[Jeff Higgins]

Very cool. I've never had the chance to own one, and have absolutely no idea what I would do with one, but it certainly is a nifty gun.

That said, they quickly earned a reputation of not being quited sorted, not ready for prime time, when AMT was making them. The design, if executed properly, was far more expensive to produce than the price point they were looking for. So, they didn't execute it properly, cutting corners in the production of a slightly less than refined design. They needed more development. Maybe the new manufacturer will bring it across the finish line, both in design and manufacturing. A short recoil design, operating at those kinds of breach pressures, has a lot of inherent problems, though. We'll see.

Of course, there is always the infamous question Keith first asked at the unveiling of the old 8mm Remington Magnum - "what the hell good is it?" (Keith was one of the progenitors of the .338 Winchester magnum, along with O'Neil and Haskins - remember the old .333 OKH?, and the .338 did everything better than Remington's new baby). His one question killed that cartridge, and Remington's dreams of selling it.

The same can be asked of the Automag (and Desert Eagle, for that matter). Too big for a carry gun. Impractical for home defense. Good for hunting, but revolvers are far, far better. Revolvers can handle the bullet weights and designs required for hunting that autos simply cannot. 250-300 grain hard cast semi wadcutters out of an Automag? Can't do it, which severely limits its usefulness in the hunting fields.

All of that said, I still want one... just because... And that's good enough for me.