WOLVERINES! (the "real" 1950's Ray Gun)

[somd_mustangs]

Here's a couple of late 1950's Whitney Wolverine pistols, chambered for 22LR. These use a cast aluminum frame and are very lightweight, as expected. Supposedly they are one of the fastest, smoothest firing 22's out there but I haven't had the courage to shoot mine yet - parts are hard to find if something breaks. And there are some breakage-prone parts for sure. An interesting, innovative design that died due to poor company management and competition from that pesky Ruger. Note that it seems like a small pistol because of it's proportions, but it's about the size of a 92F and has a 5" barrel - see comparison to my 1938 TT-33 (that seems like a good yardstick for this forum ).

These are supposedly a bit tricky to tear down, as all sorts of little bits and pieces go flying once released from the barrel housing. I think mine are clean enough to just leave em alone for now

Only about 13,000 made all told, and of those maybe a 1,000 or so with the "Wolverine" on the right side. They were forced to remove it due to a copyright infringement. The S/N is interesting as it starts at 100,000 (the "Wolverine" markings) and then drops back to the 20,000's. A marketing ploy that didn't fool anyone. About 500 were made with nickel plating towards the end of production, all in a specific S/N range, in an unsuccessful effort to improve sales. I've missed out on two of these nickel pistols, but someday ...

Anybody out there ever shoot one of these things? It seems like you either love it or hate it...

 

[Peartree]

Now I know where Beretta got it's idea for the Neos!

 

[mawkie]

YESSSSS!!! Have unsuccessfully bid on original Wolverines a couple of times this year but I will not be denied eventually. They are sooo cool. Forget the abortion that Olympic built. They could have done it right but chose to cut corners and built a cheap clone. This is the real deal. I bow to your sense of taste when it comes to all things handgun!

 

[yellowsled]

Very cool guns. I am hoping to trip over one someday... It would be a nice addition to my collection. Great score..

 

[somd_mustangs]

The prices have really gone up the last few months for some reason. I was shocked that the nickel-plated one on GB went for over $1600 a few weeks ago. I kind of wanted that But I guess two other guys did too.

BTW - I have "Olympic" as an exclusion filter on my Wolverine search engine ...

 

[august1410]

The closest I ever came was owning a Zebra II toy gun in the 70s. It shot little rubber pellets. When I first saw the Wolverine, I thought immediately of the Zebra.

 

[Arcamm]

Holly Buck Rogers Batman! That's one futuristic looking piston!

 

[somd_mustangs]

The closest I ever came was owning a Zebra II toy gun in the 70s. It shot little rubber pellets. When I first saw the Wolverine, I thought immediately of the Zebra.

It does look identical ! Even has the same "action knob" handles at the back. Pretty cool.

 

[Half-cocked]

Reminds me of the Neos, too.

You just wanna take it out into the backyard, chasing your friends around making "pew! pew!" noises.

 

[Machodoc]

That's just TOO FREAKIN' COOL!

 

[Melnic]

I thought Neos as well, so your gonna have to get one of those too

James bond movie should have had one of these

 

[somd_mustangs]

You just wanna take it out into the backyard, chasing your friends around making "pew! pew!" noises.

But then I'll be expelled from school....

 

[DarthZed]

Drool.

 

[Mooseman]

Very cool. It just screams 1950's.

 

[6pack]

Never saw one of those before.

 

[Bisondice]

cool findnever seen it before

 

[somd_mustangs]

I bow to your sense of taste when it comes to all things handgun!

Ah so coming from a bonified, certified Jedi Zen Master of the C&R Hand Gun, that's much appreciated!