Winchester rifle Winchester rifle is usually used to refer to the lever - action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company , though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types . Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeating rifle s ; the Winchester repeater was incredibly popular and is colloquially known as " The Gun that Won the West " for its predominant role in the hands of Western settlers . Predecessors . In 1848 , inventor Walter Hunt of New York patented his " Volition Repeating Rifle " incorporating a tubular magazine , which was operated by two levers and complex linkages . The Hunt rifle fired what he called the " Rocket Ball , " an early form of caseless ammunition in which the powder charge was contained in the bullet ' s hollow base . Hunt ' s design was fragile and unworkable , but in 1849 Lewis Jennings purchased the Hunt patents and developed a functioning , if still complex , version which was produced in small numbers by Robbins & Lawrence of Windsor , Vermont until 1852 . Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson of Norwich , Connecticut acquired the Jennings patent from Robbins & Lawrence , as well as shop foreman Benjamin Tyler Henry . Smith made several improvements to the Jennings design , and in 1855 Smith and Wesson together with several investors formed a corporation , the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company , to manufacture Smith ' s modification of the Hunt - Jennings , the Volcanic lever - action pistol and rifle . Its largest stockholder was Oliver Winchester . For the Volcanic rifle , Smith added a primer charge to Hunt ' s " Rocket Ball " and thus created one of the first fixed metallic cartridges which incorporated bullet , primer and powder in one self - contained unit . While still with the company Smith went a step further and added a cylindrical copper case to hold the bullet and powder with the primer in the case rim , thus creating one of the most significant inventions in firearms history , the metallic rimfire cartridge . ( Smith ' s cartridge , the . 22 Short , would be introduced commercially in 1857 with the landmark Smith & Wesson Model 1 revolver and is still manufactured today . ) The Volcanic rifle had only limited success , which was in part attributable to the design and poor performance of the Hunt - derived Volcanic cartridge : a hollow conical ball filled with black powder and sealed by a cork primer . Although the Volcanic ' s repeater design far outpaced the rival technology , the unsatisfactory power and reliability of the . 25 and . 32 caliber " Rocket Balls " were little match for the competitors ' larger calibers . Wesson had left Volcanic soon after it was formed and Smith followed eight months later , to create the Smith & Wesson Revolver Company . Volcanic moved to New Haven in 1856 , but by the end of that year became insolvent . Oliver Winchester purchased the bankrupt firm ' s assets from the remaining stockholders , and reorganized it as the New Haven Arms Company in April 1857 . Benjamin Henry continued to work with Smith ' s cartridge concept , and perfected the much larger , more powerful . 44 Henry rimfire . Henry also supervised the redesign of the rifle to use the new ammunition , retaining only the general form of the breech mechanism and the tubular magazine . This became the Henry rifle of 1860 , which was manufactured by the New Haven Arms Company , and used in considerable numbers by certain Union army units in the American Civil War . Confederates called the Henry " that damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week ! " Development . After the war , Oliver Winchester renamed New Haven Arms the Winchester Repeating Arms Company . The company modified and improved the basic design of the Henry rifle , creating the first Winchester rifle : the Model 1866 . It retained the . 44 Henry rimfire cartridge , was likewise built on a bronze - alloy frame , and had an improved magazine and a wooden forearm . In 1873 Winchester introduced the steel - framed Model 1873 chambering the more potent . 44 - 40 centerfire cartridge . In 1876 , in a bid to compete with the powerful single - shot rifles of the time , Winchester brought out the Model 1876 ( " Centennial Model " ) . While it chambered more powerful cartridges than the 1866 and 1873 models , the toggle link action was not strong enough for the popular high - powered rounds used in Sharps or Remington single - shot rifles . From 1883 , John Moses Browning worked in partnership with Winchester , designing a series of rifles and shotguns , most notably the lever - action Winchester Model 1886 , Model 1892 , Model 1894 , and Model 1895 rifles , along with the lever - action Model 1887 / 1901 shotgun , the pump - action Model 1890 rifle , and the pump - action Model 1893 / 1897 shotgun . Winchester lever - action repeating rifles . Winchester Model 1866 . The first Winchester rifle – the Winchester Model 1866 – was originally chambered for the rimfire . 44 Henry . Nicknamed the " Yellow Boy " because of its receiver of a bronze alloy called gunmetal , it was famous for its rugged construction and lever - action mechanism that allowed the rifleman to fire a number of shots before having to reload : hence the term " repeating rifle . " Nelson King ' s new improved patent remedied flaws in the Henry rifle by incorporating a loading gate on the side of the frame and integrating a round sealed magazine which was covered by a fore stock . These rifles were used in number by the Ottoman Empire in the 1877 Russo - Turkish War , where they made quite a name for themselves during the Siege of Plevna . The battle incidentally caused all the major powers to seriously consider adopting repeating rifles , considering the outnumbered Turks inflicted 4 times as many casualties as the Russians did with their single - shot Krnka and Berdan rifles . The Swiss Army also selected the Winchester Model 1866 to replace their existing single - shot Milbank - Amsler rifles , but political pressure to use a domestic design resulted in this decision being rescinded . Instead , the Vetterli Model 1867 , a bolt - action design utilizing a copy of the Winchester ' s tubular magazine , was adopted . Winchester Model 1873 . One of the most successful , and certainly one of the most famous Winchester rifles was the Winchester Model 1873 , manufactured between 1873 and 1919 . Originally chambered for the . 44 - 40 cartridge , it was later produced in . 38 - 40 and . 32 - 20 , all of which were also popular handgun cartridges of the day , allowing its users to conveniently carry one type of ammunition for both their rifles and pistols . Due to feeding problems , the original Model 1873 was never offered in the military standard . 45 Colt cartridge , although a number of modern reproductions of the rifle are chambered for the round . The popularity of the Winchester in . 44 - 40 led Colt to manufacture a version of the Single Action Army revolver chambered for the same round , called the " Frontier Model " ; Winchester produced three variations of the Model 1873 : the rifle , carbine , and musket ( although the musket variation accounted for less than 5 – 10 percent of those produced ) . The rifle variation used a 24 " barrel , while the carbine used a 20 " barrel . The carbine was the most popular due to its portability . Winchester established a " One of One Thousand " grade in 1875 . All barrels were test - fired for accuracy during the manufacturing process . Barrels producing unusually small groups were fitted to rifles with set triggers and special finish and marked " One of One Thousand " to be sold at a price of $ 100 . A second grade of barrels producing above average accuracy were fitted to rifles marked " One of One Hundred " and sold for a price $ 20 higher than list . Approximately 136 " One of One Thousand " Model 1873 rifles were sold with only eight Model 1873s of the " One of One Hundred " grade . Winchester rifles were readily available on the frontier and became hugely popular , with over 720 , 000 produced . This popularity has led the Model 1873 to be credited as " The Gun that Won the West " , and inspired the 1950 Western film " Winchester ' 73 " starring James Stewart and directed by Anthony Mann . Production of the latter movie included a search for " One of One Thousand " and " One of One Hundred " rifles by Universal Studios with advertisements in sporting magazines and posters in sporting goods stores . In 2013 Winchester brought back this iconic rifle . The rifle is manufactured under license from the Olin company by FN / Browning in the Kochi Prefecture of Japan by the Miroku Corporation . This marks the third of the classic Winchester rifle models to be re - introduced , the previous models being the Model 1892 and the Model 1894 . The new model is available with a 20 " round barrel and chambered in . 357 Magnum / . 38 Special only . It is nearly identical in design to the original Model 73 ' s including the trigger disconnect safety , sliding dustcover , and crescent shaped buttplate , but with two notable exceptions . An additional safety mechanism , a firing pin block that prevents it from moving forward unless the trigger is pulled , was integrated and the cartridge carrier was changed to eject used casings away from the shooter . The fixed , tubular magazine has a maximum capacity of ten rounds . Winchester Model 1876 . The Winchester Model 1876 or Centennial Model was a heavier - framed rifle than the Model 1866 or Model 1873 , and was the first to be chambered for full - powered centerfire rifle cartridges , as opposed to rimfire cartridges or handgun - sized centerfire rounds . While similar in design to the 1873 , the 1876 was actually based on the prototype 1868 lever - action rifle that was never commercially produced by Winchester . The 1876 was introduced to celebrate the American Centennial , and earned a reputation as a durable and powerful hunting rifle . Production included 54 " One of One Thousand " Model 1876s and only seven of the " One of One Hundred " grade . Originally chambered for the new . 45 - 75 WCF cartridge ( designed to replicate the . 45 - 70 Gov ' t ballistics in a shorter case ) , versions in . 40 - 60 , . 45 - 60 and . 50 - 95 Express followed ; the ' 76 in the latter chambering is the only repeater known to have been used in any numbers by the professional buffalo hunters . The Canadian North - West Mounted Police used the ' 76 in . 45 - 75 as a standard long arm for many years with 750 rifles purchased for the force in 1883 ; the Mountie - model ' 76 carbine was also issued to the Texas Rangers . Theodore Roosevelt used an engraved , pistol - gripped half - magazine ' 76 during his early hunting expeditions in the West and praised it . A ' 76 was also found in the possession of Apache warrior Geronimo after his surrender in 1886 . Winchester Model 1886 . The Model 1886 continued the trend towards chambering heavier rounds , and had an all - new and considerably stronger locking - block action than the toggle - link Model 1876 . It was designed by John Moses Browning , who had a long and profitable relationship with Winchester from the 1880s to the early 1900s . William Mason made some improvements to Browning ' s original design . In many respects the Model 1886 was a true American express rifle , as it could be chambered in the more powerful black powder cartridges of the day , such as the . 45 - 70 Government ( chambering a rifle for the popular . 45 - 70 had been a goal of Winchester for some time ) . The 1886 proved capable of handling not only the . 45 Gov ' t but also . 45 - 90 and the huge . 50 - 110 Express " buffalo " cartridges , and in 1903 was chambered for the smokeless high - velocity . 33 WCF . In 1935 Winchester introduced a slightly modified M1886 as the Model 71 , chambered for the more powerful . 348 Winchester cartridge . Winchester Model 1892 . Winchester returned to its roots with the Model 1892 , which , like the first lever - action guns , was primarily chambered for shorter , lower - pressure handgun rounds . The Model 1892 , however , incorporates a much stronger Browning action ( based on the larger M1886 ) than the earlier Henry - derived arms of the 1860s and 1870s . 1 , 004 , 675 Model 1892 rifles were made by Winchester , and although the company phased them out in the 1930s , replicas are still being made by the Brazilian arms maker , Rossi , and by Chiappa Firearms , an Italian factory . In its modern form , using updated materials and production techniques , the Model 1892 ' s action is strong enough to chamber high pressure handgun rounds , such as . 357 Magnum , . 44 Magnum , and . 454 Casull . The Winchester ' 92 was commonly used in Hollywood Western movies and TV shows , as a substitute for the Winchester ' 66 and ' 73 models , because it has a similar appearance , and was cheaper and easier to acquire . Winchester Model 1894 . The John Browning designed Winchester Model 1894 is the most prevalent of the Winchester repeating rifles . The Model 94 was first chambered for the . 32 - 40 cartridge , and later , a variety of calibers such as . 25 - 35 WCF , . 30 - 30 , . 32 Winchester Special , and the . 38 - 55 . Winchester was the first company to manufacture a civilian rifle chambered for the new smokeless propellants , and although delays prevented the . 30 - 30 cartridge from appearing on the shelves until 1895 , it remained the first commercially available smokeless powder round for the North American consumer market . Though initially it was too expensive for most shooters , the Model 1894 went on to become one of the best - selling hunting rifles of all time — it has the distinction of being the first sporting / hunting rifle to sell over one million units , ultimately selling over " seven " million before US production was discontinued in 2006 . The Winchester 94 / . 30 - 30 combination is practically synonymous with " deer rifle " in the United States . Winchester Model 1895 . The Winchester Model 1895 has the distinction of being the first Winchester lever - action rifle to load from a box magazine instead of a tube under the barrel . This allowed the Model 1895 to be chambered for military cartridges with spitzer ( pointed ) projectiles , and the rifle was used by the armed forces of a number of nations including the United States , Great Britain , and Imperial Russia . The Russian production models could also be loaded using charger clips , a feature not found on any other lever - action rifle . Calibers included . 30 - 40 Krag ( . 30 US or . 30 Army ) , . 303 British , . 30 - 03 Springfield , . 30 - 06 Springfield , 7 . 62mm Russian , and the mighty . 405 Winchester . Theodore Roosevelt used a Model 1895 in . 405 on African safari , and called it his " medicine gun " for lions . In 1908 the 1895 Winchester became the first commercially produced sporting rifle chambered in . 30 - 06 ( then called " . 30 Gov ' t 06 " ) . Winchester Model 88 . Introduced in 1955 , sixty years after Winchester ' s last all - new lever - action design , the Model 88 was unlike any previous lever action ; it was really a lever - bolt hybrid . A short - throw underlever operated a three - lug rotating bolt , and rounds were fed vertically from a detachable box magazine . These bolt - action features in a " lever - action " permitted the use of high - powered modern short - case cartridges with spitzer bullets : . 243 , . 284 , . 308 ( 7 . 62mm NATO ) and . 358 Winchester . The 88 did not prove to be especially popular , although it has its share of devoted enthusiasts , and was discontinued in 1973 . It is , however the third biggest selling lever action rifle in Winchester ' s storied history , following only the M1894 ( 1st ) and M1892 ( 2nd ) . The later Sako Finnwolf and Browning BLR have similar actions . Winchester Model 9422 . Winchester ' s Model 9422 was introduced in 1972 and was rapidly recognized for high quality . It was designed to capture the image of the traditional lever - actions with exposed hammer , straight grip , tube magazine and barrel bands . Unlike older Winchester lever actions it came grooved for scope mounting . It was offered in . 22 Long Rifle and . 22 WMR , and was priced at the high - quality end of the . 22 sporting rifle market . The 9422 action design was original and extremely reliable . The feed system handled the cartridge from the magazine to the breech face by its rim , and the slide cammed the rear of the breechblock up into the locking recess . A concealed polymer buffer above the breech gave a firm - feeling lockup and a very positive unlocking motion . The 9422 had worldwide appeal to customers raised on ' westerns ' and to those looking for a fun and historic way to introduce their children to shooting . Over the course of production a higher finished model called the 9422 XTR , a . 17 rimfire model , and several commemorative models were offered . Production ended in 2005 . Winchester Model 1885 Single Shot Rifle . In 1885 , Winchester entered the single - shot market with the Model 1885 rifle , which John Browning had designed in 1878 ( the beginning of the fruitful 20 - year Winchester - Browning collaboration ) . The Winchester Single Shot , known to most shooters as either the " Low - wall " or " High - wall " depending on model , but officially marketed by Winchester as the Single Shot Rifle , was produced to satisfy the demands of the growing sport of " Match Shooting " , excelling at it , with Major Ned H . Roberts ( inventor of the . 257 Roberts cartridge ) describing the Model 1885 Single Shot as " " . . . the most reliable , strongest , and altogether best single shot rifle ever produced . " " Winchester produced nearly 140 , 000 Single Shot rifles from 1885 to 1920 , and it was found that the falling - block Model 1885 had been built with one of the " strongest actions " known at that time . Winchester also produced a large number of Single Shots in . 22 caliber for the US Army as a marksmanship training rifle , the " Winder musket . " Bolt - action rifles . Winchester lever - action rifles remained the most popular in the US through WWI and the interwar period . However , advances in the development of bolt - action rifles made them increasingly preferred over lever actions . These new rifles , such as Mauser ' s Gewehr 98 and the US M1903 Springfield , featured box magazines that could chamber pointed " " Spitzer " " bullets , which lever - action rifles with tubular magazine s could not use for safety reasons ( a pointed bullet can accidentally fire the round in front of it in a tubular magazine ) . The most influential bolt - action designs , as developed by Mauser and other military manufacturers , had front locking lugs , which both stabilized the cartridge head very well and strengthened the action considerably . This allowed for ammunition to reach unprecedented velocities , increasing long - range accuracy while not compromising operator safety . The bolt action was also simpler and cheaper to manufacture than high - powered leverguns like Winchester ' s 1886 and 1895 models , making them extremely competitive in the marketplace . In response to the increasing competition from these bolt - action rifles , Winchester introduced the Winchester Model 54 in 1925 . This was not Winchester ' s first bolt rifle ( that distinction belonged to the Winchester - Hotchkiss rifle of 1878 ) , but it was by far their most successful to date . It was based indirectly on the Mauser Gewehr 98 design , but with modifications and popular North American chamberings such as the widely available . 30 - 06 Springfield , which made it more appealing to American hunters than were the European imports or sporterised military rifles . The Model 70 was developed from the Model 54 , which it replaced in 1936 . The Model 70 , often dubbed the " rifleman ' s rifle " , was produced continuously at New Haven ( except during WWII ) until 2006 , and production has resumed at FN Herstal ' s plant in Columbia , South Carolina . In 1920 Winchester introduced the high - quality Model 52 . 22 bolt - action target rifle , which from its inception and for years thereafter was America ' s reference standard smallbore match rifle . A very desirable sporter model of this action was also made from 1934 – 59 . On the other hand , from 1900 , Winchester manufactured inexpensive single - shot . 22 bolt - action " boy ' s rifles , " including the models 1900 , 1902 , 1904 and Thumb Trigger ( 99 ) , and mid - range . 22 bolt action repeaters including the Models 69 , 72 and 75 . Winchester self - loading rifles . Winchester Models 1903 and 63 . The Winchester Model 1903 was the first commercially available self - loading . 22 rimfire caliber in the US . Designed by T . C . Johnson , the Model 1903 was chambered for the unique . 22 Winchester Automatic cartridge . In 1919 , the Model 1903 moniker was shortened to Model 03 , and following a partial redesign in the 1930s , was renamed the Model 63 . The Model 63 , introduced in 1933 , was chambered for the popular and widely available . 22 Long Rifle cartridge . It was initially made with a 20 " barrel , then with a 23 " barrel from 1936 until the end of production in 1958 . About 175 , 000 Model 63 rifles were manufactured , with the last 10 , 000 having grooved receiver tops for scope mounting . Both the 1903 / 03 and the 63 have tubular magazines in the butt stock of the rifle and are loaded through a slot in the right side of the butt stock . Winchester Models 1905 , 1907 , and 1910 . The early center fire Winchester self - loading series of rifles began with the Model 1905 , chambered for the . 32SL and . 35SL cartridges . Following a demand for a higher - powered self - loading rifle , the Models 1907 and 1910 were introduced along with their respective cartridges , the . 351SL and . 401SL . Winchester repeating shotguns . Winchester Model 1887 / 1901 . The Winchester Model 1887 was the first successful repeating shotgun design , developed by John Browning and produced by Winchester from 1887 - 1920 . Browning felt that a pump - action would be much more appropriate for a repeating shotgun , but as Winchester was primarily a lever - action firearms company they felt that their new shotgun must also be a lever - action for reasons of brand recognition . The M1887 was chambered for 12ga black powder shotshells , and after the switch to smokeless powder at the end of the 19th Century , the M1901 was introduced , being chambered for 10ga smokeless shells . Although a technically sound gun design , the market for lever - action shotguns waned considerably after the introduction of the Winchester 1897 and other contemporary pump - action shotguns ; modern reproductions of the gun have been manufactured by Norinco in China , ADI Ltd . in Australia and Chiappa Firearms in Italy . Reproductions have sold well in Australia since that country ' s ban on pump and semi - auto shotguns . Winchester Model 1893 / 1897 . Another Browning design , the Winchester Model 1893 was the first successful pump - action shotgun design ; as strengthened in 1897 for smokeless - propellant shells , it remained in production until the mid - 1950s . Unusual for a repeating shotgun , the Model 1897 could be taken apart for easier carriage / storage , and was available in a variety of barrel lengths from 20in to 36in . During World War I it was issued as a trench gun , with short barrel , heat shield and bayonet . Winchester Model 1911 . Winchester ' s long association with John Browning came to an acrimonious end when the company refused to accept Browning ' s terms for the right to manufacture his revolutionary 1898 design for a self - loading shotgun ; the landmark Browning Auto - 5 was produced instead by Fabrique Nationale in Europe and later by Remington Arms in the US . However , Browning ' s semi - automatic patents had been so tightly drafted by Winchester ' s own lawyers that it took years for T . C . Johnson to develop a self - loading shotgun which didn ' t infringe them ; this was the Model 1911 SL . The 1911 unfortunately was a flawed and potentially dangerous design , and was not a commercial success ; it was dropped in 1925 . Winchester Model 1912 . Designed by T . C . Johnson as an internal - hammer modification of the Model 1897 , the Model 1912 ( later re dubbed the Model 12 ) was one of the most successful pump shotguns ever made , with nearly 2 million produced before its cancellation in 1963 . Like the Model 1897 it came in take - down form , and likewise was issued in trench gun and combat versions during both World Wars , Korea and Vietnam . The Model 12 was popular with the military , law enforcement , hunters , and sporting clay competitors , the latter regarding it as having superior balance and " point " among pump - actions . 1964 changes . In the mid - to late 1950s , a management change at Winchester led to an extensive and extremely controversial redesign of their firearms in 1964 . This is regarded by many as the year the " real " Winchester ceased to be , and consequently " pre - ' 64 " rifles command higher prices than those made afterwards . Winchester itself went on to have a troubled future as competition from both the US and abroad began to decrease its sales . Although in the 1970s the company attempted to recover its reputation by bringing out the well - received SuperX - 1 semiautomatic shotgun , produced along pre - 1964 lines , the cost of manufacture again proved unsustainable . In 1980 , the company was split into parts and sold off . The name " Winchester " remained with the ammunition making side of the company , and this branch continues to be profitable . The arms making side and New Haven facilities went to U . S . Repeating Arms , which struggled to keep the company going under a variety of owners and management teams . It finally announced plans to close the New Haven facility , the producers of the Model 1894 , in 2006 . On August 15 , 2006 , Olin Corporation , owner of the Winchester trademarks , announced that it had entered into a new license agreement with Browning to make Winchester brand rifles and shotguns , though not at the closed Winchester plant in New Haven . Browning , based in Morgan , Utah , and the former licensee , U . S . Repeating Arms Company , are both subsidiaries of FN Herstal . In 2008 FN Herstal announced plans to produce Model 70 rifles at its plant in Columbia , SC .