Basically everything you need to shoot and/or repair this pistol if needed. Bottom line; one of a kind, early production, employee built bonus gun of which no other exact pistol exists. It is hard to believe, looking at this gun that it is nearly 50 years old, as the design is as radical today as it was in 1971. A few other unique big bore semi-automatics were to follow such as the Coonan and the Wildey, but this was the one to start the entire craze. This pistol has taken on as much fame in Hollywood as it has in the gun world, first appearing on the big screen in 1981 in the motion picture "Scared to Death", it really hit the red carpet in 1983 with the Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry release of "Sudden Impact", along with six other motion pictures through 1995 and was in the hands of drug dealer Ted Nugent in an episode of Miami Vice season two.
Item Dimensions: 13 - 1/2 x 10 x 3 - 1/2"
Accessories
Case, Reloading pieces, Extra parts