GunSerialsWinchester Model 61 serial numbers by year
A pump-action .22 introduced in 1932. It has no exposed hammer and was sold alongside the Models 1890 and 1906.
- Produced:
- 1932–1963
- Action:
- pump-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 61 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 61 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 223 Winchester Model 61s sold individually at Rock Island Auction Company (78), Morphy Auctions (35), Poulin Auctions (22), Redding Auction Services (41), and Amoskeag Auction Company (47) 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 | 223 | $856 – $2,446 | $1,680 | $609 – $3,819 |
Curio & Relic: Rock Island Auction Company typical $2,497 (78 sales); Morphy Auctions typical $1,440 (35 sales); Poulin Auctions typical $1,815 (22 sales); Redding Auction Services typical $825 (41 sales); Amoskeag Auction Company typical $1,028 (47 sales).
Recent Model 61 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 61 | Morphy lot 2470 | $1,680 |
| Mar 2025 | Model 61 | Amoskeag lot 1360 | $1,694 |
| Feb 2026 | Model 61 | Redding lot 286R | $1,750 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 61 | Amoskeag lot 2686 | $338 |
| Aug 2026 | Model 61 | Amoskeag lot 2222 | $726 |
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
Serial numbers are located on the bottom of the receiver (underside, forward of trigger guard).
Why the sources give different years
The dates for the Winchester Model 61 come from Winchester's customer-service list, and other published references, each named above its table. 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: Record-based/WACA evidence · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 61 serial numbers by year
The full Model 61 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 “estimate” is a figure its own source calls an estimate.
Winchester collectors' association research
Figures published by the Winchester Arms Collectors Association from the surviving factory records and its own surveys of real guns.
Cited as: Record-based/WACA evidence
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1932–1949sources differ | through 138,140 |
| 1950–1959sources differ | through 278,022 |
- 1932–1949: This is the last number for 1949. It conflicts with the older published estimate of 125,461, which was reached by spreading the numbers evenly across the years.
- 1950–1959: This is the last number for 1959. It conflicts with the older published estimate of 262,793, which was reached by spreading the numbers evenly across the years.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1932 | 1 – 3,532 |
| 1933 | 3,533 – 6,008 |
| 1934 | 6,009 – 8,554 |
| 1935 | 8,555 – 12,379 |
| 1936 | 12,380 – 20,615 |
| 1937 | 20,616 – 30,334 |
| 1938 | 30,335 – 36,326 |
| 1939 | 36,327 – 42,610 |
| 1940 | 42,611 – 49,270 |
| 1941 | 49,271 – 57,493 |
| 1942 | 57,494 – 59,871 |
| 1943 | 59,872 |
| 1944 | 59,873 – 59,879 |
| 1945 | 59,880 – 60,512 |
| 1946 | 60,513 – 71,629 |
| 1947 | 71,630 – 92,297 |
| 1948 | 92,298 – 115,281 |
| 1949estimate | 115,282 – 125,461 |
| 1950sources differ | 125,462 – 135,641 |
| 1951estimate | 135,642 – 145,821 |
| 1952estimate | 145,822 – 156,000 |
| 1953estimate | 156,001 – 171,000 |
| 1954estimate | 171,001 – 186,000 |
| 1955estimate | 186,001 – 200,962 |
| 1956estimate | 200,963 – 215,923 |
| 1957estimate | 215,924 – 229,457 |
| 1958estimate | 229,458 – 242,992 |
| 1959estimate | 242,993 – 262,793 |
| 1960sources differ | 262,794 – 282,594 |
| 1961estimate | 282,595 – 302,395 |
| 1962estimate | 302,396 – 322,196 |
| 1963estimate | 322,197 – 342,001 |
- 1949: The 1949–1963 entries are arithmetic estimates, and Winchester's own list says so. It states that no actual records exist for 1949 through 1963 and that it worked these figures out by taking the total of 342,001, subtracting the last known number of 115,281, and dividing the difference equally across the 15 remaining years. They do not come from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum. The Winchester collectors' association has record-based evidence that 138,140 was the last number for 1949, which conflicts with the figure shown here.
- 1950, 1960: The 1949–1963 entries are arithmetic estimates, and Winchester's own list says so. It states that no actual records exist for 1949 through 1963 and that it worked these figures out by taking the total of 342,001, subtracting the last known number of 115,281, and dividing the difference equally across the 15 remaining years. They do not come from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum.
- 1951–1958: The 1949–1963 entries are arithmetic estimates, and Winchester's own list says so. It states that no actual records exist for 1949 through 1963 and that it worked these figures out by taking the total of 342,001, subtracting the last known number of 115,281, and dividing the difference equally across the 15 remaining years. They do not come from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum.
- 1959: The 1949–1963 entries are arithmetic estimates, and Winchester's own list says so. It states that no actual records exist for 1949 through 1963 and that it worked these figures out by taking the total of 342,001, subtracting the last known number of 115,281, and dividing the difference equally across the 15 remaining years. They do not come from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum. The Winchester collectors' association has record-based evidence that 278,022 was the last number for 1959, which conflicts with the figure shown here.
- 1961–1963: Winchester's own list skipped 1961 and printed its last three years one year late. They are shown here as 1961, 1962 and 1963 because the model ended in 1963. These figures are estimates made by spreading the numbers evenly across the years.
What to know about Model 61 serial numbers
- The 1949–1963 figures in the older published tables are arithmetic estimates, and Winchester's own list labels them that way. They do not come from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum.
- The Winchester collectors' association works from records and gives 138,140 as the last number for 1949 and 278,022 as the last number for 1959. Both conflict with the older published estimates, which simply spread the numbers evenly across the years.
- 342,001 is the last number allocated, not a confirmed end of production. The exact final serial number has never been verified.
- The surviving records at the Cody Firearms Museum for the date the serial number was stamped do not cover every rifle.
- 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 1963 and that no real records exist for 1949 through 1963. It worked out the figures for those years by taking the total production of 342,001, subtracting the last known number of 115,281, and splitting the difference evenly across the 15 remaining years.
- Winchester's own list skipped 1961 and printed its last three years one year late. They are shown here as 1961, 1962 and 1963 because the model ended in 1963. These figures are estimates made by spreading the numbers evenly across the years.
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 61 serial numbers: 62,775–68,758. 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 →