GunSerialsWinchester Model 57 serial numbers by year
A bolt-action .22 target rifle introduced in 1926, with regular production through 1936. The Madis/ProofHouse table also lists 37 rifles assembled from leftover parts in 1937 and 468 in 1938.
- Produced:
- 1926–1936 (parts cleanup 1937–1938)
- 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 57 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 low and high of recent auction sales.
Winchester Model 57 value: what it sells for at auction
We found 8 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 57 at Poulin Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $360 to $1,500.
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 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Model 57 | Redding lot 237R | $1,500 |
| May 2026 | Model 57 · 22 Long | Redding lot 327R | $675 |
| Mar 2026 | Model 57 | Redding lot 475R | $625 |
| Nov 2025 | Model 57 | Amoskeag lot 2356 | $423 |
| Oct 2025 | Model 57 · 22 Long | Redding lot 436R | $360 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 57 | Amoskeag lot 2345 | $605 |
| Nov 2024 | Model 57 | Amoskeag lot 2224 | $393 |
| Feb 2024 | Model 57 | Poulin lot 4128 | $514 |
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: Madis's tables (Proofhouse / oldguns.net reprint). Use its dates as estimates for groups of serial numbers, and check the notes for its limits.
Source for this model: Madis/ProofHouse shared-series assembly-year allocations
Winchester Model 57 serial numbers by year
The full Model 57 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 “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: Madis/ProofHouse shared-series assembly-year allocations
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1926approximate | 1 – 3,193 |
| 1927approximate | 3,194 – 9,001 |
| 1928approximate | 9,002 – 13,739 |
| 1929approximate | 13,740 – 17,065 |
| 1930approximate | 17,066 – 21,468 |
| 1931approximate | 21,469 – 24,299 |
| 1932approximate | 24,300 – 25,435 |
| 1933approximate | 25,436 – 25,828 |
| 1934approximate | 25,829 – 26,489 |
| 1935approximate | 26,490 – 26,830 |
| 1936approximate | 26,831 – 27,401 |
| 1937approximate | 27,402 – 27,439 |
| 1938approximate | 27,440 – 27,878 |
- 1926–1928, 1930–1931: The totals and the year-by-year dating for the shared sequence come from the published tables of George Madis. These rows show how the shared sequence was split up by year of assembly. They are not the dates the receivers were numbered.
- 1929: The totals and the year-by-year dating for the shared sequence come from the published tables of George Madis. No receivers are reported to have been newly numbered in 1929. Receivers numbered in 1928 were still being built into guns later.
- 1932–1937: The totals and the year-by-year dating for the shared sequence come from the published tables of George Madis. Rows after 1931 are Model 57 only. These are years of assembly, not the dates the receivers were numbered.
- 1938: George Madis's tables date the shared sequence by year of assembly. Rows after 1931 cover only the Model 57. The tables end the sequence at 27,878 in 1938, the same final number shown for the Model 56. Research in the original records puts the true end higher but gives no exact number. A receiver may have been numbered before the rifle was finished or shipped.
What to know about Model 57 serial numbers
- The Model 56 and the Model 57 share one receiver serial sequence that starts at 1, so the number alone does not tell you which model you have.
- These rows show how the shared sequence was split up by year of assembly. They are not the dates the receivers were numbered.
- No receivers are reported to have been newly numbered in 1929. Receivers numbered in 1928 were still being built into guns later.
- George Madis's tables spread Model 57 production through 1938. The year a receiver was numbered can be earlier than the year the rifle was finished or shipped.
- The totals and the year-by-year dating for the shared sequence come from the published tables of George Madis.
- Research in the original records puts the end of the shared sequence above the 27,878 given in George Madis's tables. It does not publish a number precise enough to use as the final serial.
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 57
The Model 57 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 →