Winchester Company
Von Fourche
Does Winchester actually exist anymore? Do they still make rifles? I
have a 44-40 lever action Winchester that I got about ten or so years ago.
Do they even make that anymore?
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sta...@prolynx.com
# � � � Does Winchester actually exist anymore? �Do they still make rifles? �I
# have a 44-40 lever action Winchester that I got about ten or so years ago.
# Do they even make that anymore?
#
The original Winchester company, the gun-making part, ceased to exist
a few decades back, they went bankrupt and got sold. U.S. Repeating
Arms got the trademark rights from Olin and proceeded to make new guns
in the old plant. Somewhere in there, FN got their hands on both
Browning and the new company, it's just a trademark now that the old
plant got shut down. They couldn't make guns economically in
Connecticut. FN makes what new guns exist down south in the same
plant they do the military stuff. Don't know that they've gone into
production with lever guns, supposedly an "improved" model 70 is out,
haven't seen one yet. Shotguns come in from Japan. No rimfires as
far as I know. So Winchester really has been gone a long time, just
the trademark sticks around, stuck on everything from pocket knives to
probably underwear, all made in China.
Closure of the plant boosted asking prices about 3-4x on anything with
the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
Stan
IGot2P
> ...
Yup, you can get your Winchester underwear at:
Winchester Thermal Long Underwear
Lamour, Inc.
Phone: (514) 381-7687
Fax: (514) 382-3638
Don
Louis Boyd
# Does Winchester actually exist anymore? Do they still make rifles? I
# have a 44-40 lever action Winchester that I got about ten or so years ago.
# Do they even make that anymore?
The Winchester company went bankrupt in 1964. From 1964 to 2006 the
Winchester name belonged to US Repeating Arms". They made what most
people would consider "Winchesters" including shotguns, Lever actions,
and the Model 70 bolt action. In 2006 the USRA and Browning were
acquired by FNH USA which I believe is a subsidiary of Fabrique Nationale
or FN Herstal.
I don't think FNH USA is trying to support lever actions or even the
Winchester name. But FNH model SPR and PRS and a few others are
basically a USRA "Winchester" model 70 action made by what was USRA in
the South Carolina. They're mostly Tactical and police rifles offered
308, 300 WSM, and 223. They use basically the "classic" claw extractor
design (push feed for 223 I believe) with heavy hammer forged barrels,
not unlike the 1990s Heavy Varmint and Laredo barrels which were decent.
The come with various McMillan stocks With assorted options and
finishes. I haven't handled one. They look nice but it's hard not to
with a McMillan stock and a heavy barrel. I expect they shoot OK but I
don't know. Probably their nearest competition is the Remington M24.
http://www.fnhusa.com/le/products/firearms/family.asp?fid=FNF006&gid=FNG005
As for the lever action I don't know if USRA still provides parts and
repair or not. I don't think they're making new ones.
Rubaiyat of Omar Bradley
# U.S. Repeating
# Arms got the trademark rights from Olin and proceeded to make new guns
# in the old plant... Don't know that they've gone into
# production with lever guns
Yes, USRAC is making lever actions:
Model 1892
http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/detail.asp?family=022C&mid=534162
Model 1895
http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/catalog/category.asp?family=015C
RBnDFW
# Closure of the plant boosted asking prices about 3-4x on anything with
# the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
from what I've seen prices on basic 94s went up 50% and stayed there,
possibly dropping back a little since then.
The gun I paid $225 used for the week the plant closed would sell for
$350 now.
Part of that has to be inflation though, all guns have gone up.
Von Fourche
<sta...@prolynx.com> wrote in message news:hc4apg$7ku$1...@news.albasani.net...
# Closure of the plant boosted asking prices about 3-4x on anything with
# the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
there that make them? I keep seeing Rosi. Are their guns any good?
I don't get it - as gun crazy as the U.S. is, how in the in the world did
Winchester go out of business. Crazy.
Robert Scott
"Von Fourche" <khon...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hc5719$lep$1...@news.albasani.net...
#
# <sta...@prolynx.com> wrote in message
# news:hc4apg$7ku$1...@news.albasani.net...
# # Closure of the plant boosted asking prices about 3-4x on anything with
# # the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
#
#
#
#
# So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
# there that make them?
Uberti!
Good shooting,
desmobob
Jim
"Von Fourche" <khon...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:hc5719$lep$1...@news.albasani.net...
#
# So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
# there that make them? I keep seeing Rosi. Are their guns any good?
#
I'd look at the Henry.
# I don't get it - as gun crazy as the U.S. is, how in the in the world did
# Winchester go out of business.
Simple economics. Dollar was too strong for too long (lots of business went
overseas), cost of retooling too high, lost profit margin.
dickr2
> <sta...@prolynx.com> wrote in message news:hc4apg$7ku$1...@news.albasani.net...
> # Closure of the plant boosted asking prices about 3-4x on anything with
> # the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
> So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
there that make them? I keep seeing Rosi. Are their guns any good?
>
> I don't get it - as gun crazy as the U.S. is, how in the in the world did
Winchester go out of business. Crazy.
>
I was wondering the same thing, and then I checked the Winchester web site.
http://www.winchester.com/default.aspx
Very interesting.
Dick
Oops, that's the ammunition web site. You can find the guns at:
http://www.winchesterguns.com/
Sorry about that,
Dick
edi...@netpath.net
# �I don't get it - as gun crazy as the U.S. is, how in the in the world did
# Winchester go out of business.
Easy - the market saturated when any company makes essentially just
the same main model(s) for generations. If you inherited a Model 94
from your grandpa, were you likely to buy another?
Winchester was WAY too dependent on just several models it had made
for generations.
Alex Cunningham
# # the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
#
#
#
#Von Fourche" <khon...@hotmail.com> wrote:
# So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
# there that make them? I keep seeing Rosi. Are their guns any good?
#
#
Marlin, Savage, Uberti, and Browning all have lever action rifles in various
calibers.
--
Cheers!
Alex.C
There are twelve million sheep in Ontario.
Problem is nine million of them think they are people.
Alex Cunningham
# # Closure of the plant boosted asking prices about 3-4x on anything with
# # the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
#
#
#
#"Von Fourche" <khon...@hotmail.com> wrote:
# So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
# there that make them? I keep seeing Rosi. Are their guns any good?
#
# I don't get it - as gun crazy as the U.S. is, how in the in the world did
# Winchester go out of business. Crazy.
#
#
Sorry. I forgot to add Henry and Ruger to my original post.
--
Cheers!
Alex.C
There are twelve million sheep in Ontario.
Problem is nine million of them think they are people.
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Michael Medley
> ...
That and there are over 4 million Winchester
lever actions out there. Too easy to find a used
one in good shape. I don't know of anybody
that wore out a lever action through normal
hunting use.
Michael Medley
# #
# # �So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
# # there that make them?
#
# Uberti!
Marlin also....
sta...@prolynx.com
# <sta...@prolynx.com> wrote in messagenews:hc4apg$7ku$1...@news.albasani.net...
#
# # Closure of the plant boosted asking prices about 3-4x on anything with
# # the flying W around here, so treat your .44-40 gently.
#
# � So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
#
Rossi/Taurus can make some decent replicas as do some of the Italian
operations. But they are replicas and you'd better check parts fit
and function before laying the bucks down. Some Marlins can be rough,
too, but they're usually easily slicked up. Takes me about a half-
hour to strip, clean out the factory grease, clean off what burrs
there are, relube and reassemble with a new one.
# I don't get it - as gun crazy as the U.S. is, how in the in the world did
# Winchester go out of business. Crazy.
#
As to why they went out of business, they weren't making what was
selling for a profit, Marlin was and is profitable. Have orders for
everything they can make well into next year. Winchester was heavily
unionized, in a state that's not really friendly to manufacturing. If
you strip a 94 Winchester and a Marlin 336 side by side, you can see
why one is profitable and the other isn't. Better have a pretty full
tool kit for the 94, the 336(and basically all Marlin levers) can be
pretty much stripped with a few well-fitting screwdrivers. The Marlin
can be cleaned from the breech by pulling one screw, dropping the
lever, pulling the bolt and ejector out of the way. Can't do THAT
with a 94. The Winchester had the name, though and "was the gun that
won the West"(with a lot of help from single-shot shotguns), even
though Marlins(and other makes of repeaters) were around for a large
portion of that time. Most Winchesters weren't really engineered for
production, came out of the era of cheap trained machinists, one man,
one mill. After '64, that changed a bit, the 9422 and the
1200/1300/1400 are examples, but the old 94 still was on the line.
They changed to castings on it, but it still took a bunch of
machining.
Bluehawk99
rifle what other companies are there that make them?"
"Alex Cunningham" <sly_ba...@hotmail.com> wrote:
Marlin, Savage, Uberti, and Browning all have lever action rifles in
various calibers.
"Sorry. I forgot to add Henry and Ruger to my original post."
Savage no longer makes any lever action guns and Ruger doesn't make a
lever gun that can qualify as a "cowboy" rifle!
In my experience the best of the cowboy lever actions are the Marlins!
If you want a lightning-fast carbine of high quality with great
accuracy, the Marlin 1894 series in .357 magnum is tough to beat,
either for varmint hunting, cowboy competition or just plain target
shooting and plinking! Mine is about 23 years old and have done all
four of these things over the years and has never let me down nor
needed any repairs!
Just my opinion based on experience.
gri...@foni.net
# So if I want another cowboy lever action rifle what other companies are
# there that make them? I keep seeing Rosi. Are their guns any good?
I'm quite satisfied with my Rossi Puma 92 in .357 Magnum.
Jens
--
You can't out-sarcasm reality.
