.475 Wildey Magnum
Encyclopedia : 4 : 47 : 475 : .475 Wildey Magnum
The .475 Wildey Magnum is a semi-automatic pistol that became world famous when it was used in the now classic 1985 Hollywood movie Death Wish III starring Charles Bronson and directed by Michael Winner. This third installment, to a series of total five movies, is the only part that featured a .475 Wildey Magnum. The pistol has a unique patented gas system that makes it possible to regulate the gas pressure so that you can handle different size of cartridges. This feature makes it the most powerful pistol up to date.
Brief history
The .475 Wildey Magnum is the brainchild of and developed by Wildey J. Moore in Brookfield, Connecticut, USA in the early 1970s (Since then the factory has been moved and is now located in Warren, Connecticut). Moore started out working for the gun parts company Stoeger Corporation. He quickly learned to analyze the parts and learn the flaws of their design. Moore went on to work extensively with Winchester, the renowned rifle manufacturer, and he later helped the Swedish company Husqvarna adapt their weapons for the American market. After all he learned at Stoeger Corporation about gun parts, he soon began to design his own pistol and Moore finally got the patent for his creation on November 2, 1976.
However, the development of the pistol, as in many cases of new and experimental gunmaking ventures, was extremely expensive and he began to run out of money. Moore figured that if he issued some stock he had in the company he would be able to get some fundings. But it turned out he was trusting the wrong people and soon found himself with only 25 percent of the stock. Other stockholders merged together and soon forced Moore out of the company. What the stockholders didn't realise was that when Moore was out of the company there wouldn't be any more Wildeys produced and within a year the company declared bankruptcy. This happened in 1983 and it would take some years for Moore to regain control over his own company. During those years Moore started to develop a new cartridge for his Wildey, the 475 Wildey Magnum cartridge. It turned out that his new cartridge would be one of the most powerful cartridges available for handguns of a higher caliber. By a fluke, Moore would also finish his development at the right time when shooters started to look for a powerful big-bore type of cartridge. Further, it was also around this time when the company landed a contract with the film makers, including actor Charles Bronson (see second picture), for the Hollywood movie Death Wish III and therefore was able to feature the Wildey in their film.
After its release back in 1985 sales started to increase significantly and it pushed the company back to economic stability. Today Wildey F.A Incorporated is up running and healthy. The company now also manufactures a brand new autoloading pistol called JAWS (Jordanian Armament & Weapons System) Viper. It's manufactured in Jordan and it's supposed to be used for commercial, law enforcment and the military. The founder of Wildey F.A Incorporated himself Wildey J. Moore is now retired, but is still making wildcat cartridges and watching over the development and important decisions regarding his brainchild the .475 Wildey Magnum.
Action
The .475 Wildey Magnum was purposefully designed to be a hunting firearm, and is a bit heavier than most handguns which enables it to handle breech pressures over 48,000 psi. The Wildey is actually the most powerful pistol on the market up to date. The body is made out of stainless steel that comes in two models; the Wildey Survivor or the Wildey Hunter. The only difference between these models are the finish, where the Hunter has a matte finish and the Survivor has a satin finish.
The gun has an adjustable gas-operated system that is not to be found in other pistols. This feature also makes it the most powerful pistol up to date because the adjustable nature of the weapon makes it possible to fire different sized loads by adjusting the gas pressure; .44 Auto Mag, .45 Winchester Magnum, 41 Wildey Magnum, 44 Wildey Magnum, 45 Wildey Magnum and 475 Wildey Magnum. Though its very powerful capacity it has a surprisingly mild recoil due to its unique construction.
The Wildey has a wide range of barrel options, as it is interchangeable via a chuck. Wildeys factory barrels run from 5", 6", 7", 8", 10", 12", 14" to an unique 18" barrel (see picture in specification box) with prices ranging from $1,500 (with default 5" barrel) to $3,000 (for the carbine). According to Wildey F.A Inc., the most popular size of barrel is the 10" that appeared in Death Wish III (see the last picture). Wildey's marketing states that it's four different guns rolled into one. This is possible by modifying the gun for when it's going to be used for different purposes, all modifications or configurations are reversible.
- First out is the basic Wildey pistol, which has the 5" barrel as factory default (see first picture).
- The second is the Pin Gun, which is used for bowling pin shooting or similar sports by adding a 2" muzzle brake to a 5" or 6" barrel.
- The third is the Wildey Silhouette. The 18" Silhouette barrel has a wooden foregrip, made out of American walnut, and provision for a telescopic sight that can be mounted on the ventilated ribbed barrel (all the barrels have ventilated ribbs) by the factory or a gunsmith.
- By adding a buttstock, also made out of American walnut, to the Wildey Silhouette you will have the fourth combination called the Wildey Carbine, which transforms the gun into a rifle.
\"Wildey's here\"
Charles Bronson chose the Wildey Survivor for the now classic 1985 Hollywood movie Death Wish III. Bronson used his own personal gun in the film. The movie is set in East New York section Brooklyn (though the whole movie was basically shot in London, England) in a neighborhood where a brutal gang harasses the neighbors.
The main character Paul Kersey, played by Bronson, is coming to the rescue after one of his old friends has been killed by the gang. After a while he realise that he needs something that's extraordinary to deal with the rough situation, so he orders a .475 Wildey Magnum by mail. Kersey tells the neighbors that his "friend Wildey" is going to come and help them out. The neighbors think it is a person. When the gun finally arrives to Kersey, who is at that time surrounded by a number of curious neighbors, delivers the famous phrases that still echos in Wildey F.A Inc., marketing: "Wildey's here. Fires a .475 Wildey Magnum'. Real stopping power. (Kersey holds up a cartridge) A .475 Wildey Magnum is a shorter version of the African game cartridge. It makes a real mess."
The firearm was integral to a large number of memorable scenes from the film. The gun quickly became a bestseller for Wildey F.A Inc., after the movie was released back in 1985. The founder himself Wildey J. Moore actually says that every time Death Wish III is aired on cable TV, sales spike[link]. The only gun that had an equal impact on the big screen, regarding fame and increasing sales for the manufactor, is the Smith & Wesson Model 29 that was used by Clint Eastwood in the 1971 action movie Dirty Harry. Today Wildey F.A Inc., still uses Death Wish III, as well as the formentioned phrases, as a major reference in their marketing strategy.
Other Hollywood movies that has had the .475 Wildey Magnum featured in it is the action/comedy The Hard Way starring Michael J. Fox and James Woods, released in 1991. The graphic thriller Natural Born Killers starring Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson, released in 1994, also featured the pistol. However, the Wildey Magnum will always be synonymous with Charles Bronson and Death Wish III.
See also
External links
- [wildeyguns.com] homepage of the manufactor
- [world.guns.ru] Wildey Magnum
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.