The Model 70 is a beautiful gun. My grandpa got one back in the 80's when my uncle worked for Winchester. Winchester used to make some of the best guns. John Wayne and his 92 are overseas now. Sad, but the rest of America is, too.

It seems here that we have two types of people, logical mined people vs. emotional people. Or put another way, the Winchester will never die, Granddaddy shot his first whatever vs. the Companies are in the business to make and sell products at a sustainable profit. Obviously Winchester could no longer do that at their New Haven plant so it was closed.In the closing agreement it was stated that models couldn't be made until a certain future date (I don't remember the exact date) That explains the gap in production of '94's etc. This doesn't mean that Winchester is dead...Blah, blah, blah. Frankly I wasn't very impressed with all the Short action, SuperShort etc. BS. I think they should have put their time into making better firearms. Savage is a textbook example of how to turn a company around, nice job Ron Colburn.

Winchester has really been slipping in the quality department including the SUPER-X and POWER-POINT.22 ammo that's been recalled. No wonder they're in trouble.I think Norinco is crap too. For the above posters that recommend Brno be aware that they're now out of business too.There's lot's of better guns then Winchester anyway. Most notably CZ, Tikka/Sako, Ruger, Benelli, Remington.

I have 4 Winchesters: A 94 in 30-30 from 1982, a 1300, an SX2 and my Dad's old model 37. All are fine guns. Winchesters are not the finest guns in the world but they have an indefinable something that makes them special to shoot and own. The closing of the New Haven plant is a sad, sad affair. A world w/o 94's and 70's ...

things live and die.Winchester is just one.The Roman Empire didn't last;neither will Australia nor Austrianor America. blame whoever is yourchoice. blame whatever you find.one of these days, Toyota willturn "tits-up" as well.

I bought a 9422 in .22 Magnum brand new and it was so innacurate I sold it in 3 months. My cousin is a very good shot and he thought it was a load of rubbish, too.I still own a M70 in .243, goodness knows why. I can not put a group inside a dinner plate at 100 meters, Give me a CZ BRNO anyday. Good bye Winchester and good ridance.

I own a pre-64 model 94 30-30 and i couldn't ask for a better rifle. Winchester should've closed it's doors 20 years ago instead of disgracing it's name with the garbage it's been sending of it's line.

It is sad that another American firearm manufacturer has gone by the wayside. I have to agree with many of the posts though in that for the last few years many of their products have been sub-standard.I too support American made products and the American worker whenever possible; but the fact remains, Winchester has gone downhill over the years.I have owned several Winchesters and have had problems with the majority; 2 model 1300's, one model 1400, and one model 70 all needed to be repaired out of the box.I still have 2 Winchesters; a 1300 deer gun that needed help from the box and an old model 55 single shot .22 that was a gift for my children from my father. I have no idea how long he has owned it. Suffice to say decades.Along with my Browning BPS and my Ruger .44 blackhawk I currently have 2 Savage model 110/111 and 2 mossbergs a 500 20 gauge and a 935. If Winchester could have continued to make reliable products with competitive price tags I would have purchased those instead, for the nostalgia is very powerful.And don't let national origin fool you, any company is out for profit; American or otherwise. Without profit in substantial amounts, all will close their doors and shun their customers.If Winchester was still profitable then they would still be open. After all, how long can you contiue to pay your bills with less coming in than goes out?

It is sad to see the Winchester icon fade away. It is also sad to see another example of Union labor fading away. The 2006 catalog was the first year Winchester offered anything interesting in forever, and now the collector prices are ridiculous for the quality. They are good designs. I own five levers spanning 109 years and three Model-70's. All of these rifles have shot and performed well. I am a big fan, but Winchester just plain stopped competing a long time ago. Gun makers stamp out cheap crap, sell hype, or build quality. Winchester did it all and didn't focus on any of it. They struggled with being a “jack of all trades and master of none”. It is time for Winchester to take a break and regroup. The simple fact is that there are millions of lever guns available, and who needs another one. Levers are nostalgic and fun to shoot, but everyone has one sitting around collecting dust. Honestly, It makes no sense to take the best shots of the year with a lever. As for the Model 70, why would anyone choose a lower class rifle when Kimber and Dakota completely outclass Winchester with very similar designs? Personally, I would like to see the brand revived with updated products and high end American Union quality!

Winchester has gone tits up. Good. I never liked them. The nostalgia that some people have for their stuff is incredible. A Remington 700 is just a good a shooter, period. Those new savages--way better triggers, better built and accurate as hell. Rugers--make good single actions and fun single shots. Winchester pumps--they died with the model 12. The M94--marlin makes a better product, for less, period. I don't/won't/can't lament Winchester's disappearance. They were still riding on the M70 and M94 name with little or not improvements. And if you wanted one that wasn't in 270, 30-06, 223, 22-250, 300mag or one of their short mags, then forget about it. Remington at least had the balls to bring back the 600/660 series AND their chamberings. Every year a "classic" in a "classic" cartridge. What fun. Winchester---uhhhhh, they've got a big red W, how's that for innovative. Whoppee. That's why they're tits up. No imagination, no response to the public. The "It's a M70" mentality FINALLY quit working on the gun buying public.

You missed it yet again Mr. Petzal-Winchester made a perfectly fine firearm. I was just fortunate enough to purchase a very slightly used model 94 in .44 magnum, and I`m estatic. Remington is the gun maker putting out junk for it`s cheap price. I have a close friend who was thrilled when they came out with the copy of the sweet 16, but after sending it back to the factory at least 3 times, it still doesn`t function properly.Ah well, I suppose that`s a column for another time, eh?

I don't understand how information can be so available and yet it seems that no one takes advantage of it. Browning by all accounts is a fabulous weapon. His ideas and patents were there in the beginning with the first pump shotgun WINCHESTER made, the first one ever made. Winchester and Browning are both owned my United States Repeating Arms Company and because it costs too much to pay Americans to work they were forced to have them made in Belgium assembled in Portugal. If you don't believe me, call the Winchester customer service in Utah and ask for yourself. It's been that way for a long time. Winchesters were made in Miroku Japan and eventually the Browning was moved from Belgium to Japan. No one wanted a Japanese Browning, but, now a Belgium Winchester is no good? Winchester is not dead, it will never die it has earned it's place in our heritage and our history. We all have this problem of blaming companies for trimming the fat, why? We want to be paid more for our time and effort, but, we expect to pay less for better products. Where did that logic ever start? Winchester is not making three models anymore, the only three models left that were actually Made in America (remember when that actually meant something?Inventory:Two Model 97Two Model 94One Model 12Three Model 1300(Deluxe, XTR, Defender)

I went on my first deer hunt when I was 11-years old. I wasn't old enough to carry a rifle yet, but I had the time of my life. I got to ride horses, sleep with cowboys in a real coyboy bunkhouse, and see a lot of deer shot. I met an old cowboy who had a Winchester 94 in 30-30 with no blueing left on it. He told me that he bought that rifle when he was 16-yrs old. (He looked to be about 70-years old.) He said that on the first afternoon that he bought that rifle he killed 21-head of deer with it. That had been many years ago for him. I bought my own Winchester 94 in 30-30 the following year when I was 12-years old. I saved money from my paper route to buy it. It was in the early 1970's and I sent the money to my dad so he could buy it in Japan on his way home from Viet-Nam. The Navy Exchange in Japan had the "Antique" model with a color case-hardened receiver, some simple scroll work, a brass loading gate and brass saddle ring, for the bargain price of $64. (The wholesale price in the states at the time was $100) The price was so good that dad bought three of them. One was for me and the other two were for my two brothers. We all still have those model 94's and we have all taken game with them. I have killed 3-deer with mine. I went on to get a Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 before I was out of High School. I bought it new for the lofty sum of $194. I have killed 7-deer with that including a 5x4 (not including eye-guards)Blacktail buck. I fell over a cliff one year and broke my leg and the stock of my model 70. Dad re-shaped the nicked-up stock, re-checkered it by hand, carved a new fore-end tip from oak to replace the black one that broke off, cut down the stock to fit me better, added a nice recoil pad, and glass bedded the action. That gun shoots into 3/4 inch on demand. I love both of those guns and will never part with either of them. I have read about and looked at newer and sexier guns, but when it comes to parting with my hard earned cash, my $64 model 94 and $194 model 70 still serve me very well. I would rather put my money into a hunting trip.

I have owned and shot pre 1964 Winchesters my whole life. I love them, there just perfect for me. Pre 64 Model 70's, I have 8, my favorite is 300 H&H. Countless lever guns from 30WCF to 45-90, 1886.My favorite is an 1899 94 in 38-55. Also have 8 Model 12's, my Model 12 Trap, with Factory Winchester Rib is my favorite. Always on target, very seldom ever miss.m24,m37, m67,m69A,m1906,m61,m54, the list goes on. My point is, they are great firearms; with no equal. Sure I've got my Dad's 870, and my Uncle's Mauser, and even 1894 Remington Doubles. The only Guns that rate with my pre 64 Winchesters are my L.C. Smith and A.H.Fox. But when I go hunting I reach for a Winchester. I had a post 64 m70 push-feed; shot good groups but kicked way harder thanmy pre 64's. I didn't like it, so I sold it.It's unfortunate about WinchesterI would like to see Olin Corp.take it back; with modern toolingand some real applied Americanknow-how, it could be done. ButAmericans would need to really want it and but it.

Sad to see this happen. But I am looking for an 1885 High Wall in 405 Win. Does anyone know where I can get one? Thanks, Jim Cole

I have 2 1300's. They are the next best thing to a Model 12. I honestly insist that they are better than Browning's BPS. They handle better. The only other shotguns I would even consider are the Model 12 and the Remington 870, and maybe- just maybe- an Ithaca 37.

In looking at a Springfield XD 45 the magazine release in on both side for a left or right hand shooter. Can this gun be purchased with the magazine release fit on one side for a left hand shooter. Thanks tom

Around local shooters here in Southern Australia (Tassy Devil Country), Winchester has an awful reputation, for quality and accuracy. The big (and trusted) brands are Sako, Tikka, Remington and BRNO. You get what you pay for. Winchester really let themselves down in the quality department and lets face it, the Japs do it much better (quality wise) with cars than the USA too.The time for the bigger is better notion has to be relegated to the past and the realisation is that the USA economy is being swallowed by people and countries that simply "do it better". I mean George Bush (really)....He is the laughing stock of the world. The USA had the world in total support after 9-11 and with all their technology they stuffed it up... and two countries in the process. Why do the USA think other countries should take on democracy, arrogance I call it. Democracy doesn't seem to be working very well for the USA. Freedom of speech... ha ha what a joke, see what happens when anyone supports the ideaolgy of Osama. Free trade ... what a joke...one rule for the USA one rule for the rest of the world. No wonder the USA is "off side" with every country in the world. The USA's world power status is decending exponentially down wards and China will be No 1 soon. Might have to swallow a bit of pride, YANKS. The Winchester demise is part of this whole process.