GunSerialsWinchester Model 25 serial number range — what the records say
The Winchester Model 25 is a pump-action shotgun produced from 1949 to 1954, with 87,937 manufactured.
- Produced:
- 1949–1954
- Action:
- pump-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.
Which years could your Model 25 be from?
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 25 value: what it sells for at auction
We found 9 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 25 at Poulin Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $151 to $390.
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 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Model 25 · 12 | Redding lot 599R | $390 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 25 · 12 | Redding lot 133R | $290 |
| Oct 2025 | Model 25 · 12 | Redding lot 251R | $180 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 25 · 12 | Redding lot 502R | $350 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 25 · 12 | Redding lot 498R | $370 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 25 · 12 | Redding lot 426R | $250 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 25 | Poulin lot 2412 | $242 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 25 | Poulin lot 2411 | $151 |
| Nov 2023 | Model 25 | Amoskeag lot 2012 | $290 |
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 records here give one serial range for the Winchester Model 25, from Proofhouse / oldguns.net table. A number can be placed within the model's production years, but this source cannot give a single year.
Source for this model: Published production range (oldguns.net / Proofhouse)
Winchester Model 25 serial number range
The published serial range for the Model 25. The range covers the whole production period; it cannot identify one year.
Proofhouse / oldguns.net table
An online collection of estimated dates, mostly drawn from George Madis's reference books.
Cited as: Published production range (oldguns.net / Proofhouse)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1949–1954 | through 87,937 |
- 1949–1954: This row covers the whole run. oldguns.net and Proofhouse report serials passing 87,937 by the time the model was discontinued in December 1954. No year-by-year breakdown has been published.
What to know about Model 25 serial numbers
- There is no year-by-year serial table for the Model 25. oldguns.net gives only the span of 1949 to 1954. GUNS Magazine and the Winchester Arms Collectors Association both report that no yearly breakdown is known. So this lookup can only confirm that a number falls inside the production run.
- Production ran from March 1949, the first warehouse batch, to December 1954. 87,937 were made. oldguns.net and Proofhouse word it as serials passing 87,937.
- A two-digit year stamp on the underside of the barrel is the only closer dating clue the Winchester collectors' association offers. It dates the barrel, not necessarily the finished gun.
- 26-inch barrels turn up mainly below about serial 47,100, according to the Winchester collectors' association. Whether they were offered through the whole run is not settled.
- The Model 25 is a solid-frame version of the Model 12. The barrels attach differently and do not swap between the two. No Model 25 Riot Gun appears in the factory catalogs that the Winchester collectors' association historian checked, so do not accept a 20-inch gun as factory built without stronger evidence.
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.
Factory record coverage for the Model 25
The Model 25 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 →