GunSerialsWinchester Model 42 serial numbers by year
A smaller version of the Model 12 pump shotgun, built for .410 shells. Miroku made reproductions in 1991–1993.
- Produced:
- 1933–1963 (1964 cleanup serialization); 1991–1993 Miroku reproductions
- 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.
What year was your Model 42 made?
Need help finding the serial number?
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 auction price range.
Does the barrel say Made in Japan, or does the serial number have letters in the middle? Then it is a modern reissue with its own numbers. How to tell an original from a reissue.
Winchester Model 42 value: what it sells for at auction
Enter your serial number above to highlight the price categories that fit the estimated date and see recent sales of this model in those categories.
These prices come from 188 Winchester Model 42s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (70), Morphy Auctions (31), Poulin Auctions (52), Redding Auction Services (13), and Amoskeag Auction Company (22) 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 | 188 | $1,560 – $2,938 | $1,880 | $1,219 – $4,742 |
Curio & Relic: Rock Island Auction Company typical $1,998 (70 sales); Morphy Auctions typical $1,599 (31 sales); Poulin Auctions typical $1,944 (52 sales); Amoskeag Auction Company typical $1,754 (22 sales).
Recent Model 42 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2025 | Model 42 · 410 | Rock Island lot 2946 | $1,880 |
| Feb 2025 | Model 42 · 410 | Rock Island lot 2939 | $1,880 |
| Oct 2024 | Model 42 · 410 | Rock Island lot 850 | $1,880 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 42 · 410 | Rock Island lot 3057 | $3,231 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 42 | Poulin lot 3029 | $1,586 |
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 the serial number is
Bottom of the receiver ahead of the loading port, with the matching number on the receiver extension.
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 42 come from George Madis's reference books, and Winchester's customer-service list. These sources can give different years for the same serial number. Original records usually provide stronger evidence than later estimates. Check the notes to see whether a source dates numbering, assembly, or another step.
Madis vs. factory dates shows examples from models whose tables disagree on this site.
Sources for this model: Published Madis year-start table · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 42 serial numbers by year
The full Model 42 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.
A row marked “sources differ” is a serial range that another table on this page dates to a different year. 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.
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: Published Madis year-start table
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 1 – 9,398 |
| 1934approximate | 9,399 – 13,964 |
| 1935 | 13,965 – 17,730 |
| 1936 | 17,731 – 24,852 |
| 1937 | 24,853 – 30,904 |
| 1938 | 30,905 – 34,664 |
| 1939approximate | 34,665 – 38,973 |
| 1940 | 38,974 – 43,355 |
| 1941approximate | 43,356 – 48,211 |
| 1942 | 48,212 – 50,827 |
| 1943sources differ | 50,828 – 50,831 |
| 1944sources differ | 50,832 – 50,838 |
| 1945 | 50,839 – 51,168 |
| 1946 | 51,169 – 54,256 |
| 1947 | 54,257 – 64,853 |
| 1948 | 64,854 – 75,142 |
| 1949 | 75,143 – 81,107 |
| 1950sources differ | 81,108 – 87,071 |
| 1951 | 87,072 – 93,038 |
| 1952 | 93,039 – 99,000 |
| 1953 | 99,001 – 108,201 |
| 1954 | 108,202 – 117,200 |
| 1955estimate | 117,201 – 121,883 |
| 1956estimate | 121,884 – 126,566 |
| 1957estimate | 126,567 – 131,249 |
| 1958estimate | 131,250 – 135,932 |
| 1959estimate | 135,933 – 140,615 |
| 1960estimate | 140,616 – 145,298 |
| 1961estimate | 145,299 – 149,981 |
| 1962estimate | 149,982 – 154,664 |
| 1963estimate | 154,665 – 159,353 |
| 1964 | 159,354 – 160,013 |
- 1933: This was the first year of production.
- 1939: Winchester's own customer-service list is 5 lower than that number.
- 1941: Winchester's own customer-service list is 7 lower than that number. This is the end of the pre-war era; limited production continued during the war.
- 1946: Production increased after the wartime low.
- 1955–1963: This year was averaged out from the source. The records for 1955 to 1963 were lost, so this entry is an estimate, not a real yearly record.
- 1964: Regular production ended in 1963. These guns were finished from leftover parts in 1964. The serial range is 159,354 to 160,013. George Madis's table gives a count of 659, which is one less than the number of serials in that range.
Winchester's own customer-service list (2012)
A list Winchester prepared to answer owners' questions. It combines records and estimates, as the list itself explains.
Cited as: Winchester customer-service list (2012)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1933 | through 9,398 |
| 1934 | 9,399 – 13,963 |
| 1935 | 13,964 – 17,728 |
| 1936 | 17,729 – 24,849 |
| 1937 | 24,850 – 30,900 |
| 1938 | 30,901 – 34,659 |
| 1939 | 34,660 – 38,967 |
| 1940 | 38,968 – 43,348 |
| 1941 | 43,349 – 48,203 |
| 1942 | 48,204 – 50,818 |
| 1943sources differ | 50,819 – 50,822 |
| 1944sources differ | 50,823 – 50,828 |
| 1945 | 50,829 – 51,168 |
| 1946 | 51,169 – 54,256 |
| 1947 | 54,257 – 64,853 |
| 1948 | 64,854 – 75,142 |
| 1949 | 75,143 – 81,107 |
| 1951sources differ | 81,108 – 93,038 |
| 1952 | 93,039 – 99,000 |
| 1953 | 99,001 – 108,201 |
| 1954 | 108,202 – 117,200 |
| 1955 | 117,201 – 121,883 |
| 1956 | 121,884 – 126,566 |
| 1957 | 126,567 – 131,249 |
| 1958 | 131,250 – 135,932 |
| 1959 | 135,933 – 140,615 |
| 1960 | 140,616 – 145,298 |
| 1961 | 145,299 – 149,981 |
| 1962 | 149,982 – 154,664 |
| 1963 | 154,665 – 159,353 |
- 1933: This was the first year of production.
- 1951: The source prints 2 rows labeled 1951 (87,071 and 93,038) and no row for 1950. It is shown here as printed.
What to know about Model 42 serial numbers
- George Madis's tables state that the records for 1955 to 1963 were lost. The entries for those years were averaged out from the source. They are estimates, not real yearly records.
- Later Model 42 reproductions made in Japan by Miroku use serial numbers with letters in them. They are not part of the original New Haven sequence of 1 to 160,013.
- George Madis's tables run the sequence out to 160,013 for the leftover parts assembled after regular production ended.
- A date from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum is the date the serial number was stamped on a part. It is not necessarily the date the gun was finished, received in the warehouse, or shipped.
- The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum cover only serials 50,923 to 52,683 for this model, and only as the date the serial number was stamped. That is a narrow exception, not full coverage.
- The figure of about 164,800 that turns up in auction listings is an estimate of total production. It is not a starting serial for 1963.
- Winchester's own customer-service list is a retyped compilation, not the original records. The list itself says that no complete original serial record from 1866 onward is known to exist, and that some of its figures are estimates.
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.
Need more detail? Check for factory records
The Cody Firearms Records Office can check for surviving records for your serial number. For a fee, it can issue a letter reporting what they say. Some records contain only dates; others also describe the gun’s original features.
The office’s May 2024 coverage sheet lists these Model 42 serial numbers: 50,923–52,683. Check current availability with the office before ordering; a listed range does not guarantee a record for every number.
Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →