The pistol is built to withstand breech pressures of over 48,000 PSI associated with Moore's lines of proprietary cartridges.

Moore described the Wildey patented gas system as an "air-hydraulic piston powered by the firing gases through six small holes in the barrel.

[8] All pistols feature ventilated, ribbed barrels and angled frames similar to those of Colt M1911 designs but considerably larger.

It utilizes a heel-mounted magazine release lever located on the underside of the mainspring housing, a type of catch which has historically been popular on many European guns like the SIG P210, Walther TPH, and FN 1910.

The Wildey features a frame mounted auto-resetting decocking lever which will drop the hammer safely.

Whenever the caliber and barrel conversions are made, the gas regulator needs to be tuned to allow for the pistol to function reliably.

[10] The Wildey Pistol offers extensive customization options, allowing modifications such as altering barrel length and converting calibers.

All the Wildeys have adjustable rear sights and removable front side blade inserts (high and low).

[3][16][17] In August 2015, USA Firearms Corporation of Winsted, Connecticut announced that the Wildey Survivor models will once again be produced along with parts and ammunition.

[1][18] Production of the firearms and accessories began in 2016, and customer orders for the new Wildey Survivor models started on February 3, 2017.

Founder Wildey J. Moore said that every time Death Wish 3 is aired on cable TV, sales spike.

The Wildey was also featured prominently in the movie Natural Born Killers (1994), where the protagonist, Mickey Knox, uses it throughout the first half of the film.