The U.S. Repeating Arms Company (USRAC) was an American manufacturer of firearms. It was established in 1981 and operated as an independent company until 1989, when it went bankrupt and was taken over by Fabrique Nationale Herstal. The company traced its origins to the

Winchester Repeating Arms Company The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American manufacturer of repeating firearms and ammunition. The firm was established in 1866 by Oliver Winchester and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. The firm went into receivership ...

, which was famous for making

Winchester rifle Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. The Mo ...

History

In 1866,

Oliver Winchester Oliver Fisher Winchester (November 30, 1810 – December 11, 1880) was an American businessman and politician, best known as being the founder of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Birth and marriage He was the son of Samuel Winchester ...

reorganized the New Haven Arms Company and changed its name to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. In 1931, the

Western Cartridge Company The Western Cartridge Company is an American manufacturer of small arms and ammunition that is based in East Alton, Illinois. Founded in 1898, it was the forerunner of the Olin Corporation, formed in 1944, of which Western is still a subsidiary. ...

(forerunner of the

Olin Corporation Olin Corporation is an American manufacturer of ammunition, chlorine, and sodium hydroxide. The company traces its roots to two companies, both founded in 1892: Franklin W. Olin's Equitable Powder Company and the Mathieson Alkali Works. Olin che ...

) purchased Winchester Repeating Arms and subsequently merged with it to form the Winchester-Western Company. In 1981, the U.S. Repeating Arms Company was established by Winchester employees to purchase the rights to manufacture Winchester-branded rifles and shotguns in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

, under license from Olin. Production of ammunition and cartridge components under the Winchester Ammunition Inc. name were retained by Olin and not licensed to USRAC. In 1989, after the bankruptcy of USRAC, it was taken over by Fabrique Nationale Herstal (FN), a Belgium-based international group producing firearms. In early 2006, it was announced that the factory in New Haven would close. Production of several Winchester rifles would cease worldwide, while some models would be continued at factories outside the United States. This later changed, as according to the FN website, Winchester-branded guns are still being produced by FN in both the U.S. and Belgium.

Factory in Newhallville

Industrial activity in

Newhallville Newhallville is a neighborhood in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, named for industrialist George Newhall. As delineated on city planning maps, Newhallville is bordered on the north by the town of Hamden, on the east by Winchester Avenue, on ...

was reduced drastically after 1965 when Winchester, at that time the largest employer in New Haven, decided to move its main production line to

East Alton, Illinois East Alton is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,301 at the 2010 census. History East Alton was incorporated as a village in 1893 (some say 1894). William Cobb, namesake of Cobb Street, was one of the fir ...

. After a machinists' strike in the late 1970s, the factory was sold to U.S. Repeating Arms.Associated Press
'Gun that Won the West' becoming just part of history
''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', January 18, 2006 The neighborhood's long history of arms production finally ended completely in 2006, when the U.S. Repeating Arms factory closed, laying off 186 workers.Out With A Bang: The Loss of the Classic Winchester Is Loaded With Symbolism
''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'', January 21, 2006

References

External links

Winchesterguns.com website
(Winchester firearms made by Herstal Group subsidiaries)
Winchester.com website
(Winchester ammunition made by the

) {{Herstal Group Firearm manufacturers of the United States Privately held companies based in Connecticut Olin Corporation

History

Factory in Newhallville

See also

References

External links