| .475 Wildey Magnum | |
| Origin: | United States |
| Type: | Pistol |
| Designer: | Winchester |
| Design Date: | 1977 |
| Manufacturer: | Wildey |
| Production Date: | 1984–Present[1] |
| Parent: | .284 Winchester |
| Case Type: | Rebated, straight |
| Bullet: | .475 |
| Neck: | .493 |
| Base: | .501 |
| Rim Dia: | .473 |
| Rim Thick: | .040 |
| Case Length: | 1.198 |
| Length: | 1.580 |
| Case Capacity: | 38 |
| Primer: | Large magnum pistol |
| Max Cup: | 50,000 |
| Bw1: | 250 |
| Btype1: | SP |
| Vel1: | 1850 |
| En1: | 1900 |
| Bw2: | 300 |
| Btype2: | SP |
| Vel2: | 1610 |
| En2: | 1727 |
The .475 Wildey Magnum is a large semiautomatic pistol cartridge designed for big game hunting in the Wildey pistol.
The .475 Wildey Magnum was designed to be a hunting round. Cases are formed from .284 Winchester brass with the neck cut down and widened to take a .475-inch bullet, and the length is the same as the .45 Winchester Magnum. Velocity at 100 yards is equivalent to the muzzle velocity of the .44 Magnum.[2] [3] [4]
While not being very common, the .475 Wildey Magnum is most famous for its appearance in Death Wish 3, where the Wildey (chambered for this cartridge) was a signature weapon of Paul Kersey, a character portrayed by Charles Bronson (using his own personal Wildey firearm) in the Death Wish film series.
In the late 1980s, Wildey, Inc. produced three additional calibers using necked-down versions of the .475 Wildey Magnum brass casing originally designed in 1983 to achieve higher velocities and muzzle energies.[5] First was the .357 Wildey Magnum (also known as the .357 Peterbuilt) which used a .357 Magnum bullet. Second was the .41 Wildey Magnum (also known as the 10mm Wildey Magnum) which used a .41 Magnum bullet. Last was the .44 Wildey Magnum (also known as the 11mm Wildey Magnum) which used a .44 Magnum bullet.[6] All calibers were eventually discontinued.
The .45 Wildey Magnum was introduced by Wildey F.A., Inc. in 1997, which is also a necked-down version of the .475 Wildey Magnum using a .45 ACP bullet. It was discontinued in 2011 when overall production ceased.[7]
Listed below are the ballistic performances of each produced cartridge as fired from a 10-inch (254mm) barrel. The information on the .45 Wildey Magnum is from a 12-inch (305mm) barrel. Bullet types were not provided.[8]
| Caliber | Bullet weight | Velocity | Energy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .357 Wildey Magnum | 125 gr (8.1 g) | 2,300 ft/s (701 m/s) | 1,468 ft·lbf (1,989 J) | |
| .357 Wildey Magnum | 158 gr (10.2 g) | 2,060 ft/s (638 m/s) | 1,489 ft·lbf (2,018 J) | |
| .41 Wildey Magnum | 200 gr (13 g) | 1,842 ft/s (561 m/s) | 1,507 ft·lbf (2,042 J) | |
| .41 Wildey Magnum | 220 gr (14.25 g) | 1,733 ft/s (528 m/s) | 1,467 ft·lbf (1,988 J) | |
| .44 Wildey Magnum | 200 gr (13 g) | 1,980 ft/s (603 m/s) | 1,741 ft·lbf (2,359 J) | |
| .44 Wildey Magnum | 240 gr (15.5 g) | 1,747 ft/s (532 m/s) | 1,626 ft·lbf (2,203 J) | |
| .45 Wildey Magnum | 230 gr (14.9 g) | 1,730 ft/s (527 m/s) | 1,485 ft·lbf (2,013 J) |