Have any of you out there had operating problems with a Whitney Wolverine .22 semi auto pistol? Specifically firing or firing pin issues or ejection problems when it does fire? Would love to keep this one as my Dad bought it back in the fifties but at present it just isn't reliable enough. Help?
Whitney Wolverine issues
- Thread starter mdlkspell
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NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Are you getting shallow primer hits? First thing Id check is that the FP channel is clean and the pin is moving freely.
Also look very closely at the tip to see if it is peened or snapped off.
The Wolverine has always been rare, I doubt youll be able to find specs for the pin or a spare part if necessary....
As far as feeding and ejection- .22 autos are notoriously finicky with regard to ammunition. You will often need to try several brands to find one a particular pistol likes- hollow point, round nose, truncated cone, high-velocity, standard velocity.
Even after all that- and with a clean, lubricated gun- dont be surprised if it still jams once in a while.
Now, with regards to the Whitney in particular, and as original examples are so scarce, I would be (pleasantly) surprised if any fellow members have one they shoot regularly enough to comment on their reliability, but heres hoping!
They were neat guns that went through several generations in an attempt to make them profitable sellers, but the ray-gun styling and company mismanagement doomed them too soon.
I had the chance to buy a NIB nickel plated Wolverine once and always kicked myself for walking away.....
Also look very closely at the tip to see if it is peened or snapped off.
The Wolverine has always been rare, I doubt youll be able to find specs for the pin or a spare part if necessary....
As far as feeding and ejection- .22 autos are notoriously finicky with regard to ammunition. You will often need to try several brands to find one a particular pistol likes- hollow point, round nose, truncated cone, high-velocity, standard velocity.
Even after all that- and with a clean, lubricated gun- dont be surprised if it still jams once in a while.
Now, with regards to the Whitney in particular, and as original examples are so scarce, I would be (pleasantly) surprised if any fellow members have one they shoot regularly enough to comment on their reliability, but heres hoping!
They were neat guns that went through several generations in an attempt to make them profitable sellers, but the ray-gun styling and company mismanagement doomed them too soon.
I had the chance to buy a NIB nickel plated Wolverine once and always kicked myself for walking away.....
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Oooooh.....this thread needs pics too!
Snowdog
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- 4,606
Considering this is one of my "bucket list" pistols, I fully agree. Pictures bring happiness.Oooooh.....this thread needs pics too!
Edited to add: Holy cow these become pricey. GunBroker typically steers me in the vicinity of the going prices... around $3k is what they're going for there. I guess it will remain on the bucket list for a while longer. I intended to pick one up having been reminded of them by this post. I was expecting perhaps around $500, not 6 times that.
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silicosys4
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On an original I would replace the springs and see where that gets you.
I had the polymer version that Olympic Arms produced for a short time. It was not very reliable unless using high velocity ammunition. With the right ammo though it was reasonably reliable. I remember it was extremely light and fascinating internally. After owning a repro, I can say that I'm only mildly interested in owning an original, and definitely not for the prices they are fetching right now.
I had the polymer version that Olympic Arms produced for a short time. It was not very reliable unless using high velocity ammunition. With the right ammo though it was reasonably reliable. I remember it was extremely light and fascinating internally. After owning a repro, I can say that I'm only mildly interested in owning an original, and definitely not for the prices they are fetching right now.
I'll try to post some pics but brand new to the site and not very tech savvy so...Oooooh.....this thread needs pics too!
Where to start, well thanks for responding. I was hoping someone would remember having these problems back in the day when being used a lot. Dad bought it in the mid 50's and in the sixties it broke at least one firing pin, he then had one custom made I guess out of different material and seemed to work fine. About 2013 when Olympic Arms was going and one could get factory new parts I ordered a new pin as a spare and have kept it ever since then. A few months ago when having issues with it I put the new pin in and it wouldn't fire at all, so decided to compare pins, wow, new one is about 1/8" shorter than the old one which I was thinking was allready too short. I know .22 auto's can be ammo sensitive, with the old pin it would function say 20 -60 percent of the time depending on ammo. It's a plinker and a bit of a keepsake so if it would work 80% of the time that would be OK with me. I've cleaned it to within an inch of it's life and checked it internally for any burrs or such. Yes, it is too lightly hitting the primer, not at all with the new pin. Was really hoping someone would recollect resolving these issues back in the day. I guess I could try higher velosity ammo & maybe welding some material to the end of the new pin, the old pin is a little dubbed on the end making even it a little shorter than it was at one time. I'm hoping the ejection issues are related to weak ammo or primer strike.Are you getting shallow primer hits? First thing Id check is that the FP channel is clean and the pin is moving freely.
Also look very closely at the tip to see if it is peened or snapped off.
The Wolverine has always been rare, I doubt youll be able to find specs for the pin or a spare part if necessary....
As far as feeding and ejection- .22 autos are notoriously finicky with regard to ammunition. You will often need to try several brands to find one a particular pistol likes- hollow point, round nose, truncated cone, high-velocity, standard velocity.
Even after all that- and with a clean, lubricated gun- dont be surprised if it still jams once in a while.
Now, with regards to the Whitney in particular, and as original examples are so scarce, I would be (pleasantly) surprised if any fellow members have one they shoot regularly enough to comment on their reliability, but heres hoping!
They were neat guns that went through several generations in an attempt to make them profitable sellers, but the ray-gun styling and company mismanagement doomed them too soon.
I had the chance to buy a NIB nickel plated Wolverine once and always kicked myself for walking away.....
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NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Perhaps you could have a machine shop fabricate another new pin?
Even aside from the sentimental value, original Wolverines command significant collector premiums now, so it would probably be well worth it.
Beautiful gun, thanks for sharing!
Even aside from the sentimental value, original Wolverines command significant collector premiums now, so it would probably be well worth it.
Beautiful gun, thanks for sharing!
dfariswheel
Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
- Messages
- 6,653
Gun Parts Corp has some Wolverine parts..........
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/whitney/wolverine
However Jack First has a lot more, including firing pins..........
https://jackfirstinc.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=399_92
I owned and shot two Withney's in the 1980's, and both were totally reliable with good ammo.
As above, .22LR's are finicky about ammo for reliable operation and accuracy.
The Whitney firing pin is simple enough that I hand made one for one with missing parts.
Inspect the magazine for bent feed lips, dents, or fouling. The Whitney magazine was one of the best .22 auto mags ever made but they can be damaged or just impacted with old lube and fouling.
Also check the ejector for tight fit on the barrel, check the extractor, and make sure all the small parts are still in place, especially the tiny firing pin lock, which may be lost.
Clean the chamber and inspect for rings or corrosion.
I'd recommend giving the gun and magazines a deep cleaning, some fresh lube, and try some different ammo.
It might be a good idea to buy a new hammer spring from First for $8.00.
Disassembly of the Whitney is very simple, and full disassembly is not complicated. You can find instructions online.
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/gun-manufacturer/whitney/wolverine
However Jack First has a lot more, including firing pins..........
https://jackfirstinc.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=399_92
I owned and shot two Withney's in the 1980's, and both were totally reliable with good ammo.
As above, .22LR's are finicky about ammo for reliable operation and accuracy.
The Whitney firing pin is simple enough that I hand made one for one with missing parts.
Inspect the magazine for bent feed lips, dents, or fouling. The Whitney magazine was one of the best .22 auto mags ever made but they can be damaged or just impacted with old lube and fouling.
Also check the ejector for tight fit on the barrel, check the extractor, and make sure all the small parts are still in place, especially the tiny firing pin lock, which may be lost.
Clean the chamber and inspect for rings or corrosion.
I'd recommend giving the gun and magazines a deep cleaning, some fresh lube, and try some different ammo.
It might be a good idea to buy a new hammer spring from First for $8.00.
Disassembly of the Whitney is very simple, and full disassembly is not complicated. You can find instructions online.
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lysanderxiii
Member
Do you have the cocking piece screwed on completely?
I can give you the measurements for an original firing pin.
I can give you the measurements for an original firing pin.
If I'm reading my calipers right the pin that was in the pistol measures 2.575" in length, the new (2013) replacement from Olympic Arms measures 2.526" and you can see some wear on the old one making it shorter than it was. So how does your measurement compare?
lysanderxiii
Member
You may have to adjust the 2.110 dimension to get a firing pin protrusion of 0.045 to 0.050 inch.
Incidentally, my Olympic Wolverine and the original Whitney firing pins are within 0.015" of each other in length
Incidentally, my Olympic Wolverine and the original Whitney firing pins are within 0.015" of each other in length
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
They were asking $900 for the nickel one I saw 5-6 years ago. I shoulda coughed it up......it was sold the next day!
lysanderxiii
Member
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Thanks a lot for the spec sheet, that should help a bunch, can't quite make out the info in the lower right corner though. Interesting that the brand new one is .034" too short, about .020" short of the 2.11 measurement too, whereas the old non factory one is about .028" longer than 2.11 . I've watched every youtube video I can find on the wolverine and haven't heard one word about reliability problems, in fact they often mention how reliable they are so hopefully over this cold winter I can get this thing to fire 80+% of the time.
lysanderxiii
Member
For 20 to 30 bucks plus shipping, I would just go here or here and just buy a new one, and not worry about it.
The information in the lower right-hand corner is just the drawing information.
Once you get a properly dimensioned firing pin, check your barrel breech face to see if your over long firing pin has raised a burr over the chamber, that might be a problem. Other problems might be the home-made firing pin is too tall (overall or in the retainer slot) and it dragging on the tube, it is too wide or warped and dragging on the sides of the slot.
The information in the lower right-hand corner is just the drawing information.
Once you get a properly dimensioned firing pin, check your barrel breech face to see if your over long firing pin has raised a burr over the chamber, that might be a problem. Other problems might be the home-made firing pin is too tall (overall or in the retainer slot) and it dragging on the tube, it is too wide or warped and dragging on the sides of the slot.
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