Dear Readers! This is the fourth in a series of articles on weapons designed by American designer Robert Hillberg.
In the previous installments, I introduced you to the Liberator and Colt Defender multi-barreled shotguns, as well as the COP.357 Derringer concealed four-barrel pistol. Today I will introduce you to the Whitney Wolverine pistol.
Whitney Wolverines were short-lived, very few in production, but these eye-catching pistols were built to win. They deserved a better fate. They were just born at the wrong time …
It just so happened that it was on this little-known creation of Robert Hillberg that I collected the most information. And I decided that all the material should be included in this article, since the information collected deserves to be shared. Each historical fact in this article shows how winding road the designer approached his intended goal and how tragically this path ended.
This elegant pistol was not dreamed of by Robert Hillberg one night. He did not design it in one day, but went to its creation for many years, while working on other projects in parallel. As the years passed, Hillberg gained experience and knowledge in various fields, and gradually in his mind the idea became clear and took shape, which was eventually embodied in metal.
The story of one name
Agree that the name or title is of great importance. For example, giving a child the name Adolphe is extremely unwise: watch the film “Name / Le prénom” (2012) and see how troublesome it is. Or give a business class car the name “Proton Perdana” and try to sell it in Russia.
Our guest today has a very old and venerable name that dates back to January 1798.
It all started with a contract for the supply of 10 thousand muskets for the US government, which was concluded with a manufacturer and inventor named Eli (Eli) Whitney. One of the clauses of the contract stated that the contract must be completed within 2 years.
Eli Whitney was the first to try to organize production based on a combination of machine power, division of labor and the principle of interchangeability. Before him, weapons were made individually, and parts from one gun were often not suitable for another. While Mr. Whitney, during the execution of the contract, was trying to establish production on the principle of interchangeability of parts, he was overdue for the order by as much as 8 years, but he completed the next order (for 15 thousand muskets) in just 2 years.
Fortunately, I was able to find images of muskets from the Whitney factory.
Images of Whitney brand muskets supplied to the US government under a second contract (15,000 pieces). These were the first muskets to be assembled from standard interchangeable parts.
And here is a photo of the first Whitney revolver.
The first revolver produced by the Eli Whitney factory.
Eli Whitney in person
Over time, his father's business was continued by his son: Eli Whitney Jr. It was Junior who at his father's factory launched the “Colt Walker Model 1847” revolvers into mass production for his friend Samuel Colt. It was the first Colt to be assembled from standard interchangeable parts.
So the family business went from old to young, until Eli Whitney IV sold the production of Winchester Repeating Arms, which was located nearby, and after that the Whitney company ceased to exist.
Whitney Wolverine: Wolverine by Uncle Eli Whitney
Robert Hillberg worked on the design of the pistol that became known as the Whitney Wolverine in the early 1950s. This elegant pistol owes its name to two things: the inventor and industrialist Eli (Eli) Whitney and Robert Hillberg's favorite soccer team, the Michigan Wolverines at the University of Michigan.
What's in a name?
Whitney is a clever marketing ploy. Bellmore-Johnson Tool Co. (partner Winchester) decided to enter the arms market and for this she invited Robert Hillberg. For a new direction, it was better to create a subsidiary company and it was necessary to give it a worthy name: after all, how you name a ship - so it will sail. And having thought about it, they decided to place the production workshops almost on the ruins of the Eli (Eli) Whitney mill and restore the name of the good old company, which had long ceased to exist and, by the way, was once bought out by Winchester.
So there was a company called Whitney Firearms Inc., which had nothing to do with the office of Uncle Eli Whitney, but, as the owners of the newly created company assured, “shared his point of view and philosophy”.
Who's the smartest?
Robert Hillberg, who had just retired from High Standard Manufacturing Company (HSM Co.), where he served as head of research and development, was hired as chief designer for the new company.
It was only thanks to Hillberg that High Standard became the first arms company to use aluminum alloys on a wide commercial basis. Prior to this, aluminum alloys were used only for the needs of the army, navy and air force.
By that time, Hillberg had worked for Colt, Pratt & Whitney, Bell Aircraft, Republic Aviation and High Standard, so he had experience. And so this person was invited to a new enterprise to lead the process. Rumor has it that it was Hillberg who proposed to name the company after the pioneer Eli Whitney.
Everything in order and with details
By that time, Hillberg, for several years at home, in his spare time was working on the idea of creating a "single pistol" for the most popular cartridges of those years:.22LR,.32 ACP and.380 ACP. The idea was to offer customers one unified pistol frame complete with 3 Conversion Kits. This would allow shooters to easily change the caliber of the pistol by simply changing the barrels and magazines. And in 1949, such a pistol was born, and it was called the Hillberg TRI-MATIC.
Like all developments by Robert Hillberg, TRI-MATIC was distinguished by its simplicity of design, efficiency of use, ease of maintenance and low cost. The only photograph of the Hillberg TRI-MATIC pistol has survived to this day, and I have not found the slightest description of this pistol.
Hillberg TRI-MATIC pistol (1949)
On the basis of the Hillberg TRI-MATIC pistol, an army version was also developed.
Judging by the inscription on the photo, the designer decided to offer a pistol chambered for 9 mm (possibly.380 ACP) for the army without the possibility of replacing the barrel. With its overall layout, this small self-loading pistol is reminiscent of the PM or Walther PP. Like them, the Hillberg Military Pistol (let's call it that) is built on the basis of an automatic blowback. The pistol was made almost entirely of steel, equipped with a double-action trigger mechanism (self-cocking) with an open trigger, and the return spring was most likely located around a fixed barrel. It differed from the PM and Walter PP in the larger magazine capacity: it was 13 rounds.
Hillberg Military Pistol (1949-1950)
How many Military Pistol pistols were collected and how the army tests ended is not known. Most likely, the military was quite happy with the Colt M1911 in service, but maybe the design of Hillberg's pistol needed serious improvements.
In general, in 1954, Robert Hillberg moved with his pistol development from High Standard to Bellmore-Johnson Tool (BJT Co.) to implement his project, as new employers offered him complete freedom of action.
Finally, he will do his favorite thing and make his dream come true: he will finish the development of a long-conceived pistol and start producing it!
Soon it was decided to develop only a version of the pistol chambered for the.22 LR cartridge for sports and recreational shooting, and the pistol mutated, while retaining the outlines of its progenitor, which were made in the style of "space design of the atomic era". Already in July 1954, a patent was obtained for the trigger and fuse (sear mechanism disconnected by breech block motion).
Work on the new pistol lasted more than a year, and in January 1956, another patent was received in the name of Robert Hillberg.
Experienced Whitney Wolverine pistol chambered for.22 LR. Made on his knees by Robert Hillberg
BJT Co. specialized in the production and sale of cutting and punching tools, casting molds, etc., and it did not have additional production capacity and skilled workers, a marketing department and everything else for the production and successful promotion of a completely new product for them: small arms. Despite this, BJT Co. did not give up the idea of producing weapons, but in order to build new workshops, purchase the necessary equipment, hire skilled workers, etc., solid capital was needed.
To do this, Robert Hillberg and Bellmore-Johnson Tool CEO Howard Johnson traveled to New York to see well-known firearms distributor Jacques Galef to show him Hillberg's pistol and negotiate marketing arrangements.
The pistol made a huge impression on Galef with its appearance, and when they went to the shooting range and Hillberg personally demonstrated the capabilities of his brainchild, Monsieur Galef was struck on the spot: he swore that he was a seasoned man and had seen a lot, but he was such a fast and accurate shooting in life did not see. (They say that during the master class, Hillberg made 10 accurate shots in 3 seconds.) And therefore, without unnecessary chatter, he offered to take over the marketing of this pistol on exclusive rights and said that he was ready to buy a batch of 10 thousand copies.
Whitney Wolverine Partial Disassembly
Around this time, the idea arose to create a customized version of the pistol. This is how it might look:
A bold sketch by Buck Rogers titled "Ray gun". The artist developed the design for the sports target pistol, including a muzzle brake-compensator and an adjustable rear sight.
Most likely, the "beam cannon" for the Jedi Knights remained to exist only on paper, but custom pistols still existed.
Whitney Wolverine Nickel finish with flame arrester and fully adjustable.
Hillberg and Johnson soon registered Hillson Firearms (a combination of HILLberg and johnSON), and in April 1955 a contract was signed stating that J. L. Galef & Son Inc. commits to purchase a batch of 10,000 Hillberg pistols, and for guaranteed repeat business, Galefa is recognized as the exclusive distributor of Hillson Hillberg pistols. The contract also stipulated the possibility of regular purchases of 10 thousand pistols in each subsequent calendar year.
The parties agreed that the manufacturer sets a fixed wholesale purchase price for the distributor, which will be $ 16.53 per unit. It sounds a little implausible, but Hillberg and Johnson did not become greedy and look for a better offer, but decided to limit themselves to a small profit, but in the near future.
With this exclusive agreement, Hillson Firearms applied to the First National Bank of New Haven for a loan - and received it. Then the newly minted manufacturers set about looking for a place to build a plant and thought about changing the name of their company. As I said, it was re-baptized with a long-range scope at Whitney Firearms Inc.: in honor of the inventor Eli Whitney, since they decided to build the plant one mile from the place where the same Whitney's mill once stood. It didn't get any closer: at that time, the old Whitney site belonged to the New Haven Water Company, and the land was not for sale.
In 1956, the production of the pistol began at a slow pace.
By the way, they also decided to rename it, like the company, and it became known as Whitney Wolverine.
Whitney Wolverine Anodized blue pistol in original packaging
They were produced in two versions: cheaper and more common: Anodized blue (blued), and more expensive and rare - Nickel finish (nickel look). Retail prices for Whitney Wolverine pistols were as follows: blued body $ 39.95, nickel plated $ 44.95. That is, Mr. Galef earned at least $ 23.42 on the resale of one pistol and nothing stuck together.
Whitney Wolverine performed by Nickel finish
Sales began under the slogan: "New Whitney Gunsmith Take Over Historical Name To Break Conservatism With An Inexpensive, Ergonomic.22 LR Pistol."
One of the earliest owners of this pistol was none other than Rex Applegate. The legendary US Army Colonel praised it as "the most reliable and most accurate.22 LR pistol I have ever wielded."
One of the owners of Whitney Wolverine posted a photo of the target.
Burst of 10 shots from 15 yards (13.72 meters)
The good news was that the volume of production is gradually increasing and entrepreneurs will soon be making a profit. But after a couple of weeks, the bad news emerged: there would be no profit, as the wholesale price ($ 16.53 / pc) assigned to the distributor only covers production costs. That is, the manufacturer sells his product at cost. To reduce production costs, some changes were made to the design of the pistol, but the situation could only really be improved by raising the wholesale price by $ 3.00 / pc. And what normal entrepreneur would agree to this? The distributor price remains unchanged.
In the summer of 1953, the Whitney Firearms produced 330 pistols a week and the company suffered losses every week. The fact is that with large sales volumes, you can make a profit even by selling a product with a minimum margin. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the distributor (Jacques Galef) notified the manufacturer to suspend deliveries: his warehouse was already full of their finished products, but there was no demand for them, although everyone was sure that the trunks would be snapped up like hot cakes. It was a devastating blow to the Whitney Firearms: the company was bound hand and foot by an exclusive agreement with Galef & Son Inc., according to which they were not allowed to sell their products to other distributors. And Galef could no longer and did not want to buy, because there was no one to sell. Whitney needed new distribution channels like a breath of fresh air, or it would go bankrupt faster than its little pistol could fire.
True, any contracts with new partners meant not only the resumption of production and the ability of the company to stay afloat, but also the payment of penalties to Monsieur Galef, the legal exclusive distributor. After a frantic search for new partners, two large networks from the West Coast became interested in the Whitney Wolverine pistol: Sears and Montgomery Ward. However, hopes were dashed, and the deal fell through.
An attempt was made to sell Whitney Wolverine in Mexico, but the meager demand plus changes in the Mexican import law put an end to this venture.
To reduce the cost of production, a crazy idea arose to save money on the design of the pistol, but they did not dare to deprive their offspring of attractiveness.
In the end, a difficult decision was made: not to get involved in litigation with Galef's company, but to sell everything possible and pay off your debts. In 1957, the Whitney Firearms were sold with giblets to industrial equipment dealer Charles E. Lowe Sr. who owned a nearby store in Newington, Connecticut. Old man Charlie was aware of the situation and bought the business on the cheap.
During the entire existence of Whitney Firearms Inc. 10,793 pistols were produced, of which 10,360 were delivered to the Galef & Son warehouse. It was a difficult period in the life of a gunsmith, in whose eyes his old dream was crumbling.
Intrigues again
The new owner, Charles Lowe, retained its old name, but changed ownership from Inc. (a corporation, practically the same as Limited, or in our opinion, LLC.) on Co.: general partnership. Then, no longer bound by exclusive contracts, he launched production, which was slowly promoted thanks to an advertising campaign that was carried out not only in the American press, but also in the most famous foreign weapons magazines.
"The fastest and most accurate pistol." Apparently, a photo of a father with a son should mean that even a child can shoot accurately from this pistol. And below there is an inscription for morons: "The weapon will not shoot with the magazine disconnected." What a touching concern for consumers!
Guns Magazine, March 1958 (litigation already underway)
Caption under the portrait: "Eli Whitney is the father of interchangeable weapon parts"
However, in February 1958, Galef & Son filed a lawsuit against the renewed Whitney company, claiming that the terms of the contract had been violated. The new owner claimed that the terms of the contract signed with the old owners were met: a batch of Hillberg pistols in the amount of 10,000 pieces (and even more) was delivered to Mr. due to weak consumer demand, and in addition said that Galef & Son is suing another company: they just have consonant names.
Charles Lowe argued that he did not buy the entire business, but only the physical assets of the company (equipment, etc.) and Hillberg's patents, and then leased them to a new company (partnership). The trial threatened to drag on for an indefinite period, and sales of the pistol did not go shaky, not roll. In addition, in the event that Galef wins the lawsuit, all profits from the sale of the pistol will be awarded to Galef, and in addition, he would have demanded compensation for legal costs and non-pecuniary damage. Production was suspended. In the end, the conflict was resolved, but time was lost and the pistol disappeared from sale.
Instead of resuming production, it was decided to liquidate it and sell the remaining 1,100 pistols in bulk to various distributors.
On such a tragic note, the first life of the undoubtedly excellent and extraordinary Whitney Wolverine pistol ended.
It was a cruel lesson, but Hillberg learned it and his next developments (Liberator and Defender) he already offered to the giants of the arms industry. But that's a completely different story, and you've read about it.
So what is the reason for our failures?
According to experts (see the list of references), there were several reasons why the pistol and its creator were pursued by failures and suffered a quick death. Since Hillberg and Johnson were excellent techies (each in their own field), but they did not understand anything about marketing, they turned to Galef & Son for help.
Obviously, the enslaving agreement with Galef's company was one of the main factors, from which several reasons followed at once:
- the manufacturer did not have the opportunity to conclude contracts with other networks for the distribution of products;
- the contract stipulated a fixed price, due to which the manufacturer received almost zero profit;
- the traditional form of sale at that time, which Galef also used: ordering and delivery of goods by mail.
Whitney had no idea how Galef & Son would market and market their pistol. They expected to see their pistols in shop windows and on the shelves of weapons stores across the country, while Galef stupidly advertised in the press, waited for orders and sent purchases by mail. That is, the potential buyer did not have the opportunity to go to the store, hold the gun in his hands, turn it around, try on it, etc.
Perhaps the second factor was that the pistol "changed its name frequently."
Most of the products have been known all their lives under one name (sometimes the second name is assigned for export: "Zhiguli" - "Lada"). And the Hillberg system pistol had a lot of them: at the beginning it was conceived as a multi-caliber and was called Tri-Matic, but after the registration of the Hillson company, after undergoing significant changes, it received the working name Hillson-Imperial. By the way, the name Hillson was never present on any of their Hillberg pistols.
As I wrote earlier, during the first presentation of the pistol at the shooting range, Monsieur Galef was struck outright: he swore that he had never seen such a rapid-fire pistol with such accurate combat before. He was so impressed that he sort of exclaimed, "It shoots like lightning!" (He shoots like lightning!) Galef insisted that the word Lightning be present in the advertisements he posted in the press.
Advertising of those years, which was published by Galef: under the slogan "10 shots in 3 seconds" there is "Lightning Model"
6 exceptional features of the Whitney Wolverine pistol: rapid firing, solid, balanced, accurate combat, gentle trigger, lightweight.
By the way, the name Lightning was also never present on any of the Hillberg pistols.
Please note: All announcements indicate that Galef & Son is the exclusive distributor
In the end, in honor of Robert Hillberg's favorite football team, he got his most famous name: Wolverine (Wolverine). But even with this name it did not work out very well. The fact is that the Lyman Gunsight Company plant was located a few miles in the vicinity of the Whitney plant. So: that factory, among other things, also produced optical sights under the registered trademark Lyman Wolverine.
Optical sight Lyman Wolverine
Well what can you say? Sheer bad luck … Since the owners of these businesses were friends, since Wolverine was a registered trademark of Lyman, and in order to maintain good neighborly friendship instead of dragging around the courts, Whitney decided to abandon the name "Wolverine". They say that after this decision, the Hillberg pistols began to be called simply: Hillberg Semi-Auto Pistol.22 LR. By the way, I have not seen this name in any photo of the Hillberg pistols.
Another reason for failure can be called the general term "market conditions". Unlike the Whitney Wolverine pistol, most pistols from other manufacturers could not only be ordered by mail, but found and touched in almost any hunting store.
The cheap sale of military surplus (rifles and pistols) could also affect the US arms market.
The Whitney Wolverine pistol was one of the first weapons to use light aluminum alloy rather than heavy steel. This can be compared to the situation that arose several decades later in connection with the appearance of the first pistols with a polymer frame. Both then and now, many believe that the "steel" pistol is more reliable and durable.
And finally, the competitors. In my opinion, at that time, the Ruger Mark II and High Standard Supermatic.22 LR pistols competed with Wolverine. Their manufacturers sold their similar products for 2-3 dollars cheaper. What was the difference of a couple of bucks if the gun was as good as they say it is? Because it was in 1956, and according to statistics, that year the average wage in the United States was 388 dollars and 22 cents.
In those years, a gallon of gasoline cost 18 cents (0.047 dollars per liter), a kilogram of sugar cost 19 cents, eggs - 7 cents apiece, chickens - 95 cents a kilogram, potatoes - 8 cents a kilogram. That is, the difference was tangible: roughly speaking, in 1 bag of potatoes.
At the moment, the original Whitney Wolverine pistols are of great collectible value. Depending on the condition, the price can range from $ 650 to $ 1200, while the price of pistols put up for the Rock Island Auction ranges from $ 1800 to $ 2750.
TTX pistol Whitney Wolverine
Second Life
I read on the forums that these days Samson Manufacturing Corp is slowly assembling Whitney Wolverine pistols from original parts that are bought all over the world. I did not find such data on the official website of the company. Looks like the set is over.
Since 2004 Olympic Arms Inc. began production of the Whitney Wolverine polymer-framed pistol.
Already very old Robert (Bob) Hillberg with a Whitney Wolverine pistol from Olympic Arms. A little bit of happiness in old age. 2011 Gun Digest Clipping
Modern Wolverine consists of 55 parts and is very similar to the original.
Whitney Wolverine comparison: at the top is original, below - modern, with a polymer frame. [/center]
[center]
In addition to the polymer frame, instead of an aluminum alloy, Olympic Arms made several minor changes: they added a ventilated aiming bar and improved the safety mechanism.
Improved Olympic Arms Fuse Mechanism
The package was enriched with a “smart comic book” and a “miracle key”: it serves to unscrew and tighten the union nut that fixes the barrel, and in addition it is used to equip the store. Previously, the feeder spring was pulled down with a chuck.
"Miracle Key" from Olympic Arms
The cost of a modern Whitney Wolverine with a polymer frame on the Olympic Arms website is $ 294. In addition to the Black frame, the pistols are also available in “fun colors”: Coyote Brown, Desert Tan, Pink frame.
For lovers of upgrades, replaceable wooden cheeks and a flame arrester are available (purchased separately). Olympic Arms, unlike Galef & Son, sells Whitney Wolverine pistols only through dealerships throughout the United States and does not ship orders by mail. They have no distributors abroad.
It is also impossible to order a pistol on the manufacturer's website: go to America, go to a gun store and buy or order there.
You can, of course, order on the website and receive by mail a set of components for self-assembly, but the frame itself cannot be ordered. And again: delivery is most likely also only within the United States.
Judging by the fact that the manufacturer's website has a separate instruction regarding the magazine catch, it is the most common problem for shooters. It appears when the magazine contains 10 cartridges: then the feeder spring becomes very tight and "pushes" the cartridges back with great force. You need to make a significant effort to push the magazine all the way and make sure that the magazine latch takes its place.
Usually, at the end of the article, I tell my readers a list of films in which the hero of the article took part as a props for filming.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of a single film in which this elegant pistol was used to arm movie characters. If you know of such films, please post the available data.
Thanks!
