Kimber and U.S. Firearms took advantage of the big guys and beat them in the markets the big guys created: Kimber built a better Model 70 than Winchester could (post-'64, anyway) and a better 1911 than Colt can.

USFA took it a step further...not only do they build a better single action than Colt, they're doing it in Colt's old factory.

I really thought Winchester would end up the same way, sold to a stateside investment group who could exploit new CAD/CAM technology and the apparent inability of the big makers to recognize what people want (i.e., a Model 94 carbine built the way they were from 1895 to 1963). It's ironic that Winchester's market share was always so much bigger than Marlin's, yet Marlin outlived them. Maybe the comment on downsizing hit the nail on the head- companies that didn't have to support large overhead, or try to "scale back" to match modern market demand, seem to be faring better.

Ruger seems to do okay but it will be interesting to see how things look after 10 years without Bill Ruger at the helm.