GunSerials

Winchester Model 60A serial numbers — why most have none

The Winchester Model 60A is a single-shot, bolt-action .22 rimfire rifle.

Produced:
Model 60A: 1932–1934; Model 60A Target: 1933–1939 (WACA/Watrous chronology; Proofhouse instead dates both 60/60A categories from 1932 to World War II)
Action:
bolt-action
AI-generated illustration of Winchester Model 60A, side profile on a light gray background.
Winchester Model 60A. AI-generated illustration. Details may differ from a real gun.
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.

Most Model 60A guns have no serial number

Winchester never numbered the Model 60A.

These guns usually have model and ammunition markings on the barrel, and may also have patent dates. Those are different from a serial number. The model’s production ended before federal law required serial numbers on rifles and shotguns in 1968. A missing number is normal for this model; it does not by itself show whether the gun has been altered.

Winchester's figures give 165,754 Model 60 and 60A rifles combined and 6,118 60A Targets; Madis's table gives 165,758 and 6,363.

The Model 60A is the revised standard rifle of 1932 to 1934 and, separately, the 60A Target made to 1939 with a 27-inch barrel, a square-top military-style front sight and a Lyman 55W receiver sight. The Target is .22 Long Rifle only. The standard 60A was dropped in 1934 when the Model 67 appeared.

Without a factory serial number, a serial-number search cannot identify this individual gun. The feature clues below may help narrow its age.

If your Model 60A has a number on it

A number may be an owner’s mark, a store’s inventory number, or an importer’s mark. Some factory stamps identify an inspector or a part. On certain models, a two-digit stamp under the barrel can indicate a year. Patent dates describe patents, not when this particular gun was made. We do not have serial lookup tables for these markings.

How to date a Model 60A without a serial number

Winchester changed the Model 60A over its run, and the published references date some of those changes. These clues can help narrow the possible years:

  • Standard 60A rifles came with 23- and 27-inch barrels; the 27-inch barrel arrived in 1933.
  • Some barrels carry a two-digit year stamp on their underside, hidden by the stock. It dates the barrel, not the finished rifle: Winchester did not use parts up in the order they were made.
  • A chrome-plated bolt and trigger were fitted to ordinary Model 60s too, so plating does not mark a Target.

Features suggest a range of years. Winchester sometimes used older parts after a design changed, and parts may have been replaced later.

Winchester Model 60A value: what it sells for at auction

We found 8 single-gun auction sales of the Winchester Model 60A at Morphy Auctions, Redding Auction Services, and Amoskeag Auction Company between Sep 2023 and Sep 2026. They sold for $48 to $484.

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 60A sale we counted

Newest first. Their features and condition may differ from your gun. A lot number identifies an item in an auction.

Jul 2026Model 60ARedding lot 15R$275
Mar 2026Model 60AAmoskeag lot 2576$181
Mar 2026Model 60ARedding lot 478R$375
Jan 2026Model 60AAmoskeag lot 2035$48
Nov 2025Model 60AMorphy lot 1383$369
Sep 2025Model 60ARedding lot 263R$140
Aug 2025Model 60AAmoskeag lot 2011$484
Nov 2024Model 60AAmoskeag lot 2238$181

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 →

Other Winchester rifles usually made without serial numbers

Winchester bolt-action rifles with serial records

About the records behind serial dating →