Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Is Winchester rifles a thing of the past?

We were a big Dakota dealer at one time (75+ in stock). As a customer, I noticed the same rifles on the shelf for years. After I came into the business, I really started tracking turns -- about 1 every 120 days. We had a tremendous amount of capital invested in the line. They were in prime retail space and it was costing us money to keep them. I decided to liquidate the inventory. We sold a few on Gunbroker and then I worked a deal out with another shop to buy what was left.

More to the point -- the guys that did buy them weren't youngsters! No doubt financial stability and attention to quality played a huge role in that, but the younger crowd just wasn't really interested in wood/walnut.

Funny story -- when Harry (Battue) visited a few years back, he barely left the Dakota and Cooper racks. I honestly can't believe he didn't take one home! He talked about those rifles for the next couple of days.

Sorry Harry. Couldn't resist in sharing it!