JULIUS MAROTI’S WILDEY ARCHIVE
An extraordinary American pistol, explored through its factory catalogue and magazine articles from different eras. Original images and a presentation true to the period.
Explore the documents
The factory’s perspective.
Period reviews.
The Wildey story, told through sources from its own time.
Six publications, all in one place.
DOCUMENT ARCHIVE
Browse the historical documents
in the scrolling online reader.
FACTORY PUBLICATIONCATALOGUE 8 PAGES
Models, technical specifications, ballistics and accessories — presented by the manufacturer.
Wildey factory catalogue · circa 1990 · Original English edition
Scrolling online edition
1984AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 7 PAGES
James E. Fender’s critical review from the early years: development, production and his experiences on the range.
James E. Fender · March–April 1984
Scrolling online edition
1985AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 1 PAGES
A colour preview from the period, featuring a prototype illustration, specifications and a mention of Charles Bronson’s Death Wish III.
American Handgunner · November–December 1985
Zoomable online edition
1989AMERICAN HANDGUNNER 12 PAGES
Five years later, James E. Fender tests the Wildey again: the .475 Magnum, the story of the new company and the evolution of the Survivor.
James E. Fender · Photography: Ichiro Nagata
January–February 1989
Scrolling online edition
2005GUNS MAGAZINE 7 PAGES
John Taffin explores the Survivor’s history and distinctive features, and tests the .45 Win Mag version.
John Taffin · Photography: Ichiro Nagata · June 2005
Scrolling online edition
2020KALIBER MAGAZIN 9 PAGES
Sándor Hegyes explores the Wildey’s history and design, and tests an early example chambered in .45 Winchester Magnum.
Kaliber Magazin, issue 272 (December 2020)
Author: Sándor Hegyes
Published with permission from Direx Média Kft.
WWW.WILDEYGUNS.COM · 2005HISTORICAL WEBSITE ARCHIVE
Browse the former factory website in its original English, preserving its period appearance.
THE WILDEY STORY
I trace the different eras of Wildey production through manufacturing locations and serial numbers.
Serial number format: 45-XXXX
Serial number format: 09-XXXX
Serial number format: 1000–4XXX
Serial number format: 5000 onwards
Serial number format: 16-XXXX
I’ve already saved a place for it. 🙂
DEATH WISH 3 · BOOK EXCERPT
From Michael Winner’s office to Charles Bronson and a rooftop photo shoot at the Pierre Hotel: the story as recalled by Wildey Moore himself.
Photographs: probably Michael Winner.
... Inside the warehouse I met Winner who appeared a scruffy, longhaired Brit in a threadbare heavy wool sweater. To be honest he looked grungy and didn’t care about his appearance. He sat behind a beat-up old desk with a cigar in his hand and stood as I entered.
“I’m Michael Winner,” he barked from behind a cloud of cigar smoke.
“Wil Moore.” I replied.
As I said, I’m not much of a moviegoer so I didn’t know him by sight.
We chatted for a short while. He had a passive way about him at first. Then he asked,
“You got the gun with you?”
I could see his eyes light up as I pulled the Survivor out to show him. As he handled the pistol he started to mention that he wanted Bronson to use a Survivor in the movie. I didn’t bother to tell him I was no longer associated with the company and he didn’t ask. Then he asked me about Death Wish. His question was more rhetorical and I didn’t have much to offer. He alluded to Clint Eastwood and how they wanted to one up him.
At that point, Winner shifted topics. He looked like he made up his mind,
“Have you got any time? Bronson is at the Pierre. We can go over and get his opinion on this.”
Was he kidding, of course I had the time and I told him so.
With that he nodded and told someone to call us a taxi. Within twenty minutes we climbed into a Yellow Cab and drove over to the Pierre Hotel. Inside, I followed Winner up to Bronson’s suite of rooms. There we waited five minutes or so for Bronson to come out. When he came through the door, Winner said, “Hello” to Bronson, but neither man turned to me. Winner didn’t bother to introduce me, and Bronson didn’t introduce himself.
“Here’s the gun,” Winner said to Bronson presenting me holding the Survivor.
With that introduction, I put the gun in Bronson’s hand. They started asking me a lot of questions. It was obvious that he was getting excited about the whole thing. Bronson smiled and talked to Winner leaving me facing the wall. With grins on their faces, both men agreed that they liked it. They thought the Survivor was perfect for their movie.
Looking at me, Bronson then said,
“We could use that.”
Winner chimed in,
“Yes, I think so. Let’s do the promo shots now.”
Bronson nodded his agreement so Winner called downstairs to see if there was some place we could go. Somebody suggested the roof, and with that the three of us headed up to the roof of the Pierre by a back staircase.
Bronson carried the gun with him. On the roof, Winner pulled an insignificant camera from his pocket and began snapping shots of Bronson posing with the Survivor.
There were many boards lying around up there and other debris, which gave the place a slummy appearance. The two of them set the “stage” with the debris, and Winner shot the photos with Midtown Manhattan in the background as Bronson posed holding the Survivor like he was taking down a criminal, in the way he would do in the movie. The photos turned out to be perfect, even with their impromptu staging. ...
Source: Wildey Moore: Wildey’s Here: The Survivor (AuthorHouse, 2019), chapter 13: Death Wish III and the .475 Magnum.
Web edition: Julius Maroti, 2026.
ABOUT THE COLLECTION
The factory catalogue presents the Wildey from the manufacturer’s perspective. James E. Fender’s 1984 and 1989 reviews trace the early difficulties and the development of the .475 Magnum Survivor. The colour preview from 1985 captures the prototype and its film connection. John Taffin’s 2005 article adds a later perspective, while Sándor Hegyes’s 2020 Kaliber article adds first-hand experience with an early Wildey. Together, they show how perceptions of the pistol changed over the years.
Julius Maroti · Historical documents, 2026
FROM MY OWN COLLECTION
This was the first Wildey set I acquired. These original photographs are also part of the personal story behind my collection.
Fabiano Visintini has kindly permitted these photographs to be used on wildey.eu.
Photography: Armeria Red Point
With permission from Fabiano Visintini.
BEHIND THE WEBSITE
I have been involved in sport shooting for more than 26 years. As a firearms collector, I am particularly interested in the Wildey’s history and unusual engineering. My collection includes both .45 Winchester Magnum and .475 Wildey Magnum examples.
For me, collecting also includes original interchangeable barrels, parts, accessories and period publications. The difficulty of finding rare ammunition led me to learn to reload my own, and handloading became another interest alongside sport shooting.
On wildey.eu, I would like to share a little of that world: my own photographs, personal experiences and period articles. This website is for those who already know the Wildey, and for those whose first thought on hearing the name is Charles Bronson.
The atmosphere of classic action films is part of this world too. In the imaginary film poster shown here, I appear alongside Charles Bronson in a sequel that was never made, in the style of Cannon Films’ 1980s action movies.
Julius Maroti@juliusmaroti