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I see on the Winchester Repeating Arms website they are offering a good selection of guns, even the 1873. Where are these guns made? Did the Winchester Company get back in the gun business?
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No, "Winchester" (Olin) did not get back into the business. The new production guns are made by the Browning Arms company in various locations, and under license to use the "Winchester" name.
Bert
WACA 6571L, Historian & Board of Director Member
From their website you can not tell, they just call them Winchesters. Are guns like the 1873 made in America? Do they have just the proper Winchester markings? As nice as the Japanese Browning Winchesters were, I could not take the Made in Japan marking.
All lever-action and falling block models are made in Japan (models 1873, 1885, 1886, 1894). At least the guns on sale here in Europe have the marking "MADE IN JAPAN BY MIROKU" on their barrels.
The Mirouku plant in Japan that has made the Browning Winchester copies since the 70’s is also the manufacturer for the newer "Winchesters". I probably shouldnt admit that I have a few of them (all before tang safeties ) and they are good shooters
Phil
Leverfan and I were typing messages at the same time making mine redundant, but may I say that additional models made there in Japan have been the 92 and its derivatives 53, and 65 ,and also the 95
Yeah, that´s true – I only mentioned the models currently available on this continent. And I have to confess that I have a couple of them too…
I believe that the only "Winchester" marked gun being made in the U.S.A. is the Model 70 (in Columbia South Carolina).
Bert
WACA 6571L, Historian & Board of Director Member
I’ve owned three different lever guns made in the Miroku factory, a Browning Model 86 SRC, a Winchester 1892 rifle and a Winchester Model 86 Extra Light. The fit and finish of all of them was beautiful. I currently only still own the Browning Model 86 SRC, which I bought new back when they came out and doubt I will ever part with. I don’t necessarily see these as collector guns, but as working guns. If the new ‘Winchesters’ are made in the Miroku plant, then they should be of good quality, but they just do not get my interest. I’ll take an original vintage Winchester any day of the week.
The current offerings from "Winchester" would be nice if they could be made here and just have the proper original Winchester markings (and no safeties). With foreign markings they have no interest to me, no matter how well made. They are not cheap, $1000 & up.
I wonder if anyone has taken one of these new rifles and threw away the barrel and safety and made a more traditional rifle out of them.I don’t know how complicated losing the safety would be but barrels are usually not a technical problem.
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