Winchester Model 52 serial numbers by year
The bolt-action .22 target rifle that dominated smallbore competition for decades, evolved through the A, B, C, D and E variants alongside the Sporter.
- Produced:
- 1919–1979 (original); 1991–2002 (reissues)
- Action:
- bolt-action
What year was your Model 52 made?
Winchester Model 52 value: what it sells for at auction
114 Winchester Model 52s sold one gun to a lot at Rock Island Auction Company (71) and Morphy Auctions (43) between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. The table groups them the way the auction house coded each lot: antique, curio and relic, or modern. Half of the guns in each row sold inside the “most sell between” range; a quarter sold below it and a quarter above. Eight in ten sold inside the wider “nearly all between” range.
Standard guns only. Left out: deluxe and special-order guns (checkered or fancy wood, pistol grips, odd barrel lengths, special sights), engraved, inscribed, presentation, and commemorative pieces, and lots of two or more guns. A deluxe or special-order gun sells for more than these figures, often several times more. Condition and originality drive most of the spread inside a row.
Enter your serial number above and this section picks out the row for your gun’s era and lists the most recent sales like it.
| Era | Sales | Most sell between | Typical | Nearly all between |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curio & Relicat least 50 years old at the time of sale | 112 | $999 – $3,525 | $1,528 | $740 – $4,397 |
These are sold prices for standard guns, not an appraisal. Prices realized as published by each house after the sale; both houses' figures include the buyer's premium. A dealer buying for resale will offer less than these figures; a private sale between collectors often lands near the typical price for the gun’s condition. If your gun has factory upgrades, a factory letter that confirms them is what moves it above these numbers. Updated after each major sale. The full picture, model by model →
Where the serial number is
On the receiver.
Where these dates come from
Winchester's original factory records do not cover every model. For the Model 52, the dates come from one published source, George Madis's published tables. It was typed up long after production, so treat any year as a close estimate rather than a factory record.
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 published source. Each row gives the serial numbers that source assigns to a year. Find the row your number falls in.
The tables agree with each other for every serial range. A row marked “approximate” comes from a table whose figures are estimates rather than factory records.
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/Legacy Winchester Year-End Serial Compilation (1921–1979)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 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 |
- 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 year-by-year list Winchester's customer-service desk typed up to answer owners' letters. Partly real records and partly estimates, as the list itself says.
Cited as: Winchester customer-service list (2012)
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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.
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 52 serial numbers: 1–74,125. 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 →