“winchester ammunition”

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.

Winchester is doubling down on its rimfire line for 2016. Soon to join its ranks is the new M-22 Subsonic .22 LR round, which has been designed specifically to function in automatic firearms.

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."

Whether you are a hunter, target shooter, competitor or all of the above, you need to be aware of the trends developing in the ammunition industry, as simply buying the same ammo you always have might mean giving up accuracy and performance.

When Winchester first released its popular Varmint X line of ammunition, the engineers were going for something fast and flat with minimal recoil. What wasn't offered in the original Varmint X line, though, was ammunition for those who prefer to deploy their favorite scattergun against feral hogs, coyotes and other predators. That's changing in 2016, as Winchester has officially announced a new 12-gauge shotshell addition to the Varmint X line.

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.

Winchester has expanded its popular Deer Season XP line. For 2016, three new calibers will be entering the fray: .30-30 Win., 7mm-08 and .300 Blackout.

Winchester has announced the impending release of its new Expedition Big Game, which is designed, as you might expect, exclusively to tackle some of North America's largest game animals.