GunSerialsWinchester Model 37 serial numbers — why most have none
The Winchester Model 37, also called the “Steelbilt,” is a single-shot shotgun. It hinges open for loading.
- Produced:
- 1936–1963
- Action:
- single-shot
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 37 guns have no serial number
Winchester never numbered the Model 37.
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.
More than a million were made between 1936 and 1963, by far the most of any gun on this list.
Auction listings that headline a Model 37 as “serial number 1” or “S/N 8” do not show that the factory numbered them. Those are added, assembly or inventory numbers, or misread markings.
The Model 37A and Model 370 of the 1970s are different, Canadian-built guns and do carry serial numbers, with a C prefix.
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 37 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 37 without a serial number
Winchester changed the Model 37 over its run, and the published references date some of those changes. These clues can help narrow the possible years:
- “Red Letter” guns, with WINCHESTER stamped under the receiver and filled with red enamel, are early production from 1936 through about 1948, roughly the first 200,000.
- A plain receiver underside generally means about 1948 to 1963. Missing red paint alone does not prove a late gun: early receivers keep the stamped legend when the enamel wears off.
- The first 1936 guns have a stamped-steel release lever with a folded tang, the “pigtail”.
- The hammer shape and release-lever style changed several times over the run. The references describe the changes but do not put years on them.
- The Boy's Model with its shorter stock was first offered in 1958.
Features suggest a range of years. Winchester sometimes used older parts after a design changed, and parts may have been replaced later.
Winchester Model 37 value: what it sells for at auction
These prices come from 93 Winchester Model 37s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (3), Morphy Auctions (6), Poulin Auctions (15), Redding Auction Services (55), and Amoskeag Auction Company (14) 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.
| Category | Sales | Middle 50% of prices | Typical price | Middle 80% of prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curio & Reliccollector category, usually 50+ years old | 93 | $230 – $390 | $290 | $173 – $852 |
Recent Model 37 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.
| Sold | Gun | Auction company | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | Model 37 · 20 | Redding lot 244R | $290 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 37 · 16 | Redding lot 113R | $290 |
| Oct 2025 | Model 37 · 16 | Redding lot 356R | $290 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 37 | Amoskeag lot 2331 | $290 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 37 | Amoskeag lot 2293 | $169 |
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 →