Anyone heard of Whitney? The gun from the future?

Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lightsped

Member
Joined
Feb 2, 2003
Messages
1,241
Location
Kennesaw, Georgia
A friend's dad showed me what appeared to be a .22lr straight from the future. It was a very streamlined looking .22lr pistol. It has an interesting hammer design as well. The gun is made of steel and aluminum. It was quite light compared to other pistols.

This was the first time I have seen one of these .22lr pistols. The make of the gun was Whitney. It was made in Conneticut. Has anyone here seen or used them before?
 
I think it's the Whitney Wolverine.

WhitneyWolverineandcan6678.jpg
 
The LGS has had an Oly version for some time. Seems not to be moving - this surprises me but not enough to buy it.

It is all Buck-Rodgers-y. The Oly version adds a vent rib for good measure. Frame is polymer.
 
Is it just me, or does the Beretta NEOS borrow a little styling from that puppy?
 
I remember the originals. Neat looking little guns, but the story is that they couldn't overcome distribution and marketing problems. Always liked them for their looks but obviously their competition (Ruger's standard auto) buried them.

I have one of the Olympia polymer versions but can't recommend it. In addition to the slightly nervous takedown procedures, it was a little rough inside. It rarely gets through a magazine without one or two failures to feed. The only ammo it halfway likes are CCI Stingers, which are pretty expensive to plink with.

I contacted Olympia about its teething problems but obviously customer service is not a priority with them. Guess the warranty expires when it goes out the door.

Obviously the Whitneys are destined to be--and stay--a hard-luck gun. Too bad as they are quite the attention-getter.
 
In what part of Red Dawn do the show it? I know one of the girls has it but I always miss it.
 
ah, it wasn't in Red Dawn, but the name of the pistol is "Wolverine" and so I just...
ah... never mind.
Click to expand...

That hates gonna burn you up son.....Na it keep you warm. Don't worry guy, I'm right there with you.
 
Updated Photo

WhitneyWolverineandcan6678.gif

Designed by engineer Robert Hillberg, the .22 rimfire Wolverine pistol was cast from aluminum with a sandwiched steel tube holding the barrel and breech block. It's futuristic styling put it right in the same league as Buck Rogers' blaster. The Whitney Wolverine went into production in 1956 and was an immediate hit with customers. It's radical 'space age' design was ergonomic to the hand, and pointed naturally for most shooters. It was endorsed as "The most reliable, best shooting, best pointing little .22 pistol ever handled" by none other than Rex Applegate.

Wolverine was the pistol's original name, but this had to be changed, due to a trademark infringement with another company. Later pistols were stamped with the name "Whitney Autoloader". The Whitney Wolverine pistol then went out of production because of distribution problems. To make matters worse a rival pistol was introduced, selling for just a few dollars less than the Wolverine (remember 1956 dollars....not 2006 dollars). How do you spell Ruger? The Whitney Wolverine's fate was sealed. Robert Hillberg eventually went on to work for High Standard, and the Whitney company was sold to avoid bankruptcy.

Whitney Wolverine Range Report
Click to expand...
 
A friend recently purchased one of the Olympic Arms Woverines and it seemed to work just fine. Funny thing is they tell you in the manual not to shoot Stingers. I'd guess you're probably not supposed to shoot any hyper-velocity 22LR out of it. The Olympic Arms version uses a plastic frame, perhaps that's why. Neat little gun though.
 
This is a subject near and dear to my heart because I cut my teeth on my dad's factory nickel Wolverine.

He passed away young (59) a few years ago so now the gun is even more special to me.

I don't know if anyone remembers the little blue toy guns from the 70's that shot the yellow disk (some shot balls as well)? That gun was modeled on the Wolverine.


finished.jpg
 
Now that right there is a beautiful set of tools!

You should be very proud of your dad's old gun! You just don't see many like that!

rcmodel
 
Thanks guys.

The little stag fixed blade is made by Jeff Chaffee IIRC, I don't own it any longer. It was a nice little 3 finger skinner.

The giraffe bone slip joint is from Ray Crowder who is one of the finest knife makers in the industry.
 
cpirtle, you jogged my memory

I do indeed remember the disc shooting pistol! Remembering now how good that little plastic pistol felt and pointed I may keep my eyes peeled for a real one. Funny now that I think about it, I also had pair that shot suction cup darts that felt pretty good too, I wonder if they were paterned after anything?
 
I was part of a small group that gathered for a presentation by Rex Applegate many years ago. He talked about handguns that were designed with a proper grip/barrel angle for quick, accurate pointing. The Whitney was his best example.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Whitney Wolverine?
Replies
9
Views
2K
Murphster
M
TimboKhan
  • Locked
Whitney Wolverine
Replies
0
Views
421
TimboKhan
TimboKhan
D
  • Locked
Have you heard of Mercury pistols?
Replies
4
Views
1K
deanl
D
W
  • Locked
Range Report: Star Mod 30MI & an old Whitney Wolverine....
Replies
1
Views
390
owlhoot
O
T
  • Locked
PPQ 22lr
Replies
5
Views
700
TennJed
T
Back
Top