Key takeaways
- Winchester’s 1976 Bicentennial Model 1894 was a factory edition of 19,999 carbines, serial-numbered USA1 through USA19999, with an antique silver receiver finish, special engraving, and an inlaid stock medallion. [3][6]
- Colt’s factory commemorative was a cased set of a Single Action Army, a Python, and a black-powder Dragoon, with 1,776 sets made. The NRA National Firearms Museum separately catalogs a 1976 Single Action Army with a gold-inlaid eagle on the frame. [4][8]
- Fred D. Henderson’s hand-carved and engraved .30-30 Marlin is engraved with Gerald Ford’s name and office. It was received through the Executive Office of the President and transferred to the National Archives in 1981 for the Ford Library and Museum. [5][10]
American gunmakers treated the nation’s 200th anniversary as an occasion for a special product. Winchester offered a Bicentennial lever-action, and Colt produced 1,776 matching sets of three revolvers, while Browning, Remington, Ithaca, and Ruger issued special models or markings of their own. [1] In the same period, Fred D. Henderson hand-carved and engraved a .30-30 caliber Marlin rifle and sent it to President Gerald R. Ford as a Bicentennial gift. [2] The Winchester and the Colt set were sold in numbered editions. [3][4] Henderson’s rifle has its recipient’s name engraved on the butt. [5]
The Winchester Model 1894 Bicentennial: An Edition of 19,999
Winchester’s historical timeline records that in 1976 the company introduced a Bicentennial Model 1894 with an antique silver receiver finish, special engraving, and a medallion inlaid in the stock. The commemorative program was then twelve years old: the same timeline identifies a Model 1894 built for the Wyoming Diamond Jubilee in 1964 as the first Winchester factory commemorative. [6]
The Blue Book of Gun Values lists the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial Carbine at 19,999 made, serial numbered USA1 through USA19999, at an issue price of $325 with a factory wall rack included. [3]
An example in the McCord Stewart Museum in Montreal documents the markings. The museum catalogs a 1976 Winchester carbine in steel and walnut, made in New Haven, Connecticut, with a 20-inch barrel. The barrel is marked “Bicentennial 1776-1976” and the wrist “MODEL 1894 WINCHESTER.” A disc set in the stock shows a man on horseback with the legend “WINCHESTER SALUTES THE AMERICAN BICENTENNIAL.” [7]
The Colt Bicentennial Revolver: 1,776 Cased Sets and a Gold-Inlaid Eagle
Colt’s factory commemorative was a cased set. The Blue Book lists the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial Set as a Single Action Army in .45, a Python in .357 Magnum, and a black-powder Dragoon in a walnut display case with drawers. The revolvers were serial numbered 0001PM to 1776PM, 0001PY to 1776PY, and 0001DG to 1776DG, respectively, and the set had an issue price of $1,695. [4]
The same reference lists a much smaller group of 1976 Bicentennial Single Action Army sets called Freedom Colts: four engraved A sets, six B sets with gold work and accessories, and one C set that added a shoulder stock. [4]
The NRA National Firearms Museum catalogs its 1976 Colt as an individual revolver. The entry describes a blued Single Action Army with gold accents and ivory grip panels, manufactured in 1976 to mark the American Bicentennial, with a gold-inlaid swooping eagle engraved on the left side of the frame. [8] The museum assigns it to its gallery of modern firearms from 1950 to the present, in a case titled “Artistry in Arms” that covers firearms engraving and miniatures. [9]
Winchester placed its Bicentennial emblem in a stock medallion. [7] The museum’s Colt carries its emblem as gold inlay on the frame and is exhibited among engraved arms. [8][9]
Fred D. Henderson’s Engraved Marlin
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum dates the Bicentennial Rifle to about 1975 and lists Marlin Firearms as its maker and Henderson as the giver. [10] Its biographical note describes Henderson as a Georgia resident who engraved weapons as a hobby. [11] The museum’s label text calls him a master craftsman and states that carving and engraving the rifle by hand took him more than 1,000 hours. [5]
The decoration is pictorial. Scrollwork and dogwood blossoms cover most of the steel components, and the wooden stock carries the Liberty Bell, a covered-wagon scene titled “Moving West,” the Spirit of St. Louis, and the lunar landing. The sights, trigger, butt cap, and banding are gold-plated, as are an engraved head of Lincoln and a depiction of Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima. The butt is engraved “Gerald / Ford / The 38th / United / States / President.” [5]
Henderson also engraved the rifle’s wooden case with scrollwork and dogwood blossoms. It has brass corner tips, a red velvet interior, and a top plate inscribed “The Bicentennial Rifle.” [5]
The label text states that the rifle was presented to White House staff member Milton E. Mitler for inclusion in a Bicentennial display. [5] The library identifies Mitler as the White House Coordinator of Bicentennial Affairs. [2] A White House Photographic Office image dated January 14, 1976, shows the rifle on display in its case at the White House. [12] The museum’s custodial note records that the rifle was received through the Executive Office of the President and kept there until 1981, when it was transferred to the National Archives for deposit with the Ford Library and Museum. It is Artifact 1981.61 a-b. [10]
Among Gerald Ford Bicentennial gifts, Henderson’s was one of thousands. The National Archives describes the series as 3,354 objects from individuals and organizations, handmade and mass-produced alike, which Ford accepted on behalf of the American people. The White House established a Bicentennial Gift Unit to catalog them. [13]
The rifle was not Henderson’s only presentation piece. The museum credits him with engraving the shotgun the Atlanta Braves presented to Hank Aaron in honor of his career home run record, and a miniature navy cannon for Jimmy Carter while Carter was governor of Georgia. [10][11]
Edition and Presentation
The Blue Book defines a factory commemorative as a gun manufactured, marketed, factory cataloged, and sold under the maker’s own trademark. [3] The Winchester carbine and the Colt set are listed on those terms, and what identifies them is common to each edition: a finish, a medallion or case, a serial prefix, a production total, and an issue price. [3][4][6] A buyer of the Winchester received one of 19,999 carbines numbered with a USA prefix. [3] Ford received a rifle engraved with his name and office. [5]
The National Firearms Museum’s entry establishes the maker, model, year, occasion, finish, grips, and inlay of one revolver. [8]
The Ford Library’s records establish a different set of facts: who manufactured the rifle, who carved and engraved it, whom it was made for, who received it at the White House, and where it has been held since. [2][5][10] The museum lists it among the artifacts on exhibit at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. [10]
Frequently Asked Questions
The Blue Book of Gun Values lists 19,999, serial-numbered USA1 through USA19999. The issue price was $325, and it included a factory wall rack.
The 1976 U.S. Bicentennial Set held a Single Action Army in .45, a Python in .357 Magnum, and a black-powder Dragoon in a walnut display case with drawers. Colt made 1,776 sets, with serial suffixes PM, PY, and DG.
The museum describes a blued Single Action Army with gold accents and ivory grip panels, manufactured in 1976 to mark the American Bicentennial. A gold-inlaid swooping eagle is engraved on the left side of the frame.
Fred D. Henderson, a Georgia resident who engraved weapons as a hobby, hand-carved and engraved the .30-30 caliber Marlin and sent it to President Ford as a Bicentennial gift. The Ford Library and Museum’s label text states that the work took him more than 1,000 hours.
The Blue Book of Gun Values defines a factory commemorative as a gun manufactured, marketed, factory cataloged, and sold under the maker’s own trademark. Henderson’s rifle was a single presentation piece, engraved with President Ford’s name and office and received through the Executive Office of the President.
Sources
[1] Sagi, Guy J. “Winchester Celebrates USA 250th With Commemorative Ammo Line.” American Rifleman, January 6, 2026.
[2] Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. “Bicentennial Gifts.” National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
[3] Blue Book Publications. “Winchester: Factory Winchester Commemoratives: U.S. Production.” Blue Book of Gun Values, n.d.
[4] Blue Book Publications. “Colt’s Manufacturing Company, LLC: Factory Commemoratives & Special/Limited Editions.” Blue Book of Gun Values, n.d.
[5] Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Presidency, 1974-1977 Artifacts. n.d., pp. 2-3.
[6] Winchester Repeating Arms. “Historical Timeline 1950-1999.” Winchester Repeating Arms, n.d.
[7] McCord Stewart Museum. “Carbine.” Stewart Collection, object number 1998.44.1 a-f, McCord Stewart Museum, n.d.
[8] NRA Museums. “Colt Single Action Army Revolver w/ ivory grip panels.” NRA National Firearms Museum, n.d.
[9] NRA Museums. “Artistry in Arms.” Modern Firearms – 1950 to Present, Case 52, NRA National Firearms Museum, n.d.
[10] Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. “The Bicentennial Rifle.” Gerald R. Ford Museum Collection, Artifact 1981.61 a-b, National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
[11] Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. “Fred D. Henderson.” Gerald R. Ford Museum Collection, National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.
[12] White House Photographic Office. “The Bicentennial Rifle on Display in Its Case at the White House.” Gerald R. Ford White House Photographs, Local Identifier GRF-WHPO-A7908-18, National Archives Identifier 30805909, National Archives and Records Administration, January 14, 1976.
[13] National Archives and Records Administration. “Bicentennial Gifts Given to President Gerald R. Ford, 1977-2016.” Gerald R. Ford Museum Collection, National Archives Identifier 74627594, National Archives Catalog, n.d.
