The top exhibit case contains all Winchester's sizes, i.e. those designed and developed by Winchester or its successor. The middle and bottom display cases hold cartridges manufactured by Winchester, for guns chambered in non-Winchester-developed calibers. Examples are cartridges for foreign guns, and for American non-Winchester guns such as Ballard, Bullard, Colt, Evans, Marlin, Merwin & Hulbert, Savage, and so on. These sets are arranged in the showcases as alphabetically as is practical. Foreign nations’ calibers are shown on the top row of the middle and bottom display cases. Below these are cartridges made for American gun calibers not originally designed by Winchester.
Most cartridges exhibited here have either "W.R.A.Co." or W.R.A.CO." headstamp. Exceptions are rimfires headstamped “H”, or “W”, and cartridges made by W.R.A. with no headstamp. Other exceptions are the shotgun shells that have “WINCHESTER” or “1901” headstamp: additional exceptions are some later-developed rounds marked "SUPER SPEED”; "WINCHESTER"; "W.R.A.; "W-W SUPER” and four “SUPER-X”. Western Cartridge Company developed most of these exceptions after Western purchased Winchester in December of 1931. This was after the "W.R.A.Co." headstamp was being phased out beginning in the late 1920s and continuing on into 1954.
Ten Winchester designed and manufactured non-headstamped cartridges are exhibited in the top showcase. All of these were produced either before headstamping began, or are prototype experimental rounds. These are scattered within the “W” form in the left showcase. Thirteen additional Winchester made non-headstamped cartridges are scattered amongst the sets in the center and bottom showcase. Winchester's sub-caliber chambers located in the top showcase are not head stamped, but they are clearly marked "WINCHESTER REP. ARMS CO." on their sides. Final exceptions are head stamped “WR No 1 musket” and military contracts “R W 7 82”, and “BELG”.
WINCHESTER CARTRIDGE HEAD STAMPING
The first Winchester cartridges were not marked with a head stamp, but soon the "H" head stamp appeared on Winchester rimfires and became their trademark for over a century. The company's centerfire rounds were trademarked "W.R.A.Co”, or “W.R.A.CO.” from the early 1880s until the late 1920s when the "W.R.A." headstamp (without “Co”) appeared and gradually replaced "W.R.A.Co"and “W.R.A.CO”. However, "W.R.A.Co" was continued on some rounds until circa 1950. It is believed that the change from
“W R A Co” to the "W.R.A.", or “WRA” marked cartridges occurred gradually as worn out “W R A Co” head stamp bunters were replaced with the then new "W.R.A." bunters. Another Winchester’s headstamp, "SUPER SPEED", appeared by 1933. It was used mostly on high-pressure rifle rounds. The "SUPER SPEED" head stamp was replaced with the "W-W SUPER” trademark of Winchester-Western. The latest Winchester-Western headstamps include “W-W”, “WIN” and “WINCHESTER” on center fire cartridges.
Frank Olin (1860-1951) formed the Western Cartridge Co. in 1898. He purchased Winchester in 1931, and formed the Winchester-Western Division of Olin. The Winchester Repeating Arms Co. or Winchester-Western Division of Olin made all of the cartridges on this exhibit. Upon the purchase of Winchester, the Western Div. of Olin retained and used Winchester trademarks and also developed a number of Winchester’s later calibers.
Olin’s "SUPER-X" trade-mark on experimental rounds displayed here are for use in Winchester’s own calibers. They are the 22 Winchester Magnum Short, the 22 Winchester Magnum shot, and 6m/m Winchester experimental pre 243 Winchester. Western also made the experimental 5m/m Wingo shot that bears the modern Winchester-Western's script "W" head stamp. These head stamps are included on this exhibit. Also exhibited is a non-experimental 256 Winchester round is that bears the “SUPER-X” head stamp. It is an early 1961 production that I prefer over the later Manufactured “W-W SUPER” rounds in that caliber. O.F. Winchester’s gun manufacturing company in New Haven, CT ended in 1996 when New Haven plant closed. But Winchester trade mark ammunition manufacturing was continued by Olin mostly in Alton, Illinois.
Thanks for the information taken from various publications such as Gun Report; The American Rifleman; The American Cartridge and U.S.cartridges and their handguns both from Charles R.Suydam; The Rimfire Cartridge from John Barber; Winchester from Harold Williamson, and Daniel L. Shuey’s W.R.A. Co. Headstamped Cartridges and Their Variations, Vol 1 and 2.
