GunSerialsWinchester Model 50 serial numbers by year
The Winchester Model 50 is a semi-automatic shotgun produced from 1954 to 1961, with approximately 196,402 manufactured.
- Produced:
- 1954–1961
- Action:
- semi-automatic
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 50 made?
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 50 value: what it sells for at auction
We found 29 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 50 at Morphy Auctions, Poulin Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $182 to $1,250.
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 50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Model 50 | Amoskeag lot 2790 | $254 |
| Jun 2026 | Model 50 · 12 | Redding lot 72R | $600 |
| May 2026 | Model 50 · 20 | Redding lot 133R | $400 |
| May 2026 | Model 50 · 12 | Redding lot 132R | $370 |
| Apr 2026 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2026 | $336 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 50 | Amoskeag lot 2042 | $968 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 50 · 20 | Redding lot 417R | $480 |
| Feb 2026 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2208 | $366 |
| Jan 2026 | Model 50 · 12 | Redding lot 33R | $360 |
| Dec 2025 | Model 50 · 20 | Redding lot 126R | $1,250 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 50 | Morphy lot 1616 | $346 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 50 · 12 | Morphy lot 1612 | $184 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 50 · 12 | Morphy lot 1610 | $184 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 50 · 20 | Redding lot 231R | $430 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 50 | Amoskeag lot 2543 | $193 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 50 | Amoskeag lot 2413 | $338 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 50 | Amoskeag lot 1182 | $1,149 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2182 | $393 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2181 | $363 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2180 | $454 |
| Jan 2025 | Model 50 · 12 | Redding lot 478R | $240 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2424 | $242 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2423 | $182 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2422 | $302 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2421 | $363 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2420 | $393 |
| Dec 2024 | Model 50 | Poulin lot 2419 | $212 |
| Nov 2024 | Model 50 | Amoskeag lot 2572 | $302 |
| Aug 2024 | Model 50 | Amoskeag lot 2702 | $217 |
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 →
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 50 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/Proofhouse estimate · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 50 serial numbers by year
The full Model 50 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 “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.
Madis's tables (Proofhouse / oldguns.net reprint)
George Madis compiled Winchester reference books years after production. His tables estimate the last serial number reached each year.
Cited as: Published Madis/Proofhouse estimate
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1954approximate | 1,000 – 23,550 |
| 1955approximate | 23,551 – 49,100 |
| 1956approximate | 49,101 – 73,650 |
| 1957approximate | 73,651 – 98,200 |
| 1958approximate | 98,201 – 122,750 |
| 1959approximate | 122,751 – 147,300 |
| 1960approximate | 147,301 – 171,850 |
| 1961approximate | 171,851 – 196,399 |
| 1962sources differ | from 196,400 |
- 1954: Every figure in this table is an estimate published by George Madis and Proofhouse. Serial 1,000 was reportedly presented to John M. Olin and was not part of ordinary commercial stock.
- 1955–1961: Every figure in this table is an estimate published by George Madis and Proofhouse.
- 1962: Every figure in this table is an estimate published by George Madis and Proofhouse. George Madis's tables put 666 guns in 1962, but the Winchester collectors' association says regular production ended in December 1961. Those guns may be leftover parts assembled after regular production ended, or a difference in reporting dates, or simply a bad estimate.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1954 | through 24,550 |
| 1955 | 24,551 – 49,100 |
| 1956 | 49,101 – 73,650 |
| 1957 | 73,651 – 98,200 |
| 1958 | 98,201 – 122,750 |
| 1959 | 122,751 – 147,300 |
| 1960 | 147,301 – 171,850 |
| 1961 | 171,851 – 196,400 |
What to know about Model 50 serial numbers
- In George Madis's tables the serial numbers start at 1,000, but the arithmetic printed in that table does not add up.
- Counting 1,000 through 196,400 inclusive gives 195,401 numbers, not 196,402. Do not treat the reported total as confirmed by the serial numbers.
- George Madis's tables put 666 guns in 1962, but the Winchester collectors' association says regular production ended in December 1961. Do not read those 1962 guns as ordinary production.
- Serial 1,000 was reportedly presented to John M. Olin. It was not part of ordinary commercial stock.
- The Winchester collectors' association reports that the factory records needed do not survive. An accurate total from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum cannot be worked out at present.
- 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.
Factory record coverage for the Model 50
The Model 50 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 →