Author Topic: Winchester closing its Doors? (Read 1667 times)

coop2564 · « **on:** January 20, 2006, 08:17:21 AM »

Anybody heard this I hope this isn't real. If it is its a sad day. :cry:

http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060118/Biz/601180494/CAT=Biz

Lone Star · « **Reply #1 on:** January 20, 2006, 08:30:09 AM »

Do a search of this site - it's been on a dozen threads since Tuesday. Seems to be true.

Busta · « **Reply #2 on:** January 20, 2006, 09:23:51 AM »

Coop,

It's sad but true! Here is another thread with a little more info.

http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=82934

coop2564 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 20, 2006, 12:37:55 PM »

I just heard today. Man I hope someone buys them out and continues the name and quality. The gun industry without Winchester just wouldn't be right. :cry:

Busta · « **Reply #4 on:** January 20, 2006, 03:12:32 PM »

Kinda like Ithaca, nobody bought them yet that I know of. Now Winchester is in the same situation. There will be others as long as people are willing to buy guns made in other countries.

Maybe H&R/NEF is planning ahead for what's to come in the future by importing the autoloaders and pumps. I work in the auto industry, can you imagine the industry without Ford, GM and Chrysler? They are hurting too, and are all closing lots of factories down and restructuring. It's only going to get worse in the future. If we are willing to buy foriegn made goods, wheather it be guns or automobiles or whatever, that is what we will have to live with and the American companies either go elsewhere or crumble. :cry:

chrsm · « **Reply #5 on:** January 21, 2006, 10:30:06 AM »

anyone know what will become of there ammo. do they control that aspect.

DakotaElkSlayer · « **Reply #6 on:** January 21, 2006, 10:53:45 AM »

The ammo is still owned by Olin which sold the gun side of the business years ago.

Jim

Stan in SC · « **Reply #7 on:** January 21, 2006, 11:49:50 AM »

Olin bought the company many years ago and still owns the Winchester name.They leased it to Herstal.Olin is out of Missouri.

DanielWGriggs · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2006, 03:46:10 AM »

The Olin I know of is located 4 miles from my front door in East Alton, Illinois. My cousin works there and also my neighbor(s).

bchannell · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2006, 05:51:25 AM »

There was a short blurb about the closing on Foxnews, I believe, (can't remember which channel I was watching). They gave little information other than they were set to close their doors on a certain date.
What a shame, just when Winchester was introducing the guns we've wanted for years. The Classic M70 was back with CRF, for the purists among us and they were producing some fine shotguns in the SX line.
Browning and Wnchester are owned by the same company, it could mean that they will just concentrate on the Browning line. The Gold is nothing more than a SX2 shotgun. Maybe Browing will produce some Model 70's in the future.
It's a shame for us, and for those who work there. I hope someone buys them, and I hope the government gets their heads out of their collective arses and stops the "giant sucking sound" of jobs going overseas, as Ross Perot predicted, before we're all out of a job.

TOMMYY01 · « **Reply #10 on:** January 24, 2006, 10:41:31 AM »

It's truly sad about winchester. I used to work at Ford Glass Plant in Nashville years back. I lost my job when Chrysler almost went under in '80. But, it used to be they bulit Quality! Not so anymore. When I worked at ford I used to see poeple snort coke right out in the open. Even some of the foremans and a couple of gen. foremans. My supervisor at work now said he knew of some people in an assembly plant in Ohio (gm) where some idiot thought it would be funny if he welded a coke bottle inside the chassis. This kind of stuff has come back to bite the detroit 3. Twice since the oil embargo, they had a chance to win back the american people, but building a hollow shell of a small car will not cut it. The 3 have never embraced the small car and you can see what has happened. My father retired from Ford with 35 yrs. He is probably the only person that I know that did his job to the best of his ability! I hate to say it, but the imports are more reliable. I'll get down off my soap box now.
tommy

stolivar · « **Reply #11 on:** January 24, 2006, 12:09:02 PM »

they are only closing one plant that makes a couple of lever actions and maybe one shotgun. not the rest of gun plants

steve :evil:

Cookiemann · « **Reply #12 on:** January 25, 2006, 12:12:08 AM »

We may not be able to stop the closing of Winchester, but perhaps if we send enough emails and make enough phone calls, we can at least prevent Olin from selling the rights to the Winchester name to anyone.

Check out this link http://www.olin.com/yellowpages/default.asp . I sent an email off to Olin, at the General Contacts address at the bottom of the page. Requesting they lay the Winchester name to rest, rather than sell it next year when Herstal no longer has the rights to it.

We don't need a bunch of Winchester wannabe's flooding the market in a couple years. All made across the way, of course. Winchester is an American name for an American firearm.

Just my 2 cents. It's what I could do. The only way I could think of to STAND UP and have a voice in this matter.

Graybeard · « **Reply #13 on:** January 25, 2006, 03:15:33 AM »

That's not quite true sadly. While some of the guns that have worn the Winchester name have been made in the US all along ever since US Repeating Arms bought rights to use the name a large number of them have been made over seas.

There has not been a True Winchester Company making guns in a lot of years. It died when Olin shut it down. Since then they've all been made by an imposter.

tanoose · « **Reply #14 on:** January 26, 2006, 11:04:33 AM »

Someone at Gander Mt told me they are stoping production of there model 94 70 and 1300's he said they will continue with there supoerx2 and select models. Haven't they owned Browning for a number of years now i guess they will focus on there browning line.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #15 on:** March 23, 2006, 08:17:21 AM »

More news on Winchester....

http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16349011&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=566835&rfi=6

45/70fan · « **Reply #16 on:** March 23, 2006, 08:44:56 AM »

The model 70, 94, and 1300 are done. Even if someone buys the rights they can't be built until 2008.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2006, 09:30:02 AM »

Nothing is written is stone...

Quote

Meanwhile, the city is pressuring Utah-based Olin Corp., owner of the Winchester brand name, to grant the Winchester license to a firearms maker willing to take over the New Haven factory.

Smith & Wessons chief financial officer, John Kelly, confirmed the visit Tuesday, but both he and DeStefano sought to downplay its significance.

"Weve been asked to come down and take a look" Kelly said. "Obviously, its a great brand, but I wouldnt read too much into it.

DeStefano also struck a cautious, if hopeful, tone.

"Herstal does want to sell the plant," the mayor said. "Herstal has an interest in retaining the license from Olin, but Olin has said they would deal only with a bonafide manufacturer, which Smith & Wesson clearly is."

Dave Shooter · « **Reply #18 on:** March 23, 2006, 09:50:44 AM »

Quote from: Busta

Kinda like Ithaca, nobody bought them yet that I know of. Now Winchester is in the same situation. There will be others as long as people are willing to buy guns made in other countries.

Maybe H&R/NEF is planning ahead for what's to come in the future by importing the autoloaders and pumps. I work in the auto industry, can you imagine the industry without Ford, GM and Chrysler? They are hurting too, and are all closing lots of factories down and restructuring. It's only going to get worse in the future. If we are willing to buy foriegn made goods, wheather it be guns or automobiles or whatever, that is what we will have to live with and the American companies either go elsewhere or crumble. :cry:

Busta Ithaca is back again in business, they moved their plant to Ohio not to long ago. I got a mod 37 with a 25" slug barrel and a vent rib barrel to boot. I would say someone will pick up Winchester.
I could be wrong.
Dave Shooter

quickdtoo · « **Reply #19 on:** March 23, 2006, 10:29:30 AM »

Ithaca was purchased by Floyd and Craig Marshall and moved to Upper Sandusky where they are making shotguns...

Tim

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article2986.html

http://www.ithacagunsusa.com/

myarmor · « **Reply #20 on:** March 23, 2006, 11:10:50 AM »

What I would like to kow for a fact is who is the other 2 eyeing the take over?

NEW HAVEN Smith & Wesson, the nations oldest and once its largest handgun maker, was named by city officials Tuesday as one of three manufacturers eyeing a takeover of the soon-to-close Winchester firearms factory....

-Aaron

Cookiemann · « **Reply #21 on:** March 23, 2006, 12:09:48 PM »

Aaron, that's what I was wondering, too. I sure hope S&W or Ruger or some other American co. gets it done. That would make my year.

Thanks for the post Tim.
Cookie

myarmor · « **Reply #22 on:** March 23, 2006, 02:01:37 PM »

I have heard of rumors of perhaps HOWA or even Savage. But those are only rumors I suppose :?

Graybeard · « **Reply #23 on:** March 23, 2006, 05:34:31 PM »

Savage is at best marginally stable financially as it is. IF they were to purchase a company that isn't itself stable financially then both would just fold.

Kinda doubt Howa being interested personally. Just not in line with their current production.

Busta · « **Reply #24 on:** March 23, 2006, 08:34:01 PM »

Quote from: Dave Shooter

Busta Ithaca is back again in business, they moved their plant to Ohio not to long ago. I got a mod 37 with a 25" slug barrel and a vent rib barrel to boot. I would say someone will pick up Winchester.
I could be wrong.
Dave Shooter

Dave,

About a week after I posted that statement I read where they were purchased and moved to Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Good news indeed. :grin:

jack19512 · « **Reply #25 on:** March 23, 2006, 11:21:41 PM »

Posted by Busta

"It's only going to get worse in the future. If we are willing to buy foriegn made goods, wheather it be guns or automobiles or whatever, that is what we will have to live with and the American companies either go elsewhere or crumble."

What do you think you are buying when you buy a Ford, GM, or Chrysler? Anything differn't than when you buy a Toyota? :eek:

myarmor · « **Reply #26 on:** March 24, 2006, 01:19:32 AM »

Quote from: Graybeard

Savage is at best marginally stable financially as it is. IF they were to purchase a company that isn't itself stable financially then both would just fold.

Kinda doubt Howa being interested personally. Just not in line with their current production.

I agree. Savage has just now got back on their feet and are doing well from all indications. It would be strange if Howa did buy it, being a Japan based company. But I also doubt that would go into play.
I still and curious as to who the other 2 confirmed "lookers" are. Remington? Colt? Ruger?

Graybeard · « **Reply #27 on:** March 24, 2006, 05:05:17 AM »

Like you I can only wonder. Colt is not truly solvent as a firearms maker themself, I can't see where buying the plant would be a good move on their part. Ruger is a definite possibility in my mind. Remington? Dunno I don't think they are that far away from the financial problems they had some while back and I suspect could still be bought themself is someone had the money and the inclination. I can't imagine Olin allowing the use of the Winchester name by them the major rival for over 100 years nor can I see why Remington would want the three guns made there for their line up.

I'd tend to think it some other off the wall small maker rather than those other than Ruger who is financially sound and might have an interest. If Bill Ruger was still alive I could definitely see him doing it.

Norseman112 · « **Reply #28 on:** March 24, 2006, 07:11:45 AM »

Posted by myarmor: I agree. Savage has just now got back on their feet and are doing well from all indications.

I agree with you Arron, Infact I decided to help them out some more by buying another savage today :-D

It would be nice to see the Winchester plant stay open. I think it would put a lot of smiles on peoples faces.

John