The Auto Mag Barrel Project

Custom Aftermarket Barrels

In 1987, Brian was approached by Dan Gibbons, an Auto Mag aficionado from San Pedro, CA, asking Brian if he was interested in taking some 10-1/2” silhouette (non-ribbed) Auto Mag barrels and converting them to 8-1/2” vent rib configurations. Dan had a collection of these barrels in various chamberings and was looking to capitalize on the new interest generated from Clint’s movie Sudden Impact by producing (Clint style) barrels and marketing them. Brian converted an estimated 50 or so barrels for Gibbons until his collection was depleted. Dan continued buying barrels as they came available and Brian continued the work as they came in.

While employed at AMT, Brian was approached by Bruce Stark, a well-known connoisseur, historian and collector of the Auto Mag pistol. Bruce had just purchased a lot of unfinished barrels from AMT. They were of the 10-1/2” silhouette configuration in .45 Win Mag chambering and needed some final work to be done for completion. Brian finished the barrels, including the markings and Bruce received the barrels in good order.

After Brian left So Cal for Oregon, he continued his conversions of 10-1/2” silhouette to 8-1/2’ vent rib for customers as word spread of his services. Most were chambered in .357AMP, .44AMP & .45 Win Mag but there were a few off-chamberings as well. Some special configurations were now being requested and one particular customer commissioned Brian to custom build him two barrels in .475 Magnum in 10-1/2” & 12-1/2” non-ribbed lengths. These were powerhouse rounds and barely fit into the guns magazine. The builds were a complete success and the gun used in the shoot held up very well. But after only a few shots, the customer decided it would be best to shelve the barrels and Brian absolutely agreed.

After a few years Brian decided to produce a run of custom 8-1/2” vent rib Auto Mag barrels of his own. He produced a limited batch of 20 barrels in various chamberings including .357AMP, 44AMP, .45 Win Mag and a new round designated the .45 Stark. The barrels were a hit and word got out, creating a second round of requests, this time including the .41JMP.

Unfortunately, production was paused in the middle of the run due to unforeseen circumstances beyond Brian's control. But the good news is, he’s tooling up to complete the run and production is scheduled to recommence this summer with an ETA of completion in 2026.