Winchester: 160 Years in the Making
Winchester: 160 Years in the Making
In celebration of Winchester’s 160th anniversary in 2026, the Cody Firearms Museum and the Foundation Ars Mechanica have joined together to reunite rare pieces from the original Winchester collection, bringing together artifacts separated for more than half a century. Discover the story behind the name that became synonymous with innovation, adventure, and the American West.
One Name. Generations of Stories.
Few names in American firearms history carry the legacy, innovation, and mystique of Winchester. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, in the 19th century, Winchester Repeating Arms Company grew from a pioneering firearms manufacturer into a global icon whose rifles helped shape the story of America and the American West.
From the groundbreaking Volcanic pistols and rifles of the 1850s and the revolutionary Henry rifle of 1860 to the legendary Model 1873—the “Gun That Won the West”—this exhibition traces Winchester’s remarkable journey across generations and continents. Explore the company’s rise to worldwide prominence, its survival through financial challenges, and its evolution from New Haven factories to modern workshops in Belgium, Japan, and Portugal.
View the Rifle that Shaped the West.
On view now in the lower level of the Cody Firearms Museum