founded in 1866
New Haven, Connecticut
- 1855 the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company
– Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson partnership
– Norwich, Connecticut
– largest stockholder was Oliver Winchester - 1856 moved to New Haven
- 1856 Volcanic Repeating Arms Company went bankrupt
- 1857 Winchester and partner John M. Davies purchased the assets
– New Haven Arms Company - 1860 Benjamin Henry perfected the .44 Henry cartridge
- 1860 Henry rifle based loosely on the Volcanic to use the new ammunition
– manufactured by the New Haven Arms Company - 1866 reorganized as Winchester Repeating Arms Company
- Model 1866
- Model 1873 the first Winchester center fire cartridge, the .44-40 WCF
“Gun That Won the West” - December 1880 Oliver Winchester died
- 1881 his son William Wirt Winchester died
– his widow , Sarah Winchester, built the Winchester Mystery House. - 1883-1898 John Browning worked with Winchester Repeating Arms Company
- Winchester had borrowed heavily to finance its massive expansion
- 1931 went into receivership
- December 22, 1931 bought at bankruptcy auction by the Olin family’s Western Cartridge Company
- 1944 reorganized as the Winchester-Western Division of Olin Industries
- World War II produced the M1 Garand rifle
- post-war first civilian manufacturer of the M14 rifle
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
About Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Winchester grew out of the New Haven Arms Company, whose 1860 Henry rifle helped establish the lever-action repeater. In 1866 Oliver Winchester reorganized the firm as the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and its first rifle, the Model 1866, was followed by the Model 1873, which introduced the .44-40 WCF, Winchester’s first centerfire cartridge. Beginning in 1883 John Browning designed a long series of Winchester rifles and shotguns, including the Model 1886 and Model 1897. During World War I Winchester produced Pattern 1914 and M1917 Enfield rifles.
Heavy debt pushed Winchester into receivership, and on December 22, 1931 the Olin family’s Western Cartridge Company bought it at a bankruptcy auction. In December 1980 the New Haven plant was sold to its employees as U.S. Repeating Arms Company, which made Winchester guns under license while Olin kept the ammunition business. USRAC later passed to the Herstal Group, and the New Haven plant closed in 2006. Since August 2006 Olin has licensed Browning to make Winchester rifles and shotguns, with production by FN Herstal and Miroku of Japan. As of 2026 Winchester-brand firearms are marketed by Browning, while Olin owns the Winchester trademark and makes Winchester ammunition.
Key Facts
- 1866: Oliver Winchester reorganizes New Haven Arms as Winchester Repeating Arms Company
- 1873: Model 1873 introduces the .44-40 WCF cartridge
- December 22, 1931: Western Cartridge Company buys Winchester at a bankruptcy auction
- December 1980: U.S. Repeating Arms Company formed to make Winchester guns under license
- March 31, 2006: Production ends at the New Haven plant
- August 2006: Olin licenses Browning to make Winchester firearms
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Sources
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