Buffalo Bill Center of the West

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Buffalo Bill Center of the West

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  • Visit
    • Current HoursDecember 1–February 29: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday–Sunday
    • Hours & RatesPlan your visit to the Center of the West.
    • Group SalesWe welcome commercial group and bus tours.
    • Facility RentalsThe Center is the perfect place for your next event.
    • Visiting YellowstoneYour best stop on the way to or from Yellowstone.
    • LodgingSelect from a variety of local accommodations.
    • ItinerariesDiscover some quick day trips in and around Cody.
    • DirectionsFind driving directions and check road conditions.
    • StoriesFind your story among ours.
    • Calendar of EventsSee what events are happening during your visit here.
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  • Learn
    • School Programs & ResourcesEssential info and resources for teachers and students.
    • Family ProgramsFamily-friendly programs, activities, and craft ideas.
    • InternshipsCollege students may apply to gain museum experience.
    • Skype in the ClassroomLive, interactive K–12 field trips.
    • WorkshopsExplore hands-on programs for kids, families, and adults.
    • Conservation InternshipsTraining for conservators from all over the world.
    • Pre-K ProgramsSet up a guided tour for your preschool class.
    • Field TripsInvestigate outdoor adventures for adults and children.
    • Highlights MapsDiscover collection highlights in each of our museum.
    • Games and InteractivesLearn about the collection through online interactives.
    • Lectures & FilmsPlan for future talks and view past program videos.
    • Western EssaysDelve into historical information on western topics.
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Clothing and Accessories
    • Gifts
    • Native American Replicas
    • Fine Art
    • Quality Leather
    • Native American Jewelry
    • Navajo Rugs
    • Pottery
    • Prints
    • Media
    • Baskets
  • Research
    • McCracken Research LibraryFind books, photos, archives, media, and more.Buffalo Bill Center of the West
    • Digital CollectionsExplore our extensive photo and manuscript collections.
    • Archival Collection List and Finding GuidesBrowse inventories of archival collections.
    • The Papers of William F. CodyDiscover scholarship on the man and the myth.
    • Fellowship ProgramContribute to new scholarship using Center collections.
    • Buffalo BillUncover in-depth information about William F. Cody.
    • Greater Yellowstone Natural HistoryLearn more about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
    • Western ArtDelve into the lives and works of western artists.
    • Plains IndianDiscover more about Plains Indian tribes and collections.
    • FirearmsFind a firearms bibliography, glossary, and more.
    • ConservationFind out how we preserve Center collections.
    • Rights and ReproductionsLicense or reproduce images from our collections.
  • Support
    • Planned GivingLeave your legacy with a bequest or estate gift.
    • Patrons BallAttend our annual gala fundraiser.
    • MembershipBecome a supporter and receive great benefits.
    • VolunteerSupport the Center with your time and talent.
    • Our next raffle car: a 1967 Pontiac GTOBuy your tickets online for this amazing prize!
    • Give TodayMake a donation to programs and operations.
    • Why I SupportSee what motivates donors to give to the Center.
    • We have a winner for the car raffle for 2019Winner: from Lusk, Wyoming, with ticket #0553
    • Raptor ExperienceHelp provide care for our avian friends.
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Home > Newsroom > Center of the West’s Cody Firearms Museum launches major reload

Center of the West’s Cody Firearms Museum launches major reload

October 8, 2018 by Nancy McClure

The Cody Firearms Museum (CFM) at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West knows a thing or two about reloading—guns and rifle ammunition, that is. Today, however, instead of reloading cartridges, staffers are reloading the entire firearms museum.

On the proverbial drawing Board since 2009, the time is now right for the museum to undergo a $12 million renovation to better share the stories related to its extraordinary collection of firearms. The museum aims to reopen in summer 2019.

Design image for the reimagined Cody Firearms Museum.

Design image for the reimagined Cody Firearms Museum.

Meanwhile, the CFM—knowing how popular its collection is—announces a plan to place firearms exhibits throughout the Center during construction. The plan includes an arsenal of the museum’s most popular and most important firearms located in the Center’s Anne & Charles Duncan Special Exhibition Gallery slated to open later this month.

“If ever there was a ‘come full circle’ moment, this is it,” explains Ashley Hlebinsky, the Robert W. Woodruff Curator of the Cody Firearms Museum. “This temporary exhibit houses some 500 firearms—including a chronological display of Winchesters in the very space where the collection was first put on display in 1980!”

Staffers have created a “Firearms Finding Guide” brochure for visitors that targets firearms exhibits throughout the Center including “Art & Arms of Mountain Men” in the Whitney Western Art Museum and the popular Hollywood firearms in the Buffalo Bill Museum. The guide is also available online at centerofthewest.org/firearms-finding-guide.

Winchester Model 1873, “1 of 1000,” ca. 1875. Gift of Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection. 1988.8.181

Winchester Model 1873, “1 of 1000,” ca. 1875. Gift of Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection. 1988.8.181

“The Center of the West is a bit of an anomaly in the firearms world,” Hlebinsky continues. “Unlike most ‘gun museums,’ we have four other museums on site, each with different content. Consequently, we have some segment of our nearly 175,000 visitors each year who aren’t gun enthusiasts. They might pay their admission to see western art or Plains Indian culture, and then wander into the gun collection out of curiosity, coincidence, or accident—a gallery about which they have little, if any, experience or interest.

“With our CFM Reload, we’re purposely adding components to help visitors learn about firearms history, terminology, and safety,” Hlebinsky adds. “Our goal is to put the stories of these guns in context—more than has been done in firearms museums in the past.”

The CFM houses the most comprehensive collection of American firearms in the world. In 1975, the Winchester Arms Collection—the heart of the CFM—ventured west to the then-named Buffalo Bill Historical Center as a loan from the Olin Corporation. To celebrate the nation’s Bi-Centennial in 1976, the Center first displayed the collection in an exhibit located in the Buffalo Bill Museum, with none other than actor John Wayne joining the dedication. Later, in 1980, the “Winchester Museum” moved into the Center’s special exhibitions area.

.50 cal. flintlock pepperbox “duck’s foot” pistol, G. Goodwin & Company, London, ca. 1800. Gift of Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection. 1988.8.980

.50 cal. flintlock pepperbox “duck’s foot” pistol, G. Goodwin & Company, London, ca. 1800. Gift of Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection. 1988.8.980

By 1988, Olin had deeded the collection to the Center as a gift. Then, the collection moved to its current space in 1991, the Cody Firearms Museum. To date, the CFM boasts more than 7,000 firearms and 30,000 firearms-related artifacts produced by manufacturers and artisans from the 15th century to the present.

Relocation of firearms, artifacts, and equipment began August 13, 2018, making the space inaccessible as demolition and construction is underway. Finally, an innovative iScout application (iScout is the Center’s online exploration app) allows visitors to search for their favorite guns, enlarge the image to study detail, and learn if the firearm is on display in the temporary exhibit.

“We’re so excited about the ‘new’ CFM,” Hlebinsky says. “We have quite a year ahead of us, and we urge visitors to be patient; the project promises to be well worth the wait—and then some. Stay up-to-date with all the latest on our Facebook page, @CodyFirearmsMuseum.” #CFMreloaded #Gunbelievable #100YearsMore


Since 1917, the award-winning Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, has devoted itself to sharing the story of the authentic American West. The Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. For more information, visit centerofthewest.org or the Center’s page on Facebook. #100YearsMore

Contacts:

  • Ashley Hlebinsky, [email protected] or 307-578-4092
  • Danny Michael, [email protected] or 307-578-4099

Filed Under: Newsroom
Tagged With: Ashley Hlebinsky, CFM reload, CFM renovation, Cody Firearms Museum, iscout, Olin Corporation, Winchester Arms Collection

 

About Nancy McClure

Nancy works in the Center of the West's Public Relations Department in electronic communications. Her work includes writing and updating website content, publicizing events, updating electronic signage, working with images, and producing the e-newsletter Western Wire. In her spare time, Nancy enjoys photography, reading, and playing the flute.

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