Winchester Model 63 serial numbers by year
The semi-automatic .22 Long Rifle that replaced the Model 1903. Regular production ended in 1958, cleanup serialization ran into 1959, and Miroku reproduced it in 1997–1998.
- Produced:
- 1933–1958 (cleanup serialization 1959); Miroku reproductions 1997–1998
- Action:
- semi-automatic
What year was your Model 63 made?
Where the serial number is
Serial numbers are located on the bottom of the receiver (underside of the forward receiver/frame assembly).
Why the sources give different years
Nobody kept one official list of which Winchester Model 63 serial numbers were made in which year. The dates come from the original factory record books, now held by the Cody Firearms Museum, the tables in George Madis's Winchester books, compiled decades after the guns were made, and a list typed up by Winchester's customer-service desk, which mixes real records with estimates. For some serial numbers these sources are years apart, so this page shows what each one says instead of picking one.
Madis vs. factory dates lists every model where the sources part ways, with a real serial number from each.
Sources for this model: Madis estimates — year-end table · Published Madis/Proofhouse table — starting serials · CFM/Polishing Room wartime records · Winchester customer-service list (2012)
Winchester Model 63 serial numbers by year
The full Model 63 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.
A row marked “sources differ” is a serial range that another table on this page dates to a different year. 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 estimates — year-end table
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1933approximate | 1 – 2,667 |
| 1934approximate | 2,668 – 5,361 |
| 1935approximate | 5,362 – 9,830 |
| 1936approximate | 9,831 – 16,781 |
| 1937approximate | 16,782 – 25,435 |
| 1938approximate | 25,436 – 30,934 |
| 1939approximate | 30,935 – 36,055 |
| 1940approximate | 36,056 – 41,456 |
| 1941approximate | 41,457 – 47,708 |
| 1942approximate | 47,709 – 51,258 |
| 1943approximate | 51,259 – 51,631 |
| 1944approximate | 51,632 – 51,656 |
| 1945sources differ | 51,657 – 53,853 |
| 1946sources differ | 53,854 – 61,607 |
| 1947approximate | 61,608 – 71,714 |
| 1948approximate | 71,715 – 80,519 |
| 1949approximate | 80,520 – 88,889 |
| 1950approximate | 88,890 – 97,259 |
| 1951approximate | 97,260 – 105,629 |
| 1952approximate | 105,630 – 114,000 |
| 1953approximate | 114,001 – 120,500 |
| 1954approximate | 120,501 – 127,000 |
| 1955approximate | 127,001 – 138,000 |
| 1956approximate | 138,001 – 150,000 |
| 1957approximate | 150,001 – 162,345 |
| 1958approximate | 162,346 – 174,691 |
| 1959approximate | 174,692 – 175,223 |
- 1933: The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table. The published sequence begins at 1.
- 1934–1944, 1947–1948: The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table.
- 1945–1946: The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table.
- 1949–1957: The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table. Several of the postwar rows are openly bulked, averaged, or rounded.
- 1958: This figure is approximate. The leftover parts assembled after regular production ended in 1959 start at 174,692. The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table. Several of the postwar rows are openly bulked, averaged, or rounded.
- 1959: These are leftover parts assembled after regular production ended in 1959. The printed final serial is 175,223. That final serial is disputed, because documented rifles run to at least 176,718.
Madis's tables (Proofhouse / oldguns.net reprint)
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: Published Madis/Proofhouse table — starting serials
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1933approximate | 1 – 2,667 |
| 1934approximate | 2,668 – 5,362 |
| 1935approximate | 5,363 – 9,832 |
| 1936approximate | 9,833 – 16,784 |
| 1937approximate | 16,785 – 25,439 |
| 1938approximate | 25,440 – 30,939 |
| 1939approximate | 30,940 – 36,061 |
| 1940approximate | 36,062 – 41,463 |
| 1941approximate | 41,464 – 47,716 |
| 1942approximate | 47,717 – 51,267 |
| 1943approximate | 51,268 – 51,631 |
| 1944approximate | 51,632 – 51,656 |
| 1945sources differ | 51,657 – 53,853 |
| 1946sources differ | 53,854 – 61,607 |
| 1947approximate | 61,608 – 71,714 |
| 1948approximate | 71,715 – 80,519 |
| 1949approximate | 80,520 – 88,889 |
| 1950approximate | 88,890 – 97,259 |
| 1951approximate | 97,260 – 105,629 |
| 1952approximate | 105,630 – 114,000 |
| 1953approximate | 114,001 – 120,500 |
| 1954approximate | 120,501 – 127,000 |
| 1955approximate | 127,001 – 138,000 |
| 1956approximate | 138,001 – 150,000 |
| 1957approximate | 150,001 – 162,344 |
| 1958approximate | 162,345 – 174,691 |
| 1959approximate | 174,692 – 175,223 |
- 1933–1944, 1947–1948: The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table.
- 1945–1946: The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table.
- 1949–1958: The year-by-year figures and the final serial come from the published Madis/Proofhouse table. Several of the postwar rows are openly bulked, averaged, or rounded.
- 1959: These are leftover parts assembled after regular production ended in 1959. The printed final serial is 175,223. That final serial is disputed, because documented rifles run to at least 176,718.
Factory records (Cody Firearms Museum)
The original Winchester factory ledgers, now held at the Cody Firearms Museum. They record the day each serial number was stamped, which is usually close to when the gun was finished.
Cited as: CFM/Polishing Room wartime records
| Year | Serial numbers |
|---|---|
| 1942sources differ | 51,891 – 55,835 |
| 1945sources differ | 55,836 – 57,994 |
- 1942: 51,891 was the last number stamped on May 19, 1942. Numbering was suspended at 55,835 on November 2, 1942.
- 1945: Numbering resumed at 55,836 on August 18, 1945. The last number stamped in 1945 was 57,994.
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 |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 1 – 2,667 |
| 1934 | 2,668 – 5,361 |
| 1935 | 5,362 – 9,830 |
| 1936 | 9,831 – 16,781 |
| 1937 | 16,782 – 25,435 |
| 1938 | 25,436 – 30,934 |
| 1939 | 30,935 – 36,055 |
| 1940 | 36,056 – 41,456 |
| 1941 | 41,457 – 47,708 |
| 1942 | 47,709 – 51,258 |
| 1943 | 51,259 – 51,631 |
| 1944 | 51,632 – 51,656 |
| 1945sources differ | 51,657 – 53,853 |
| 1946sources differ | 53,854 – 61,607 |
| 1947 | 61,608 – 71,714 |
| 1948 | 71,715 – 80,519 |
| 1949 | 80,520 – 88,889 |
| 1950 | 88,890 – 97,259 |
| 1951 | 97,260 – 105,629 |
| 1952 | 105,630 – 114,000 |
| 1953 | 114,001 – 120,500 |
| 1954 | 120,501 – 127,000 |
| 1955 | 127,001 – 138,000 |
| 1956 | 138,001 – 150,000 |
| 1957 | 150,001 – 162,345 |
| 1958 | 162,346 – 174,692 |
What to know about Model 63 serial numbers
- Many Model 63 rifles have an "A" after the serial number. It does not mean a different model or variant, and the surviving guns do not fix a reliable serial-number cutoff for it.
- Dates in the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum are the date the serial number was stamped. They are not necessarily the date the gun was assembled or shipped.
- Do not read the yearly estimates in George Madis's tables, especially those for 1949 to 1958, as dates from the factory records at the Cody Firearms Museum.
- The date the serial number was stamped, the halt in assembly, and postwar completion are three different things. A receiver numbered before the halt may have been finished or shipped later.
- About 174,692 is often quoted as the total made, but no official total exists.
- Documented rifles run to at least 176,718, above the approximate final serial of 175,223 in George Madis's tables. The exact final serial and the total made are unknown.
- The highest number actually seen is only a floor. It is not a confirmed final serial.
- The 1959 guns are leftover parts assembled after regular production ended, and the printed final serial is disputed.
- 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.
Other Winchester semi-automatic rimfires
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 63 serial numbers: 51,891–57,994. 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 →