Winchester Model 43 serial numbers by year
A bolt-action rifle for the small centerfire cartridges — .22 Hornet, .218 Bee, .25-20 and .32-20. The factory records show receivers serialed from 1948 to 1953; Madis dates production 1949–1957.
- Produced:
- 1949–1957 (receivers serialed 1948–1953)
- Action:
- bolt-action
What year was your Model 43 made?
Where the serial number is
Initially stamped on the left side of the receiver front ring.
Why the sources give different years
Nobody kept one official list of which Winchester Model 43 serial numbers were made in which year. The dates come from the original factory record books, now held by the Cody Firearms Museum, and the tables in George Madis's Winchester books, compiled decades after the guns were made. For some serial numbers these sources are years apart, so this page shows what each one says instead of picking one.
Madis vs. factory dates lists every model where the sources part ways, with a real serial number from each.
Sources for this model: CFM/Polishing Room · Madis
Winchester Model 43 serial numbers by year
The full Model 43 serial number chart, one table for each published source. Each row gives the serial numbers that source assigns to a year. Find the row your number falls in.
A row marked “sources differ” is a serial range that another table on this page dates to a different year. A row marked “approximate” comes from a table whose figures are estimates rather than factory records.
Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum)
The original Winchester factory ledgers, now held at the Cody Firearms Museum. They record the day each serial number was stamped, which is usually close to when the gun was finished.
Cited as: CFM/Polishing Room
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1948sources differ | 1 – 6,525 |
| 1949 | 6,526 – 16,737 |
| 1950 | 16,738 – 36,915 |
| 1951 | 36,916 – 52,325 |
| 1952 | 52,326 – 59,767 |
| 1953 | 59,768 – 62,617 |
George Madis's published tables
From George Madis's Winchester books, a collector reference compiled decades after production. The figures are year-end estimates, not counts from the factory books.
Cited as: Madis
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1949–1957approximate | through 62,617 |
- 1949–1957: The later 1957 date reflects remaining stock being catalogued and sold, not receivers still being made. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum place actual manufacture from May 1948 through December 1953.
What to know about Model 43 serial numbers
- The A marking starts at about serial 16,738. It was not written down as part of the number in the factory ledger at the Cody Firearms Museum.
- The sources disagree on both ends of production. The factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum show the first Model 43 receivers numbered in May 1948, with serial numbers 1 through 6,525 stamped that year, and the last numbered in December 1953 at 62,617. George Madis's tables date production from 1949 to 1957. The 1957 date reflects Winchester keeping the model in its catalog to sell the rifles it had on hand, not receivers still being made. If your serial number is 6,525 or below, the factory record puts it in 1948.
Other Winchester bolt-action rifles
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.
Want proof on paper? Order a factory letter
The Cody Firearms Museum holds Winchester’s original records and, for a fee, will search them for your serial number and send you a letter with the recorded dates and details. It is the closest thing to the original factory entry you can own, and it is what auction houses and appraisers accept.
Its records cover Model 43 serial numbers: 41–62,617. A number outside that coverage cannot be lettered.
Order a factory letter from the Cody Firearms Museum →What a factory letter shows, and when one is worth ordering →