Winchester Model 61

The Winchester Rifles and Shotguns Co.  was established by Oliver F. Winchester on February 20, 1866.  The first gun model produced under Winchester's name was the Model 1866, a lever-action .44 caliber rimfire rifle.  There had been earlier rifles produced using lever action,  including the Rocket Ball and Volition Repeater in 1848, Jennings Rifle (patent 1851), Smith and Wesson pistol, and Volcanic Repeating Arms (New Haven Arms Company and Henry Rifles).  When the design was improved by B. Henry Tyler (shop foreman at the New Haven Arms Company), the .44 caliber metalic rimfire cartridge became powerful enough to compete with the single shot (e.g., rolling block) rifles of the day.   Winchester Repeating Arms Company established itself as one of the world's leading firearms manufacturers of the world, and the subsequent rifles produced by Winchester are highly prized today by collectors all over the globe.