“birdshot”

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.

Weatherby is known for rifles, but the company has darn nice shotguns, too.

This compact Colt exemplifies the fun and flexibility rimfire double-action wheel-guns can provide.

Every young hunter should have a dog to lead him into the wild, but Barney did much more than that.

Everything about a brown bear hunt makes it larger than life, not the least of which is the size of the game. Sights and sounds that make one alternately wonder and tremble, thrills and disappointments—it’s all part of the game.