Lets protest the winchester plant closing

intruder

New member
Shooters Hunters and anyone else who cares should boycot all remaining Winchester products along with Browning and Fal products to show our outrage about the discontinuation of the model 70,94 and 1300. The parent company of these companies made the move to abolish the production of these fine firearms. Maybe we the consumer can let our wants be known to big businesses that make these decesions by hitting them in the bottom line. Sportsman have acomplished this in the past by boycotting Smith&Wesson products when they made there deal with the Clinton regime.This forced the company to be sold and Smith & Wesson to return to a firearms leader. We do have a voice let unit.
 

Wildalaska

Moderator
should boycot all remaining Winchester products along with Browning and Fal products to show our outrage about the discontinuation of the model 70,94 and 1300

FAL products? FALs havent been a FN item for 20 years..Any way let me get this straight...you want to boycott a company for making a business decision?
One that would only benefit the company I may add....

Sportsman have acomplished this in the past by boycotting Smith&Wesson products when they made there deal with the Clinton regime.This forced the company to be sold and Smith & Wesson to return to a firearms leader. We do have a voice let unit.

You sure about that assertion? :)

WildtestingtestingAlaska
 

FirstFreedom

Moderator
do some research

Yeah, no offense, but I think you're a little off base here, man:

1. Closing the USRAC plant is a strict business decision - if those models are not profitable, who can blame them for cutting them - we the public should have bought more in the past, if we wanted to keep them going - it's too late now - why should the Herstal Group have to keep a financial dog? That's not how the free market works.

2. Smut & Weasal is *to this day* still a party to the agreement with the United States of America, Department of Housing and Urban Development, so that boycott didn't work. Actually, it *would have* worked, had there not been so many gun owners (such as yourself apparently) who bought into their smoke & mirrors lies instead of checking your facts, since you think they're somehow 'restored'. They've never rescinded or repudiated that agreement, and although they are not living up to its terms, they could revive it at a moment's notice, such as when Democrats get in power. There's a REASON why they chose not to actively repudiate it - it's because they are determined to be a sellout to your gun rights to help their bottom line, and dupe the public into thinking that they're not - they succeeded too. When they actually repudiate, there's 3 or 4 smiths I will be getting.
 

Sodbuster

New member
I like Browning. What did they do? And how can shop owners sell a F/W 70 in .243 for $999.99 and a classic stainless in .270 for $1199.00 if we boycott them? OK, maybe not sell, but ask that much. Truth be known, I won't miss the 1300. Not a big fan of the 94. But the 70!! Sheesh!
 
Man, I don't think I could drink enough booze to make the boycott logic work.

Let me get this straight. You want to boycott Winchester by not buying their remaining goods and you hope the lack of spending will make them realize that they need to re-open the plant that was not cost effective in making guns for the for those boyotting Winchester who apparnetly weren't buying enough guns in the first place to keep the plant viable.

Just how much financial harm to Winchester will be enough to force them to reopen the plant that was causing them financial harm before they closed it? Don't you think that if financial harm was so motivational that they would have simply keep the plant open?

This logic is a lot like bank logic that charges you a few when you have an overdraft in your checking account. Obviously, if there isn't money for checks to clear, how is charging account holders money going to work? The bank is charging more of what the account holder doesn't have.
 

DunedinDragon

New member
Well...one effect the boycott would have would be to put Winchester COMPLETELY out of business...

hmmmm...no more WWB at Wally's World? Can we really live with that?
 

mete

New member
Take some basic business courses so you can understand why businesses make decisions !!! Falling demand, old inefficient factories, union problems, etc, etc. They don't do it because they are mean or that they hate you ! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 

Glenn E. Meyer

New member
I'm boycotting McDonald's until the MacRib comes back.

The "Winchester" company - not the ammo company - was losing money and not selling guns. That's life.

The SW boycott was over a political decision and quite the different thing.

I remember when I lived in Buffalo. A company closed down and sold its ground for a parking lot. The workers then picketted the parking lot. The company was long gone. Did a lot of good.
 

mtnbkr

New member
And how can shop owners sell a F/W 70 in .243 for $999.99
:confused: They're $750-$850 around here (depending on retailer). IIRC, I paid just under $800 for mine after tax and it was a special order item (wanted the 6.5x55 version).

Chris
 

PSE

Moderator
winchester failed to reach out to the portion of the firearms market that sells LOTS of guns...
the "tactical" crowd.
how many hunting rifles does one person buy? you can sell a great one, but, your only going to get a percentage of the market taking into account that browning savage steyr sako weatherby remington ect... also get a portion.
the "tactical" market buys stuff all the time, they want new parts and grips and stocks and sights and slings and bBLs, blah blah blah. and they buy alot of product. winchester should have produced a HBAR 308 w/ a pic rail and bipod stud w/ an adjustable cheekpiece. or a black pistol gripped semiauto 12 ga. w/ a light in the forend.
its not enough to produce a great product. you have to sell guns. are kimbers THAT GREAT? they sure advertise alot, and sell alot of guns. Remington, same deal.if you cant sell your product @ an amount that makes you competitive then you have to address it. they did.
 

Rivers

Moderator
Unless I heard wrong on the news today, the closing only affects 188 employees. Not a huge blow to the firearms industry. Other than for nostalgic reasons, I can't see why many people would want a lever-action deer gun. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks that way. The Mod 70 will easily be replaced by Remington, Tikka, etc., etc.
 

Mannlicher

New member
The time to 'protest' was before the closing, and the best way to have been pro active was to buy Winchester products.

I do feel your pain though, and I still remember protesting FORD when the swine discontinued the Pinto. :)

Rivers opines
Not a huge blow to the firearms industry. Other than for nostalgic reasons, I can't see why many people would want a lever-action deer gun.

Evidently we don't hunt deer in the same terrain. your Model 70 would not be the best choice hunting in the Southern Swamps and palmetto thickets that I love. My Marlin 336 30-30 or Marlin 1894 .44 Mag are the bomb for heavy cover.
 

pipoman

New member
I have studied Winchester history for several years. The period I have found most interesting is the period between the end of WW1 and 1930.

Winchester is a company which has always made decisions based on the balance sheet. Their history is among the most interesting of American Companies.

To see the trend that this decision continues, check out "Winchester The Gun That Won The West" by Harold Williamson at your local library. (I believe it is out of print) This decision is consistent with many decisions taken by Winchester management historically.

I believe Olin Corporation is the owner of the Winchester trademark. The value of the Winchester trademark exceeds the value as an ammunition placard only. I think a group of custom shop arms with the Winchester trademark and/or low end imports for discount stores will be available.

A lot of devoted Winchester collectors and historians feel your pain.
 

Wildalaska

Moderator
I believe Olin Corporation is the owner of the Winchester trademark

it is

The value of the Winchester trademark exceeds the value as an ammunition placard only

it does

I think a group of custom shop arms with the Winchester trademark and/or low end imports for discount stores will be available.

Both will

WildolinisinbusinesstomakemoneytooAlaska
 

croyance

New member
I just saw this thread.
From what I read, the Winchester plant in question has been producing seriously under capacity because of lack of orders. Most plants would have been closed long earlier.
The proper way to make a statement would have been to keep buying the products made there - intruder, how many Winchester 94s are in your gun safe?
The wishes of gun owners are one thing, how they spend is another. Vote with your wallet. Wallets say that not enough gun owners care if these guns are made.

Boycotting will convince FN to close down production (and associated factories) of the lines in question. No money, no product, no jobs.
 

stevelyn

New member
I have a better idea. Boycott the corrupt, lowlife labor unions that turned the screws enough to eventually force the decision to close.

I want a lever gun to use as a boat gun. Winchester gave me one caliber choice. Marlin and other levergun makers give me several choices.
 

Glenn E. Meyer

New member
How did the labor unions cause you not to buy several Winchesters? I bought a Defender a few years ago because I wanted the product. I didn't want the other guns they made. Did the union mind-rays make that happen?
 

sig226man

New member
Conn. has some of the worst labor unions in the country. Part of the reason why Colt is so expensive is because of the ruinous labor contracts they got sucked into. If they could have obtained FN/Herstals US facilities a few years back they would have moved in a heartbeat. I was part of a union but some of the stuff I've seen in the past regarding the trades in the Northeast convinced me to join the darkside of management. I'd rather have my money going to a 401k than to union fees which do me no good but buy houses for the union bosses.
 
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