Miguel Ondina and Larry Hampton displaying iconic Winchester firearms
Mary Ellen Steibel
Capping off a year filled with events and presentations, the Robson Ranch Gun Club held its final presentation of the year: “Winchester—The First 100 Years.” Over 70 attendees were able to learn about and view 40 rare and iconic guns from Robson Ranch collectors.
A historical overview of these guns was provided by Miguel Ondina, leader of the Gun Club’s Historical Arms Group. Following the presentation, the attendees were able to closely view and discuss the arms on display with the help of safety monitors. All firearms were made safe and disabled during the presentation and were handled only by the safety monitors.
Winchester rifles from 1860 to 1964 were displayed, including riot guns, military models and training models, and included every model that Winchester produced in the 19th century. This included two original Yellowboy rifles, one of which was a rare musket with bayonet. This Winchester rifle was nicknamed Yellowboy because of its gold-colored receiver.
Another rare find was the 1855 Falling Block rifle with period scope. This rifle was designed for long-distance shooting. Also shown was a Model 1873 rifle where iron replaced gun metal. It was known as “The Gun that Won the West.” An extremely rare piece, the Model 66 musket, was on display.
This Historical Arms Group is planning more of these fascinating presentations for the upcoming year. In addition, informative articles related to historical arms will be published in GroupWorks. Smaller interactive events are being planned where attendees will be able to view and handle the pieces. For more information, contact group leader Miguel Ondina at [email protected].
The mission of your Robson Ranch Gun Club is to promote safety, education, and legal sporting and recreational uses of firearms through the fellowship of its members. The club has several activity interest groups: clay target shooting, pistol and rifle target shooting, historical arms, reloading, and our women’s group. General meetings are held at 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month (except December). Safety is always our primary concern and is a shared responsibility of each member.
For more information, please contact Mike Moss, Gun Club vice president and board member, at [email protected].