GunSerialsWinchester Model 1902 serial numbers — why most have none
The Winchester Model 1902 is a single-shot, bolt-action .22 rimfire rifle produced from 1902 to 1931, an improved Model 1900 with more than 640,000 made.
- Produced:
- 1902–1931
- Action:
- bolt-action
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.
Most Model 1902 guns have no serial number
Winchester never numbered the Model 1902.
These guns usually have model and ammunition markings on the barrel, and may also have patent dates. Those are different from a serial number. The model’s production ended before federal law required serial numbers on rifles and shotguns in 1968. A missing number is normal for this model; it does not by itself show whether the gun has been altered.
The references put the total at roughly 640,000 to 667,000 rifles over its 29 years.
The Model 1902 is the Model 1900 with fixes. Winchester gave it a trigger guard that curves back under your hand like a pistol grip, a shorter trigger pull, a steel buttplate, a peep rear sight, and a changed barrel shape. The first one shipped on June 4, 1902. The design is John Browning’s, the same as the Model 1900.
It is a single-shot bolt action, so it holds one cartridge at a time. The bolt does not cock when you open it. After you close the bolt, you pull the knob at the back of it with your fingers to cock it. The Model 1904 works the same way.
Winchester sold it as a boy’s rifle. It was the rifle of the Winchester Junior Rifle Corps, a club that taught kids to shoot safely. In 1920 Winchester offered a Range Kit built around it: a Model 1902 in a fitted case with targets, cleaning gear, oil, cartridges, and pouches for a notepad and pencil.
The stock is one piece of plain gumwood, stained to look like walnut. A few got walnut that was not good enough for costlier guns. The barrel is 18 inches long and round. To tell it from its relatives: the 1900 has a plain trigger guard and no buttplate. The 1904 has the same action but a 21-inch barrel and a bigger stock for adults.
Every Model 1902 is old enough to count as a Curio and Relic under federal law, as long as it is still in its original form. None is a federal antique. That needs a gun made in 1898 or earlier, and this rifle started in 1902.
Without a factory serial number, a serial-number search cannot identify this individual gun. The feature clues below may help narrow its age.
If your Model 1902 has a number on it
A number may be an owner’s mark, a store’s inventory number, or an importer’s mark. Some factory stamps identify an inspector or a part. On certain models, a two-digit stamp under the barrel can indicate a year. Patent dates describe patents, not when this particular gun was made. We do not have serial lookup tables for these markings.
How to date a Model 1902 without a serial number
Winchester changed the Model 1902 over its run, and the published references date some of those changes. These clues can help narrow the possible years:
- Read the caliber marking on the barrel. “Short and Long” only means before 1914. “Short, Long and Extra Long” means 1914 to 1927. “Short, Long and Long Rifle” means late 1927 to 1931.
- Read the model name on the barrel. “Model 1902” means before 1919. “Model 02” means 1919 or later. “Model 02A” means late 1927 to 1931, when .22 Long Rifle replaced .22 Extra Long.
- Look at the rear sight. Most rifles have a plain peep sight. A No. 32A rear sight was a factory option from August 1916. A factory 32A came with a taller front sight, a No. 21F in late 1916 and early 1917, or a No. 77E or 77F from 1917 to 1927, in place of the usual No. 77B.
- Winchester used up old parts after a change. A rifle can show one early feature and one late one. Take the latest feature as the earliest year the rifle could be.
Features suggest a range of years. Winchester sometimes used older parts after a design changed, and parts may have been replaced later.
Winchester Model 1902 value: what it sells for at auction
We found 13 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 1902 at Morphy Auctions, Poulin Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $90 to $2,160.
That is too few sales for a typical price, so we list each one instead. A price table needs at least 40 sales. With only a few sales, one gun in unusual condition can set the high or the low.
We leave out listings described as deluxe, special-order, engraved, restored, or commemorative, and other exceptions in the value guide. Wear, repairs, original parts, and factory upgrades can make a particular gun worth more or less. These sales are a comparison, not an appraisal of your gun.
Every Model 1902 sale we counted
Newest first. Their features and condition may differ from your gun. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.
| Sold | Gun | Auction company | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | Model 1902 | Redding lot 577R | $230 |
| Jun 2026 | Model 1902 | Redding lot 348R | $170 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 1902 | Redding lot 470R | $250 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 1902 · 22 | Morphy lot 1400 | $180 |
| Feb 2026 | Model 1902 | Redding lot 104R | $190 |
| Dec 2025 | Model 1902 | Morphy lot 3032 | $2,160 |
| Aug 2025 | Model 1902 | Amoskeag lot 2488 | $133 |
| Aug 2025 | Model 1902 | Amoskeag lot 2485 | $145 |
| Aug 2025 | Model 1902 · 22 Short | Redding lot 378R | $90 |
| Apr 2025 | Model 1902 | Poulin lot 2119 | $605 |
| Jun 2024 | Model 1902 | Amoskeag lot 2437 | $205 |
| Jun 2024 | Model 1902 | Amoskeag lot 2434 | $254 |
| Mar 2024 | Model 1902 | Amoskeag lot 2443 | $90 |
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 →