“150 years”

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When SHOT Show 2016 opens on Tuesday, word of countless new product releases will quite literally steal the show. And yes, while the Winchester brand will have no shortage of new surprises for its consumers, the company will also begin what promises to be a year-long celebration.

In case you hadn't heard, the Winchester brand as a whole is celebrating 150 years of history at SHOT Show—and throughout the entirety of 2016, for that matter. And if you're going to celebrate your history, it makes sense to show some of it off.

The Winchester brand has had no shortage of new surprises for its consumers—like the new Varmint X shotshell—but, as SHOT Show 2016 kicks into high gear, the company will also begin a year-long celebration. Oliver F. Winchester introduced his now legendary brand to the world in 1866—and so, in 2016, Winchester celebrates 150 years of success.

To celebrate Winchester's 150th anniversary, we've assembled 10 facts about the company's long history that may surprise you.

A legendary brand was launched in 1866, and 150 years later Winchester is celebrating its founding with a series of commemorative offerings. Among them is a once-in-a-lifetime series of 10, pre-production rifles, chambered in 44-40, of the "One of Five Hundred" Model 1866 "Yellow Boy."

In this, its 150th year in business, the history of Winchester firearms is well known. After all, “The gun that won the west” was a Winchester, the Model 1873. The Winchester Model 70 is known as the “Rifleman’s Rifle” and the Model 1894 is perhaps the most successful sporting rifle in history. The company also shook up the scattergun market with classic shotguns like the Model 1897, Model 21 and Model 12. The raw truth, however, is that none of these guns could have made their mark in history without ammo to shoot out of them. It’s kind of the red-headed stepchild in terms of glory and glamor, but Winchester has been in the ammo business as long as they have been in the gun business.

Although the ammunition and gun businesses split up years ago, the two entities—Winchester Ammunition and Winchester Repeating Arms Co.—this year have teamed to celebrate the brand’s 150-year-old legacy.