Winchester Repeater Rifle M1866 Blog

Springfield M1865

One year after the invention of another very widespread rifle, the Springfield M1865 (4), came an even more groundbreaking firearm, the Winchester M1866, born when Oliver Winchester improved the lesser known Henry Rifle. After its invention and sale, Oliver hailed it as 'the gun that won the West'. Although its presence within the Western World is what makes it the most popular, it saw much use in Eastern Europe, for example, when the Ottoman utilized it against Russians in the Russo-Turkish War (2). Some of the success of the rifle is credited to the ammunition within the cartridges it functioned with, the .44 Henry rimfire. This kind of ammunition provides low recoil, easy production and quietness. It is also simple in its design, so it is easier to load, which Oliver also improved even further by altering the magazine (5). Manufacturing timeline aside, there is one peculiar legend surrounding the Firearm that I couldn't help but write about. 

The Winchester Mystery House

Now a tourist trap, the Winchester Mystery house has a deep-rooted history surrounding the Firearm itself. Located in San Jose, California, the Winchester Mystery house was built in 1922, but construction began in 1884, so it went on for over 30 years. But why? Well, Sarah Pardee Winchester (7), the heiress of the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, built and built the house for years and years out of grief for the victims of the Winchester Model-line (3). She supposedly wanted to appease their spirits. Its internal structure consisting of a massive, maze-like layout, with stairs leading to nowhere, doors opening to bricked off walls and windows leading into other rooms. Very liminal.

Quincy Morris speaking to Lucy in the film adaption of Dracula

As prevalent as the rifle is in real life, there naturally will be implementation of the firearm into literature. For example in Bram Stoker's Dracula, this weapon was endorsed by Quincy Morris, the American character in the story. He says he has a kind of "belief" in the weapon when there is trouble around (1). Which I hope he would! It was the peak of firearm technology at the time, and even sees use within the hands of Harker and Helsing down the storyline of the book. A more modern example of media that this rifle is included in is Red Dead Redemption 2, where the Winchester Repeater is able to be purchased from the Gun dealer within the multiple towns in the game's Western America-inspired World. 

Nowadays, the Winchester Rifle has obviously fallen out of use. More modern guns have replaced it a long, long time ago. Existing revenants of this gun are hailed as relics of the past instead, their significance within American history making them, inverse to their uselessness today in real battles, priceless artifacts. One once appeared on Pawn Stars (8), and its history was briefly discussed before it was fired once again, in god knows how long:

The Winchester Rifle: Pawn Stars

Sources

(1) “The Death of Dracula: Weaponry in Stoker's Writing.” Academia.edu, Accessed 5 March 2025.
https://www.academia.edu/43135592/The_Death_of_Dracula_Weaponry_in_Stokers_Writing

(2) Moss, Matthew. “The History and Legacy of the Winchester Rifle.” Popular Mechanics,

Accessed 5 March 2025.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a23149/winchester-rifle/


(3) “Winchester Mystery House.” Visit San Jose, Accessed 5 March 2025.https://www.sanjose.org/attraction/winchester-mystery-house

(4) McGrath, Nick. "The Springfield Model 1873." The Army Historical Foundation, Hugh

Lauter Levin, Apr. 2013, Accessed 23 Mar. 2025,
armyhistory.org/the-springfield-model-1873-rifle/

(5) “History of Winchester -.”, Winchester Collector, 14 Sept. 2016, Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
winchestercollector.org/history/

(7) “Sarah Winchester’s Story.” Winchester Mystery House, 22 Jan. 2025, Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
 winchestermysteryhouse.com/timeline/

(8) Harrison, Rick. “Pawn Stars: 1886 Winchester Rifle Makes a Big Bang of a Deal (Season 2).” YouTube, 22 June 2024, Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThDQBYkRWt0