At least they're going out of business for reasons organic to capitalism and not due to lawsuits or changes in the law.

There haven't been any new Winchesters in a long, long time. Oliver Winchester's company, New Haven Repeating Arms, is long defunct. U.S. Repeating Arms, a subsidiary of Belgium-based Fabrique Nationale Herstal, is just a relatively recent (1981) licensee of the Winchester firearms brand name (which I believe is owned by Olin, the company that makes Winchester brand ammunition). If FNH gets out of the business of building Winchester brand firearms, some other licensee will pick up the torch. It's no different than, say, "Armalite" or "Springfield Armory" brand firearms. The current production firearms bearing those brand names are built by companies that have nothing to do with the original Armalite company or the U.S. government's Springfield Armory -- they just license the right to slap those brand names on their products.

The same is true of many other American firearms brands. For example, Eliphalet Remington founded the company that made the famous New Model Army revolver of Civil War fame (erroneously referred to in many cases as the "1858" Remington), and later the Rolling Block single shot rifles and many others. The Remington family has been out of the firearms business since before the turn of the 20th century, however. The firm went bankrupt in the 1880s, and the Remington brand name was purchased by others.

So don't fret. Whatever happens, you'll always be able to buy guns with "Winchester" stamped on them. The only question is who actually makes them, but that's always been in question.

More than 19,000 Winchester employees worked in New Haven during World War II, but after years of a softening firearms market, the plant now employs fewer than 200. All will lose their jobs when the plant closes.

I think that the worst part is not what happens today, but:



Less than 200 employees. Pretty small operation for a legend.

It's a little misleading to compare WW II employment of a small arms factory with current employment, especially when the company's peace-time product is a lever-action rifle.

I've not heard too many good things about Winchester in the recent years. It actually made me sad the hear what I had heard. A legend that was now junk. I purchased a Super X2 12 ga for deer hunting and I like it quite well. However, when looking at lever guns, the Marlin far exceeded the Winchester as far as quality, tightness, and overall gun store appearances. I'm sure some fine gun manufacturer will purchase the Winchester name and hopefully return it to it's glory.

Winchester had the name though, every time I heard "lever action" I would think "Winchester" not "Marlin".

Maybe Marlin could buy the Winchester name?

Now, THERE'S a thought!! Talking to a couple of the gunsmiths at Gander Mountain, Winchester has outsourced most of their parts to Japan. Quality control pretty much doesn't exist or their tolerances are way lax. My Marlin lever gun is far superior to the Winchester as far as tightness, overall feel, etc. Hence, the reason I bought the Marlin vs the Winchester.
(Maybe this is a Ford vs Chevy argument in disguise???)