Winchester SERIAL NUMBERS. Please be aware, only serial number ranges with an approximate year are provided blow. Data is based on the best available information from the time but there is no guarantee that all serial number and year combinations are 100% accurate. Slide Action Rifles Model 1890. Year Serial Number Range. Easily look up new and used firearm values. Gun Values by Gun Digest brings you the authority of our annual gun pricing guide, The Standard Catalog of Firearms, in a simple online package. Search or browse models and manufacturer info for free.
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What year was my Winchester manufactured? (Serial Number Reference)
- Define: Antique Firearm. Defined Under: 18 U.S.C., § 921(A)(16) The term “Antique Firearm” means: A. Any firearm (including any firearm with a matchlock, flintlock, percussion cap, or similar type of ignition system) manufactured in or before 1898;.
- Iver Johnson's most successful years in producing hundreds of thousands of inexpensive revolvers, shotguns, bicycles, etc. Were long before the federal requirements for consistent serial numbers (Gun Control Act of 1968) so serial numbers were for.
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.
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:
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:
Antique Colt Pistol Serial Numbers
- 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
Firearm Serial Number Check
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.
Antique Firearms Serial Numbers
Click below to download a PDF overview of Cody Museum serial number resources.
(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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IVER JOHNSON ARMS & CYCLE WORKS
Location: Middlesex, New Jersey
Established in 1883 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Company has produced a wide variety of firearms during its existence. In 1894, the firm became 'Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works.' It is perhaps best known as a major manufacturer of inexpensive but serviceable pocket-size revolvers in .22 rimfire, .32 S&W, and .38 S&W calibers, serving the same sizable market niche as Hopkins & Allen and Harrington & Richardson in the late-19th through mid-20th centuries. During that time, beginning in 1890, the Iver Johnson owl's head logo appeared on the grips of most of its revolvers. Its best-known marketing slogan, 'Hammer the hammer,' referred to a hammer-block safety and frame-mounted firing pin that prevented a revolver from firing accidentally if dropped on the hammer spur, introduced in 1904 on the popular Safety Automatic double-action revolver line. Iver Johnson continued arms production until it was liquidated in 1993. Many 19th century handguns made by Iver Johnson and its predecessor Johnson and Bye are difficult to identify due to the lack of a maker’s name on the gun.