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Guns of the Texas Rangers:
The Winchester
No rifle commands
the romance of the Old West and the Texas Rangers as does the weapon
produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. R. L. Wilson and
George Madis have documented the history of that firearm in excellent
volumes that are recommended to anyone wishing a more detailed study
than offered here.
In 1857, Oliver
F. Winchester stepped into the weapons business from his shirt-making
company in New Haven, Connecticut. As the major stockholder, he became
president of the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, which had moved its
office and factory to his hometown the year before. The firm had produced
only 3,000 arms when the name was changed to New Haven Arms Company.
Winchester acquired exclusive ownership of the patents.
The new firm did
not fare much better than the old one. The business had produced only
200 more arms than Volcanic when plant superintendent B. Tyler Henry
received a patent in October 1860 for the “Henry.”
Henry
This was a lever-action
work of art that could fire fifteen .44 caliber rounds in 10.8 seconds.
The weapon was so popular that although only about 13,000 were made,
the firm became known as the Henry Repeating Rifle Company for a year.
Apparently, Winchester disapproved of the name and changed it to Winchester
Repeating Arms Company in 1867.
Winchester Model 1866
The first product
of the new firm was the Model 1866 Winchester, which quickly became
know as “Yellow Boy” because of its bright brass frame.
About 170,000 were produced by 1898, when the model was discontinued.
Winchester continued
improving the Model 1866 until it became necessary to introduce a new
rifle, the Model 1873.
Winchester Model 1873
This weapon became
known as “the gun that won the West.” Approximately 720,610
Model 1873’s were made until the end of production in 1923. These
included the One of One Thousand and the One of One Hundred models that
were special rifles with extra fine workmanship.
The early 1873
models had iron frames, while later ones had steel. The available calibers
were 44-40, 38-40, 32-20, and .22. The standard rifles were blued, with
tubular magazines and oil-stained walnut stocks. They had 24”
round or octagon barrels and one-barrel band. The typical carbine had
a 20” barrel and two barrel bands. These guns could be ordered
with special features such as shorter than standard magazines, carbines
with shorter barrels, rifles with part-round barrels, stocks with checkering
on the forearms and pistol grips, set riggers, and special sights.
Winchester
Model 1892
The Model 92 employed
the successful 44-40, 38-40, and 32-20 calibers (25 WCF was added in
1895), introduced in a newly designed and less expressive receiver than
that of the 73. With a reduction in weight and size, the 92 was destined
to become one of Winchester’s most popular firearms. More than
100,000 were produced before they were discontinued in 1941. They were
available in rifle or carbine, and the company offered the same special
features. However, as with all of Winchester’s weapons, only a
handful of special features were ordered: 2,740 with shorter magazines,
1,171 rifles with shorter barrels, 1,179 with longer barrels, 617 engraved
or inscribed, and 78 with barrels heavier than standard.
Winchester Model 1894
The Model 94’s
excellent action had the superior locking bars and bolt system of earlier
Browning patents, and along with cartridges developed for that action,
it became the gun that outsold all other models. More than three million
had sold by 1975, and sales are still strong. Special features were
available in other rifles, too: takedown rifles, special wood, plating,
engraving, inscribing, as well as special butt plates.
The Model 1895
Winchester deserves, and will receive, an article of its own. Known
as the "Ranger's Winchester", it was the most popular Ranger
longarm of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The number of
Winchesters used by Texas Rangers will never be known, but what is known
is that rifle has won an honored place in our history.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Madis, George. The Winchester Handbook, (Brownsboro, Texas:
Arts and Reference House, 1981.
Flayderman, Norm.
Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms…and
their values, 5th edition (Northbrook, Illinois: DBI Books, Inc.,
1990).
Wilson, R. L. Winchester: An American Legend, (NY: Random House, 1991).
David Stroud was born in Tyler,
Texas, and graduated from Henderson (Texas) High School in 1963. He
enlisted in the Marines the following year and served a tour in Vietnam
and two years as a drill instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina.
He earned his B.S. and M.A. degrees in history at Stephen F. Austin
State University and is a history instructor at Kilgore (Texas) College.
He has written seven books, along with fifteen articles and book reviews.
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