Whitney Wolverine

[Hawg Rider]

I watched an interesting Joe Mantegna "Gun Stories" episode about the Whitney Wolverine .22 pistol. It was created by iconic firearms designer Robert Hillberg, and only manufactured by Whitney Firearms, Inc. in 1956-1957 (approx. 13,300 pistols). Aluminum frame with either blued or nickel finish. Apparently stiff competition from Colt and Ruger .22s forced them out of business. Olympic Arms tried to reintroduce a polymer version of the Wolverine in 2002, but they also ended up going out of business (2017). BTW- I happen to still own and shoot a modified Olympic Arms PCR-00 (AR15A2, ca. 2000). It's a great carbine, very accurate and dependable- not sure why Oly Arms went OOB. Anyway, I was curious if any Forum members own or have shot a Wolverine? Interesting and rare space age pistol!

 

[Bro. Dave]

Short answer is that I don't own one, but I have wanted one for a long time. Unfortunately by the time I got on my rimfire kick they had already increased to a price level I haven't yet been willing to pay.

I still occasionally look at/for them but still haven't been willing to ante up. Part of my issue is that I have a squirrel type attention span on my firearm interests and am easily distracted.

 

[DWalt]

They have that sort of "Ray Gun" appearance. I remember seeing lots of ads for them in various sporting magazines. I saw a few at gun shows over the years, also saw several Olympics, but I do not remember much about them.

 

[Rule3]

Got to have a picture! They are "cool" looking I would like to have one

 

[Gary Hogstrom]

I do have one. I got it about 15 years ago at a gun show for about $300. I too remember seeing them advertised when I was a kid, and always thought they looked very interesting. When I saw it at an acceptable price I could not pass it up.
It is fun to shoot, only weighs about 24 oz. The only issues I have with it are the slide does not lock open when empty, and mags are ( if you can find) very pricey .

 

[Ruger 13]

I’ve seen one new in box back in a Pennsylvania gun shop in the late 70’s!

 

[Breakaway500]

Picked mine up many years ago. Great little shooters.

 

[Dvus]

They are wonderful, fun little guns. The design is simplicity in motion and when you take one apart you have one of those "why didn't I think of that?" moments. Not target pistols by any means, but perfect plinkers. I had an original and the Olympic Arms version which was kind of a let down,, but only because I was comparing it to the original. I had wanted one as a kid and in the 70s I had one of those cheap plastic toy guns that shot the vinyl yellow pellets that you had to pull apart from each other before you shot them. It looked just like the Wolverine and I played with it for years.

 

[BE Mike]

I remember seeing them advertised in the Herter's catalog around 60 years ago! The ad made me want one big time. By the time I bought my first .22 pistol about 7 years later, they were gone. I ended up with a new Ruger MK I target model with bull barrel. It was a better pistol for my purposes.

 

[Rick Sanborn]

I’ve got a blued one, makes a great pair up with my Nylon 66.

 

[Glenn R. McMannly]

Wish they’d make them again.

 

[Echo40]

For those who really dig the look of the Whitney Wolverine, Beretta makes a .22 Pistol with a similar look called the Beretta U22 Neos.

 

[Goony]

Yes, the Neos also has that "ray gun" look to it. The grip frame is available with different color insets.

 

[sledvet77]

Have one and looks kinda spacey also...that long rail on top helps, although its a pretty hard trigger pull...like a double action revolver, but still fun to shoot
Squirls b Crazy

 

[diyj98]

I had one. It didn't really impress me other than the novelty of having it.

 

[DWalt]

Another .22 pistol of that same period (early-mid 50s) I associate with the Whitney is the Sheridan Knockabout single shot. It initially sold for $18 by mail order, very simple construction, almost like a zip gun, and it was intended for use by fishermen, campers, hikers, etc. Another gun that I remember being advertised heavily in outdoors-type magazines. Like the Whitney, I have seen a few of them at gun shows over the years, but not recently. If one had very modest needs for an inexpensive single shot .22 pistol, the Knockabout would fill the bill even today. But not for SD use.

 

[Tom K]

I had an Olympic Arms version. Jammamatic. Sold it on GB for double what I paid for it (after owning it for about ten years).

 

[austintexas]

IN 1967 I bought a used '55 ford and when I was cleaning out the dirt, I found a Whitney Wolverine under the back seat. I don't remember where or why I sold it.
SWCA 892

 

[Nonno]

I saw a nice looking one in the used gun cabinet at Gat Guns, Carpentersville, IL a few months ago. Looks even better in person than it does in the photos. I see there are also a few on GB...

 

[Jimmyjones]

There's one in blue at my LGS.