Winchester Has a Champion

The Wall Street Journal today has an article in its Marketplace section about Michael H. Blank. He is a former stock broker and a collector of Winchester rifles. What has drawn their attention is his efforts to find a buyer for the Winchester factory in New Haven, Conn.. The plant is owned by the Hershel Group, a Belgian firm who holds the license to the name Winchester which is owned by the Olin Corp.. Mr. Blank is looking for a company that will not just take over the New Haven plant, but will make replicas of the old versions of the lever action rifle, but with the Winchester name.

The replicas that are produced today are made in Italy. Some sell for as much as $1200 but they cannot carry the Winchester name. Mr. Blank believes that high quality replicas, or more accurately, reissues of previously discontinued models, would fill a large market and put the Italian firms out of business because these would be authentic Winchesters.

A laudable plan that I feel has great merit. Winchester enthusiasts know the value of the pre 1964 models which were made under higher standards than the later models. Much of Winchester's financial woes come from a focus on the economy rifle market rather than the collector and high end rifle enthusiast. There are still hurdles in the way of resurrecting the rifle that won the west, but they are not insurmountable. With a man such as Michael Blank working on it, it might get done.

Thanks to Old 'n Cranky for the heads up on the article used for this post authored by Timothy Aeppel, Wall Street Journal June 15, 2006 page B1.

Also check out the Cowboy Action Shooting enthusiasts at White Mountain Regulators of New Hampshire

Carnival of Cordite #62 at Spank That Donkey Anthroblogogy


guns Winchester