Anyone know when OLIN loses the right to the Winchester name? Just curious when/if we're ever going to see Win 70s again,

Olin owns the Winchester name. USRAC leased it. Somebody else leases it now. FN?

Thanks ElCab,

i believe i read an article somewhere that Browning had bought the rights. but they cant do anything with it until the union contract runs out. rumor has it that the model 70 and 94 will be made again, but the question is where?

Just received my invitation last Friday to the annual Olin stockholders' meeting. Have not yet had a chance to read all the business scheduled for that meeting. Will try to do so in next couple of days. If there is anything in there in respect of the Winchester affair, I'll post it here.

(I am not yet aware of Olin ownership of the Winchester name having been sold to anyone. Doesn't mean it hasn't happened though...)

quote:

Originally posted by Teat Hound:
Anyone know when OLIN loses the right to the Winchester name?

Never, is when. Olin IS Winchester.......

quote:

Originally posted by mtw:
i believe i read an article somewhere that Browning had bought the rights. but they cant do anything with it until the union contract runs out. rumor has it that the model 70 and 94 will be made again, but the question is where?

I hope they make them in Japan. Then the quality will be back -(never thought I'd ever say such a thing! My how things change, eh??)

quote:

Originally posted by mtw:
i believe i read an article somewhere that Browning had bought the rights. but they cant do anything with it until the union contract runs out. rumor has it that the model 70 and 94 will be made again, but the question is where?

Browning is also owned by the big, fat Belgian conglomerate that owns FN as well, and the same bunch that owned USRAC, and closed the New Haven plant.....

The correct terminology is licensing. USRAC (US Repeating Arms Corp) licensed the name Winchester (look at the last guns made, it says it right on the receiver.)

Currently, FN (pick a name, FN owns Browning and owned USRAC) has the license agreement with Olin (Winchester). To confuse things even more, FN licensed out the name for muzzleloaders to someone else and licensed the name out to Daisy for air guns.

Many rumor floating around about the 70 and 94 coming back. What I think we can count on is the guns coming back as soon as the agreement with the union expires.

Aaron

The model 70 is coming back, and while be non union made in South Carolina.
You can take that to the bank.

quote:

Originally posted by Ben Walker:
The model 70 is coming back, and while be non union made in South Carolina.
You can take that to the bank.

And the BIG question is: How long will that last? If improvements are not made, they will
suffer the same fate.

There will be some design/quality changes, but even if their where none I think they would do just fine with out the union/New Haven plant albatross. Thats with the assumption that quality was on par with their offerings a few years prior to closing the NH plant.

Let's hope that Winchester takes this opportunity to work on issues. The new plant, from what I understand, makes rifles for the military, so the quality of the 70's should go up.

I have heard they rebuilt their hammer forge machines, so the barrels should be better also.

Aaron

Where is all this info coming from? Is it a reputable source? What is the timing on the Union Contract expiring? This is good news if it is true.

quote:

Originally posted by El Deguello:

Browning is also owned by the big, fat Belgian conglomerate that owns FN as well, and the same bunch that owned USRAC, and closed the New Haven plant.....

Which, as I understand it, is owned mostly by the French

quote:

Where is all this info coming from? Is it a reputable source?

Very reliable as it comes from one of Winchesters suppliers.

quote:

Originally posted by brayhaven:

quote:

Originally posted by El Deguello:

Browning is also owned by the big, fat Belgian conglomerate that owns FN as well, and the same bunch that owned USRAC, and closed the New Haven plant.....

Which, as I understand it, is owned mostly by the French

An interesting point, the Winchester SRX or some such is clearly just a relabled Browning short trac or long trac BAR. It seems that Browning is already manufacturing rifles with the Win name, regardless of who is marketing them.......

quote:

It seems that Browning is already manufacturing rifles with the Win name, regardless of who is marketing them.......

Browning doesnt manufacture anything.
I also believe that the French conglomerate that owned part of FN/Herstal no longer does.

There is some interesting info in the Olin annual report for '06, and the tentative 1st Quarter comments for 2007, both of which I just finished reading.

First, Olin has not SOLD the Winchester brand name to anyone or, if they have, they have failed to mention it among their significant business actions taken.

Next, they have relocated their corporate headquarters from Norwalk, Connecticut to Clayton, Missouri (2004). They have also closed their New Haven sheet brass plant in Seymour, CT, and moved those operations to their existing facilities in East Alton, Illinois. They also closed the Waterbury Rolling Mills in Waterbury CT. (Care to guess how much the CT anti-gun/ammo stance is costing Connecticut citizens and workers all told?)

They have quit making Winchester rimfire ammo in Illinois, and have built a new plant for that production in the South (Oxford, Mississippi).

They also have a large presence in the Asian market for brass products, having a 50/50 ownership of Yamaha/Olin Metal Corporation of Japan, and having just built a plant in mainland China (Guangzhou) as a partner with the Chinese government. Olin provides the operating managment for that plant and distribution centre. It also has and operates a Winchester ammunition manufacturing plant in Australia.

Winchester is in its 140th year of operation, and its 76th year as a division of Olin. It is likely not going away soon, as in 2006 it posted two of its most profitable quarters
EVER.

There is a lot more interesting stuff in there, but its easier to just go online to your stock broker and read the Olin annnual report to get at it, than to have it all posted here.

Maybe someday they'll be able to recreate a decent Win 70 in .458 win mag. I can only hope so.