GunSerialsWinchester Model 1911 SL serial numbers by year
The Model 1911 SL (“Self-Loading”) was Winchester's first semi-automatic shotgun. Regular production ran from 1911 to 1925, with assembly from leftover parts continuing through 1928.
- Produced:
- 1911–1925 (parts cleanup to 1928)
- Action:
- semi-automatic
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 1911 SL made?
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 low and high of recent auction sales.
Winchester Model 1911 SL value: what it sells for at auction
We found 8 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 1911 SL at Morphy Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $145 to $514.
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 1911 SL 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 1911 · 12 | Redding lot 38R | $310 |
| Jun 2026 | Model 1911 | Amoskeag lot 2087 | $514 |
| May 2026 | Model 1911 · 12 | Redding lot 293R | $425 |
| May 2026 | Model 1911 · 12 | Redding lot 292R | $450 |
| Jan 2026 | Model 1911 | Amoskeag lot 2217 | $193 |
| Jan 2026 | Model 1911SL · 12 | Morphy lot 1548 | $158 |
| Aug 2025 | Model 1911 | Amoskeag lot 2497 | $145 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 1911 · 12 | Redding lot 422R | $360 |
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 →
Where these dates come from
The table on this page comes from one source: Winchester's own customer-service list. Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Sources for this model: Published factory/customer-service table · Madis
Winchester Model 1911 SL serial numbers by year
The full Model 1911 SL 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.
The tables agree with each other for every serial range. 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.
Winchester's own customer-service list
A list Winchester prepared to answer owners' questions. It combines records and estimates, as the list itself explains.
Cited as: Published factory/customer-service table
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1911estimate | 1 – 3,819 |
| 1912estimate | 3,820 – 27,659 |
| 1913estimate | 27,660 – 36,677 |
| 1914estimate | 36,678 – 40,105 |
| 1915estimate | 40,106 – 43,284 |
| 1916estimate | 43,285 – 45,391 |
| 1917estimate | 45,392 – 49,893 |
| 1918estimate | 49,894 – 52,895 |
| 1919estimate | 52,896 – 57,337 |
| 1920estimate | 57,338 – 60,719 |
| 1921estimate | 60,720 – 64,109 |
| 1922estimate | 64,110 – 69,132 |
| 1923estimate | 69,133 – 73,186 |
| 1924estimate | 73,187 – 76,199 |
| 1925estimate | 76,200 – 78,611 |
| 1926–1928 | 78,612 – 82,774 |
- 1911: The last serial number for this year is approximate. Numbering began at 1.
- 1912–1924: The last serial number for this year is approximate.
- 1925: The last serial number for this year is approximate. Regular production ended in 1925.
- 1926–1928: These are leftover parts assembled from 1926 to 1928 after regular production ended. The final total is about 82,774. The source does not break this span into single years, so you cannot narrow the date past 1926–1928.
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
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1928approximate | from 103,213 |
- 1928: George Madis's tables extend the serial number table to 103,213 at the start of 1928 and say many numbers were skipped after about 82,774. The Winchester collectors' association reports 82,774 with no skipped numbers, which directly contradicts Madis.
What to know about Model 1911 SL serial numbers
- "Discontinued in 1925" does not mean every gun was assembled by 1925. Leftover parts were assembled through 1928.
- The first finished guns reached warehouse stock on October 7, 1911. That is a warehouse date, not necessarily the date the serial number was stamped on the receiver.
- George Madis's tables say many numbers were skipped after about 82,774. The Winchester collectors' association reports 82,774 with no skipped numbers, which directly contradicts Madis.
- No Model 1911 factory ledger survives, so every date worked out from a serial number is approximate.
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.
Factory record coverage for the Model 1911 SL
The Model 1911 SL is not on the Cody Firearms Records Office’s May 2024 coverage sheet. Ask the office about current availability. The notes and sources on this page explain the other dating information we have.
Which Winchester models can be lettered, and what a letter shows →