Winchester Model 290 serial numbers — what the records say

What to know about Model 290 serial numbers

• A Model 290 made before the 1968 Gun Control Act can have no serial number at all. That is how it left the factory, not a sign of tampering. Rifles made after 1968 carry a B prefix that is shared with the Models 150, 190, 250, 255, 270 and 275. The prefix is not a year code, and no serial number table for the Model 290 has been published.
• The published serial number ranges from the Cody Firearms Museum do not cover the Model 290. Winchester's own serial number reference lists only the B prefix for it. oldguns.net says it has no dating information for the 190 or the 290.
• The Model 290 came out in 1963 alongside the Models 250 and 270, not in 1965 as is often stated. A June 1963 advertisement and a 1963 factory parts list show this. The end of production is disputed. Jim House and the Blue Book say 1973. George Madis's tables and Proofhouse say 1976. A 1975–76 retail catalog still lists it.
• The Model 190, made from 1967 to 1980, is a lower-cost version built on the same action and tubular-magazine design. Checkering alone does not tell a 290 from a 190. A press-checkered 190 is documented.
• The 1963 rifles had an adjustable square-notch rear sight and a square-post ramp front sight, not a bead. The Deluxe had a high-gloss Monte Carlo walnut stock with a cheekpiece, basket-weave checkering and sling swivels.

Related models, and why

Shared serial sequences, successors, and look-alikes — each link says why it is here, straight from the record notes.

• Model 1901967–1980The Model 190, made from 1967 to 1980, is a lower-cost version built on the same action and tubular-magazine design.
• Model 2701963–1973From the Model 290 notes: “The 270 is the slide-action gun in the 1963 rimfire trio.”

Other Winchester semi-automatic rifles

• Model 771955–1963
• Model 1001961–1973
• Model 1901967–1980
• Model 4901975–1977
• Model 19071907–1957
• Models 1905 and 19101905–1936

Winchester rifles that never had a serial number

These have no serial number to look up. Their pages explain why, and how to date one from its features.

• Model 471949–1954
• Model 581928–1934
• Model 601930–1939
• Model 60A1932–1939
• Model 671934–1963
• Model 681934–1945
• Model 691935–1963
• Model 72A1949–1959
• Model 19001899–1902
• Model 19021902–1931
• Model 19041904–1931
• Thumb Trigger1904–1923