Other Winchester Items

garanch

Since Winchester is out of business as far as the manufacturing of guns is concerned, why do I still see alot of Winchester logo items for sale. I saw a set of "limited edition 2008 knives". Did another company buy the rights to the name and logo or is Winchester just making little trinkets now days? Just curious with too much time on my hands to think.

Spider7115

Winchester didn't go out of business. They just closed the New Haven, Ct. factory.

Here's their website with current products: http://www.winchesterguns.com/

You can also see a tour of the new Model 70 plant in Columbia, South Carolina.

garanch

Thank you for your reply. I learned something new. I was under the impression that they went out of business all together. Thanks again for the info.

Bert H.

WINCHESTER never went out of business. Instead, they sold off their fireams manufacturing division back in late 1980 to the newly formed U.S. Repeating Arms Corporation (U.S.R.A.Co.), and at that time, they leased them the rights to use the trademarked WINCHESTER name for a 25-year period of time (which expired in 2006). Olin Industries (the owner of Winchester since late 1931) continued the WINCHESTER line of ammo and other products, and is still in business today.

The U.S.R.A.Co. was bought up by Fabrique Nationale (F.N.) in the early 1990s (1993?), and it was F.N. who shut down the New Haven factory in March of 2006. F.N. has also owned the Browning firearms company since 1977. Late in 2006, Browning and Winchester came to an agreement, and now it is Browning that is is manufacturing firearms with the Trademark WINCHESTER name on them. Some are made in Japan by Miroku (another F.N. company), and the new Model 70 is to be built at an F.N. plant in Columbia, SC.