Winchester Exhibition Rifles Built for the World’s Stage

Post Views: 0

Winchester exhibition rifles were built for one job: to show the world what the Winchester Repeating Arms Company could do. This video looks at two of them, made nearly 40 years apart. The first is a Winchester Model 1866 made in 1871 and engraved by Conrad F. Ulrich, who signed it four times. On its gold gilt receiver, one side shows hunters failing to stop two charging tigers under a banner reading “Hunting the Tiger With Single Shooters.” The other side shows the tigers down, under a banner reading “Winchester Repeating Rifle.” R.L. Wilson pictures the rifle in “Winchester Engraving” and believes it was a factory promotional piece for the Orient.

The second rifle is a Winchester Model 1894 deluxe takedown in .38-55, shipped in early 1910. It has factory No. 4 style panel scene engraving, gold inlaid bands, and a walnut stock carved with oak leaves and acorns. Wilson notes that it nearly matches the No. 4 example in Winchester’s own “Highly Finished Arms” catalog. A factory partial refurbishment suggests it was shown at more than one of the international expositions held between 1910 and 1915, from Brussels and London to San Francisco. Wherever it went, it was meant to show Winchester at its best.

00:00 – Winchester Exhibition Rifles: The Benchmarks of Collecting
00:48 – The Hierarchy of Winchester Collecting
01:11 – Winchester Model 1894 Deluxe Takedown
01:51 – How Rare Is a Factory Engraved Winchester 1894?
02:49 – John Ulrich No. 4 Panel Scene Engraving
03:34 – Restrained Gold Inlay Details
03:55 – Featured in R.L. Wilson’s “The Book of Winchester Engraving”
04:33 – Built for the World’s Fairs and International Expositions
05:27 – Winchester Model 1866 Exhibition Rifle
05:57 – Signed Four Times by Engraver Conrad F. Ulrich
07:06 – The Tiger Hunt Scenes
08:36 – A Factory Promotional Rifle for the Orient

Follow us!
Email: http://eepurl.com/cg4yPb
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockIslandAuctionCompany
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockislandauction/
X: https://x.com/RIAuction

#Winchester #WinchesterRifles #Winchester1894