GunSerials

Winchester Model 1897 (Model 97) serial numbers by year

A pump shotgun with an exposed hammer that replaced the Model 1893. Military versions served in both world wars. Its number sequence continued the Model 1893's, so early numbers overlap.

Produced:
1897–1957
Action:
pump-action
Winchester Model 1897 pump-action shotgun, left side, on a white background.
Model 1897 pump shotgun. Livrustkammaren (Royal Armoury, Stockholm), public domain.
New to gun terms? Start here
Model:
The name of the gun design, such as Model 94. A model name that looks like a year does not tell you when your gun was made.
Serial number:
The number stamped on an individual gun. Include letters that are part of the number. A separate letter stamped above it, like the Model 97's C, D or E, is a different marking.
Receiver:
The main metal body just behind the barrel. The receiver ring is its front section, where the barrel joins it.
Tang:
A strip of metal extending from the receiver into the stock. The lower tang runs underneath, behind the trigger.
Stock:
The part you hold against your shoulder, usually made of wood on older Winchesters.
Forearm or forend:
The part under the barrel where your forward hand holds the gun.
Action:
The mechanism that loads and removes cartridges. Names such as lever action, pump action, and bolt action describe how it works.
Caliber or gauge:
The ammunition size or type a gun is designed to use. This marking is different from the model and serial number.
Takedown:
A version designed to separate into major sections for storage. A takedown joint is where those sections meet.
Proof mark:
A factory testing mark, such as Winchester's oval WP stamp. It is not a serial number or a date code.
Peep or aperture sight:
A rear sight with a small hole to look through. A hooded front sight has a cover around it.

What year was your Model 97 made?

Need help finding the serial number?

Look up a serial number and print a one-page record sheet: the date and its sources, the status by age, the model in brief, and the auction price range.

Enter the stamped serial-number digits. Leave out a separate C, D or E above the number; it marks the receiver design.

What the C, D or E marking means.

Winchester Model 97 value: what it sells for at auction

Enter your serial number above to highlight the price categories that fit the estimated date and see recent sales of this model in those categories.

These prices come from 204 Winchester Model 1897s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (68), Morphy Auctions (28), Poulin Auctions (43), Redding Auction Services (27), and Amoskeag Auction Company (38) between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. The age-group rows use the auction companies' categories: antique, curio and relic, or modern.

The typical price is the middle price, also called the median. Half sold for more and half for less. The middle 50% range leaves out the lowest quarter and highest quarter of prices. The wider 80% range leaves out the lowest tenth and highest tenth.

We leave out listings described as deluxe, special-order, engraved, restored, or commemorative, and other exceptions in the value guide. Commemoratives are priced on their own page. Wear, repairs, original parts, and factory upgrades can make a particular gun worth more or less. These figures are a comparison, not an appraisal of your gun. Age groups below are sporting guns. Trench and riot guns are listed under versions.

Curio & Reliccollector category, usually 50+ years old86$456 – $777$600$363 – $988

Curio & Relic: Poulin Auctions typical $575 (27 sales); Redding Auction Services typical $600 (20 sales); Amoskeag Auction Company typical $635 (26 sales).

Prices by version

Sales whose listing names a version, grouped by that version, such as rifle or carbine (a shorter rifle). These rows combine all ages.

Trench / riot92$2,347 – $9,400$5,215$1,222 – $15,188
Standard88$458 – $801$602$363 – $1,072

Recent Model 1897 auction sales

Sales near the typical price and the newest. Their features and condition may differ from your gun. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.

Jul 2025Model 1897 · Standard · 12Redding lot 148R$600
Apr 2026Model 1897 · StandardPoulin lot 2015$610
Apr 2026Model 1897 · Standard · 12Redding lot 481R$620
Aug 2026Model 1897 · StandardAmoskeag lot 2813$363
Aug 2026Model 1897 · StandardAmoskeag lot 2469$847

Prices are in US dollars and include the buyer’s premium, the auction company’s fee added to the winning bid, where the house charges one; Redding charges none. They are not the amount the seller receives. A dealer’s offer or private sale price may differ. The full picture, model by model →

What does the E above a Winchester Model 97 serial number mean?

On a Model 1897, also called the Model 97, a separate C, D or E stamped above or near the serial number identifies a version of the receiver design. That letter is not part of the serial number.

For this lookup, enter the digits underneath the separate letter. For example, if an E sits above 500000, enter 500000. Use the number for dating; the letter alone does not give an exact year.

This advice is specific to these Model 97 markings. Other Winchester models can have letters that do belong in the serial number, so do not remove letters from every gun's number.

Source: WACA historian's explanation of the E marking.

Where the serial number is

Bottom of the receiver (underside).

Why the sources give different years

The dates for the Winchester Model 1897 come from factory record books held at the Cody Firearms Museum, George Madis's reference books, and Winchester's customer-service list. These sources can give different years for the same serial number. Original records usually provide stronger evidence than later estimates. Check the notes to see whether a source dates numbering, assembly, or another step.

Madis vs. factory dates shows examples from models whose tables disagree on this site.

Sources for this model: Madis/legacy year-end table · CFM/Polishing Room SNA year-end table · Winchester customer-service list (2012)

Who was Madis? What does Cody hold? About these records →

Winchester Model 1897 serial numbers by year

The full Model 1897 serial number chart, one table for each source available here. Each row gives the numbers that source assigns to a year. Both the first and last numbers are included.

A row marked “sources differ” is a serial range that another table on this page dates to a different year. For the Model 1897 that is true of most of the run, so treat any single year as an estimate and read the notes below the tables. A row marked “estimate” is a figure its own source calls an estimate. A row marked “approximate” is a figure we trust less than the rest of its table: a boundary the sources put a few serials apart, or a figure a later record corrects.

George Madis's published tables

George Madis compiled Winchester reference books years after production. His tables estimate the last serial number reached each year.

Cited as: Madis/legacy year-end table

YearSerial numbers
1897estimate31,608 – 32,335
1898sources differ32,336 – 64,668
1899estimate64,669 – 96,999
1900estimate97,000 – 129,332
1901estimate129,333 – 161,665
1902estimate161,666 – 193,998
1903estimate193,999 – 226,331
1904226,332 – 258,664
1905sources differ258,665 – 296,037
1906sources differ296,038 – 334,059
1907sources differ334,060 – 377,999
1908sources differ378,000 – 413,618
1909sources differ413,619 – 446,888
1910sources differ446,889 – 481,062
1911sources differ481,063 – 512,632
1912sources differ512,633 – 544,313
1913sources differ544,314 – 575,213
1914sources differ575,214 – 592,732
1915sources differ592,733 – 607,673
1916sources differ607,674 – 624,537
1917sources differ624,538 – 646,124
1918sources differ646,125 – 668,383
1919sources differ668,384 – 691,943
1920sources differ691,944 – 696,183
1921sources differ696,184 – 700,428
1922sources differ700,429 – 715,902
1923sources differ715,903 – 732,060
1924sources differ732,061 – 744,942
1925sources differ744,943 – 757,629
1926sources differ757,630 – 770,527
1927sources differ770,528 – 783,574
1928sources differ783,575 – 796,806
1929sources differ796,807 – 807,321
1930sources differ807,322 – 812,729
1931sources differ812,730 – 830,721
1932sources differ830,722 – 833,926
1933sources differ833,927 – 835,637
1934sources differ835,638 – 837,364
1935sources differ837,365 – 839,728
1936sources differ839,729 – 848,684
1937sources differ848,685 – 856,729
1938sources differ856,730 – 860,725
1939sources differ860,726 – 866,938
1940sources differ866,939 – 875,945
1941sources differ875,946 – 891,190
1942sources differ891,191 – 910,072
1943sources differ910,073 – 912,265
1944sources differ912,266 – 912,327
1945sources differ912,328 – 916,472
1946sources differ916,473 – 926,409
1947sources differ926,410 – 936,682
1948sources differ936,683 – 944,085
1949sources differ944,086 – 953,042
1950sources differ953,043 – 961,999
1951sources differ962,000 – 970,956
1952sources differ970,957 – 979,913
1953sources differ979,914 – 988,860
1954sources differ988,861 – 997,827
1955sources differ997,828 – 1,006,784
1956sources differ1,006,785 – 1,015,741
1957sources differ1,015,742 – 1,024,700
  • 1897: The Model 1897 continued the Model 1893's numbers. Numbers below about 31,608 are Model 1893 guns (see the Model 1893 page); about 31,608 to about 34,150 are generally Model 1893 guns too. This figure is marked with an asterisk in George Madis's tables, which means it is an estimate.
  • 1898: This figure is marked with an asterisk in George Madis's tables, which means it is an estimate. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum put the last serial number stamped in 1898 at 63,867. The older Madis estimate of 64,668 is 801 numbers higher.
  • 1899–1903: This figure is marked with an asterisk in George Madis's tables, which means it is an estimate.
  • 1949–1956: This figure is marked with an asterisk in George Madis's tables, which means it is an estimate. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give the actual last serial number of the year.
  • 1957: This figure is marked with an asterisk in George Madis's tables, which means it is an estimate. The final serial is disputed. Madis's tables give 1,024,700. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 1,024,701.

Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum)

Drawn from Winchester's original factory records. Numbering records date when serial numbers were stamped. The gun could be finished or shipped later; see this model's notes.

Cited as: CFM/Polishing Room SNA year-end table

YearSerial numbers
1897sources differ31,608 – 46,190
1898estimate46,191 – 63,867
189963,868 – 90,099
190090,100 – 121,740
1901121,741 – 155,949
1902155,950 – 192,780
1903192,781 – 232,089
1904sources differ232,090 – 269,816
1905sources differ269,817 – 310,112
1906sources differ310,113 – 352,757
1907sources differ352,758 – 398,919
1908sources differ398,920 – 438,586
1909sources differ438,587 – 474,392
1910sources differ474,393 – 514,224
1911sources differ514,225 – 544,663
1912sources differ544,664 – 574,649
1913sources differ574,650 – 609,337
1914sources differ609,338 – 621,155
1915sources differ621,156 – 634,255
1916sources differ634,256 – 645,018
1917sources differ645,019 – 673,277
1918sources differ673,278 – 705,627
1919sources differ705,628 – 713,785
1920sources differ713,786 – 744,268
1921sources differ744,269 – 748,404
1922sources differ748,405 – 760,622
1923sources differ760,623 – 780,537
1924sources differ780,538 – 793,623
1925sources differ793,624 – 806,826
1926sources differ806,827 – 816,294
1927sources differ816,295 – 829,515
1928sources differ829,516 – 845,320
1929sources differ845,321 – 857,216
1930sources differ857,217 – 865,591
1931sources differ865,592 – 875,213
1932sources differ875,214 – 885,034
1933sources differ885,035 – 885,040
1934sources differ885,041 – 885,843
1935sources differ885,844 – 886,094
1936sources differ886,095 – 895,261
1937sources differ895,262 – 901,405
1938sources differ901,406 – 905,660
1939sources differ905,661 – 909,925
1940sources differ909,926 – 918,793
1941sources differ918,794 – 930,412
1942sources differ930,413 – 950,579
1943sources differ950,580 – 965,000
1944sources differ965,001 – 968,160
1946sources differ968,161 – 975,755
1947sources differ975,756 – 981,005
1948sources differ981,006 – 985,270
1949sources differ985,271 – 989,410
1950sources differ989,411 – 995,605
1951sources differ995,606 – 1,001,930
1952sources differ1,001,931 – 1,007,515
1953sources differ1,007,516 – 1,013,730
1954sources differ1,013,731 – 1,017,760
1955sources differ1,017,761 – 1,021,610
1956sources differ1,021,611 – 1,024,700
1957approximate1,024,701
  • 1897: The Model 1897 continued the Model 1893's numbers. Numbers below about 31,608 are Model 1893 guns (see the Model 1893 page); about 31,608 to about 34,150 are generally Model 1893 guns too.
  • 1898: The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum put the last serial number stamped in 1898 at 63,867. The older estimate in George Madis's tables is 64,668, which is 801 numbers higher. Use the ledger-supported cutoff, not the estimate, when you work out federal status.
  • 1944: The table gives the same last serial number, 968,160, for both 1944 and 1945. No 1945 serial numbers were recorded.
  • 1957: The final serial is disputed. George Madis's tables give 1,024,700. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 1,024,701.

Winchester's own customer-service list (2012)

A list Winchester prepared to answer owners' questions. It combines records and estimates, as the list itself explains.

Cited as: Winchester customer-service list (2012)

YearSerial numbers
1897estimate31,608 – 32,335
1898sources differ32,336 – 64,668
1899estimate64,669 – 96,999
1900estimate97,000 – 129,332
1901estimate129,333 – 161,665
1902estimate161,666 – 193,998
1903estimate193,999 – 226,331
1904226,332 – 258,664
1905sources differ258,665 – 296,037
1906sources differ296,038 – 334,059
1907sources differ334,060 – 377,999
1908sources differ378,000 – 413,618
1909sources differ413,619 – 446,888
1910sources differ446,889 – 481,062
1911sources differ481,063 – 512,632
1912sources differ512,633 – 544,313
1913sources differ544,314 – 575,213
1914sources differ575,214 – 592,732
1915sources differ592,733 – 607,673
1916sources differ607,674 – 624,537
1917sources differ624,538 – 646,124
1918sources differ646,125 – 668,383
1919sources differ668,384 – 691,943
1920sources differ691,944 – 696,183
1921sources differ696,184 – 700,428
1922sources differ700,429 – 715,902
1923sources differ715,903 – 732,060
1924sources differ732,061 – 744,942
1925sources differ744,943 – 757,629
1926sources differ757,630 – 770,527
1927sources differ770,528 – 783,574
1928sources differ783,575 – 796,806
1929sources differ796,807 – 807,321
1930sources differ807,322 – 812,729
1931sources differ812,730 – 830,721
1932sources differ830,722 – 833,926
1933sources differ833,927 – 835,637
1934sources differ835,638 – 837,364
1935sources differ837,365 – 839,728
1936sources differ839,729 – 848,684
1937sources differ848,685 – 856,729
1938sources differ856,730 – 860,725
1939sources differ860,726 – 866,938
1940sources differ866,939 – 875,945
1941sources differ875,946 – 891,190
1942sources differ891,191 – 910,072
1943sources differ910,073 – 912,265
1944sources differ912,266 – 912,327
1945sources differ912,328 – 916,472
1946sources differ916,473 – 926,409
1947sources differ926,410 – 936,682
1948sources differ936,683 – 944,085
1949sources differ944,086 – 953,042
1950sources differ953,043 – 961,999
1951sources differ962,000 – 970,956
1952sources differ970,957 – 979,913
1953sources differ979,914 – 988,860
1954sources differ988,861 – 997,827
1955sources differ997,828 – 1,006,784
1956sources differ1,006,785 – 1,015,741
1957sources differ1,015,742 – 1,024,700
  • 1897: The Model 1897 continued the Model 1893's numbers. Numbers below about 31,608 are Model 1893 guns (see the Model 1893 page); about 31,608 to about 34,150 are generally Model 1893 guns too. The list itself marks this figure as an estimate or a calculated number, not a record.
  • 1898, 1949–1957: The list itself marks this figure as an estimate or a calculated number, not a record.
  • 1899–1903: The list itself marks this figure as an estimate or a calculated number, not a record.

What to know about Model 1897 serial numbers

  • The Model 1893 and the Model 1897 share one run of serial numbers, and the two overlap during the changeover. A low serial number on its own does not tell you which model you have.
  • George Madis's tables and other older published tables that start the Model 1897 over at serial 1 are wrong. The records of the date each serial number was stamped show that Model 1893 numbering simply carried on.
  • A C, D or E stamped above or near the serial number marks a change in receiver design. It is not part of the serial number.
  • The older published figures for 1949 to 1957 were estimates. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum now give the actual last serial number of each year, up to 1,024,701.
  • The last serial number is not a count of Model 1897s made. George Madis's tables describe about 2,000 more guns built from leftover parts after regular production ended. The run of numbers was also inherited from the Model 1893 and shared with it at first.
  • The pre-1899 antique cutoff is disputed. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum give 63,867. George Madis's tables give 64,668. Use 63,867 or below as the cutoff supported by the factory ledger.
  • The first roughly 2,500 serial numbers, about 31,608 to about 34,150, are generally Model 1893 guns rather than Model 1897s. The changeover point is only approximate and there are documented exceptions.
  • Winchester's own customer-service list is a retyped compilation, not the original records. The list itself says that no complete original serial record from 1866 onward is known to exist, and that some of its figures are estimates.
  • Winchester's own customer-service list calls its Model 1897 records incomplete. Its serial numbers are estimated from 1897 through 1903 and again from 1949 through 1957. Actual records exist only for 1904 through 1949.

Related models, and why

These models share a number sequence, replaced this model, or look similar. Each link explains the connection.

Winchester shotguns usually made without serial numbers

These models usually have no serial number. Their pages explain the exceptions and how their features may help estimate age.

Need more detail? Check for factory records

The Cody Firearms Records Office can check for surviving records for your serial number. For a fee, it can issue a letter reporting what they say. Some records contain only dates; others also describe the gun’s original features.

The office’s May 2024 coverage sheet lists these Model 1897 serial numbers: 1–1,024,701 (shared with the Model 1893). Check current availability with the office before ordering; a listed range does not guarantee a record for every number.

Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →

What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →