What year was my Winchester manufactured? (Serial Number Reference)

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Gun Value By Serial Number
Browning Gun Value By Serial Number

Winchester Firearms Manufacturing Dates by Serial Number and Year 1866 through the early 1990s

Below is the download link for a special resource for dating Winchester firearms. These pages were scanned from documents compiled over the years by the customer service department of Winchester Repeating Arms. None of the page scans are of original documents but are simply transcribed information typed into a word processing program. In general, this information is the same that you would get if you called our customer service department and asked them for the information. They use these documents as a reference and the documents should be limited to that use.

Click the image below to download the PDF document containing the serial number date-range information on many Winchester firearms. You will need the Adobe Reader program to open this file. Adobe Reader is available free from Adobe.

Most value questions can be answered by the major price guides. Blue Book of Gun Values by Fjestad, uses the percentage system, good for modern guns, no pictures. Probably the most widely used price guide. Published annually. Other Blue Book publications - Blue Book of Black Powder Values, Blue Book of Air Guns, etc. All are sound specialty. SERIALIZATION / DATE OF MANUFACTURE-When was your gun made? These tables will help you identify the year of manufacture on many popular models of firearms. Information courtesy of The Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. A new serial number system. The new system consists of four sets of digits separated by a hyphen. The first set is the manufacturers code, the second designates the type of firearm, the third set is the firearms chronological number, the fourth set shows the year of mfg. # END 199516-03-001-95 16-03-800-95.

THE HISTORY OF WINCHESTER HISTORIC SERIAL NUMBER RECORDS.
There are many “legends” about why the historic serial number records for Winchester rifles and shotguns are not complete or why they are not always verifiable. A few reasons cited are:

A fire at the factory
Inadvertent destruction (during office cleaning)
Records simply lost in filing
Records misplaced between ownership transitions
Documents borrowed but not returned

There is probably some kernel of truth to all of them. But the fact remains; there is no original, single, totally accurate database of serial numbers from 1866 forward that we are aware of. But perhaps these pages can help you somewhat in your research.

Please keep the following points in mind as you explore these pages:

Many of the Winchester brand firearms produced over the years are included, but not all. If your firearm is not listed, we probably do not have any additional information.
Before the 1990s the Winchester Repeating Arms firearms brand transferred ownership several times. Any information before the 1990s is always difficult to verify.
In general, only serial number ranges with an approximate year are provided in this document. There is no other detail beyond this that we can provide.
Since this information was provided through old documents (both official and otherwise), no representation is made that all serial number and year combinations are totally accurate.
In some exceptional cases, a more detailed, accurate determination can be made by calling the Winchester Repeating Arms Historian at the Morgan, Utah office. 800-333-3288. Ask for the Winchester Repeating Arms Historian.
For any other questions: 800.333.3288 or 801.876.2711. For Parts and Service call: 800.322.4626
For questions related to Ammunition don’t call us. Contact Winchester Ammunition directly.
No attempt has been made to determine the value of any guns listed.
The Cody Firearms Museum has more information on Winchesters produced before 1900.
This late historian George Madis compiled extensive histories on Winchester firearms. www.georgemadis.com

There are other outside resources – including the Cody Firearm Museum -- which can be excellent for determining date of manufacture and value: Click here to go to our gun values resource links.

Click below to download a PDF overview of Cody Museum serial number resources. Servprog.exe epson.

(Please remember that this information is a compilation over time -- collected from secondhand information. No confidentail records were used. We reserve the right to make changes at any time and make no claims as to accuracy. No attempt has been made to determine the value of any Winchester products.)

© Winchester Repeating Arms, 2012, 2015, R. Stitt

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Serial Numbers

SERIAL NUMBERS OFTEN ALLOW YOU TO DETERMINE YEAR OF MANUFACTURE

Knowing the year your vintage firearm was made makes it easier to decide which gun catalog we sell will give you the best information about the company, models made and more. To help you determine the year made, find your serial number and then select a link from those below to sites that offer serial dates.

The Blue Book of Used Gun Values offers serial numbers for the following makers:

AYA, Boss & Co., Ltd, Browning, EJ Churchill, Colt, Colt Black Powder 2nd Gen, John Dickson & Son, AH Fox, German early Date Codes, German Modern Date Codes, Stephen Grant, WW Greener, Harrington & Richardson, High Standard, Holland & Holland, Italian Year of Mfg. Date Codes, Ithaca Gun Co., Charles Lancaster, Joseph Lang, Marlin Firearms, Mauser Broomhandles, Parker Brothers Shotguns, Piotti, James Purdey, Remington Date Code & SxS Shotguns, Savage/Stevens, LC Smith, Smith & Wesson, Spanish Year of Mfg. Date Codes, Sturm, Ruger & Co., Winchester Rifles, Winchester Rifle & Shotgun 1969+, Winchester Shotguns.

Gun Value By Serial Number

Other websites that may help (Information from websites other than the manufacturer website should be examined with some skepticism):

Browning Gun Value By Serial Number

High Standard Pistols Serial Ranges 1932-1942
Ithaca Guns - Baker, Crass, Lewis, Manier, Magnum, Pre-WWII choke marks, Lefever Singles, Flues, Knick, Lefever Grade A, NID, Western Long Range
Ithaca Guns Serial Numbers and Date of Manufacture
(containing serial information about: Baker DB Shotguns, Crass DB Shotguns, Lewis DB Shotguns, Manier DB Shotguns, Flues SB and DB Shotguns, NID DB Shotguns, Knick SB Trap Guns, LeFever Nitro Special DB Shotguns, LeFever 'A' Grade, Western Long Range DB Shotguns, Model 37 Standard Model Shotguns, Model 37 Solid Rib Shotguns, Model 37 All Grade Guns.
Lancaster, Charles (London) 1826-1901
Lefever Sideloack Shotguns 1913 & Later (not serial numbers)
Lefever Sideloack Shotguns before 1913 (not serial numbers)
Mossberg did not put serial numbers on most long guns until 1968 (GCA 1968 required them)
Remington - Navy Single Shot Pistols, Model 8, 81, 24, 241, RB Pistols (Types- not serial), RB Rifles- 1870, 71, RB Rifle Models- 1866-1933, Contract Lee Rifles, Pistols and Revolvers 1857-1918 (incomplete serial number for some), Rifles 1866-1933 (ditto), Shotguns 1874-1910 Serial numbers unknown.
Smith & Wesson - Single Action Pistols, First Model .22, Second Model .22, New Departure Safety Hammerless, Ladysmith 1902-1911+
Springfield Model 1873 and 1884 Rifles, Model 1873 Shotgun, Model 1903 Rifle, 1903A3 by Smith Corona Co.
Stevens (description, illust