What is Hardballer?
1.
The AMT Hardballer was a clone of the Colt M1911 made by the now defunct arms manufacturer Arcadia Machine and Tool. It fired .45 ACP rounds and was also available in a Longslide model with an extended barrel.
Arnold blew the shit out of people with a laser-scoped Hardballer Longslide in the Terminator.
Agent 47 of the Hitman game series uses customized twin Hardballers as his signature weapons.
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2.
A version of the M1911 built by Arcaida Machine and Tool (AMT) of Southern California. Made of stainless steel, it was originally marketed as a law enforcement weapon. It featured a short-style trigger and single-stack (8-shot) configuration. It was inexpensive for the 1911 design, too, which made it appealing as to law enforcement as well.
Unfortunately, the weapon was horribly unreliable with the hollowpoint ammuniton of that era (80's) and was given the nick-name 'Hardballer' as it would only feed 'hardball' or full-metal jacket ammunition with any reliability.
AMT latched onto the title and began selling it as a target pistol, and even produced a six-inch 'Longslide' version for match-grade uses. Finishes offered were natural stainless and hard chrome, a non-shiny version of the metal popular in the 70's and 80's because of its corrosion resistance.
The 'Silverballer' seen in the popular 'Hitman' video game series is an AMT Hardballer with a polished nickel or chrome finish, a custom feature which would also suggest that the feed ramp had also been polished (now standard on 1911's), which would make feeding hollow-point ammo a breeze.
AMT went out of business about a decade back, and as such 'Hardballers' are something of a collector's item these days.
I found a Hardballer at the gun show for cheap...
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3.
A slang name for the Colt Model 1911 .45 ACP, commonly called the
"Don't mess with him; he's packing his hardballer."
