GunSerialsWinchester Model 52 serial numbers by year
A bolt-action .22 target rifle sold in versions A through E, as well as a lighter sporting version called the Sporter.
- Produced:
- 1919–1979 (original); 1991–2002 (reissues)
- Action:
- bolt-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 52 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 52 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 197 Winchester Model 52s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (70), Morphy Auctions (38), Poulin Auctions (20), Redding Auction Services (20), and Amoskeag Auction Company (49) 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 | 189 | $847 – $2,400 | $1,175 | $665 – $4,432 |
Curio & Relic: Rock Island Auction Company typical $1,645 (69 sales); Morphy Auctions typical $1,134 (37 sales); Amoskeag Auction Company typical $847 (48 sales).
Recent Model 52 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Model 52B | Poulin lot 2019 | $1,159 |
| Aug 2025 | Model 52C | Amoskeag lot 339 | $1,210 |
| Sep 2025 | Model 52D | Morphy lot 3260 | $1,216 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 52B | Amoskeag lot 2720 | $514 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 52 | Amoskeag lot 2672 | $605 |
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
On the receiver.
Where these dates come from
The table on this page comes from one source: George Madis's published tables. Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Sources for this model: Madis/Legacy Winchester Year-End Serial Compilation (1921–1979) · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 52 serial numbers by year
The full Model 52 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.
The tables agree with each other for every serial range. 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: Madis/Legacy Winchester Year-End Serial Compilation (1921–1979)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1919–1921 | 1 – 397 |
| 1922 | 398 – 745 |
| 1923 | 746 – 1,394 |
| 1924 | 1,395 – 2,361 |
| 1925 | 2,362 – 3,513 |
| 1926 | 3,514 – 6,383 |
| 1927 | 6,384 – 9,436 |
| 1928 | 9,437 – 12,082 |
| 1929 | 12,083 – 14,594 |
| 1930 | 14,595 – 17,253 |
| 1931 | 17,254 – 21,954 |
| 1932 | 21,955 – 24,951 |
| 1933 | 24,952 – 26,725 |
| 1934 | 26,726 – 29,030 |
| 1935 | 29,031 – 32,448 |
| 1936 | 32,449 – 36,632 |
| 1937 | 36,633 – 40,419 |
| 1938 | 40,420 – 43,632 |
| 1939 | 43,633 – 45,460 |
| 1940 | 45,461 – 47,519 |
| 1941 | 47,520 – 50,317 |
| 1942 | 50,318 – 52,129 |
| 1943 | 52,130 – 52,553 |
| 1944 | 52,554 – 52,560 |
| 1945 | 52,561 – 52,718 |
| 1946 | 52,719 – 56,080 |
| 1947 | 56,081 – 60,158 |
| 1948 | 60,159 – 64,265 |
| 1949 | 64,266 – 68,149 |
| 1950approximate | 68,150 – 70,766 |
| 1951approximate | 70,767 – 73,385 |
| 1952approximate | 73,386 – 76,000 |
| 1953 | 76,001 – 79,500 |
| 1954 | 79,501 – 80,693 |
| 1955 | 80,694 – 81,831 |
| 1956 | 81,832 – 96,869 |
| 1957 | 96,870 – 97,869 |
| 1958 | 97,870 – 98,599 |
| 1959 | 98,600 – 98,899 |
| 1960 | 98,900 – 102,200 |
| 1961 | 102,201 – 106,986 |
| 1962 | 106,987 – 108,718 |
| 1963 | 108,719 – 113,583 |
| 1964 | 113,584 – 118,447 |
| 1965approximate | 118,448 – 120,992 |
| 1966approximate | 120,993 – 123,537 |
| 1967approximate | 123,538 – 123,727 |
| 1968approximate | 123,728 – 123,917 |
| 1969approximate | E123,918 – E124,107 |
| 1970approximate | E124,108 – E124,297 |
| 1971 | E124,298 – E124,489 |
| 1972approximate | E124,490 – E124,574 |
| 1973approximate | E124,575 – E124,659 |
| 1974approximate | E124,660 – E124,744 |
| 1975approximate | E124,745 – E124,828 |
| 1976 | E124,829 – E125,019 |
| 1977 | E125,020 – E125,211 |
| 1978 | E125,212 – E125,315 |
| 1979approximate | 125,316 – 125,419 |
- 1919–1921: George Madis records about 240 rifles numbered in 1919 and 1920. This first range covers 1919 through 1921, not just 1921.
- 1950–1952: The numbers for 1950–1952 were spread across those years rather than copied from complete year-by-year ledgers.
- 1965–1968: The numbers for 1965–1970 were spread across those years rather than copied from complete year-by-year ledgers.
- 1969–1970: The numbers for 1965–1970 were spread across those years rather than copied from complete year-by-year ledgers. On late rifles an E appears before the number.
- 1971, 1976–1978: On late rifles an E appears before the number.
- 1972–1975: The numbers for 1972–1975 were spread across those years rather than copied from complete year-by-year ledgers. On late rifles an E appears before the number.
- 1979: The older published Winchester table ends recorded production at 125,419 in 1979. It prints that total as 125,419 with no E in front, and no E has been added here.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1919–1921 | through 397 |
| 1922 | 398 – 745 |
| 1923 | 746 – 1,394 |
| 1924 | 1,395 – 2,361 |
| 1925 | 2,362 – 3,513 |
| 1926 | 3,514 – 6,383 |
| 1927 | 6,384 – 9,436 |
| 1928 | 9,437 – 12,082 |
| 1929 | 12,083 – 14,594 |
| 1930 | 14,595 – 17,253 |
| 1931 | 17,254 – 21,954 |
| 1932 | 21,955 – 24,951 |
| 1933 | 24,952 – 26,725 |
| 1934 | 26,726 – 29,030 |
| 1935 | 29,031 – 32,448 |
| 1936 | 32,449 – 36,632 |
| 1937 | 36,633 – 40,419 |
| 1938 | 40,420 – 43,632 |
| 1939 | 43,633 – 45,460 |
| 1940 | 45,461 – 47,519 |
| 1941 | 47,520 – 50,317 |
| 1942 | 50,318 – 52,129 |
| 1943 | 52,130 – 52,553 |
| 1944 | 52,554 – 52,560 |
| 1945 | 52,561 – 52,718 |
| 1946 | 52,719 – 56,080 |
| 1947 | 56,081 – 60,158 |
| 1948 | 60,159 – 64,265 |
| 1949 | 64,266 – 68,149 |
| 1950 | 68,150 – 70,766 |
| 1951 | 70,767 – 73,385 |
| 1952 | 73,386 – 76,000 |
| 1953 | 76,001 – 79,500 |
| 1954 | 79,501 – 80,693 |
| 1955 | 80,694 – 81,831 |
| 1956 | 81,832 – 96,869 |
| 1957 | 96,870 – 97,869 |
| 1958 | 97,870 – 98,599 |
| 1959 | 98,600 – 98,899 |
| 1960 | 98,900 – 102,200 |
| 1961 | 102,201 – 106,986 |
| 1962 | 106,987 – 108,718 |
| 1963 | 108,719 – 113,583 |
| 1964 | 113,584 – 118,447 |
| 1965 | 118,448 – 120,992 |
| 1966 | 120,993 – 123,537 |
| 1967 | 123,538 – 123,727 |
| 1968 | 123,728 – 123,917 |
| 1969 | through E124,107 |
| 1970 | E124,108 – E124,297 |
| 1971 | E124,298 – E124,489 |
| 1972 | E124,490 – E124,574 |
| 1973 | E124,575 – E124,659 |
| 1974 | E124,660 – E124,744 |
| 1975 | E124,745 – E124,828 |
| 1976 | E124,829 – E125,019 |
| 1977 | E125,020 – E125,211 |
| 1978 | E125,212 – E125,315 |
- 1919–1921: George Madis records about 240 rifles numbered in 1919 and 1920. This first range covers 1919 through 1921, not just 1921.
What to know about Model 52 serial numbers
- These are the last serial number of each year in George Madis's tables and the other older published Winchester tables. They are not exact assembly or shipping dates.
- Several periods were lumped together and then split across the years, including 1950–1952, 1965–1966, 1967–1970 and 1972–1975. Those rows are estimates. They are not the last serial number actually recorded for each of those years at the time.
- The letters A through D mark changes to the receiver design and come after the number. E comes before the number on late rifles. Design changes and letter stamping overlap, so write the serial number down exactly as it appears. Do not drop the letter or move it.
- The last 32 rifles were put together after the stated 1979 end date. Making the parts, assembling the rifle and shipping it are three different events.
- The difference comes from rifles assembled later, not from one clean end of production.
- Serial number ranges overlap between variants. Winchester changed models gradually and built several variants at the same time from parts already in stock. The product-change timeline from Houze and the Winchester collectors' association is a different thing from the year-end serial lists published by George Madis and other older sources. Do not treat the two as one timeline.
- The range covered by the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum shows how far the records go, not where production ended. The Cody records do not say whether a rifle was a Sporter.
- 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's own customer-service list says the model was dropped in 1978, and that a small number of leftover parts were assembled after regular production ended, finished in 1979 at a total of 125,419.
Winchester rifles 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 52 serial numbers: 1–74,125. 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 →