Winchester hatchet
- Thread starter Lee Barner
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Maddog 521
Member
Very nice. I wonder why there is no city listed along with the name?
Considering how many owners just leave hatchets out and figure rust does not affect their function I'd say you did great. Also the hammer end of it shows no mushrooming. What's your estimate of the head's weight?
What do you know about Winchester hatchets. Did Winchester sub-contract their manufacture or actually make the old ones?
What do you know about Winchester hatchets. Did Winchester sub-contract their manufacture or actually make the old ones?
Charlie Foxtrott
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I have one.
Mine has a hammer head for the poll and a nail puller groove on it. Paid fifty bucks for it about ten years ago.
Mine has a hammer head for the poll and a nail puller groove on it. Paid fifty bucks for it about ten years ago.
OP
i'm not familiar enough with Winchester tools to know if they had a city or not. I would guess the head weighs over a pound at least. it has done some hammering but like was said there is no mushrooming. lee
A little history lesson follows. During WW 1 both Winchester and Remington expanded production to meet the demands of the government. When WW 1 ended so did all government contracts. Both companies had large factories with many skilled employees and no work. Remington went into the knife business and Winchester went into the hardware business. Winchester even had their own stores called logically enough, "Winchester Stores". One of these old stores can be found in the remote Colorado mountain town of Kremling. Attempts to paint over the red Winchester lettering failed. Winchester produced over 7000 items not gun related. Paint, batteries, tires, flashlights, fishing lures, hatchets, bicycles, and baseball mitts to name just a few. And like all Winchester products of the day, quality was superb. A Winchester screwdriver has walnut and brass handles that are something to be admired. When WW 2 came along the gun companies again had more work that they could handle. Remington sold their knife business to a company called Pal. Winchester sold their to the forerunner of True Value. Your hatchet has proper markings, marked exactly the same as the hatchets I have.
DWalt
Member
The Winchester hardware stores eventually flopped during the depression, as did Winchester itself. Harold P. Williamson's Book "Winchester-The Gun That Won The West" provides a fairly detailed discussion of the Winchester Stores story. I have to believe a lot of the Winchester Stores items marked Winchester were not manufactured by Winchester. I once had a pair of ice skates marked Winchester. But they've vanished into the mists of time.
I had that same axe a couple years ago. Put it in a auction in
Carrolton, Ohio and it brought $134.50 I keep my eyes open for
Wichester products. They made tools, radios, sports equipment
flashlights, knives, and even hardware and paint. They had a plan
to force Hardwares into buying their products in order to buy
Winchester guns. Plan blew up in their face. I read a very dry
book on the Winchester company a few years ago. It went into
this stuff in depth. Also the wierd methods of inter company
groups, bidding on production for contracts on guns by the "lot"
The leaders of these groups had their own tolerances of the
machining of the parts, from this step they were more or less
hand fitted. So when you bought a Win, it was a custom gun.
This book is a terrible dry read, very little about the actual guns.
I forced myself to read it, hoping some smarts would rub off.
Winchester products are "Sleepers" in yard and estate sales. If
you live in a area that had one of these stores, the chances of
running across a Win item are high. I have picked up several
cheap. My best was a in the box, casting reel, with papers.
I promptly put these items in auctions, I like them, but not as
much as the collectors that pay big bucks for them.
Carrolton, Ohio and it brought $134.50 I keep my eyes open for
Wichester products. They made tools, radios, sports equipment
flashlights, knives, and even hardware and paint. They had a plan
to force Hardwares into buying their products in order to buy
Winchester guns. Plan blew up in their face. I read a very dry
book on the Winchester company a few years ago. It went into
this stuff in depth. Also the wierd methods of inter company
groups, bidding on production for contracts on guns by the "lot"
The leaders of these groups had their own tolerances of the
machining of the parts, from this step they were more or less
hand fitted. So when you bought a Win, it was a custom gun.
This book is a terrible dry read, very little about the actual guns.
I forced myself to read it, hoping some smarts would rub off.
Winchester products are "Sleepers" in yard and estate sales. If
you live in a area that had one of these stores, the chances of
running across a Win item are high. I have picked up several
cheap. My best was a in the box, casting reel, with papers.
I promptly put these items in auctions, I like them, but not as
much as the collectors that pay big bucks for them.
model70hunter
Member
Nice small Axe.
3030remchester beat me to the post WW1 products story. If not for deep pockets folks our Favored guns may not have been built.
I have a Winchester shotshell loader somewhere. I took it to gun shows some years back and never found any real interest in it. It's small enough to fit in a small bag or a coat pocket. I found an original Winchester Pen knife in a cigar box at a greasy spoon next to where the register was. The lady that owned th place did estate sales on weekends and dropped the knives in the box. It cost me a buck. When I sold my knife collection it brought 75 or so.
Other than Model 97's or M-12's I didn't see much by Winchester in the Ozarks.
3030remchester beat me to the post WW1 products story. If not for deep pockets folks our Favored guns may not have been built.
I have a Winchester shotshell loader somewhere. I took it to gun shows some years back and never found any real interest in it. It's small enough to fit in a small bag or a coat pocket. I found an original Winchester Pen knife in a cigar box at a greasy spoon next to where the register was. The lady that owned th place did estate sales on weekends and dropped the knives in the box. It cost me a buck. When I sold my knife collection it brought 75 or so.
Other than Model 97's or M-12's I didn't see much by Winchester in the Ozarks.
nevada duke
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Lee, I have a Winchester marked wood chisel with the same markings as your hatchet. It is a 1/8" wide and 8" long piece of fine steel, shaped and finished like a precision gun part. I think is authentic as is your hatchet. My chisel is still in service along with a couple of Buck Bros chisels I have picked up. Fine steel, good tools still.
Best regards, Nevada duke
Best regards, Nevada duke
Alpo
Member
Always nice to find someone else that knows the difference between an axe and a hatchet.
model70hunter
Member
All my uncles and both Grandfathers used the words Axe, hand Axe and Hatchet the difference was imprinted on a lad who likes edged stuff.
When I was five I was in Gramps garage work shop tried whacking a stick with his roofing hatchet. Just missed the bone, or I'd have 9 digits.
I gave that hatchet to my son this summer.
You got me thinking, here is a link explaining the differences.
The Difference Between an Axe And a Hatchet, Explained
When I was five I was in Gramps garage work shop tried whacking a stick with his roofing hatchet. Just missed the bone, or I'd have 9 digits.
I gave that hatchet to my son this summer.
You got me thinking, here is a link explaining the differences.
The Difference Between an Axe And a Hatchet, Explained
My favorite hatchet has a 2 1/4 pound boys' axe head on a 17" curved wood handle. While they are marketed as either house or hearth axes mine is my hatchet. The only better general purpose hatchet is a Rig Builder with its head cast so thick that it also weighs 2 1/4 pounds rather than its designed 1 3/4 pounds. Rig Builders have normal framing hammer heads opposite the bit. The absence of a cure in their handles makes them more comfortable to use as a hammer and straight handles are more comfortable to choke up on.
House axe, hand axe, or just a more capable hatchet? Stocks or grips. Pawl or hand. Yoke or Crane. Take your pick.
Incidentally, the best hatchets are in the $25 to $35 range new. Over paying invariably gets you an inferior tool.
House axe, hand axe, or just a more capable hatchet? Stocks or grips. Pawl or hand. Yoke or Crane. Take your pick.
Incidentally, the best hatchets are in the $25 to $35 range new. Over paying invariably gets you an inferior tool.
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DWalt
Member
"I read a very dry book on the Winchester company a few years ago."
More than likely it was the Williamson book that I mentioned in #8. It was written more as a detailed history of the Winchester organization than about its guns, although there is some coverage of them. It's dull only if you aren't interested in company history. I still occasionally pull it out to read. It was one of the first gun-related hard cover books I bought over 50 years ago.
More than likely it was the Williamson book that I mentioned in #8. It was written more as a detailed history of the Winchester organization than about its guns, although there is some coverage of them. It's dull only if you aren't interested in company history. I still occasionally pull it out to read. It was one of the first gun-related hard cover books I bought over 50 years ago.
BUFF
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
My grandfather acquired a take-down steel fly rod made by Winchester. Winchester had a brand name of "Bristol" for some of their fishing gear. I got it when Gramps died in 1960.
It had 4 rod sections and a 5th piece as the butt/handle/reel seat. Hollow steel tubing that tapered a bit on every rod section. Was packaged in a cotton olive-drab cloth case with the same label on it as on the rod.
Not very good as a fly rod. It would wobble back and forth like an old, untethered CB antenna. It's around here somewhere.
It had 4 rod sections and a 5th piece as the butt/handle/reel seat. Hollow steel tubing that tapered a bit on every rod section. Was packaged in a cotton olive-drab cloth case with the same label on it as on the rod.
Not very good as a fly rod. It would wobble back and forth like an old, untethered CB antenna. It's around here somewhere.
DWalt
Member
Somewhere I have a collector's guide to non-gun Winchester products. I haven't seen it for a long time and I don't even know where I've stashed it. But I remember most of the stuff in it was hardware related, along with lots of Winchester advertising ephemera.
I have had 3 Wichester fishing rods. A bamboo fly rod and a
steel casting rod, that was marked Winchester Everyready. Those
2 went to auction. I still have a telescoping fly rod of tubular
steel. It has the action of a log chain. I would be afraid to use it
for fear of cracking it. It is marked Bristol. A also have a few Win
fishing lures. I also have a 3 blade pocket knife and a double bit
axe, head only.
steel casting rod, that was marked Winchester Everyready. Those
2 went to auction. I still have a telescoping fly rod of tubular
steel. It has the action of a log chain. I would be afraid to use it
for fear of cracking it. It is marked Bristol. A also have a few Win
fishing lures. I also have a 3 blade pocket knife and a double bit
axe, head only.
I finally found my old Winchester wrench. It was a little dusty and banged up but still functions fine. I was told once that the "86" was the year it was made, don't know if that's true or not, never found any good info on it. I toured the Winchester mansion/museum in Kali once and saw a lot of different items made by Winchester. I was told then that Oliver was just an entrepreneur that was always trying to expand his business. I was also told by the curator that Winchester did actually make all of the items with their name on them.
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BUFF
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
The tip section of mine had cracked lengthwise just above the bottom of it. I wrapped it with the same kind of nylon winding that pole makers used to use to attach the line guides. I used it as a second pole when bait fishing but never hooked a fish with it. It likely would have broken the rest of the way.
model70hunter
Member
I did use the Winchester bamboo fly rod one time, just for class.
Just fooling around in creek, hooked a 10" Small Mouth and it
had me scurrying, rod felt like tip was going to break. Rod was
3 piece and didn't feel like any pressure was passing tip section.
Quit after that one before I ended up with broken tip. I have
another one that I think is Winchester, but marking have been
worn off. Also the small single action reel on it has no markings.
Just fooling around in creek, hooked a 10" Small Mouth and it
had me scurrying, rod felt like tip was going to break. Rod was
3 piece and didn't feel like any pressure was passing tip section.
Quit after that one before I ended up with broken tip. I have
another one that I think is Winchester, but marking have been
worn off. Also the small single action reel on it has no markings.
