American Firearms and Their Makers: A Research Guide
Winchester
American Firearms and Their Makers: A Research Guide
Introduction
General Works
Individual Gunmakers
Allen, Browning, Bullard
Colt
Deringer
H&R Arms, High Standard, Ithaca
Manhattan, Marlin, Merwin-Hulbert
Parker
Remington, Ruger
Savage, Sharps, L.C. Smith
Smith & Wesson
Spencer, Stevens, Whitney
Winchester
Price Guides and Collecting
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Using the Library of Congress
Winchester George Grantham Bain, photographer. [Theodore Roosevelt, full-length portrait, standing, facing right, in deer skin hunting suit, holding rifle. 1885. Bain Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.
Oliver Winchester and John M. Davies purchased the bankrupt original company of Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson in 1856, and reorganized it as the New Haven Arms Company in April 1857. As its plant superintendent, Benjamin Henry continued with development of a new rifle, known as the Henry rifle. In 1866 Oliver Winchester reorganized the company as the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, and had the basic design of the Henry rifle completely modified and improved to become the first Winchester rifle, the Model 1866. In 1873 Winchester introduced the Model 1873 that used .44-40 WCF (Winchester Center Fire) cartridges, which became known as the gun that won the West. From 1883 John Moses Browning worked with the Winchester company to design a number of rifles and shotguns. Later the company developed weapons to compete with Browning's designs for other manufacturers, particularly in the area of commercial self-loading arms. Winchester contributed during both World Wars. During World War I, it was a major producer of the .303 Pattern 1914 Enfield rifle for the British and the similar .30-06 M1917 Enfield rifle for the United States. Winchester designed the United States M1 carbine and produced the M1 Garand Rifle used during World War II. In December 1980, Olin Corporation retained Winchester's ammunition business, but sold the New Haven plant to its employees who then incorporated it as the U.S. Repeating Arms Company with a license to make Winchester Arms. After its 1989 bankruptcy, the company was acquired by the Belgian arms maker, FN Herstal, which also owns Browning. The privately owned company continues to manufacture under the Winchester Repeating Arms brand.
The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to online resources are included when available. For additional information, see Winchester Rifle: A Resource Guide.
The Forgotten Winchesters : A History of the Models 1905, 1907, and 1910 Self-Loading Rifles by John Henwood Call Number: TS536.6.W55 H46 1995 Published/Created: c1995 Published by the author in 1995, this book represents the most comprehensive and authoritative reference for three early models of the Winchester semi-automatic rifle. The 1905, the 1907 and the 1910 models were the first semi-automatic rifles commercially offered by the Winchester company. These rifles, as well as the ammunition for them, have been long discontinued. Only 500 copies of this rare, out-of-print reference book, which includes 166 illustrated pages, were printed before the author's death.
The Historic Henry Rifle by Wiley Sword Call Number: UD395.H46 S95 2006 ISBN: 9781931464017 Published/Created: 2002 The Henry Rifle was one of the most important rifles of the Civil War and the forerunner of the famous line of Winchester Repeating Rifles that won the West. To Confederates armed with muzzle loaders, it was "that damned Yankee rifle that was loaded on Sunday and fired all week." The "sixteen shooter" Henry rifle dramatically changed the nature of combat, because of its key technological innovations, an enhanced self-cocking mechanism that worked in concert with the lever action and its use of modern metallic cartridges that endeavored to integrate the propellant directly into the bullet itself. Despite its legendary status, it was beset with difficulties that impeded its widespread use. This volume includes a color section picturing Henry rifles, extensive serial number data, and a list of identified guns.
History of Winchester Firearms, 1866-1992 by Thomas Henshaw; Duncan Barnes; Thomas E. Hall; Pete Kuhlhoff; James C. Rikhoff; George R. Watrous Call Number: TS533.2 .H57 1993 ISBN: 0832905038 Published/Created: 1993 The History of Winchester Firearms remains the most complete and authoritative account of Winchester firearms since its first edition by noted firearms authority, George R. Watrous. This classic reference proceeds through Winchester history and treats every model and variation produced by Winchester, including custom and special-order guns, rarities and commemoratives. This sixth edition is updated through 1992 to include sections on the Model 101 O / U Rifle and O / U Rifle Shotgun models plus the Model 94, as well as 22 new commemorative models. A seventh edition by Thomas Henshaw, who edited this sixth edition, was published in 2007.
Standard Catalog of Winchester by David D. Kowalski (Editor) Call Number: TS534.7 .S74 2000 ISBN: 0873418603 Published/Created: 2000 From 1886 to 1929 the Winchester Repeating Arms Company put its name on everything from garden tools to washing machines, promoting those products as being as good as the gun. This volume is is a single price and identification guide covering the full gamut of Winchester's products. It identifies and values more than 2,500 collectibles, including firearms, cartridges, shotshells, fishing tackle, sporting goods, tools and pocket knives. It also provides unsurpassed coverage of the company's popular calendars, advertising materials and packaging, posters, and trench art. There are more than 90 large, full color photos and more than 2,500 black and white photos. There are 2,500 major products included and the then current values for more than 10,000 items. The text provides useful information for the Winchester enthusiast on the widest range of Winchester topics ranging from firearms to farm and garden tools to kitchen and household appliances,
Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms by Joseph Madden Cornell; Paul Goodwin (Photographer) Call Number: TS536.6.W55 C67 2007 ISBN: 9780896895355 Published/Created: 2007 Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms guides the reader through the production history of one of America's top firearms manufacturers. Winchester's "Gun that Won the West" is among the most collectible guns in today's secondary market, but Winchester enthusiasts of all interests will benefit from the expertly analyzed prices, 500 color photos, and technical details featured in this reference. It includes: five grades of pricing for Winchester rifles and shotguns manufactured between 1866 and publication, and trend reports for popular models.
Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms by Joseph M. Cornell Call Number: TS536.6.W55 C67 2016 ISBN: 9781440246258 Published/Created: 2016 This updated and expanded third edition of the Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms serves as a guide to buying, selling, and collecting Winchester guns from every era. It features hundreds of full-color photographs of popular and obscure Winchester models, detailed and updated model descriptions, and accurate values and market analysis for hundreds of Winchester models. The author also provides expert advice on collecting Winchesters and spotting fakes.
The Story of the Winchester 1 of 1000 and 1 of 100 Rifles by Edmund E. Lewis Call Number: TS536.4 .L49 2009 ISBN: 9781931464413 Published/Created: 2009 Beginning with a brief history of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, this book is an exhaustive reference guide for Winchester Premium Rifles. The author discusses specific features of these rifles in detail and provides color photos of the various types of barrel inscriptions and engraving. He provides thorough descriptions, history, provenance (when available), and color photos of each of the known model 1873 and 1876 1-1000s and 1-100s and "Engraved-Like" rifles. In addition to more than 500 color photos and serial number tables, there are color and black and white images of original documents and correspondence along with specific information on warehouse ledgers (transcribed in easy-to-read charts) and museum letters on the respective rifles. The book concludes with detailed chapters on ammunition and accoutrements; fakes and other oddities; modern restorations and reproductions; and rarity rankings of the variations.
The Winchester by Laura Trevelyan Call Number: TS533.2 .T74 2016 ISBN: 9780300223385 Published/Created: 2016 Laura Trevelyan, a descendant of the Winchester family, offers a history of the colorful New England clan responsible for the creation and manufacture of the the Winchester Repeating Rifle, the "Gun that Won the West." Trevelyan chronicles the rise and fortunes of a great American arms dynasty from Oliver Winchester's involvement with the Volcanic Arms Company in 1855 through the turbulent decades of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She explores the evolution of an iconic, paradigm-changing weapon that has become a part of American culture; a longtime favorite of collectors and gun enthusiasts; and which has been celebrated in fiction, glorified in Hollywood, and applauded in endorsements from the likes of Annie Oakley, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, and Native American tribesmen who called it "the spirit gun."
Winchester '73 & '76; The First Repeating Centerfire Rifles by David F. Butler Call Number: TS536 .B87 ISBN: 0876910150 Published/Created: 1970 This is a book about the first repeating centerfire rifles introduced and manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The '73, famous as "the gun that won the West," was originally chambered as a .44-40, but was later also available as a .38-40 and .32-20. The Winchester 1876, also known as the Centennial Model, had a larger frame suitable for big game hunting. It was originally chambered for .45-75 Winchester Centennial cartridge, but other versions followed.
Winchester : an American legend : the official history of Winchester firearms and ammunition from 1849 to the present by R. L. Wilson Call Number: TS533.2 .W57 1991 ISBN: 0394585364 Published/Created: 1991 R. L. Wilson's official history of Winchester arms and ammunition was published to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Winchester marque. It describes virtually every model ever made with particular attention to the major models. In addition the author presents extensive pictorial and textual material on Winchester's wide range of ammunition. The text acknowledges the contributions of gun designers B. Tyler Henry, John Browning, T. C. Johnson, and Marshall Carbine Williams, as well as engravers Gustave Young, L. D. Nimschke, the Ulrich family, and Alvin A. White. The author describes Winchester's contributions to the military in the twentieth century, including development of the M1 carbine's basic design configuration. The volume features several guns from the Winchester Custom Shop in full color. A comprehensive table in the appendix lists serial numbers with related production data.
Winchester Bolt Action Rifles, 1877-1937 by Herbert G. Houze Call Number: UD395.W7 H68 1998 ISBN: 0917218841 Published/Created: 1998 Herbert Houze covers both civilian and military bolt actions in this guide, beginning with five chapters on the Hotchkiss. He then discusses in detail such other Winchester rifles as the Murata Year 17 Rifle, the Model 1895 Winchester-Lee, the William Mason Straight Pulls, the T.C. Johnson Model A and B Magazine Rifles, the Pattern 1914 Enfields, the Winchester Model C and D Rifles, the Model 1917 U.S. Rifle, the Model 1918 .50 Anti-Tank Rifle, the Model 51 Imperial Sporting Rifle, the Winchester Model 54 and the development of the Model 70. The author provides technical specifications, historical notes, and production details. It is illustrated with 295 photographs.
Winchester Model 94 by Robert C. Renneberg Call Number: TS536.6.W55 R456 2009 ISBN: 9781440203916 Published/Created: 2009 The Winchester Model 94 (also known as Winchester Model 1894 or Model 94) was the first American commercial repeating rifle to be used with smokeless powder and is the most successful lever-action rifle of all time. This revised and expanded edition of The Winchester Model 94 presents previously unpublished information on the 1894's offspring, the Model 55, introduced in 1924, and the Model 64, introduced in 1933.
Winchester Rarities by Tom Webster; David D. Kowalski (Editor) Call Number: TS533.2 .W42 2000 ISBN: 087341862X Published/Created: 2000 Winchester produced thousands of items ranging from guns to household items during its time as one of the world's leading manufacturers. To guide collectors and enthusiasts, this volume features nearly 800 full color photographs and detailed pricing for the more rare Winchester memorabilia by experts in the field .
Winchester Repeating Arms Company by Herb Houze Call Number: TS533.2 .H68 2004 ISBN: 0873497864 Published/Created: 2004 Herbert G. Houze, former curator of the Winchester Arms Museum, has written a complete account of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from the 1856 founding of its predecessor, the New Haven Arms Company, to the sale of the firm by Olin Corporation in 1981. Using corporate records and other new sources, Houze reconstructs many previously unknown aspects of Winchester's company history. He dispels commonly held beliefs about Winchester's growth and operations, such as its orderly corporate succession from the New Haven Arms Company or the reasons for its financial collapse in 1930. The author identifies and fully describes seven new models of Winchester firearms, and sheds new light on the development of more familiar models and the men who designed them.
Winchester Shotguns and Shotshells by Ronald W. Stadt Call Number: TS536.8 .S73 1995 ISBN: 0873413393 Published/Created: 1995 This definitive illustrated guide for the shotgunner and collector provides descriptions of Winchester guns by grades with dates and details of changes. It traces shotshell development from 1877 with box labels and display samples and provides a bibliography of Winchester printed material from 1867 to 1981. This volume includes photos and text on collectible Winchester shotguns and shotshells manufactured through 1961, as well as extensive coverage on shotshells and their boxes.
Winchester Slide Action Rifles by Ned Schwing Call Number: TS536.6.W55 S38 2004 ISBN: 0873497902 Published/Created: 2004 Winchester Slide Action Rifles provides thorough detailed information about the receivers, barrels, markings, stocks, stampings, and engravings of the favorite slide-action guns of America. Originally published in two volumes, it includes the Model 1890, Model 1906, Model 61, and Model 62.
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The Forgotten Winchesters : A History of the Models 1905, 1907, and 1910 Self-Loading Rifles by Call Number: TS536.6.W55 H46 1995 Published/Created: c1995 Published by the author in 1995, this book represents the most comprehensive and authoritative reference for three early models of the Winchester semi-automatic rifle. The 1905, the 1907 and the 1910 models were the first semi-automatic rifles commercially offered by the Winchester company. These rifles, as well as the ammunition for them, have been long discontinued. Only 500 copies of this rare, out-of-print reference book, which includes 166 illustrated pages, were printed before the author's death. 
History of Winchester Firearms, 1866-1992 by Call Number: TS533.2 .H57 1993 ISBN: 0832905038 Published/Created: 1993 The History of Winchester Firearms remains the most complete and authoritative account of Winchester firearms since its first edition by noted firearms authority, George R. Watrous. This classic reference proceeds through Winchester history and treats every model and variation produced by Winchester, including custom and special-order guns, rarities and commemoratives. This sixth edition is updated through 1992 to include sections on the Model 101 O / U Rifle and O / U Rifle Shotgun models plus the Model 94, as well as 22 new commemorative models. A seventh edition by Thomas Henshaw, who edited this sixth edition, was published in 2007. 
Standard Catalog of Winchester by Call Number: TS534.7 .S74 2000 ISBN: 0873418603 Published/Created: 2000 From 1886 to 1929 the Winchester Repeating Arms Company put its name on everything from garden tools to washing machines, promoting those products as being as good as the gun. This volume is is a single price and identification guide covering the full gamut of Winchester's products. It identifies and values more than 2,500 collectibles, including firearms, cartridges, shotshells, fishing tackle, sporting goods, tools and pocket knives. It also provides unsurpassed coverage of the company's popular calendars, advertising materials and packaging, posters, and trench art. There are more than 90 large, full color photos and more than 2,500 black and white photos. There are 2,500 major products included and the then current values for more than 10,000 items. The text provides useful information for the Winchester enthusiast on the widest range of Winchester topics ranging from firearms to farm and garden tools to kitchen and household appliances, 
Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms by Call Number: TS536.6.W55 C67 2007 ISBN: 9780896895355 Published/Created: 2007 Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms guides the reader through the production history of one of America's top firearms manufacturers. Winchester's "Gun that Won the West" is among the most collectible guns in today's secondary market, but Winchester enthusiasts of all interests will benefit from the expertly analyzed prices, 500 color photos, and technical details featured in this reference. It includes: five grades of pricing for Winchester rifles and shotguns manufactured between 1866 and publication, and trend reports for popular models. 
Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms by Call Number: TS536.6.W55 C67 2016 ISBN: 9781440246258 Published/Created: 2016 This updated and expanded third edition of the Standard Catalog of Winchester Firearms serves as a guide to buying, selling, and collecting Winchester guns from every era. It features hundreds of full-color photographs of popular and obscure Winchester models, detailed and updated model descriptions, and accurate values and market analysis for hundreds of Winchester models. The author also provides expert advice on collecting Winchesters and spotting fakes. 
The Winchester by Call Number: TS533.2 .T74 2016 ISBN: 9780300223385 Published/Created: 2016 Laura Trevelyan, a descendant of the Winchester family, offers a history of the colorful New England clan responsible for the creation and manufacture of the the Winchester Repeating Rifle, the "Gun that Won the West." Trevelyan chronicles the rise and fortunes of a great American arms dynasty from Oliver Winchester's involvement with the Volcanic Arms Company in 1855 through the turbulent decades of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. She explores the evolution of an iconic, paradigm-changing weapon that has become a part of American culture; a longtime favorite of collectors and gun enthusiasts; and which has been celebrated in fiction, glorified in Hollywood, and applauded in endorsements from the likes of Annie Oakley, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, and Native American tribesmen who called it "the spirit gun." 
Winchester : an American legend : the official history of Winchester firearms and ammunition from 1849 to the present by Call Number: TS533.2 .W57 1991 ISBN: 0394585364 Published/Created: 1991 R. L. Wilson's official history of Winchester arms and ammunition was published to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Winchester marque. It describes virtually every model ever made with particular attention to the major models. In addition the author presents extensive pictorial and textual material on Winchester's wide range of ammunition. The text acknowledges the contributions of gun designers B. Tyler Henry, John Browning, T. C. Johnson, and Marshall Carbine Williams, as well as engravers Gustave Young, L. D. Nimschke, the Ulrich family, and Alvin A. White. The author describes Winchester's contributions to the military in the twentieth century, including development of the M1 carbine's basic design configuration. The volume features several guns from the Winchester Custom Shop in full color. A comprehensive table in the appendix lists serial numbers with related production data. 
Winchester Model 94 by Call Number: TS536.6.W55 R456 2009 ISBN: 9781440203916 Published/Created: 2009 The Winchester Model 94 (also known as Winchester Model 1894 or Model 94) was the first American commercial repeating rifle to be used with smokeless powder and is the most successful lever-action rifle of all time. This revised and expanded edition of The Winchester Model 94 presents previously unpublished information on the 1894's offspring, the Model 55, introduced in 1924, and the Model 64, introduced in 1933. 
Winchester Rarities by Call Number: TS533.2 .W42 2000 ISBN: 087341862X Published/Created: 2000 Winchester produced thousands of items ranging from guns to household items during its time as one of the world's leading manufacturers. To guide collectors and enthusiasts, this volume features nearly 800 full color photographs and detailed pricing for the more rare Winchester memorabilia by experts in the field . 
Winchester Repeating Arms Company by Call Number: TS533.2 .H68 2004 ISBN: 0873497864 Published/Created: 2004 Herbert G. Houze, former curator of the Winchester Arms Museum, has written a complete account of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company from the 1856 founding of its predecessor, the New Haven Arms Company, to the sale of the firm by Olin Corporation in 1981. Using corporate records and other new sources, Houze reconstructs many previously unknown aspects of Winchester's company history. He dispels commonly held beliefs about Winchester's growth and operations, such as its orderly corporate succession from the New Haven Arms Company or the reasons for its financial collapse in 1930. The author identifies and fully describes seven new models of Winchester firearms, and sheds new light on the development of more familiar models and the men who designed them. 
Winchester Shotguns and Shotshells by Call Number: TS536.8 .S73 1995 ISBN: 0873413393 Published/Created: 1995 This definitive illustrated guide for the shotgunner and collector provides descriptions of Winchester guns by grades with dates and details of changes. It traces shotshell development from 1877 with box labels and display samples and provides a bibliography of Winchester printed material from 1867 to 1981. This volume includes photos and text on collectible Winchester shotguns and shotshells manufactured through 1961, as well as extensive coverage on shotshells and their boxes. 
Winchester Slide Action Rifles by Call Number: TS536.6.W55 S38 2004 ISBN: 0873497902 Published/Created: 2004 Winchester Slide Action Rifles provides thorough detailed information about the receivers, barrels, markings, stocks, stampings, and engravings of the favorite slide-action guns of America. Originally published in two volumes, it includes the Model 1890, Model 1906, Model 61, and Model 62. 
