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