Dear Readers! This is the fifth article in a series of publications devoted to weapons designed by American designer Robert Hillberg.
In previous installments, I introduced you to the Winchester Liberator and Colt Defender multi-barreled shotguns, the COP.357 Derringer concealed four-barrel pistol, and the Whitney Wolverine small-bore pistol.
Today I will introduce you to the Wildey pistol.
This material describes little-known events and contains some forgotten facts from 35-40 years ago. Therefore, my article differs from most of the works devoted to the history of the creation of the Wildey pistol and even from the information posted on the manufacturer's official website.
Wildey (Wilde) - the world's first pistol, which uses the principle of automation, based on the removal of powder gases from the barrel. That is, like a Kalashnikov assault rifle or an M-16 assault rifle.
This powerful pistol for hunting and target shooting owes much of its birth to two personalities: a man named Wildey J. Moore and the already known to you Robert Hillberg.
Its chamber can withstand the pressure of powder gases in the bore of up to 48,000 psi (3, 164 kg / cm² or 330.9 MPa) and more. It has been produced for more than 30 years by the Wildey F. A. Incorporated (Wildey Guns), which is located in the United States, in Warren, Michigan. Prior to that, the firm was based in Cheshire, Connecticut and Brookfield, Minnesota.
The Wildey pistol became widely known and is still sold today mainly through the 1985 film Death Wish III starring Charles Bronson.
A still from my favorite movie, The Red Sun, 1971. Starring Charles Bronson and Alain Delon.
Campaign founder Wildee Moore often repeats: “As soon as the film“Death Wish”is shown on cable TV again, in which Charles Bronson, firing a Wildey pistol, literally“knocks out”the bad guys from the shoes, orders start pouring in. . So Charles Bronson can be safely considered the face of Wildey, and the film with his participation is a commercial and an engine of commerce.
Wildie Moore and Charles Bronson
The Wildey pistol is comparable in power, size and weight with the famous Desert Eagle, and although it is less popular than the “Desert Eagle”, it surpasses it in age by a dozen years.
“Classmates” Wildey and Desert Eagle.
Campaign founder Wildie Moore is called self-taught who started his business from scratch. His career began at the American subsidiary of Stoeger Corp. - a subsidiary of the Benelli company, which, in turn, is owned by Beretta. He worked in the quality control department and was engaged in troubleshooting of component parts from which weapons were assembled.
His responsibilities included studying and assessing the quality of parts, compiling statistics on their typical breakdowns. There he quickly learned to analyze parts and identify design flaws.
Then Mr. Moore worked closely with the Winchester campaign, and then he helped the Swedish company Husqvarna AB adapt their products for the American market. This old campaign, founded by the order of the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf almost 400 years ago, was already producing muskets for His Majesty's army.
To the residents of Russia, the Husqvarna campaign is better known for its civilian products: it produces garden equipment (lawn mowers, gasoline saws, snow throwers), sewing machines, motorcycles, and garden tractors.
There is nothing surprising and supernatural in this: after all, the American manufacturer and inventor Eli (Eli) Whitney, whom I wrote about in my previous article, began with the fact that as a young man he developed a machine for the production of nails, years later, after he designed and patented a cotton gin (cotton gin).
The "Cannon King" Alfred Krupp (the largest arms supplier of his era) started his business by producing chamber pots, knives and forks in a small factory in Essen.
In the early 20th century, Rheinmetall and Walther produced mechanical calculating machines, both before and after World War II.
More recently, Oleg Falichev, in his article, reminded us that Tulamashzavod, one of the largest defense enterprises in Russia, was created in 1939 as a machine-tool plant.
And Uralvagonzavod? And the Izhevsk mechanical plant?
Unknown pages of history
Back in 1979, Wildie Moore admitted to Guns & Ammo editor Howard E. French that work on the creation of a powerful automatic pistol with a gas engine, which lasted about 7 years, was begun in Sweden, in the Husqvarna campaign: the one that Mr. Moore helped to adapt his products for the American market.
But gradually, the Swedes' interest in the development of a superpistol began to wane, and Wildie Moore seized the initiative and continued, which eventually bore fruit. True, not without outside help.
Anyway, on April 25, 1974, Wildie Moore applied for a patent, and on November 2, 1976 it was published (No. US 3988964 A). A patent was issued for “Gas operated firearm with metering adjustment”.
Photocopies of a patent issued to Wildie Moore for a gas operated gas valve
Whoever has the desire and opportunity to familiarize himself with the patent formula and a detailed description of the mechanism's operation in the original (English) will find it HERE.
Briefly, the principle of operation of the automation system is as follows: an annular piston with a short stroke is located in a cylinder around a stationary barrel, directly in front of the bolt and is driven by powder gases that enter through the holes in the barrel. The gas pressure in the cylinder can be regulated using a gas regulator made in the form of a rotary ring thrown over the barrel.
As I already wrote, this is the first pistol in the world with such an automatic system and a gas regulator. Prior to this, gas regulators were used in weapons of other classes: for example, in the German FG-42 assault rifle, in most machine guns (Hotchkiss, RPD, PK / PKM, FN MAG, Etc., Etc., Etc.) or even in a dual-medium APS (special submarine machine).
There are at least 6 opposing patents published between 1901 and 1976, with 2 of the most recent patents issued to the Finnish conglomerate Valmet Oy.
I believe that for the next few years, the novice designer, in his free time, conducted not only debugging tests and was engaged in finalizing his gas vent mechanism, but also worked on the creation of other units and mechanisms, their layout, on the appearance of his future pistol. He paid special attention to the location of the weapon controls: the magazine latch button, the slide stop lever, the fuse box. He even tried to make the shape of the handle and its angle of inclination as close as possible to that of the Colt-Browning М1911. This was done so that the shooters did not experience problems with retraining and act at the level of muscle memory: as you used the Colt, so use Wildie.
Traces lead to Winchester
It is not known how the fate of the Wildie Moore pistol would have developed if the Winchester campaign did not dare to continue work on the development of two new cartridges: 9 mm (.357) Winchester Magnum and.45 Winchester Magnum.
But after long disputes, calculations, refusals, approvals, disagreements, tests and measurements, the development epic ended, and new cartridges began to roll off the assembly line.
9 mm (.357) Winchester Magnum and.45 Winchester Magnum.
Soon after that, Wildie Moore presented his first ideas embodied in metal to the court of gun lovers: 2 prototype pistols for the new Winchester Magnum cartridges. Both prototypes were virtually identical, and the model was identified chambered for 9 mm Win. Magnum could only be done on a grooved barrel.
The very first shooting confirmed that the "gas automatics" reduces the recoil momentum. Thanks to it, the pistol, tentatively named “9 mm Winchester Magnum Wildey” (pictured below), had the same recoil as a pistol powered by.38 S&W Special cartridges, while the “.45 Winchester Magnum Wildey” pistol had the same recoil as a pistol chambered for.357 S&W Magnum.
The first Wildey Auto pistols: chambered for.45 Winchester Magnum (pictured above) and 9mm Winchester Magnum (pictured below).
Almost all parts of the pistol were made of stainless steel: the bolt and barrel extension of the gas regulator (416), and small parts from 410 steel.
The frame of the Wildey Auto pistol is made of very high quality, by machine processing
The pistols were equipped with adjustable rear sight, made only by the then gaining popularity of Jimmy Clark Sr. (Clark Custom Guns Inc). The magazine capacity for the model chambered for.45 Winchester Magnum cartridges was 8 pieces, and for 9 mm Winchester Magnum cartridges - 15 pieces. Versions with different barrel lengths were available: 5 ", 6", 7 ", 8" and 10 ".
The first prototype pistols weighed about 60 ounces (1.701 grams), but later they "lost weight" and weighed with a standard 6”barrel depending on the caliber of the cartridge 51 and 53 ounces, respectively (1.446 and 1.503 grams). For example, the Ruger Redhawk revolver chambered for.44 Magnum with a 7.5”barrel weighed 48 ounces (1.361).
Please note: in the Wildey Auto pistol, the next cartridge is fed from the magazine directly into the chamber. This design eliminates "sticking" and "skewing" of the cartridge.
Complete disassembly of the first generation Wildie pistol
There is a gap further in the story, but I will try to fill it.
Most likely, Mr. Moore finalized his pistol and it was put into production and then went on sale. Perhaps the first batches were made on the side, but under the Wildey trademark. It happens sometimes. (Remember, I wrote that Samuel Colt did not have his own production facilities, and therefore placed an order for the production of his Colt Walker Model 1847 revolvers with his friend, Eli Whitney.) bank for business expansion, built workshops, purchased equipment, hired personnel, etc.
There was a time when money was needed to expand the business, and Wildie Moore put 75% of his campaign shares on the free sale. Thus, the controlling stake went to random people who had nothing to do with the arms business and only stopped Moore's decisions. In addition, a group of shareholders formed an investment campaign to take control of Wildey Inc.
In January 1983, Wildie Moore was fired from his own campaign, but without him the firm went bankrupt in less than a year. It took several years of hard work for Mr. Moore to get his business back on its feet.
First generation Wildey pistol on magazine cover
Guns & Ammo, May 1979
The estimated cost of Wildy Auto pistols started at $ 389, while the average monthly salary in the United States in 1979 was $ 956.62. The possibility of changing the calibers of the first generation Wildey pistols was not provided, and if the shooter wanted to have pistols as chambered for.45 Winchester Magnum cartridges, and under 9 mm Win. Magnum, he would have to buy two pistols. Whether they had the ability to replace barrels (removed the standard 6 "barrel and replaced it with a 10" of the same caliber) is unknown. Perhaps this was all implemented later, in the second generation pistols.
Clipping from the magazine "GUNS & AMMO" for 1979 with the performance characteristics of the Wildey pistol.
How many first generation pistols were produced is unknown.
Over the years, the story of the first generation Wildey pistols has been forgotten, and the manufacturer's official website is modestly silent about these facts.
Another version
Most of the materials that I have been able to get acquainted with writes about it differently. While still at the Stoeger Corporation, Wildie Moore came up with the idea of creating a powerful automatic pistol of his own design, and he worked on its creation for ten years. Wildie Moore designed his pistol for the custom.45 Wildey Magnum and.475 Wildey Magnum cartridges.
This is someone's mistake, which has been reprinted from one article to another for 30 years. The.475 Wildey Magnum cartridge was developed in 1977 and began to be produced and marketed 2 years later (in 1979), but already in 1977 sales of the Wildey Auto pistol chambered for 9 mm (.357) Winchester Magnum and. 45 Winchester Magnum. It is possible that the Wildey Magnum family of cartridges were conceived during the testing and refinement of the first generation Wildey pistols. And the second generation of pistols could really be developed taking into account the created ammunition.
Wildey Magnum cartridges
On the official website of Wildey, they concisely write that the company is the owner of the patent for the.475 Wildey Magnum cartridge. Maybe there is such a patent, but I was looking badly.
.475 Wildey Magnum / 12x30mm / SAA 8720 / XCR 12 030 CRC 010. English Wikipedia has information that the.475 Wildey Magnum cartridge was developed in 1977 by Winchester. The.284 Winchester Magnum (7x55) rifle cartridge with 55, 12 mm case length became the donor for the Wildey pistol cartridge. The length of the sleeve was reduced to 30.4 mm, and the barrel was re-crimped to fit a bullet diameter of.475 "(12.1 mm). The total length of the cartridge is 40.0 mm, and the capacity of the sleeve is 32 grams. Water or 2.5 cm3. Cartridges.475 Wildey Mag are available with 230 grain (14.9 g) FMJ bullets and 265 (17.17 grams) JHP and JSP bullets, 300 (19.4) and 350 grains (22.68 grams). the type of bullet, powder charge and the length of the barrel from which it flies, its muzzle velocity ranges from 490-560 m / s, and the bullet energy is 2300-2600 J. The following ratio is considered optimal: 18 grains of BlueDot powder and a JSP-type bullet weighing 300 In this case, the speed of the bullet is 1610 fps (490 m / s), and the energy of the bullet is 1727 foot-pounds (2341 J.). With a barrel length of 18 "(45, 72 cm), these values are higher, they are comparable to the indicators bullet fired from a Kalashnikov assault rifle.
Right to left:.44 Auto Mag,.45 Winchester Magnum,.45 Wildey Magnum,.475 Wildey Magnum
.45 Wildey Magnum / 11mm Wildey / 11mm Wildey Magnum /.45 Wildey / ECRA-ECDV 11 030 BRC 010..45 Winchester Magnum became the donor for the.45 Wildey cartridge. It is produced with FMJ bullets weighing 230, 250 and 260 grains and a sample of gunpowder from 22, 0 to 19, 5 grains, respectively. The average speed of bullets fluctuates around 1829 fps (557, 5 m / s).
Prices
On the manufacturer's website, prices for ammunition for Wildey pistols are not indicated. They write: contact, they say, the nearest dealer. And on ammo-one.com,.45 Wildey and.475 Wildey cartridges can be ordered for $ 4.95 / unit.
At various times, 6 types of cartridges were developed specifically for Wildey:.30 Wildey (.30 Wildey Magnum),.357 Peterbilt (.357 Wildey Magnum),.41 Wildey Magnum (10 mm Wildey Magnum),.44 Wildey Magnum (11 mm Wildey Magnum),.45 Wildey Magnum,.475 Wildey Magnum.
As far as I know, only 2 lower types of cartridges from this list are produced and, accordingly, weapons for them.
The WILDEY is made for handloaders
Wildy is made for handlers! As Wiederlader wrote in his article, self-loading ammunition is a pleasure for the lucky few who can appreciate the beauty of a self-made shot. An article on the Kalibr. RU website.
I will not write much - many of you understand this much more than I do. I will give just a few numbers. On Wildey's website for $ 65.95, you can order 100 brass cases for 475 rounds (.475 Wildey Brass 100 pieces). It is unknown whether they are supplied with or without primers. They also offer to buy matrices (Dies).
You will have to look for gunpowder on the side.
Wildey recommends using custom bullets from the leading manufacturer: Hawk Precision Bullets for self-loading cartridges for their pistols.
And to form sleeves for.475 Wildey cartridges from.284 Winchester donors, I found the following die sets: Case Forming Die Set (CFDS) from RCBS.
In addition to casings, dies and gunpowder, you will need a press, dispensers and scales, a primer, a trimmer, a trickler, chemicals and much more for reloding. In addition, hands that grow from where it is necessary, and a head that will guess not to arrange a workshop in his kitchen or garage.
Remember, in the novel by Ilf and Petrov “12 chairs”, Father Fyodor dreamed of a small candle factory? Throwing in an idea: a combine for mass production of cartridges.
As far as I can tell, this is an activity for wealthy gun gourmets who also have a lot of free time.
The second part of the Marlezon ballet
It seems to me that some time later, Wildie Moore, as an experienced defect specialist and the most interested person in the entire enterprise, analyzed customer reviews and came to the conclusion that his product needs further refinement.
As a result, on June 2, 1980, Wildie Moore files an application, and on February 15, 1983 publishes a patent for “Gas operated mechanism having automatic pressure regulator”. Patent claims and detailed description in original (eng.) HERE.
I am sure that after the creation of the new gas automatics, Moore experienced difficulties. Why do I think so? Judge for yourself: his pistol uses Robert Hillberg's patented technical solutions.
Two years later (September 11, 1978) after the publication by Wildie Moore of a patent for his first-generation gas vent mechanism (count a year and a half after the start of production), Robert Hillberg files an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office, and on June 24, 1980 a patent is published for the “Firearm hammer blocking safety mechanism”. The mechanism blocked the trigger and the hammer and also impeded the movement of the striker.
Patent for “Firearm hammer blocking safety mechanism”
Patent claims and detailed description in original (eng.) HERE
Wildey Firearms Company becomes the patentee.
Then 2 more patents of inventor Robert Hillberg became the property of the Wildey Firearms campaign.
The method of attaching the cheeks to the handle of a firearm (Firearm grip assembly). Thanks to this simple device, the side panels of the handle (cheeks) were fastened without screws, but with the help of spring latches: like in some TT and Korovin pistols. Application filed January 29, 1979, published September 09, 1980.
Patent for the method of attaching the cheeks to the handle of a firearm (Firearm grip assembly)
Patent claims and detailed description in original (eng.) HERE
Firearm magazine safety mechanism. Thanks to this mechanism, after removing the magazine, the trigger of the weapon was blocked. Filed March 12, 1979, published September 29, 1981
Safe Magazine Removal Mechanism Patent
for small arms (Firearm magazine safety mechanism)
Patent claims and detailed description in original (eng.) HERE.
I believe that both designers could well have met in the 60s of the last century in the Winchester campaign: just above I wrote that Wildie Moore was closely cooperating with this campaign, and Hillberg at that time “wooed” them with his four-barreled Liberator shotgun.
Apparently, a favorable moment came when the two engineers joined forces and brought to mind a pistol that was rare in terms of its qualities. After that, the Wildey pistol entered its mature stage: the second generation of Wildey pistols appeared.
Second generation Wildey pistol
The pistols of the Wildey system use automation with the removal of part of the gases from the barrel and locking the barrel with a rotary bolt for 3 lugs.
To use the widest range of bullets and more accurate shooting, their barrels are fixed.
In short, the principle of operation of the automation system is as follows: an air-hydraulic piston with a short stroke is located in a gas cylinder around a fixed barrel, directly in front of the bolt. It is powered by powder gases that enter through 6 gas outlet holes drilled in front of the chamber along the circumference of the barrel.
After the shot, the pressure of the powder gases is created in the gas cylinder, and when it reaches a value greater than the force of the return spring, the piston acts on the bolt and pulls it back, unlocking the barrel bore.
At the same time, the liner is ejected.
Since the bullet has already left the barrel by this point, the excess gas pressure is released through the barrel bore and / or gas outlet holes located in the gas tube at the end of the gas piston stroke, and the return spring begins to push the bolt carrier forward, sending the next cartridge into the chamber.
The gas pressure in the cylinder can be regulated using a 6-position gas regulator, made in the form of a rotary ring (union nut on the barrel). Adjusting the pressure of the powder gases (dosage) gives the shooter the opportunity to slightly reduce the recoil force to acceptable values: the amount of powder can be different.
When the rotary ring is in the extreme left position, the access of powder gases to the cylinder stops, and the shutter movement back is impossible, but the pistol can function in non-automatic mode: after each shot, the shooter manually distorts the bolt carrier and thus the spent cartridge case is removed and the next cartridge is sent to the chamber trunk.
Barrels with shutters are replaceable, which allows barrels of different lengths to be installed on a single frame, as well as for cartridges of different calibers. (Does it look like Hillberg TRI-MATIC?)
With the exception of the Silhouette and Carbine versions, the rest of the models are equipped with a double action trigger. The fuse is located on the left side of the weapon frame. Sights (rear sight) are adjustable, it is possible to install multi-colored flies, there are mounts for mounting on the barrel of optical sights.
The trigger pull is 4 pounds (1.8 kg), but experienced shooters have the ability to adjust it.
Pistols chambered for.45 Winchester Magnum are available in 5 ", 6", 7 ", 8", 10 ", 12" and 14 "barrels. The rest of the cartridges are available in 8", 10 ", 12" and 14 barrels. ", but by special order you can get a barrel of any length.
According to the manufacturer, this pistol is quite suitable for hunting deer and bear, but some successfully hunt elk (from Ussuri to American).
The lineup
Survivor and Survivor Guardsman Series
Survivor - survivor, survivor. Guardsman - guardsman, sentry. All Survivor and Survivor Guardsman pistols are made from bright stainless steel. This is the only way they differ from the Hunter and Hunter Guardsman series.
Their only difference is the shape of the trigger guard. The pistols of the Survivor version have a trigger guard with a rounded profile, while the pistols of the Survivor Guardsman version have an angular trigger guard designed to hold the weapon when firing with both hands.
Hunter and hunter guardsman series
Hunter is a hunter. Guardsman - guardsman, sentry. All pistols in the Hunter and Hunter Guardsman series are made of stainless steel with a matte finish. This is their only difference from the Survivor and Survivor Guardsman pistols.
Let me explain with an example. The Survivor Wildey pistol differs from the Hunter Wildey pistol only in that the former glitters like a mirror, while the latter is matte. Another example. The Survivor Wildey pistol differs from the Hunter Guardsman Wildey pistol only in that the former shines like a mirror and a rounded trigger guard, while the latter has a matte finish and an angular trigger guard. In general, "a nix hunter". In my opinion, they were too clever with their nomenclature.
Prices
Prices for pistols of the Survivor and Hunter series depend on the length of the barrel.
When placing an order, you can choose the shape of the trigger guard and the caliber of the cartridges (this does not affect the price).
Barrels up to 7 "are available in.44 Auto Magnum and.45 Winchester Magnum. Models 8" and larger are available in.44 Auto Magnum,.45 Winchester Magnum,.45 Wildey Magnum and.475 Wildey Magnum. …
Wildey PIN GUN
At one time, the manufacturer received many letters from its customers, from which it became known that many of the owners of Wildie pistols are fond of plinking (entertaining shooting at various non-standard targets). To be precise, Bowling Pin Shooting.
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Since the shooting is carried out not only for accuracy, but also for speed, and the recoil of the pistol is not childish, after each shot the barrel threw up strongly and it took time to restore aiming. Customers asked the manufacturer to reduce the recoil momentum without changing the caliber.
Taking into account the wishes of their customers, the specialists of the campaign reacted immediately and developed a muzzle attachment for damping recoil, but decided to make good money on the weaknesses of fans of fast shooting at pins. As a result, interchangeable barrels of different lengths and chambered for cartridges of different calibers with built-in DTK appeared.
As the manufacturer assures, barrels with DTK significantly reduce the recoil force, speed up preparation for the next shot and improve the accuracy of the battle. These barrels can be fitted to almost any Wildie pistol.
What clients do with their old barrels, I have no idea. Perhaps they are shooting at refrigerators - in this case, special accuracy is not required.
The cost of barrels with a built-in muzzle brake-compensator depends on their length, finish (bright stainless steel or matte finish) and, possibly, caliber. The price for additional barrels with a DTK varies from $ 670.30 to $ 1, 248.00.
And for those who like to joke at pins, who have not yet had time to purchase a Wildey system pistol, the manufacturer offers a ready-made solution: Wildey PIN GUN.
This is the same pistol, but it was originally equipped with a barrel with a built-in DTK.
You can order any combination: with a polished stainless steel frame and barrel or with a matte finish, with an angular or rounded trigger guard. The barrel length is also selectable. Available in 7 ", 8", 10 ", 12", and 14 "barrels.
