It might not be as bad as it seems. Olin owns the Winchester name.
From the Indianapolis Star, 19-Jan-06:
"NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The traditional Winchester rifles carried by pioneers, movie stars and Wild West lawmen will be discontinued in March, a Belgian maker said Wednesday, confirming the end of an American icon that became known as "The Gun that Won the West."
Once the U.S. Repeating Arms plant closes March 31, the only new rifles carrying the Winchester name will be the modern, high-end models produced in Belgium, Japan and Portugal. The older models no longer will be produced.
"The name will continue, but not with those traditional products," said Robert Sauvage, a spokesman for the Herstal Group, the Belgian company that owns U.S. Repeating Arms and the right to the Winchester name. The U.S. Repeating Arms factory, capping 140 years of Winchester manufacturing in the New Haven plant, will close because of economic reasons.
Missouri-based Olin Corp. owns the Winchester brand name. In the late 1970s, after a massive strike by its machinists, Olin sold the plant to U.S. Repeating Arms and the right to use the Winchester name until next year."
Olin's been around forever. Maybe they will build a modern closer to their headquarters and with a more flexible work force.
We can hope....
