Was This Lever-Action Shotgun Actually Used by Oliver Winchester?

By Ashley Hlebinsky

If I’ve written it once, I have written it a thousand times: Oliver Winchester was not originally in the gun business. However, he quickly made a name for himself when he capitalized on Smith & Wesson’s lever action patent of 1854.

Winchester’s name is synonymous with firearms and the American West. While the Winchester collection is massive, there are not many guns that can be attributed to his personal use.

In the 1860s, Oliver Winchester started collecting firearms for the company. He initially collected direct ancestors to the Winchester rifle, such as the Hunt Volitional and Jennings rifles. It is said that he was inspired by Samuel Colt’s own gun room.

The Winchester collection continued to grow after his passing, totaling more than 4,000 firearms.

In the collection are thousands of guns that personally belonged to former Vice President Edwin Pugsley, a handful that belonged to former Winchester President Thomas G. Bennett and even firearms from John M. Olin from the company’s later history.

But the guns …Read the Rest

Source:: Tactical Life