GunSerialsWinchester Model 54 serial numbers by year
A bolt-action sporting rifle that introduced .270 Winchester ammunition. It was the design that led to the Model 70.
- Produced:
- 1925–1936
- 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 54 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.
Winchester Model 54 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 68 Winchester Model 54s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (10), Morphy Auctions (35), Poulin Auctions (4), Redding Auction Services (8), and Amoskeag Auction Company (11) 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 | 68 | $1,015 – $2,702 | $1,560 | $719 – $3,884 |
Recent Model 54 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | Model 54 | Morphy lot 2334 | $1,560 |
| Dec 2025 | Model 54 · 220 Swift | Morphy lot 2330 | $1,560 |
| Feb 2024 | Model 54 · 22 Hornet | Rock Island lot 2850 | $1,645 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 54 | Amoskeag lot 2596 | $665 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 54 | Amoskeag lot 582 | $968 |
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 right side of the receiver's front section, just behind the barrel, as on the later Model 70.
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 54 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: Madis/legacy milestone table · Madis table as transcribed by WACA · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 54 serial numbers by year
The full Model 54 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.
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 milestone table
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1925 | through 3,140 |
| 1926–1927 | 3,141 – 14,178 |
| 1928–1930 | 14,179 – 32,504 |
| 1931 | 32,505 – 36,737 |
| 1932 | 36,738 – 38,550 |
| 1933–1936 | 38,551 – 49,938 |
- 1925, 1931–1932: These are the last serial number of each year taken from George Madis's tables. They are not figures from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum, and they are not counts of finished rifles.
- 1926–1927: This source gives only a few checkpoints, so it cannot narrow the date past 1926–1927.
- 1928–1930: This source gives only a few checkpoints, so it cannot narrow the date past 1928–1930.
- 1933–1936: This source gives only a few checkpoints, so it cannot narrow the date past 1933–1936. The changeover to the Model 70 begins here.
Madis's tables, as reprinted by the Winchester collectors' association
George Madis compiled Winchester reference books years after production. His tables estimate the last serial number reached each year.
Cited as: Madis table as transcribed by WACA
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1925approximate | through 3,140 |
| 1926approximate | 3,141 – 8,052 |
| 1927approximate | 8,053 – 14,178 |
| 1928approximate | 14,179 – 19,590 |
| 1929approximate | 19,591 – 29,108 |
| 1930approximate | 29,109 – 32,504 |
| 1931approximate | 32,505 – 36,737 |
| 1932approximate | 36,738 – 38,550 |
| 1933approximate | 38,551 – 40,780 |
| 1934approximate | 40,781 – 43,475 |
| 1935approximate | 43,476 – 47,134 |
| 1936approximate | 47,135 – 49,938 |
| 1937sources differ | 49,939 – 50,025 |
| 1938sources differ | 50,026 – 50,075 |
| 1939sources differ | 50,076 – 50,100 |
- 1925–1936: Every figure in this table is approximate. It is George Madis's estimate of the last serial number of the year as reprinted by the Winchester collectors' association, not a factory record.
- 1937: These are leftover parts assembled in 1937 after regular production ended.
- 1938: These are leftover parts assembled in 1938 after regular production ended.
- 1939: These are leftover parts assembled in 1939 after regular production ended. OldGuns covers numbers through 50,127. Winchester's older compilation ends at 50,145. Proofhouse reports total production of 50,161.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1925 | through 3,140 |
| 1926 | 3,141 – 8,051 |
| 1927 | 8,052 – 14,176 |
| 1928 | 14,177 – 19,587 |
| 1929 | 19,588 – 29,104 |
| 1930 | 29,105 – 32,499 |
| 1931 | 32,500 – 36,731 |
| 1932 | 36,732 – 38,543 |
| 1933 | 38,544 – 40,722 |
| 1934 | 40,723 – 43,466 |
| 1935 | 43,467 – 47,125 |
| 1936 | 47,126 – 50,145 |
What to know about Model 54 serial numbers
- These are the last serial number of each year taken from George Madis's tables. They are not figures from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum, and they are not counts of finished rifles.
- The Cody Firearms Museum has no factory records for the Model 54, so a factory letter is not available for this model.
- Model 70 serial numbers started over at 1, so a Model 70 number cannot be looked up on this page.
- With no factory record to check, the two-digit date stamped on the barrel under the stock is usually better evidence for one particular rifle than a year estimated from George Madis's tables. Remember that it dates the barrel, not necessarily final assembly or shipment.
- Numbers dated 1939 to 1941 do not mean regular production continued that long. They are leftover parts assembled after it ended.
- Every figure in this table is approximate. It is George Madis's estimate of the last serial number of the year as reprinted by the Winchester collectors' association, not a factory record.
- The older published tables end anywhere from 50,100 to 50,161. No official exact total exists.
- 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.
Related models, and why
These models share a number sequence, replaced this model, or look similar. Each link explains the connection.
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.
Factory record coverage for the Model 54
The Model 54 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 →